State to honor legendary photographer John Fielder with a new 150th anniversary postage stamp

When Colorado voters elect a new governor this November, the incoming administration will step into an office that looks far more like it did in 1895.

A seven-month, $2.4 million restoration of the governor’s office at the state Capitol has stripped away midcentury alterations to reveal original ceilings, floors and architectural details long hidden from view.

Gone? The drop-down ceiling, which had been put in place in the 1957 renovation of the governor’s office to hide heating and ventilation pipes.

With that drop-down removed and the HVAC infrastructure relocated, the original 1895 ceiling with its faded stencils was revealed. Five layers of stenciling later, and the ceiling is restored nearly to its original glory.

Gone? The rugs covered almost the entire floor. With the rugs removed, the original 1895 wood floor, still in excellent condition, has been restored, with only a few area rugs in place.

The most notable change: the wood paneling that covered all four walls is now gone. Underneath that paneling were columns and rose onyx baseboards, in need of restoration. The original tops to the columns were still in good shape.

But where to get the rose onyx? Legend has it that when the state Capitol was built in 1895, every last bit of rose onyx, also known as Beulah red marble, was used in the Capitol’s interior.

But fortune favored the restoration: a small cache of rose onyx was discovered in the Capitol’s legendary basement, which helped with some, though not all, of the restoration work.

Also revealed for the first time in years, floor-to-ceiling oak window trim, previously hidden behind curtains.

Restoration work has a ways to go: The ceiling lights that partially block the view will eventually be removed, and the restoration of the outer chamber that houses staff and State Patrol is underway.

The John Fielder photo that graced the north wall of the governor’s office has been sent to History Colorado, which was willed much of his photography collection when Fielder died in 2023. Fielder is famously known as the “Colorado Photographer.”

Fielder is being honored in a new way this month, according to Gov. Jared Polis.

On Jan. 24, the U.S. Postal Service will unveil a stamp honoring Colorado’s 150th anniversary of statehood, featuring a Fielder photograph titled “Jagged Mountain, Weminuche Wilderness.”

The new exhibit, Mountains Majesty: On the Summit with John Fielder, will open at the History Colorado Center. The day will begin with an 8:30 a.m. “First Day of Issue Dedication Ceremony,” when the commemorative stamp design will be unveiled. 

Museum members searched through more than 6,000 Fielder photographs to help with the exhibit.

“This exhibition is a love letter to John Fielder and his mountain photographs from History Colorado’s members,” said historian Katherine Mercier. “As History Colorado members selected photographs, I was struck by their deep emotional connection to John Fielder’s work. His powerful photos of Colorado’s mountains brought back personal memories of the state’s beauty and wonder,” Mercier said.

Fielder donated more than 6,000 photos distilled from the 200,000 he had taken since 1973, making them available to the public for personal and commercial use through History Colorado and John Fielder’s Colorado Collection.