The Georgia State Capitol is an architecturally and historically significant building in
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,7 ...
,
Georgia, United States. The building has been named a
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places liste ...
which is listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
. As the primary office building of Georgia's government, the capitol houses the offices of the
governor
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
,
lieutenant governor
A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...
, and
secretary of state on the second
floor
A floor is the bottom surface of a room or vehicle. Floors vary from simple dirt in a cave to many layered surfaces made with modern technology. Floors may be stone, wood, bamboo, metal or any other material that can support the expected load ...
, chambers in which the
General Assembly
A general assembly or general meeting is a meeting of all the members of an organization or shareholders of a company.
Specific examples of general assembly include:
Churches
* General Assembly (presbyterian church), the highest court of pres ...
, consisting of the
Georgia State Senate and Georgia House of Representatives, meets annually from January to April. The fourth floor houses visitors' galleries overlooking the legislative chambers and a
museum
A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make th ...
located near the rotunda in which a statue of ''
Miss Freedom
''Miss Freedom'', originally named ''Goddess of Liberty'', is the statue adorning the dome of the Georgia State Capitol since 1889. Commissioned in 1888, the hollow copper statue is painted white, weighs over 1600 lbs and is over 26 feet tall ...
'' caps the dome.
History
The capitol site was occupied previously by the first
Atlanta City Hall
Atlanta City Hall is the headquarters of the City of Atlanta government. It was constructed in 1930, and is located in Downtown Atlanta. It is a high-rise office tower very similar to dozens of other city halls built in the United States duri ...
. To encourage the state government to relocate the capital city to rapidly growing and
industrialized
Industrialisation ( alternatively spelled industrialization) is the period of social and economic change that transforms a human group from an agrarian society into an industrial society. This involves an extensive re-organisation of an econ ...
Atlanta from rural
Milledgeville, the city
donate
A donation is a gift for Charity (practice), charity, humanitarian aid, or to benefit a cause. A donation may take various forms, including money, alms, Service (economics), services, or goods such as clothing, toys, food, or vehicles. A donat ...
d the site. The 1877-79 Constitutional Convention voted in 1877 to permanently move the capital to Atlanta, and in 1879 accepted the city's offer of the five-acre City Hall/County Courthouse tract, which was conveyed to the state in 1880. The first capitol in
Louisville no longer stands, while in
Augusta and
Savannah
A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to ...
the legislature met in makeshift facilities, perhaps causing (or caused by) the alternation of those two cities as capital. The legislature also met at other places, including
Macon, especially during and just after the
Atlanta Campaign of the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and t ...
, which resulted in the capture and
burning of Atlanta
The Battle of Atlanta was a battle of the Atlanta Campaign fought during the American Civil War on July 22, 1864, just southeast of Atlanta, Georgia. Continuing their summer campaign to seize the important rail and supply hub of Atlanta, U ...
.
Architecture
Like many
U.S. state capitols, the Georgia State Capitol is designed to resemble the
Neoclassical architectural style of the
United States Capitol, in
Washington, D.C. Former Confederate general
Philip Cook was a member of the commission that oversaw planning and construction of the building. The commission engaged
architect
An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...
s
Willoughby J. Edbrooke and
Franklin Pierce Burnham, of
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...
to design the building and Miles and Horne of
Toledo,
Ohio
Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...
for construction. Work completed in March 1889. Sculptor
George Crouch
George F. Crouch (1879–1959) was an American boat designer.
He worked for the Dodge Boat Works in Newport News. Three speedboats built to his designs won the first three places in the 1924 Gold Cup of the American Power Boat Association. ...
executed all the ornamental work on the building.
The Capitol faces west on Washington Street. The
façade
A façade () (also written facade) is generally the front part or exterior of a building. It is a loan word from the French (), which means ' frontage' or ' face'.
In architecture, the façade of a building is often the most important aspect ...
features a four-story
portico
A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cul ...
, with stone
pediment
Pediments are gables, usually of a triangular shape.
Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the lintel, or entablature, if supported by columns. Pediments can contain an overdoor and are usually topped by hood moulds.
A pedim ...
, supported by six
Corinthian columns set on large stone piers. Georgia's
coat of arms
A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...
, with two figures on each side, is carved on the pediment. The Capitol's interior represents the
19th-century style of its time. It was among the earliest buildings to have elevators, centralized steam heat, and combination
gas and
electric lights.
Classical pilaster
In classical architecture, a pilaster is an architectural element used to give the appearance of a supporting column and to articulate an extent of wall, with only an ornamental function. It consists of a flat surface raised from the main wal ...
s and oak paneling are used throughout the building. The floors of the interior are marble from
Pickens County, which still produces marble today.
The open central
rotunda is flanked by two wings, each with a grand
staircase and three-story
atrium crowned by
clerestory
In architecture, a clerestory ( ; , also clearstory, clearstorey, or overstorey) is a high section of wall that contains windows above eye level. Its purpose is to admit light, fresh air, or both.
Historically, ''clerestory'' denoted an upper l ...
windows. The Capitol building has undergone frequent
renovation
Renovation (also called remodeling) is the process of improving broken, damaged, or outdated structures. Renovations are typically done on either commercial or residential buildings. Additionally, renovation can refer to making something new, ...
s to adapt to the growth and change of government. Originally constructed from
terra cotta
Terracotta, terra cotta, or terra-cotta (; ; ), in its material sense as an earthenware substrate, is a clay-based unglazed or glazed ceramic where the fired body is porous.
In applied art, craft, construction, and architecture, terracotta ...
and covered with
tin, in a 1958 renovation the present dome was gilded with native
gold leaf
Gold leaf is gold that has been hammered into thin sheets (usually around 0.1 µm thick) by goldbeating and is often used for gilding. Gold leaf is available in a wide variety of karats and shades. The most commonly used gold is 22-kara ...
from near
Dahlonega in
Lumpkin County
Lumpkin County is a county located in the north central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 33,488. Its county seat is Dahlonega.
History
This area was settled by the Cherokee, who also occupie ...
, where the
first American gold rush occurred during the 1830s. For this reason, legislative business is often referred to as what is happening "under the Gold Dome" by media across the state. The statue ''
Miss Freedom
''Miss Freedom'', originally named ''Goddess of Liberty'', is the statue adorning the dome of the Georgia State Capitol since 1889. Commissioned in 1888, the hollow copper statue is painted white, weighs over 1600 lbs and is over 26 feet tall ...
'' has adorned the dome since the building's opening.
In 1997, the House and Senate chambers were restored to their 1889 appearance with replicated decoration and color schemes. This included the demolition of damaged plaster, the reinstallation of flat plaster at the dome, columns, and walls, and a decorative painting in the House and Senate Chambers.
Georgia Capitol Museum
The museum within the Capitol, in existence since 1889, houses extensive collections representing the natural and cultural history of Georgia.
Native American artifacts, animals, rocks and minerals, and fossils illustrate the diversity of the collections. Removed during restoration or renovation, most of the collection remains in storage. The portraits of governors, statues of
famous Georgians, and historic flags from many wars are displayed throughout the Capitol. The portraits of all governors elected since 1850 are there, except for
Rufus Bullock
Rufus Brown Bullock (March 28, 1834 – April 27, 1907) was a Republican Party politician and businessman in Georgia. During the Reconstruction Era he served as the state's governor and called for equal economic opportunity and political rights f ...
.
The Georgia Capitol Museum is a
public education institution housed in the Capitol building under the administration of the University of Georgia Libraries. The museum seeks to preserve and interpret the history of the Georgia Capitol in Atlanta, the functions of the government, and the events that have occurred in the Capitol. To accomplish this, the museum collects, preserves, and interprets artifacts relating to the Capitol or associated with the events that have occurred there.
Liberty Plaza
In 2015, the state of Georgia unveiled a large public plaza just east of the Capitol named
Liberty Plaza. After its opening, numerous monuments were relocated from other parts of the Capitol grounds to the plaza, including replicas of the
Liberty Bell and
Statue of Liberty
The Statue of Liberty (''Liberty Enlightening the World''; French: ''La Liberté éclairant le monde'') is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor in New York City, in the United States. The copper statue, ...
.
Dimensions
* Greatest north–south:
* Greatest central depth:
* Second-Floor Rotunda to ceiling:
* Dome diameter:
Monuments on the Capitol grounds
;Governors:
*
Equestrian statue of John Brown Gordon (erected in 1907).
*
Joseph E. Brown (also U.S. Senator and Chief Justice of the Georgia Supreme Court) and Elizabeth Brown (1928)
*
Statue of Eugene Talmadge (1949)
*
Richard B. Russell
Richard Brevard Russell Jr. (November 2, 1897 – January 21, 1971) was an American politician. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 66th Governor of Georgia from 1931 to 1933 before serving in the United States Senate for almos ...
(also a U.S. Senator and in the Georgia legislature) (1975)
*
Herman Talmadge (also a U.S. Senator) (1990)
*
Statue of Jimmy Carter (also a U.S. president and member of the Georgia Senate) (1992)
*
Statue of Ellis Arnall (also state Attorney General) (1997)
;Other persons:
* Plaque and tree honoring
William Ambrose Wright, a lieutenant in the
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...
, and Georgia state comptroller for fifty years, as well as insurance commissioner. Erected by the Atlanta
Ladies Memorial Association
A Ladies' Memorial Association (LMA) is a type of organization for women that sprang up all over the American South in the years after the American Civil War. Typically, these were organizations by and for women, whose goal was to raise monument ...
, January 19, 1930.
*
Statue of Benjamin Harvey Hill
A statue of Benjamin Harvey Hill stands inside the Georgia State Capitol in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. The monumental statue was designed by American sculptor Alexander Doyle and originally dedicated in 1886 at what is now Hardy Ivy P ...
(Confederate Senator, US Senator and US Representative).
*
Statue of Martin Luther King Jr. (2017)
*
Drinking fountain with a
bas-relief
Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term '' relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that th ...
of
Mary Latimer McLendon, a
temperance
Temperance may refer to:
Moderation
*Temperance movement, movement to reduce the amount of alcohol consumed
*Temperance (virtue), habitual moderation in the indulgence of a natural appetite or passion
Culture
* Temperance (group), Canadian dan ...
and
women's suffrage
Women's suffrage is the right of women to vote in elections. Beginning in the start of the 18th century, some people sought to change voting laws to allow women to vote. Liberal political parties would go on to grant women the right to vot ...
activist. Erected in October 1923.
;Others:
* U.S. Coast Guard Survey History Marker (1874)
* Reproduction of the
Liberty Bell (1950)
*
Statue of Liberty
The Statue of Liberty (''Liberty Enlightening the World''; French: ''La Liberté éclairant le monde'') is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor in New York City, in the United States. The copper statue, ...
replica (1951)
*
Spanish War Veterans Memorial (1967)
* Flame of Freedom (
American Legion) (1969)
* ''
Expelled Because of Color'', a bronze statue, by
John Thomas Riddle Jr., on the Capitol grounds (1978). It was commissioned in 1976 by the
Georgia Legislative Black Caucus, and unveiled in 1978. The statue commemorates the
Original 33
The "Original 33" were the first 33 African-American members of the Georgia General Assembly. They were elected to office in 1868, during the Reconstruction era. They were among the first African-American state legislators in the United States. ...
, the 33 African-American legislators who were expelled from the Georgia legislature in 1868.
*
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...
Memorial (1979)
* DOGNY Project Sculpture (2002): 9/11 memorial, across the street from the Capitol
;Statue removed:
*
Statue of Thomas E. Watson (erected in 1932, moved in 2013;
Watson
Watson may refer to:
Companies
* Actavis, a pharmaceutical company formerly known as Watson Pharmaceuticals
* A.S. Watson Group, retail division of Hutchison Whampoa
* Thomas J. Watson Research Center, IBM research center
* Watson Systems, make ...
was a U.S. Senator and U.S. Representative, and nominee for vice president on the
People's Party). In 2013, Governor
Nathan Deal ordered the statue moved across the street to Park Plaza.
Georgia's Old Capitol Museum
The
Old State Capitol is at 201 East Greene Street,
Milledgeville, Georgia
Milledgeville is a city in and the county seat of Baldwin County in the U.S. state of Georgia. It is northeast of Macon and bordered on the east by the Oconee River. The rapid current of the river here made this an attractive location to b ...
, and served as state capitol from 1807 until 1867. The building was severely damaged by a fire on March 24, 1941 and was rebuilt in its former design to serve as a part of
Georgia Military College. The first floor of the old capitol is open as a museum.
Appearances
Some parts of filming of the premiere episode of the
ninth season of the television show ''
The Walking Dead'' were filmed around and within the Georgia State Capitol over a period of two days.
See also
*
List of National Historic Landmarks in Georgia (U.S. state)
This is a List of National Historic Landmarks in Georgia. The United States National Historic Landmark program is operated under the auspices of the National Park Service, and recognizes structures, districts, objects, and similar resources acco ...
*
References
External links
Georgia State Capitol
*
ttp://www.nps.gov/history/nr/travel/atlanta/ Atlanta, Georgia, a National Park Service ''Discover Our Shared Heritage'' Travel ItineraryCapitol Art Collection from the Georgia ArchivesHistoric Groundhistorical marker
{{Authority control
Government of Georgia (U.S. state)
Government buildings completed in 1889
State capitols in the United States
Government buildings with domes
National Historic Landmarks in Georgia (U.S. state)
Museums in Atlanta
Buildings and structures in Atlanta
History museums in Georgia (U.S. state)
Government buildings in Georgia (U.S. state)
Tourist attractions in Atlanta
City of Atlanta-designated historic sites
National Register of Historic Places in Atlanta