The Ryan Building, the oldest structure in Capitol Park, was the newest and most modern when it was completed in 1894. It also ranks as the building having the most names: the Capitol Annex, the old Museum Building, and the Ryan Building. But officially it was titled “the Executive, Library and Museum Building” upon its completion.
The need for a new “fireproof” building for the state’s artifacts and library was evident from the 1870’s onward as the size of the legislature grew. The debate centered around whether to build a new Capitol or renovate the Hill’s Capitol. Instead the compromise was to build a new structure beside the Hill’s Capitol.
The architectural design of the building stemmed from the 1893 Chicago World’s Columbian Exposition, which revived the ideas of classical architecture in America in a movement known as the “American Renaissance.” The building was designed by Philadelphia architect John T. Windrim and constructed by contractors Doyle and Doak.
The state gave strict guidelines for the construction and completion of the building. The contract was signed on September 28, 1893 and construction was to begin on October 2nd. The deadline for completion was December 1, 1894 and the contractor would have to pay a $250 dollar per day penalty for each day past this deadline.
The first problem the contractors had to address was moving the 1868 Mexican War monument to a different location. This movement was completed throughout the fall of 1893 and the cornerstone of the building was laid on December 15, 1893. Owing in part to a mild winter, construction progressed at break-neck speed and by October 31, 1894 the building was handed over to the Commonwealth – two months ahead of schedule.
The Italianate-style building was praised for being early and under budget and also for how impressive it was architecturally. It is also the first time the sitting governors of the state had offices and reception space. The building also had room for 500,000 books in the new state library and housed the growing collections of the state historical collections, including the famous 32 x 16 foot Battle of Gettysburg painting by Peter F. Rothermel.
The library moved to the newly-built Education (Forum) Building in 1931 and the now state museum to its present location in 1964. In the mid-1990s, the building underwent restoration. It was renamed in 1999 for the late Matthew J. Ryan, who had been speaker of the House for two years in the ‘80s and from ’95 until his death in 2003.
