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Atlanta was considered by the General Assembly as a new
Capitol site as early as 1847. At the Constitutional
Convention of 1867 in Atlanta, the City Council lobbied
diligently to make the railroad oriented community the
State Capitol by promising to donate suitable buildings
and land for the state government. The proposal was
finally accepted by the Convention and ratified in the
1868 Constitution. On July 4, 1868, the Georgia
Legislature met in Atlanta for the first time, convening
in the combined City Hall and Fulton County Courthouse.
The courthouse proved far too crowded, so the Kimball
Opera House was rented and later purchased by the
Council for use as a Capitol building. A new
Constitutional Convention, convening in Atlanta in 1877,
agreed to submit to the people the permanent change of
the Capitol in a separate election which would be held
on the same day as the election for the ratification of
the new Constitution.
After weeks of lively competition between the
proposed new Capitol city and the previous one, the
electorate chose Atlanta as the Capitol by an almost
two-to-one margin. The City Hall/courthouse location was
chosen for the Capitol by the Legislature in 1879.
Because of a shortage of funds, money for
construction of the new building was not provided until
1883, when $1 million was appropriated. A board of five
commissioners supervised the project with the Governor
as ex-officio chairman.
The commission selected a Classic Renaissance design
from the architectural firm of Edbrooke and Burnham of
Chicago. The successful construction bid came from Miles
and Horne of Toledo, Ohio.
Indiana limestone was the chief material, although
Georgia marble was used for the interior finish of
walls, floors, and steps, as well as the cornerstone.
The tremendous expense of quarrying Georgia marble made
it impractical to use the marble on the exterior of the
building. The commission exerted every effort to procure
much of the Capitol material from Georgia, such as wood
and iron.
The Capitol construction was begun in October of
1884, and the dedication ceremony, an event drawing a
vast crowd to Atlanta, was held July 4, 1889. The
erection of the Capitol was accomplished within the
budget, leaving $118.43 in the treasury.
Today the Capitol faces west on Washington Street and
the main entrance is approached by a wide concrete
plaza. A colossal four-story portico, with stone
pediment, supported by six Corinthian columns set on
large stone piers, dominates the facade. The Great Seal
of the state, engraved on the pediment, has two figures
on each side representing Georgia agriculture and
commerce. The American and Georgia flags are flown each
day above this stonework.� Two stone pillars are placed
at each of the other three entrances to the Capitol.
The greatest length of the building north and south
is 347 feet, 9 inches, and the greatest depth through
the center is 237 feet, 4 inches. A gilded dome
measuring 75 feet in diameter sits above the crossing.
The cupola is topped with a female statue representing
freedom, which holds a torch in one hand and a sword in
the other. The Greek-inspired statue, commemorating the
war dead, stands 15 feet high and weighs 2,000 pounds.
Renovation of the Capitol building was authorized by
the Georgia Legislature in 1957. As a part of the
renovation, 43 ounces of native gold were donated by the
citizens of Dahlonega and Lumpkin county and applied to
the Capitol dome. The gold arrived by wagon train from
Dahlonega, scene of America's first gold rush in 1828,
and was presented to the Governor on August 7, 1958.
During National Historic Preservation Week in 1977,
the Georgia State Capitol was dedicated as a National
Historic Landmark. The center of state government since
1889, the Capitol was cited by the National Park Service
of the Department of the Interior as an outstanding
structure both architecturally and historically.
In 1981, a fresh application of gold, necessitated by
deterioration of the original gold leafing, was placed
of the Capitol dome. In the campaign originated by the
Dahlonega/Lumpkin county Jaycees and headed by the
Jaycees of Georgia, all citizens had the opportunity to
contribute funds to the "Make Georgia a Shining Example"
project, which ultimately succeeded in restoring the
worn dome surface to its original brilliance. |
