Construction on a new ceiling for the Assembly Chamber began in
1888. The ceiling was supposed to be made of solid oak. Instead,
the contractor substituted panels made of oak and papier-mache,
a cost-cutting material not authorized by the legislature.
Discovery of the substitution caused much Twenty-two years
later, in 1911, a horrendous fire swept through the Capitol,
causing wholesale destruction to everything in its path. The
flames roared wildly through both the State and Assembly
libraries reducing them to ashes. The Capitol fire then raced
toward the Assembly Chamber. It was certain, if the fire
engulfed the largest room in the Capitol, the entire building
would be lost. In a twist of fate, the Capitol was saved from
total destruction. The progress of the fire was slowed by the
papier- mache ceiling in the Assembly chamber. These
controversial panels absorbed the water that was poured into the
Capitol from the fire fighter's hoses.