Talk:North Carolina State Capitol

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A Brief History of the NC State Capitol

A Brief History of the North Carolina State Capitol

The current State Capitol building is actually North Carolina’s third capitol building. The first, Tryon Palace, was constructed in New Bern, the colonial capital of North Carolina. In 1778, fearing for the safety of a capitol built so close to the coast and eager to reduce travel times for western legislators, the North Carolina General Assembly decided to move the center of government inland. For ten years, the General Assembly met at various locations around the state, but this was highly inconvenient for most of the members, who pushed for a more permanent, centralized location. Enter a congenial landowner named Colonel Joel Lane. He entertained legislators, housed them in his own home and provided a beverage called “cherry bounce” that was apparently both delightful and persuasive.

Thus, in 1792, the General Assembly appropriated funds to purchase 1,000 acres of land from Colonel Lane of Wake County to create a new town designed for the purpose of state government. The town was to be named Raleigh.

At Raleigh’s founding, the boundaries of town were North, South, East and West Streets, respectively. Raleigh was initially modeled after the City of Philadelphia, the nation’s capital at the time, with a gridiron layout featuring five squares. The central square, Union Square, was designated as the home for the new State House. The other four squares, located on the diagonals from Union Square are Burke Square (the present site of the Executive Mansion), Caswell Square (the present site of several office buildings and home of the future “green square” and nature center) and Moore and Nash Squares (now public parks).

The original state house was completed in 1796, although the General Assembly began meeting in the building more than a year earlier, in 1794. The building was brick with a wood shake roof and resembled the Governor’s Palace at Tryon. Unlike our current Capitol, the original State House did not house the Governor’s office, which was located in another building on the south side of the property.

By 1819, the General Assembly requested architect William Nichols to expand and improve the building. Nichols improved the exterior appearance and the interior work spaces, adding the east and west halls, a third floor, the rotunda (designed to house the original Canova statue of George Washington), and a skylight. The entire brick structure was coated with stucco to give a smooth appearance. Nichols also added an elaborately decorated courtroom on the first floor. When Nichols finished in 1824, the State House renovations cost $65,000.

The updated State House stood only six years. On June 21, 1831, the building was accidentally destroyed, ironically while workmen were installing a new zinc fireproof roof. Two chairs and a painting (which remain on display at the Capitol) were the only objects saved from the fire. Amazingly, no one was seriously injured in the fire. Recently, archaeologists found remains of the original char line in areas surrounding the walkways!

The General Assembly of 1832-1833 ordered that a new and enlarged capitol be built on the site of the previous state house, and they appropriated $50,000 for its completion. Legislators asked for a fireproof, cross-shaped (cruciform) building with a central, domed rotunda similar to the earlier State House building. Although the building had several architects, the final architect—David Paton—had the most profound influence on the building’s interior. Born in Edinburgh, Paton designed the circular, cantilevered second floor gallery, the vaulted ceilings in the first floor offices and the interior arrangements of the east and west wings. His talent for working with stone is evident in the stunning staircases, open feeling to the rooms, and well-crafted stonework throughout the building.

Most of the architectural details in the Capitol—columns, moldings, ornamental plasterwork and anthemion (or honeysuckle) crown atop the dome, for example—were carefully patterned after features of ancient Greek temples. These elements reinforced the symbolic link between America’s new democracy and its origins in Greek antiquity.

The Capitol was completed in 1840 for a total cost of $532,682.34. Quite a bit more than the original $50,000 appropriation and more than three times the yearly gross income of the state at the time!

When the Capitol was completed in 1840, it housed all three branches of state government as well as the State Library. The Governor’s Office was in the same wing as the present-day office. The State Supreme Court initially met on the third floor before moving to the north wing offices currently used for the Governor’s staff. The General Assembly met in the second floor house and senate chambers. The State Library and, by 1854, the State Geologist Office were located on the third floor of the building. While the State Supreme Court relocated to its own building in 1888 and the General Assembly moved to the Legislative Building in 1961, the Capitol has been home to the Governor’s office and offices for some of the Governor’s staff for almost 170 years! Statecapitol (talk) 16:34, 23 February 2009 (UTC)

Any explanation of why the North Carolina State Legislature, the only state legislature in the U.S. to do so, required its own building, rather than hold its sessions in the state capitol?User:Dr-t —Preceding undated comment added 05:09, 10 September 2017 (UTC)