California State Capitol

California government building

For the museum, see California State Capitol Museum.

California State Capitol

Location within Sacramento, California

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California State Capitol (California)

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California State Capitol (the United States)

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General information
Type| Government offices
Architectural style| Neoclassical Architecture
Address| 1315 10th and L St
Town or city| Sacramento, CA
Coordinates| 38°34′36″N 121°29′37″W﻿ / ﻿38.57667°N 121.49361°W﻿ / 38.57667; -121.49361
Construction started| 1860; 165 years ago (1860)
Completed| 1874; 151 years ago (1874)
Owner| State of California
Management| State of California
Height
Antenna spire| 75.3 m (247 ft)
Roof| 64 m (210 ft)
Technical details
Floor count| West wing: 3+1⁄2 (4); East Annex: 6
Design and construction
Architect(s)| M. Frederic Butler, Reuben Clark, Gordon Parker Cummings

California State Capitol

U.S. National Register of Historic Places

California Historical Landmark No. 872

Architectural style| Neoclassical Renaissance Revival (interior)
NRHP reference No.| 73000427 [1]
CHISL No.| 872
Added to NRHP| April 3, 1973
References
[2][3][4]

The California State Capitol is the seat of the California state government, located in Sacramento, the state capital of California. The building houses the chambers of the California State Legislature, made up of the Assembly and the Senate, along with the office of the governor of California. The Neoclassical structure, designed by Reuben S. Clark, was completed between 1861 and 1874. Located at the west end of Capitol Park and the east end of the Capitol Mall, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. The California State Capitol Museum is housed on the grounds of the capitol.

## History

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The California Capitol in 1890.

The structure was completed between 1860 and 1874, designed by architect Reuben S. Clark of Clark & Kenitzer, one of San Francisco's oldest architectural firms, founded in 1854.[5][6] Although not generally considered earthquake country, Sacramento was hit by two earthquakes within days of each other in 1892 which damaged the Capitol.[7] The Capitol was remodeled, adding seventy rooms and elevators, between 1906 and 1908.[8]

Between 1949 and 1952, the Capitol's apse was demolished to make way for the building's expansion with the construction of the Capitol Annex adjoining the historic Capitol building to its east.[9] The offices of the governor of California were housed in the Capitol Annex.

The Capitol and grounds were listed on the office of the National Register of Historic Places in 1973,[1] and listed as a California Historical Landmark in 1974, with a re-dedication on January 9, 1982, to commemorate the close of the bicentennial restoration project.[10][11] The building underwent a major renovation known as the California State Capitol Restoration, from 1975 until 1982, involving an architectural restoration and structural reconstruction for earthquake safety.[7]

In 2012, many protesters stormed the building and were arrested.[12]

The Capitol Annex was vacated in 2021 in preparation for its demolition and replacement with a new Annex on the same site, due to its obsolescence and decayed state.[13][14] Demolition was delayed until 2023 by lawsuits about the project's environmental impacts to the trees in Capitol Park, which is immediately adjacent to the Annex site.[13][15] The offices and personnel previously in the Annex moved into the newly constructed Capitol Annex Swing Space building until the new Annex is constructed.[16][17]

## Construction and design

[edit]

The Capitol was designed in a Neoclassical style by prominent architect Reuben S. Clark in 1860.

### Exterior

[edit]

The building is based on the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C. The west facade ends in projecting bays, and a portico projects from the center of the building. At the base of the portico, seven granite archways brace and support the porch above. Eight fluted Corinthian columns line the portico. A cornice supports the pediment above depicting Minerva surrounded by Education, Justice, Industry and Mining.

Above the flat roof with balustrade are two drums supporting a dome. The first drum consists of a colonnade of Corinthian columns; the second, Corinthian pilasters. Large arched windows line the drum walls. The dome is 64 m (210 ft) high, and supports a lantern with a smaller dome capped with a gold-leafed orbed finial.

### Interior

[edit]

The California Senate chamber seats its forty members in a large chamber room decorated in red, which is a reference to the British House of Lords (also the upper house of a bicameral legislature). The chamber is entered through a second-floor corridor. From the coffered ceiling hangs an electric reproduction of the original gas chandelier. A hand-carved dais caps off a recessed bay framed by Corinthian columns.

The Latin phrase "Senatoris est civitatis libertatem tueri" ("It is the duty of the Senator to guard the civil liberties of the Commonwealth") lines the cornice. A portrait of George Washington by Jane Stuart, the daughter of Gilbert Stuart, is on the wall above. The State Seal hangs above. Statues of the Roman goddess of wisdom Minerva once overlooked both chambers. Today, Minerva, sculpted by Michael H. Casey, appears only in the senate chambers.

View of the Capitol from the fountain plaza in front.

Gilded Corinthian columns support the gallery above, and dark red curtains that can be drawn for privacy are tied back along the columns. High arched windows run along the bottom below rectangular pane windows. Behind the rostrum, there are two chairs with red velvet cushions, reserved for the president pro tempore of the senate and the speaker of the assembly, but they are never used.

The California Assembly chamber is located at the opposite end of the building. Its green tones are based on those of the British House of Commons, the lower house. The dais rests along a wall shaped like an "E", with the central projection housing the rostrum. Along the cornice is the Assembly motto, in Latin: Legislatorum est justas leges condere ("It is the duty of legislators to establish just laws").[18]

## California Capitol Museum and Park

[edit]

Main article: California State Capitol Museum

View of the dome from Capitol Park.

The California State Capitol Museum is a museum housed within the capitol and on the grounds of Capitol Park, run by California State Parks. The Capitol Museum includes the historic offices of the governor and legislature.

The capitol's grounds are known as Capitol Park, an area of 10 undivided city blocks running from 10th to 16th and from L to N Streets. The entire Capitol Park area is included in the National Register historic district listing.[1][19] Capitol Park contains numerous monuments and memorials, including the California Firefighters Memorial and El Soldado Monument.

## Gallery

[edit]

* Interior of the Capitol Dome

* Chamber of the California Assembly

* Chamber of the California Senate

* Former Office of the Governor of California, in the now-demolished Annex

* California Grizzly Bear Monument in the now-demolished Annex

* View from the Southwest

* Pediment and rotunda detail

* South façade

* Night view

## See also

[edit]

* California portal

* California Historical Landmarks in Sacramento County, California
* History of Sacramento, California
* List of state and territorial capitols in the United States
* National Register of Historic Places listings in Sacramento County, California
* Former California State Capitol sites

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
2. ^ "Emporis building ID 123286". Emporis. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016.
3. ^ "California State Capitol". SkyscraperPage.
4. ^ California State Capitol at Structurae
5. ^ California Capitol Museum - Architecture & History: California State Capitol History Part I
6. ^ University of Washington: Pacific Coast Architecture Database - Clark and Kenitzer
7. ^ a b "More Terrestrial Chills – Sacramento Shivers Again, But Not Damaged to Any Extent". The Sacramento Union. April 22, 1892. p. 3. "The Capitol was given a lively shaking, in the course of which a small portion of one of the plaster statuettes tumbled off and the Assembly chamber ceiling cracked. Of course, there was a general exodus of State officials and clerks, too."
8. ^ CHARLES F. CURRY, Secretary of State. ( Ex-officio Member of State Capitol Commission). "THE STATE CAPITOL OF CALIFORNIA". cdnc.ucr.edu. Campbell Press, Volume 15, Number 35, 11 March 1910. Retrieved September 9, 2024. "Messrs. Sutton & Weeks were the architects of the remodeling work now completed [1908], their plans having been selected [1906] by the Board of Capitol Commissioners from five competitive sets submitted."
9. ^ "California Capitol Museum - Architecture and History: Part III". Archived from the original on January 21, 2021. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
10. ^ "California State Capitol". Office of Historic Preservation, California State Parks. Retrieved October 11, 2012.
11. ^ "California Landmark 872: State Capitol Complex in Sacramento, California". Noehill. 2010. Retrieved September 29, 2010.
12. ^ "Calif. Troopers arrest dozens in state Capitol". March 6, 2012.
13. ^ a b Nixon, Nicole (September 21, 2023). "Construction of California state Capitol annex can begin". Capital Public Radio. Retrieved January 28, 2025.
14. ^ "Capitol Annex". California State Assembly. Retrieved January 28, 2025.
15. ^ Ramos, Richard (July 3, 2023). "Part of California State Capitol demolished on Monday". CBS Sacramento. Retrieved January 28, 2025.
16. ^ Nixon, Nicole (December 1, 2021). "California lawmakers vacate the Capitol annex, but lawsuits leave its future uncertain". CapRadio. Retrieved July 2, 2023.
17. ^ "1021 O Street State Office Building Project". Department of General Services. Real Estate Services Division. Retrieved July 2, 2023.
18. ^ Newton, Jim (2006). Justice for All: Earl Warren and the Nation He Made. New York: Riverhead Books. p. 166\. ISBN 9781594482700. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
19. ^ Welts, Allen W. (August 15, 1972). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: California State Capitol". National Park Service. Retrieved May 2, 2018. With accompanying six photos from 1971–73

## External links

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to California State Capitol.

* Capitol restoration collection, 1979–1980. Collection Guide, California State Library, California History Room.
* California State Capitol Museum

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National Register of Historic Places in Sacramento County, California

* Alhambra Theatre
* Alkali Flat Central Historic District
* Alkali Flat North Historic District
* Alkali Flat West Historic District
* Alta Mesa Farm Bureau Hall
* American River Grange Hall No. 172
* Bennett Mound
* Big Four House§
* Blue Anchor Building
* Brewster Building
* Brewster House
* Brighton School
* California Governor's Mansion
* California State Capitol
* Calpak Plant
* Capitol Extension District
* Carly House
* Chung Wah Cemetery
* Cohn House
* Coolot Company Building
* Corn Springs Petroglyph Site
* Cranston-Geary House
* Crocker Gallery
* Delta Meadows Site
* Delta King
* Dunlap's Dining Room
* Eastern Star Hall
* Ehrhardt House
* Elk Grove Historic District
* Fair Oaks Bridge
* Federal Building
* Fire Station No. 6
* Firehouse No. 3
* Folsom Depot
* Folsom Powerhouse State Historic Park
* Gakuen Hall
* Galarneaux House
* Julia Morgan House
* Greene House
* Heilbron House
* Hotel Regis
* Howe House
* Hubbard-Upson House
* I Street Bridge†
* Imperial Theatre
* Isleton Commercial Districts
* J Street Wreck
* Joe Mound
* Johnson House
* Kuchler Row
* Lais House
* Leland Stanford Mansion
* Libby Cannery
* Liberty Schoolhouse
* Locke Historic District
* C. K. McClatchy High School
* Meister and Sons Carriage Factory
* Merchants National Bank
* Merrium Apartments
* Mesick House
* Natoma Ground Sluice Diggings
* Nisenan Village Site
* Old Sacramento Historic District
* Old Tavern
* Pony Express Terminal
* Rosebud Ranch
* Ruhstaller Building
* Runyon House
* Sacramento Air Depot Historic District
* Sacramento Bank Building
* Sacramento City Library
* Sacramento Hall of Justice
* Sacramento Historic City Cemetery
* Sacramento City College Historic District
* Sacramento Masonic Temple
* Sacramento Memorial Auditorium
* Sandy Cove
* Sego Milk Plant§
* Senator Hotel
* Shiloh Baptist Church
* Slocum House
* Southern Pacific Depot
* Sutter's Fort
* Theodore Judah School
* Tower Bridge†
* Travelers' Hotel
* Van Voorhies House
* Wagner Duplex
* Walnut Grove Chinese-American Historic District
* Walnut Grove Commercial-Residential Historic District
* Walnut Grove Japanese-American Historic District
* Westminster Presbyterian Church
* Wetzlar House
* Winters House
* Witter Ranch
* Woodlake Site

§ - Removed but formerly an NRHP listing.
† - Shared between Yolo and Sacramento Counties.

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Timeline of the tallest buildings in Sacramento

* California State Capitol (69 m) (1874)
* Renaissance Tower (113 m) (1989)
* U.S. Bank Plaza (116 m) (1991)
* Wells Fargo Center (129 m) (1992)

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Timeline of the tallest buildings in California

* Montgomery Block (15 m) (1853)
* Old St. Mary's Cathedral (27 m) (1854)
* California State Capitol (64 m) (1874)
* Chronicle Building (66 m) (1890)
* Call Building (96 m) (1898)
* Standard Oil Building (100 m) (1922)
* Pacific Telephone Building (133 m) (1925)
* Russ Building (133 m) (1927)
* Los Angeles City Hall (138 m) (1928)
* Hartford Building (142 m) (1965)
* 44 Montgomery (172 m) (1967)
* Bank of America Center (237 m) (1969)
* Transamerica Pyramid (260 m) (1972)
* Aon Center (262 m) (1973)
* US Bank Tower (310 m) (1990)
* Wilshire Grand Center (335 m) (2016)

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State and territorial capitol buildings in the United States

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Territories|

* American Samoa
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State of California

Sacramento (capital)

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