Florida State Capitol
Florida's Capitol
The Florida State Capitol, in Tallahassee, Florida, USA, is an architecturally and historically significant building, having been listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The capitol is located at the intersection of Apalachee Parkway and Monroe Street in downtown Tallahassee, Florida, the state capital.
Sometimes called "The Old Capitol," the Historic Capitol, built in 1845, was
threatened with demolition in the late 1970s when the new capitol building was
built. Having been restored to its 1902-version in 1982, the Historic Capitol is
located directly in front of the new Capitol building. Its restored space
includes the Governor's Suite, Supreme Court, House of Representatives and
Senate chambers, rotunda, and halls. Its adapted space contains a museum
exhibiting the state's political history, the Florida Historic Capitol Museum,
which is managed by the Florida Legislature. On April 18, 2012, the AIA's
Florida Chapter placed the Historic Capitol Building (Restoration) on its list
of Florida Architecture: 100 Years. 100 Places.
Tallahassee was named Florida's capital in 1824, midway between the then-largest
cities in the state, St. Augustine and Pensacola. The first territorial
government met in log cabins. A capitol building was constructed in 1826 but
never completely finished. It was torn down in 1839 to make room for the
erection of the present structure, which was completed in 1845, just prior to
Florida’s entry into the United States as the 27th state. Several additions to
the historic capitol have been made throughout the years. Frank Millburn made
the first expansion in 1902 by adding the classical style dome. In 1923, Henry
Klutho additions included two new wings and a marble interior. Finally large
wings for the House and Senate chambers were added to the north and south ends
of the building in 1936 and 1947, respectively.
model
Supreme Court
The 1902 Capitol building was the last statehouse in which all of Florida's
political business was housed under one roof. A decade later, the Florida
Supreme Court moved into its own building. Florida's current Supreme Court
building is located to the west of the Capitol building.
Threatened with demolition in the late 1970s when the new capitol was being
built, the historic capitol was saved through citizens’ action led by Secretary
of State Bruce Smathers and then wife Nancy McDowell. The efforts were
successful and the building was restored to its 1902 appearance. Architectural
highlights include the elaborate art glass dome, red and white striped awnings,
and a representation of the Florida State Seal over the entry columns.
In 2011, the Florida Department of Management Services in conjunction with MLD
Architects, began construction on the Historic Capitol's cupola, which included
new copper roofing, and Tallahassee's most photographed landmark, unveiled its
new dome in April 2012.
The Capitol complex design was a joint venture of the architectural firms of
Edward Durell Stone of New York and Reynolds, Smith and Hills of Jacksonville.
It was built according to Stone's signature style of "Neoclassicism," with an
ornate grill surrounding a white-columned box. The design symbolized the growth
and development of Florida.
The Capitol is usually referred to as a twenty-two story building with a height
of 345 feet. However, including the 3 underground floors, it is a
25 story building (6th floor is only accessible through the freight
elevator). The Governor and the Cabinet members have their offices on the Plaza
Level of the Capitol. Floors two through four of the base structure of the
Capitol are used for the chambers of the Senate and House of Representatives;
the offices of the Senate President, Secretary and Sergeant at Arms; the House
Speaker, Clerk, and Sergeant at Arms; some legislative committee offices and
meeting rooms; and Member offices.
Governor's Office
The Legislative Chambers are on the fourth floor with their respective public
viewing galleries on the fifth floor. The floors between the observation deck
and the first five floors are executive and legislative offices. There is a
cafeteria on the Lower Level, a snack bar on the tenth floor, and the Florida
Welcome Center just inside the west Plaza Level entrance. Guided tours are
conducted by Florida Welcome Center staff and are available for groups of 15 or
more and self-guided tours are available during normal business hours. The
Senate office building and the House office building are each four stories high
and located on either end of Capitol Complex. The 2nd and 3rd floors have
bridges that allow people to walk between the Capitol and office buildings.
These buildings contain primarily committee meeting rooms and legislative
offices. The Knott Building was attached to the Capitol via a skywalk in 1999.
The west front is known formally as Waller Park, for Curtis L. Waller, Judge of
the United States Circuit Court of Appeals. In 2003, the dolphin statue
“Stormsong” was added within Waller Park’s Florida Heritage Fountain.
Text from Wikipedia
Senate
Senate chamber
House
House Chamber
George Washington painting
Great Seal of the State of Florida
