Georgia State Capitol facts for kids
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Georgia State Capitol
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West side of the Georgia State Capitol
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 Location in Downtown Atlanta
Location in Atlanta
Location in Georgia (U.S. state)
Location in the United States
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| Location | 206 Washington St SW, Atlanta, Georgia |
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| Built | 1889 |
| Architect | Edbrooke and Burnham |
| Architectural style | Renaissance Revival, Classical Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 71001099 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | December 9, 1971 |
| Designated NHL | November 7, 1973 |
The Georgia State Capitol is a very important building in Atlanta, Georgia. It's known for its beautiful design and long history. This building is so special that it's been named a National Historic Landmark. This means it's recognized as a place important to the history of the entire United States.
The Capitol is where Georgia's government works. It holds the offices for the governor, lieutenant governor, and secretary of state. The Georgia General Assembly, which includes the Georgia State Senate and the Georgia House of Representatives, meets here every year. Visitors can watch these meetings from special galleries on the fourth floor. There's also a museum inside, and a statue called Miss Freedom on top of the dome.
Contents
Discovering the Capitol's History
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The land where the Capitol stands was once home to Atlanta's first city hall. Atlanta wanted to become the state capital instead of Milledgeville. To make this happen, the city gave this land to the state for free. In 1877, leaders voted to move the capital to Atlanta permanently.
Georgia's capital has moved several times over the years. It was once in Louisville, but that building is gone now. The legislature also met in Augusta and Savannah. During and after the American Civil War, they even met in Macon. This was especially true when Atlanta was affected by the war.
Exploring the Capitol's Architecture
The Georgia State Capitol looks a lot like the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C.. It's built in a style called Neoclassical, which uses ideas from ancient Greek and Roman buildings.
Architects Willoughby J. Edbrooke and Franklin Pierce Burnham from Chicago designed the building. Construction finished in March 1889. A sculptor named George Crouch created all the fancy decorations.
Key Architectural Features
The Capitol faces west on Washington Street. The front of the building has a four-story portico, which is a porch with a roof supported by columns. Six large Corinthian columns hold up a stone pediment. This pediment is a triangular part above the columns. Georgia's coat of arms is carved into it.
Inside, the Capitol shows the style of the 1800s. It was one of the first buildings to have elevators and central heating. It also had lights that could use both gas and electricity. You'll see Classical pilasters, which are flat columns attached to walls, and oak wood panels. The floors are made of marble from Pickens County, which still produces marble today.
The Famous Gold Dome
The Capitol has a large open area in the middle called a rotunda. On each side, there are grand staircases and three-story open spaces called atriums. These are topped with clerestory windows, which are high windows that let in light.
The dome was first made of terra cotta and covered with tin. But in 1958, it was covered with real gold leaf. This gold came from near Dahlonega in Lumpkin County. This area had the first American gold rush in the 1830s. Because of this, people often say "under the Gold Dome" when talking about what's happening in the state government. The Miss Freedom statue has been on the dome since the building opened.
In 1997, the House and Senate rooms were restored to look like they did in 1889. This included fixing plaster and repainting the decorations.
Visiting the Georgia Capitol Museum
The Capitol has a museum that opened in 1889. It has many collections about Georgia's natural and cultural history. You can see Native American artifacts, animals, rocks, minerals, and fossils.
Many items were put into storage during renovations. But you can still see portraits of governors and statues of famous Georgians. There are also historic flags from different wars. Portraits of all governors since 1850 are displayed, except for one.
The Georgia Capitol Museum is managed by the University of Georgia Libraries. Its goal is to share the history of the Capitol building. It also explains how the government works and what important events have happened there. The museum collects and takes care of items related to the Capitol's history.
Liberty Plaza: A Public Space
In 2015, a large public area called Liberty Plaza was opened just east of the Capitol. Many monuments were moved from other parts of the Capitol grounds to this new plaza. These include copies of the Liberty Bell and the Statue of Liberty.
Capitol Dimensions: How Big Is It?
- Greatest north–south length: 347 feet 9 inches (106 meters)
- Greatest central depth: 272 feet 4.5 inches (83 meters)
- Second-Floor Rotunda to ceiling: 187 feet 4 inches (57 meters)
- Dome diameter: 75 feet (23 meters)
Monuments on the Capitol Grounds
The Capitol grounds have many statues and memorials.
- Governors
- Equestrian statue of John Brown Gordon (1907)
- Joseph E. Brown and Elizabeth Brown (1928)
- Statue of Eugene Talmadge (1949)
- Richard B. Russell (1975)
- Herman Talmadge (1990)
- Statue of Jimmy Carter (1992)
- Statue of Ellis Arnall (1997)
- Other Important People
- Plaque and tree honoring William Ambrose Wright (1930)
- Statue of Benjamin Harvey Hill
- Statue of Martin Luther King Jr. (2017)
- Drinking fountain with a bas-relief of Mary Latimer McLendon (1923)
- Other Memorials
- U.S. Coast Guard Survey History Marker (1874)
- Reproduction of the Liberty Bell (1950)
- Statue of Liberty replica (1951)
- Spanish War Veterans Memorial (1967)
- Flame of Freedom (American Legion) (1969)
- Expelled Because of Color, a 6-foot bronze statue (1978). This statue honors the 33 African-American lawmakers who were removed from the Georgia legislature in 1868.
- Vietnam War Memorial (1979)
- DOGNY Project Sculpture (2002): A 9/11 memorial across the street.
- Statue Moved
- Statue of Thomas E. Watson (erected in 1932, moved in 2013). This statue was moved to Park Plaza across the street.
Georgia's Old Capitol Museum
The Old State Capitol is in Milledgeville, Georgia. It was the state capital from 1807 to 1867. A fire badly damaged the building in 1941. It was rebuilt to its original design and is now part of Georgia Military College. The first floor of this old capitol is open as a museum.
Capitol on Screen
The Georgia State Capitol has even been a filming location! Parts of The Walking Dead TV show's ninth season were filmed around and inside the Capitol for two days.
See also
In Spanish: Capitolio del Estado de Georgia para niños
