Arizona State Capitol Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids
Arizona State Capitol Building
U.S. National Register of Historic Places

Front view of the original capitol building (2014)
Location in Arizona Show map of Arizona Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Location	1700 W. Washington St., Phoenix, Arizona
Area	2 acres (0.81 ha)
Built	1899-1901
Architect	James Riely Gordon
Architectural style	Beaux Arts
NRHP reference No.	74000455
Added to NRHP	October 29, 1974

The Arizona State Capitol building in Phoenix, Arizona, United States, has a long and interesting history. It was the last home for Arizona's government when it was still a territory. Then, when Arizona became a state in 1912, all three parts of the new state government worked from this building.

As Arizona grew, the government offices moved to other buildings nearby. Today, the original part of the Capitol building from 1901 is the Arizona Capitol Museum. It teaches visitors all about Arizona's history and culture. The Arizona State Library, which used to be in an addition built in 1938, is now also part of the museum.

Discover the Arizona Capitol Museum
- What You Can See at the Museum
  - The USS Arizona Silver Service
  - The Merci Train Gifts
History of the Capitol Building
- Building and Expanding the Capitol
- The Capitol Becomes a Museum
Architecture of the Capitol
Future of the Capitol Area
Gallery
See also

Discover the Arizona Capitol Museum

A view of the original Capitol building.

The Arizona Capitol Museum helps you learn how Arizona changed from a territory to a state. You can explore many exhibits that show off Arizona's past and present. There are over 20 displays with historical items and artifacts from the state's collections.

What You Can See at the Museum

Some of the permanent exhibits include:

The story of the USS Arizona and its sinking.
A special silver service from the USS Arizona.
A timeline of important events that led to Arizona becoming a state.
The original offices of the Governor and Secretary of State.
The historic rooms where the Senate and House of Representatives used to meet.

You can even sit at the desks in the Historic House Chamber! There's also a room showing the 140 changes made to the Arizona Constitution over 100 years. The Governor's office on the second floor has items from past Arizona governors. It also displays a flag used by Teddy Roosevelt's Rough Riders.

The USS Arizona Silver Service

One amazing display is the huge silver and copper punchbowl set from the USS Arizona. There's also a bronze sculpture that was on the ship. These items survived the attack on Pearl Harbor. They were being cleaned off the ship when the attack happened. The punchbowl set is unique. It has etched copper panels showing desert scenes. The silver bowl is decorated with mermaids and dolphins.

The Merci Train Gifts

You can also see gifts Arizona received from the Merci Train. This train was sent by France to the United States after World War II. The French wanted to thank America for sending them aid during the war. Thousands of French citizens donated items for this thank-you train. One boxcar was sent to each U.S. state. The boxcars were called "Forty and Eight" because they could hold 40 men or 8 horses. Each car was decorated with the coats of arms from French provinces. The museum displays some of these special gifts.

History of the Capitol Building

The Capitol building was built to show that the Arizona Territory was ready to become a U.S. state. James Riely Gordon won a design contest for the building. His first plan was much bigger, with a larger dome and wings for the legislature. But there wasn't enough money. So, the plan was made smaller. The legislative wings were removed, and a smaller dome was added.

Building and Expanding the Capitol

Construction of the Capitol started in 1899. It opened in 1901. The Del Webb Construction company built it. Later, in 1918 and 1938, additions were built on the west side. These additions matched the original style. They made the building much larger, from 40,000 to 123,000 square feet.

The Capitol was home to the Legislature until 1960. That's when new buildings were built for the House and Senate. The Governor's Office stayed there until 1974. At that time, the state planned to turn the original Capitol into a museum.

The Capitol Becomes a Museum

The Arizona Capitol Museum first opened in 1978. In its first year, over 40,000 schoolchildren visited! After some restoration work, the building fully reopened as a museum in 1981. In the 1990s, more than $3 million was spent to fix up the Capitol. Many rooms were restored to look like they did originally. However, some rooms on the third floor are still not finished due to budget issues. The Capitol is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

In 2010, the state sold some of the surrounding government buildings to private investors. But the old Capitol building was not part of that sale.

Architecture of the Capitol

View from the east at sunset (2007). The Senate building is on the left and the House building is on the right.

The Capitol building is mostly made from materials found in Arizona. These include malapai rock, granite, and a copper dome. The design is perfect for Arizona's desert climate. It has thick stone walls that keep the inside cool. There are also skylights and round "bullseye" windows. These windows help let hot air out of the legislative rooms. On top of the building is a weather vane. It looks like the famous Winged Victory of Samothrace statue. You can see it through a skylight from inside the rotunda.

Future of the Capitol Area

As Arizona's population has grown, the area around the Capitol has become very busy. The buildings for the Senate and House, built in 1960, have been getting old. For example, the Senate building often has plumbing problems.

The original Capitol building is now only used as a museum. It welcomes over 70,000 visitors each year, including more than 50,000 schoolchildren. Some people have said that the Senate and House buildings don't look as nice as the old Capitol.

A group from the state legislature reported in 2007 that the Capitol complex barely meets the state's current needs. It won't be enough for future needs. Because of this, ideas were suggested in 2008 to update or rebuild the Capitol area. The main goal is to keep the 1901 building in its original condition. Its original use as a government building is an important part of state history.

Some ideas for the future include moving offices back into the Capitol. Other ideas involve rebuilding or greatly expanding the House and Senate buildings. A study by Arizona State University even planned a full redesign for the entire Capitol mall area.

Gallery

Another view of the Arizona State Capitol, built in 1901, which is now the Arizona State Capitol Museum.
The rotunda floor of the Arizona State Capitol Building.
A piece of USS Arizona's superstructure which was salvaged and which is on display at the Arizona State Capitol Museum.
The U.S. flag that flew on the battleship USS Arizona when it sank during the attack on Pearl Harbor. The flag is on display in the first floor of the Arizona State Capitol Museum.
The Arizona Capitol Museum is home to the silver service (silverware) that was donated to USS Arizona by the citizens of Arizona in 1919. This service is composed of 59 distinct pieces on display at the Capitol Museum.
Additional silver service (silverware) that was donated to USS Arizona by the citizens of Arizona in 1919. on display at the Arizona Capitol Museum.
Model of USS Arizona at the Arizona State Capitol Museum.
Inside the historic House Chamber. The Chamber is located on the third floor of the Arizona State Capitol Museum.
A view from the fourth floor of the Arizona State Capitol Museum looking down from the gallery into the original House Chamber.
A view from the fourth floor of the Arizona State Capitol Museum looking down from the gallery into the original Senate chamber.