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 a National Historic Landmark, which means it's a special place recognized for its importance.
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 Georgia House of Representatives, meets here every year. Visitors can also explore a museum on the fourth floor.
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History of Georgia's Capitol
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Before the Capitol was built, the first Atlanta City Hall stood on this spot. Atlanta wanted the state government to move its capital from Milledgeville to Atlanta. To make this happen, the city gave the land for the new Capitol building.
In 1877, leaders voted to make Atlanta the permanent capital. The city's offer of the land was accepted in 1879. The land was officially given to the state in 1880. Georgia's legislature met in other cities before Atlanta, like Louisville, Augusta, and Savannah. They even met in Macon during the American Civil War.
Capitol Building Design
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 decorative parts.
The Capitol faces west on Washington Street. It has a large front porch, called a portico, with six tall Corinthian columns. Georgia's coat of arms is carved above these columns. Inside, the Capitol shows the style of the 1800s. It was one of the first buildings to have elevators and central heating. It also used both gas and electric lights.
The floors inside are made of marble from Pickens County. This area still produces marble today. The building has a large open space in the middle called a rotunda. On each side, there are grand staircases.
The dome of the Capitol was originally made of terra cotta and covered with tin. 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 the gold dome, people often say "under the Gold Dome" when talking about what's happening in the state government. The statue Miss Freedom has been on top of the dome since the building opened.
In 1997, the rooms where the House and Senate meet were restored. They were made to look like they did in 1889. This included fixing plaster and adding decorative painting.
Georgia Capitol Museum Exhibits
The museum inside the Capitol has been open since 1889. It has many collections that show Georgia's natural and cultural history. You can see Native American artifacts, animal displays, rocks, minerals, and fossils.
The museum also displays portraits of governors and statues of famous Georgians. Historic flags from different wars are also shown throughout the Capitol. The museum is managed by the University of Georgia Libraries. Its goal is to share the history of the Capitol and the government's work.
Liberty Plaza Public Space
In 2015, Georgia opened a large public area called Liberty Plaza. It's located just east of the Capitol building. After it opened, several 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 Building Size
Here are some measurements of the Capitol building:
- Longest north–south: 347 feet 9 inches (105.97 meters)
- Longest central depth: 272 feet 4.5 inches (82.93 meters)
- Second-Floor Rotunda to ceiling: 187 feet 4 inches (57.09 meters)
- Dome diameter: 75 feet (23 meters)
Monuments on the Capitol Grounds
Many statues and memorials are located around the Capitol building. They honor important people and events in Georgia's history.
- 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
- A plaque and tree honoring William Ambrose Wright (1930).
- Statue of Benjamin Harvey Hill.
- Statue of Martin Luther King Jr. (2017).
- A drinking fountain with a carving of Mary Latimer McLendon, who worked for temperance and women's suffrage (1923).
- Other Memorials
- U.S. Coast Guard Survey History Marker (1874)
- A copy of the Liberty Bell (1950)
- A copy of the Statue of Liberty (1951)
- Spanish War Veterans Memorial (1967)
- Flame of Freedom (1969)
- Expelled Because of Color, a 6-foot bronze statue by John Thomas Riddle Jr. (1978). This statue remembers the 33 African-American lawmakers who were removed from the Georgia legislature in 1868.
- Vietnam War Memorial (1979)
- DOGNY Project Sculpture (2002): A memorial for 9/11, located 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. The building was damaged by a fire in 1941 but was rebuilt. Today, the first floor is open as a museum. It is part of Georgia Military College.
Appearances in Media
Some scenes for the ninth season premiere of the TV show The Walking Dead were filmed around and inside the Georgia State Capitol. This filming took place over two days.
See also
In Spanish: Capitolio del Estado de Georgia para niños
- List of Georgia state legislatures
- List of National Historic Landmarks in Georgia (U.S. state)
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Fulton County, Georgia
