Virginia State Capitol | |
 The Virginia State Capitol Building inRichmond in August 2017 | |
 Interactive map of Virginia State Capitol | |
| Location | 1000 Bank St,Richmond, Virginia, U.S. |
|---|---|
| Built | 1785–1788 |
| Architect | Thomas Jefferson;Charles-Louis Clérisseau |
| Architectural style | Early Republic,Palladian |
| NRHP reference No. | 66000911[1] |
| VLR No. | 127-0002 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | October 15, 1966 |
| Designated NHL | December 19, 1960[3] |
| Designated VLR | November 5, 1968[2] |
TheVirginia State Capitol is the seat of state government of theCommonwealth of Virginia, located inRichmond, the state capital. It houses the oldest elected legislative body in North America, theVirginia General Assembly, first established as theHouse of Burgesses in 1619.
The Capitol was conceived of byThomas Jefferson andCharles-Louis Clérisseau inFrance, based on theMaison Carrée inNîmes. Construction began in 1785 and was completed in 1788. The current Capitol is the eighth built to serve as Virginia's statehouse, primarily due to fires during the Colonial period. The building also served as the capitol of theConfederate States of America during theAmerican Civil War from 1861 to 1865. In the early 20th century, two wings were added, leading to its present appearance. In 1960, it was designated aNational Historic Landmark.
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During theAmerican colonial era, theColony of Virginia's first capital wasJamestown, where the first legislative body, theVirginia House of Burgesses, met in 1619. The new government used four state houses at different times at Jamestown due to fires. The first Representative Legislative Assembly convened on July 30, 1619 at the Jamestown Church which served as the first Capitol.[4]
With the decision to relocate the government inland toWilliamsburg in 1699, a grand newCapitol building was completed in November 1705. Nearby was the grandGovernor's Palace. It burned in 1747 and was replaced in 1753. On June 29, 1776, Virginians declared their independence fromGreat Britain and wrote the state's first constitution, thereby creating an independent government four days before Congress voted for theDeclaration of Independence in Philadelphia on July 4.
The Capitol at Williamsburg served until theAmerican Revolutionary War began, when Governor Thomas Jefferson urged that the capital be relocated to Richmond. The building was last used as a capitol on December 24, 1779, when theVirginia General Assembly adjourned to reconvene in 1780 at the new capital, Richmond. It was eventually destroyed.
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When it convened in Richmond on May 1, 1780, the legislature met in a makeshift building near Shockoe Bottom. By 1788, the "Old Capitol" where theVirginia Ratifying Convention met was at the New Academy by the Chevalier Quesnay.
Plans were begun for a new building to serve a new state, theCommonwealth of Virginia. The site selected for a new, permanent building was on Shockoe Hill, a major hill overlooking the falls of theJames River.
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Thomas Jefferson is credited with the overall design of the new Capitol, together with French architectCharles-Louis Clérisseau. The design was modeled after theMaison Carrée atNîmes in southernFrance, an ancientRoman temple.[6] The only other state to accurately copy an ancient model is theVermont State House, which based its portico on theTemple of Hephaestus in Athens. Jefferson had Clérisseau substitute the Ionic order over the more ornate Corinthian column designs of the prototype in France. At the suggestion of Clérisseau, it used a variant of the Ionic order designed by Italian student ofAndrea Palladio,Vincenzo Scamozzi.[7]
The cornerstone was laid on August 18, 1785, with GovernorPatrick Henry in attendance, prior to the completion of its design. In 1786, a set of architectural drawings and a plaster model were sent from France to Virginia, where it was executed by Samuel Dobie. It was sufficiently completed for the General Assembly to meet there in October 1792.
It is one of only twelve Capitols in theUnited States without an external dome. (The others are the Capitols ofAlaska,Delaware,Florida,Hawaii,Louisiana,New Mexico,New York,North Dakota,Ohio,Oregon andTennessee.)[8]
The building also served as the Capitol of theConfederacy during theAmerican Civil War (1861–65) (It was the Confederacy's second home, the first being theAlabama State Capitol inMontgomery, Alabama).
The Capitol, the adjacentVirginia Governor's Mansion, and theWhite House of the Confederacy (about three blocks to the north on East Clay Street) were spared when departing Confederate troops were ordered to burn the city's warehouses and factories, and fires spread out of control in April 1865.John Brown's carpet-bag, full of documents including many unpublished ones, was kept in the Virginia Capitol from 1860 to 1865 byAndrew Hunter, at that time a state senator. When Richmond fell, "so Yankees can't find them", the carpet-bag was hidden "between the wall and the plastering". It has never been found.[9]
The firstFlag of the United States to fly over the capitol since secession was hoisted by LieutenantJohnston L. de Peyster. U.S. PresidentAbraham Lincoln toured the Capitol during his visit to Richmond about a week before hisassassination inWashington, DC.
From April 6 until April 10, 1865Lynchburg served as the Capital of Virginia. Under Gov. William Smith, the executive and legislative branches of the commonwealth moved to Lynchburg for the few days between the fall of Richmond and the fall of the Confederacy.
On July 24, 2020, House SpeakerEileen Filler-Corn ordered the removal of a statue of Confederate GeneralRobert E. Lee, along with busts ofJ.E.B. Stuart,Stonewall Jackson,Jefferson Davis, and other Confederates from the historic Old House Chamber.[10][11]
After the end of theAmerican Civil War, during theReconstruction period, Virginia was under military rule for almost five years, ending in January 1870. In the ensuing months, a dispute over leadership of the Richmond government resulted in the Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals holding a hearing on April 27, 1870, in the large courtroom on the second floor of the Capitol. Several hundred people crowded in. Before the proceedings could begin, the gallery gave way and fell to the courtroom floor. This added weight, in addition to the crowd already there, caused the entire courtroom floor to give way, falling 40 feet (12 m) into theHouse of Delegates chamber.
The injured stumbled, crawled or were carried out onto the Capitol lawn during the mayhem that followed. Sixty-two people were killed and 251 injured.[12] There were no women believed to have been present when the collapse occurred. The dead included a grandson ofPatrick Henry, and three members of the General Assembly. Injured included both men contesting the Richmond mayoral position, the speaker of the House of Delegates, a judge and ex-governorHenry H. Wells. Former Confederate generalMontgomery D. Corse was partially blinded by the collapse.
Despite demands for the building's demolition, the damage from the tragedy of 1870 was repaired. In 1904, two wings (not in the original plans) were added to the east and west ends of the building to provide much-needed additional space for the growing legislature. These additions were built to the collaborative designs of three of Virginia's leading architects and architectural firms:Frye & Chesterman ofLynchburg,John Kevan Peebles ofNorfolk andNoland & Baskervill of Richmond.[13]
In 2003, the assembly approved $83.1 million for the renovation, restoration and expansion of the Capitol. Work began in 2004 and was completed on May 1, 2007. Among major changes are a completely newHVAC control system, updated mechanical, storm water and plumbing systems, and construction of a 27,000-square-foot (2,500 m2) expansion beneath the hill on the south lawn. The expansion provides a visitor's entrance that is compliant with theAmericans with Disabilities Act, plus office space and meeting rooms, and better security management. The final cost of the restoration was approximately $104 million. The extension was designed by architect Sonja Bijelić ofRMJM.[14]
TheVirginia National Guard was activated to provide extra security at the Virginia State Capitol, prior to the 2021Inauguration of Joe Biden, in response to theFBI warning of possible armed protests at US capitals.[15]
Bell Tower | |
| Location | Capitol Sq.,Richmond, Virginia |
|---|---|
| Area | 14.1 acres (5.7 ha) |
| Built | 1824 |
| Architect | Swain, Levi |
| Architectural style | Federal |
| NRHP reference No. | 69000347[1] |
| VLR No. | 127-0121 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | June 11, 1969 |
| Designated VLR | November 5, 1968[2] |
The area around the Capitol is known as Capitol Square. It contains several monuments to prominent Virginians and events in Virginia:
Given itsClassical Revival style of architecture along with the fact that its color is white, the Capitol was the double for the exterior shots ofThe White House featured in the movieThe Contender (2000) starringGary Oldman,Joan Allen,Jeff Bridges,Christian Slater.[16]
In the 1993 comedy-drama filmDave withKevin Kline,Sigourney Weaver,Frank Langella; the House of Delegates chamber served as the set for theUnited States House of Representatives, where the title character President addresses a joint session of Congress.
In the 2012 filmLincoln, the Virginia State Capitol was used as a stand-in for theUnited States Capitol in Washington D.C. during the Civil War era with some film retouching.
| International | |
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| National | |
| Geographic | |
37°32′20″N77°26′01″W / 37.538758°N 77.433594°W /37.538758; -77.433594
