The Arizona State Capitol in Phoenix, Arizona, United States, was the last home for Arizona's Territorial government, until Arizona became a state in 1912. Initially all three branches of the new state government occupied the four floors of the statehouse. As the state expanded the branches relocated to adjacent buildings and additions. The 1901 portion of the Capitol is now maintained as the Arizona Capitol Museum with the mission to Connect People to Arizona Government - Past and Present.
Arizona Capitol Museum
View of the original capitol building
Museum Exhibits, Events and Programs focus on the evolution of Arizona from Territory to State and how Arizonans continue to affect their state through civic engagement. Topics include: Arizona state symbols, Arizona Approaching statehood, and the Arizona Constitution .
Visitors can enter the Historic House Chamber where the Arizona Constitution was written and sit at the desks. There is also a room dedicated to the 140 changes in the Arizona Constitution over 100 years of statehood. The Governor's office on the second floor has a wax figure of Arizona's First State Governor, George W.P. Hunt, and an exhibit that includes a flag used by the Roughriders.
One impressive display shows the enormous silver and copper punchbowl service from the USS Arizona, as well as a bronze sculpture that was ensconced outside the Admiral's stateroom and used as a centerpiece at state dinners where ever the USS Arizona was docked. Both of these historical artifacts survived the sinking of the Arizona because they had been removed from the ship for cleaning prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor. The punchbowl service is the only one of its kind and is composed of etched copper panels depicting desert scenes set into a silver bowl ornamented with mermaids, dolphins, waves, and other nautical themes.
Of particular interest is the display of a collection of gifts received by Arizona as part of the "Merci Train" sent by France to the United States following World War II. The French wanted to thank America for sending 250 railroad cars full of fuel, oil, and food in 1948 during a time that the European countries were devastated by World War II. Tens of thousands of French citizens donated objects to be sent to the United States and it was decided that because the outpouring of goods was so great, one boxcar would be sent to each state with one being shared between the District of Columbia and the Territory of Hawaii. All of the items were to be loaded in "Forty and Eight"-type boxcars, named after the sign painted on them which stated that 40 men or 8 horses could be loaded inside. Each car was to be adorned with the coats of arms of all of the provinces of France. The capitol building displays work by the noted Arizona artist Lon Megargee.
History
The building was created as part of an effort to demonstrate that the Arizona Territory was ready for statehood.[1] A design contest was won by James Riely Gordon, whose original plan called for the Capitol to be much larger, with a more prominent rotunda and large wings for both houses of the legislature on each side of the current building.[1] Funding deficits meant the project had to be reduced, so the legislative wings were discarded from the plan and a small lead-alloy top substituted for Gordon's decorative dome.[1]
Construction of the Capitol began in 1898, and it began operation in 1901. In 1918 and 1938, expansions were added on the west side of the building, which had the same architecture and increased the total square footage from the original 40,000 to a final 123,000. It was home to the Legislature until 1960, when the current house and senate buildings were constructed, and the Governor's Office until 1974, when the executive tower was built. The state at that time had a plan of converting the original Capitol into a museum dedicated to Arizona's history. The original opening of the Arizona Capitol Museum was announced by Governor Bruce Babbitt at his inauguration in 1978, and hosted over 40,000 schoolchildren in that first year in 1979. After a restoration, the building was re-opened as a museum in 1981. In the 1990s, more than $3 million was spent to renovate the Capitol and rooms were restored to their original design. Again, due to budget deficits, construction was stopped on a few rooms on the third floor and they remain incomplete. The Capitol is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
On January 14, 2010, the Arizona State Department of Administration reported that it had sold the surrounding state buildings to private investors: the tower, the two flanking legislative buildings, and other state structures. The Old Capitol was not part of this transaction.[2][3]
Architecture
View from the east at sunset. (2007). The Senate building is on the left and the House building is on the right.
The building is made largely from materials indigenous to Arizona, including malapai, granite, and the copper dome. The design is optimized for the desert climate of Arizona, with thick masonry walls that insulate the interior, skylights, and round "bullseye" clerestory windows to let heat out of the legislative chambers. The building is topped with a windvane similar to the Winged Victory of Samothrace, visible through a skylight from within the rotunda.
Capitol Mall Renovation Proposal
As Arizona's population has grown, the Capitol complex itself has become increasingly crowded. The Senate and House buildings, opened in 1960, have been deteriorating. The Senate in particular is prone to constant plumbing problems, and occasionally a broken pipe floods the entire building. The Capitol itself is now used exclusively as a museum, and serves over 60,000 visitors each year, including more than 30,000 school children. In addition, many complaints have been made that the current site is not pleasing aesthetically, and compare the Senate and House buildings as oversized "bunkers" which eclipse the beauty of the Capitol. A task force appointed by the state legislature in 2007 reported that the complex is "barely" adequate to suit the state's current needs and "wholly" inadequate to suit the state's future needs.[4] As a result, proposals are now being made to renovate or rebuild the Capitol site, to a grander site, as well as a site that will serve the needs of the government more adequately.
Recent proposals are for relocating some office and meeting space back into the Capitol, while it maintains at least some function as a museum. The House and Senate buildings have been recommended to undergo either a drastic rebuilding and expansion, or a complete demolition and construction of new facilities for the House and Senate. A recent Arizona State University study planned a comprehensive redesign for the entire Capitol mall and complex.[5]
Arizona State Capitol Museum gallery
Arizona State Capitol Museum
(NRHP = National Register of Historic Places)
(PHPR = Phoenix Historic Property Register)
 The Arizona State Capitol built in 1901 is now the Arizona State Capitol Museum. |
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| Another view of the Arizona State Capitol built in 1901 which is now the Arizona State Capital Museum. |
| The rotunda floor of the Arizona State Capitol Building. |
| A piece of the USS Arizona superstructure which was salvaged and which is on display at the Arizona State Capitol Museum. |
| The U.S. flag that flew on the battleship USS Arizona when it sank during the Pearl Harbor. The flag is on display in the first floor of the Arizona State Capitol Museum. |
| The Arizona Capitol Museum is home to the silver service (silverware) that was donated to the USS Arizona by the citizens of Arizona in 1919. This service is composed of 59 distinct pieces on display at the Capitol Museum. |
| Additional silver service (silverware) that was donated to the USS Arizona by the citizens of Arizona in 1919. on display at the Arizona Capitol Museum. |
| Model of the USS Arizona at the Arizona State Capitol Museum. |
| The Governor's office on the second floor has a wax figure of Arizona's First State Governor, George W.P. Hunt. |
| The sword and scabbard which Alexander Oswald Brodie, who served as the Governor of the Territory of Arizona from 1902 to 1905, used during his service with the Rough Riders during the Spanish-American War. The exhibit is located in the second floor of the Arizona State Capitol Museum. |
| Inside the historic House Chamber. The Chamber is located on the third floor of the Arizona State Capitol Museum. |
| Replica of the original Office of the Secretary of State. The office is located on the third floor of the Arizona State Capitol Museum. |
| On the 4th floor of the Arizona State Capitol Museum you can look down into the original House Chamber from the gallery. |
| On the 4th floor of the Arizona State Capitol Museum you can look down into the original House of Representatives from the gallery. |
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See also
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