Former State Capitols

Photos of the Arkansas Old State House (now known as the Old State House Museum) in Little Rock. Designed by Gideon Shryock and George Weigart and constructed between 1833 and 1842, the Greek Revival structure is the oldest existing state capitol west of the Mississippi. The building served as the capitol for Arkansas until the existing capitol was occupied in 1912. A museum since the 1940s, the Arkansas Old State House is a National Historic Landmark.

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Photos of the California Old State Capitol in Benicia. Built in 1852 for use as Benicia's city hall, the brick Greek Revival structure was offered to the state for use as the capitol. The legislature, after Benicia successfully enticed the state to relocate the capital from Vallejo, convened in the building from February 1853 through February 1854, when the state capital was again relocated, this time to Sacramento. After the legislature left, the building served as the Solano County Courthouse until the county seat was relocated to Fairfield in 1858. The California Old State Capitol is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a California Historical Landmark.

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Photos of the Connecticut Old State House in Hartford. Designed by Charles Bulfinch and constructed between 1792 and 1796, the building served as the capitol of Connecticut until the current state capitol was completed in 1878. At the same time, the building housed the courts of Hartford County. After the state government and county courts left the building in the 1870s, the building served as Hartford City Hall until approximately 1913. The Connecticut Old State House is a National Historic Landmark.

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Photos of the Delaware State House in Dover. Originally commissioned by Kent County as the county's courthouse, the Georgian structure was built between 1787 and 1791. Kent County and the State of Delaware shared the building until Kent County built a newer courthouse nearby in 1874. The building continued to serve as Delaware's state capitol until 1933, when Legislative Hall was completed just to the east. The Delaware State House, now officially the Delaware State House Museum, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

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Photos of the Florida Old Capitol, now officially known as the Florida Historic Capitol Museum, in Tallahassee. Completed in 1845, the Classical Revival historic capitol of Florida was renovated and expanded several times over the years. Florida's current state capitol, a modern 1977 skyscraper, stands immediately to the west. Restored to its 1902 Classical Revival appearance, the Florida Old Capitol is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

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Photos of Iolani Palace, the first state capitol of Hawaii. Designed by Thomas J. Baker, C.S. Wall, and Isaac Moore and completed in Honolulu in 1882, the Italianate structure was the only official state residence of royalty in the United States as the official residence of the last two monarchs of the Hawaiian Kingdom. After the monarchy was overthrown in 1893, the building served as the capitol for the Provisional Government, Republic, Territory and State of Hawaii until Hawaii's current state capitol was completed just to the north in 1969. Iolani Palace, which has been open to the public as a museum since 1978, is a National Historic Landmark.

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Photos of the Illinois Old State Capitol in Springfield. Designed by John F. Rague and constructed between 1837 and 1840, the Greek Revival structure served as the capitol of Illinois from 1840 until 1876, when the current capitol building was completed. The building then served as the Sangamon County Courthouse from 1876 through 1966, when the county retroceded the building back to the state. The building was completely reconstructed in the 1960s and restored to its 1860 appearance. The Illinois Old State Capitol is a National Historic Landmark.

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Photos of the Illinois Old State House in Vandalia. Built in 1836, the Federal style structure served as the third capitol of Illinois from 1836 until 1839, when the seat of government was moved to Springfield. The building then served as the Fayette County Courthouse until 1933, when the building retroceded to the state to become the Vandalia State House State Memorial. The Vandalia State House is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

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Photos of the Iowa Old State Capitol in Iowa City. Designed by John F. Rague and completed in 1842, the Greek Revival structure served as the last territorial capitol and the first state capitol of Iowa. It served as Iowa's state capitol from 1846 through 1857, when the state government relocated to Des Moines. The building now sits on the campus of the University of Iowa and houses the Old Capitol Museum. The Iowa Old State Capitol is a National Historic Landmark.

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Photos of the Kentucky Old State Capitol in Frankfort. Designed by Gideon Shryock and completed in 1830, the Greek Revival structure served as the state capitol until the current capitol was completed in 1910. The building currently serves as home for the Kentucky Historical Society. The Kentucky Old State Capitol is a National Historic Landmark.

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Photos of the Louisiana Old State Capitol in Baton Rouge. Designed by James H. Dakin and completed in 1849, the Gothic Revival structure served as the state capitol until the current capitol was completed in 1932. The Louisiana Old State Capitol is a National Historic Landmark.

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Photos of the Mississippi Old State Capitol, now officially the Old Capitol Museum, in Jackson. Designed by William Nichols, the Greek Revival structure served as Mississippi's state capitol from its completion in 1839 until the completion of the current capitol building in 1903. The Mississippi Old State Capitol is a National Historic Landmark.

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Photos of the Newport Colony House in Newport, Rhode Island. Designed by Richard Munday and completed in 1741, the building became the meeting place for the colonial legislature. From independence through the occupation of the Rhode Island State House in 1901, the state assembly alternated its sessions between this building and the Old State House in Providence. The building later served as the Newport County Courthouse until 1926. The Newport Colony House is a National Historic Landmark.

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Photos of the Rhode Island Old State House in Providence. Built in 1762, the Georgian-style building was a meeting place for the colonial and state assembly, as it adopted the custom of rotating its sessions among the state's five county seats. This rotation continued until the Rhode Island State House was occupied in 1901. The building also served as the Providence County Courthouse until the mid-1870s and was later the Sixth District Courthouse until 1975. The Rhode Island Old State House is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

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Photos of the Washington Old State Capitol in Olympia. Designed by Willis A. Ritchie and constructed between 1890 and 1892, the stone Romanesque Revival structure originally served as the Thurston County Courthouse. The State of Washington purchased the building and used it as the state capitol from 1905 until 1928, when the State Legislature moved to the current Washington capitol. The building is currently the home of the Superintendent of Public Instruction. The Washington Old State Capitol is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

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Photos of the West Virginia First State Capitol in Wheeling. Built in 1858, the building hosted West Virginia's state government from the state's founding in 1863 through 1870, and again between 1875 and 1876, as the state's capital switched several times between Wheeling and Charleston. After the capital was permanently relocated to Charleston, the building served for a number of years as city hall for Wheeling as well as the county courthouse for Ohio County. The West Virginia First State Capitol today hosts private offices.

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