Welcome to the Georgia State Capitol

Tour Information
Open to the public Monday--Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Guided tours available: 10:00 and 11:00 a.m.; 1:00 p.m. Other hours can be scheduled for groups. Reservations (404)656-2844 or www.sos.state.ga.us. The Capitol is located in downtown Atlanta at the intersection of I-20 and I-75/85, near Five Points and Georgia State MARTA stations.
Distributed by the Office of Secretary of State

Welcome
to the
Georgia State Capitol

History
Atlanta is the fifth permanent capital city of Georgia. Savannah, site of James Edward Oglethorpe's landing in February 1733, was Georgia's first capital. After the Revolutionary War, the General Assembly met alternately in Savannah and Augusta. As development continued westward, the capital moved to Augusta in 1786, to Louisville in 1796, to Milledgeville in 1807, and finally to Atlanta in 1868.
The General Assembly first convened in the Atlanta City Hall/Fulton County Courthouse and shortly afterwards moved to the Kimball Opera House. One million dollars was appropriated for the new Capitol in 1883. The classical design building by the Chicago architectural firm Willoughby J. Edbrooke and Franklin P. Burnham was constructed by Miles and Horne of Toledo, Ohio. Construction began in October 1884, and the building was completed under budget in 1889, returning $118.43 to the state treasury. Governor John B. Gordon dedicated the new Capitol on July 4, 1889, to "the indomitable will of the people."
The Capitol was built with as many Georgia products as possible, including wood and iron ore. The huge expense of quarrying Georgia marble made it impractical to use marble on the exterior, although Georgia marble was used for the interior finish of walls, floors, and steps, as well as the cornerstone. The Board of Capitol Commissioners, charged to oversee the design and construction of the building, chose Indiana oolitic limestone as the chief building material.
During National Historic Preservation Week in 1977, the Capitol was dedicated as a National Historic Landmark. National Park Service of the Department of Interior cited the Capitol as an outstanding structure both architecturally and historically.

Architecture
Exterior The faade features a four-story portico with stone pediment, supported by six Corinthian columns set on large stone piers. The open rotunda extends from the second floor through the upper stories to the height of 237 feet, 4 inches. A dome measuring 75 feet in diameter sits above the crossing. Forty-three ounces of native gold, donated by the citizens of Dahlonega and Lumpkin County, Georgia, were applied to the Capitol dome in 1958-59. In 1981, gilders placed a fresh application of gold on the dome, necessitated by deterioration of the original gold leafing. In recent years, a third coating of gold leaf was completed.

A female figure of Freedom,

with raised torch in her right

hand and lowered sword in

her left, crowns the Capitol

dome. Symbolically,

Diane Kirkland

the copper clad statue commemorates the war dead.

She stands 22 feet tall and weighs 1250 pounds.

Interior

The Capitol's interior reflects

the high Victorian style of

its day. Inside and around

the rotunda on the main

floor are marble busts of

members of the Georgia

Hall of Fame. Large

portraits mounted on the

rotunda walls once hung

in the Milledgeville capitol. Portraits of former governors

Jonathan Hillyer

hang on the surrounding walls, as does the

portrait of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The portrait of Dr.

Martin Luther King, Jr. honors Georgia's first recipient

of the Nobel Peace Prize. The Governor occupies an

executive office on the main floor (second) as does the

Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of State. In the atria to

the north and south, grand stairs rise to the third floor.

The legislative chambers are located on the third

floor--the House of Representatives to the west with 180

members and the Senate to the east with 56 members,

all elected for two-year

terms. These elected

officials serve 40

days each year,

beginning

in January.

The General

Assembly

deliberates, votes,

and sends bills to the

Jonathan Hillyer

Governor for final action.

The Supreme Court and Court of Appeals met in the Capitol until 1956, when the Judicial Building was completed. Today, the Appropriations Committee meets in this room.

Museum

In 1895, the

Governor declared

the top floor

of the Capitol

as a temporary

museum to

exhibit rocks and

minerals illustrating

Jonathan Hillyer

the diversity of the state's

rich natural resources. Today, the exhibits in the Capitol

Museum showcase the story of the building and events

that have shaped its history.

On the first floor, historic battle flags rotate on exhibit in the Hall of Valor, each presenting its own story of war and patriotism. These service flags bear witness Textile Preservation Associates, Inc. to the commitment of Georgians who answered the call to arms, and when necessary, sacrificed their lives.

Preservation

The Georgia General Assembly in 1993 established the

Commission for the Preservation of the Georgia State

Capitol to oversee the

restoration of the

building. Since that

time, the Capitol

has experienced

several phases of

restoration, returning

to original paint

Jonathan Hillyer

colors, Victorian period lighting, and fine wood finishes.

The rehabilitation and renovation continue as the Capitol

is transformed to its original classical elegance.

Public Forum
Citizens gather at the Capitol to celebrate, mourn, and express their views. Georgians of all ages and from all walks of life come together for the Veterans' Memorial Day Ceremony, the annual tribute to Martin Luther King, Jr., the Holocaust Days of Remembrance, and countless
Kelli Musselman
other events. The Governor addresses a group assembled for the National Day of Prayer.

Grounds
Diane Kirkland

The statue of John Brown Gordon sculpted by Solon Borglum was the first monument to be placed on the Capitol grounds in 1907. Since that time, other governors have been memorialized on Capitol Hill, including Joseph E. Brown, Richard B. Russell, Jr., Eugene Talmadge, Herman Talmadge, Jimmy Carter, and most recently, Ellis Arnall.

B

A

A House Gallery

FOURTH FLOOR

B Senate Gallery

C Capitol Museum (Corridors)

B
D C D

A

A House Chamber

THIRD FLOOR

B Senate Chamber

C Appropriations Room (Room 341)

D Restrooms

C

A

B

D

SECOND FLOOR
A Office of the Governor (Room 203) B Office of the Secretary of State (Room 214) C Office of the Lieutenant Governor (Room 240) D Tour Desk

C B
A

A Hall of Valor B Snack Bar C Restrooms

FIRST FLOOR