Even then, the gender imbalance was glaring. The so-called Million Dollar Staircase, spanning 444 steps and four floors of the New York State Capitol, memorialized the faces of dozens of distinguished figures in delicate carvings, but not one was a woman. Scrutiny prompted a state official to hastily authorize the addition of several women to the staircase’s lower level. The year was 1898. — The New York Times
After 125 years, New York State will make its first new addition, Brooklyn native and late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The carving will be formed from the same Scotland-sourced Corsehill sandstone used for the original stairs. It is expected to cost around $150,000 and complete sometime this spring. The piece will be sculpted by artist Meredith Bergmann.
The Million Dollar Staircase, also officially known as the Great Western Staircase, was carved in place from large blocks of sandstone from 1884 to 1898. It was designed by architect Henry Hobson Richardson and features 78 carvings of distinguished figures from that time. The few faces of women that are present on the staircase seem to serve a more decorative purpose, including babies, goddesses, and the architect’s granddaughter. The six proposed female additions include Susan B. Anthony, novelist Harriet Beecher Stowe, and Civil War nurses.
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