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