The new and old Florida State Capitols, seen from the southwest.

The Florida State Capitol building houses the executive and legislative offices, as well as the State House and Senate chambers. It is located in downtown Tallahassee, Florida at the intersection of Apalachee Parkway and Monroe Street. The Capitol is open to the public Monday - Friday, 8:00 - 5:00 excluding weekends and state holidays. Image File history File links from http://fcn. ... Image File history File links from http://fcn. ... Tallahassee is the capital of Florida, a state of the United States of America. ... Official language(s) English Capital Tallahassee Largest city Jacksonville Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 22nd 170 451 km² 260 km 800 km 17. ...

History

Florida's new Capitol building has a rich ancestry, which began in 1824 with the establishment of Tallahassee as the new capitol city. As Florida's population grew continued to grow, so did its need for government services.

In 1972 the Legislature authorized money for a new Capitol Complex to include House and Senate chambers and offices, along with a twenty-two-story executive office building. The site chosen for the new complex was Waller Park. Waller Park sat between the (Old) Capitol and the Florida Supreme Court. Construction was commenced November 8, 1973, and declared completed on August 19, 1977. The building was officially dedicated on March 31, 1978. The Florida Supreme Court is the highest court in the State of Florida. ...

Restoration of the old Capitol began as an issue in 1978 with the Governor and House Speaker favoring demolition. The old Capitol building was saved. The structure was restored to its state in 1902 (by removing wings so as to create a plaza between the new and old buildings) primarily because that is when the dome was added to the building. For many Floridians, the dome was the symbol of state government. It reopened to the public in 1982. It now serves as a museum covering events in Florida life and government.

The Old State Capitol in foreground with the central tower of the current Florida State Capitol looming over it.

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Architecture and layout

The Joint Venture of Edward Durell Stone of New York and Reynolds, Smith and Hills of Jacksonville designed the Capitol Complex. It was built according to Stone's signature style of “New Classicism”, with an ornate grill surrounding a white-columned box. The design symbolized the growth and development of Florida. Edward Durrell Stone (1902 Fayetteville, Arkansas - 1978 New York City), American modernist twentieth century architect. ...

The Capitol is usually referred to as a twenty-two story building. However, there are three underground floors. The Governor and the Cabinet members have their offices on the Plaza Level of the Capitol. Floors two through four of the base structure of the Capitol are used for the chambers of the Senate and House of Representatives; the offices of the Senate President, Secretary and Sergeant at Arms; the House Speaker, Clerk, and Sergeant at Arms; some legislative committee offices and meeting rooms; and Member offices. The Legislative Chambers are on the fourth floor with their respective public viewing galleries on the fifth floor. The floors between the observation deck and the first five floors are executive and legislative offices. There is a cafeteria on the Lower Level, a snack bar on the tenth floor, and the Florida Welcome Center just inside the west Plaza Level entrance. The Senate office building and the House office building are each four stories high and located on either end of Capitol Complex. The 2nd and 3rd floors have bridges that allow people to walk between the Capitol and office buildings. These buildings contain primarily committee meeting rooms and legislative offices. The Knott Building was attached to the Capitol via a skywalk in 1999. The west front is known formally as Waller Park, for Curtis L. Walter, Judge of the United States Circuit Court of Appeals. In 2003, the dolphin statue “Stormsong” was added within Waller Park’s Florida Heritage Fountain. Florida Welcome Centers are tourist information houses, primarily located at the Florida state line. ...

Some interesting statistics

The Capitol was built using 3,700 tons of structural steel, 2,800 tons of reinforcing steel, 25,000 cubic yards of concrete (the equivalent of 16 football fields, each one foot thick), 12,000 square feet of walnut paneling, 12,000 gallons of paint, 62,000 square feet of Italian marble (about an acre and half), 60,000 square feet of carpet, 92,000 square feet of terrazzo flooring, 30 miles of telephone cable, 250 miles of electrical wire. For the 1,016 days it took to build the New Capitol, an estimated 3,200,000 man-hours of labor were expended. The total square footage is 718,000, which is equal to approximately 400 homes. Inside the Capitol, there are 66 public restrooms, 40 sets of stairs, 14 elevators, 360 underground parking spaces, and over 2,000 doors. The cost for the Capitol was $43,070,741. An additional $1,957,338 was committed to landscaping and to the plaza, fountains, and steps on the west front. The grand total was $45,028,079. Approximately 1500 persons work in the Capitol during a large part of the year. However, when the Legislature is in session, an estimated 5,000 persons occupy the building. The architects and engineers who designed and built the Capitol estimated its working life at a century.

Points of interest

Capitol grounds

On the northeast corner of the Capitol Complex is the Florida Sri Chimoy Peace State Marker. East of the House Office Building is a replica of the Liberty Bell. The replica was a gift to the citizens of Florida as symbol of the 1950 United States Savings Bonds Independence Drive. Within the Capitol Courtyard is a memorial in remembrance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., dedicated in 1984. South of the King Memorial is The Florida Fraternal Order of Police Law Enforcement Memorial (dedicated in 2000). The memorial has the names of law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty. Outside of the Senate Office Building is a monument dedicated to Floridians who have received the Purple Heart medal. On the lawn of the Old Capitol sit two marble obelisks. The northern one is dedicated to the men of Leon County who perished in the Civil War. The other is a monument to Capt. John Parkhill. Capt. Parkhill was killed at Palm Hammock, Florida leading the Leon Volunteers in chase of members of the Seminole Nation. Slightly northwest of the Civil War obelisk is Old Capitol Historical Marker. A plaque designating the legislative act naming this area after Judge Curtis L. Waller is on the south wall of the west park entrance. The Florida Heritage Fountain (and Stormsong) sits in the center of Waller Park.

The Capitol

The Plaza Level holds several items of note besides the offices of the Governor and the Cabinet. In the Rotunda, a copy of the State Seal cast in bronze and mounted on terra verde marble sits. This is not current seal, but one in use when building was completed. It is surrounded by five smaller seals representing major sovereign nations who controlled Florida (France, Spain, Great Britain, the Confederate States of America, and the United States). North of the Rotunda is the Florida Women’s Hall of Fame and the Fallen Firefighters Wall of Honor. To the south are the Florida Artists Hall of Fame and a memorial for Florida's Congressional Medal of Honor recipients. Southwest of the Rotunda is the Heritage Chapel, an area designed to serve as a meditative space. Opposite of the Chapel is a plaque that states “This plaque is dedicated to Senator Lee Wisenborn whose valiant effort to move the Capitol to Orlando was the prime motivation for the construction of this building.” The west Plaza Level is the Florida Welcome Center and the "Images of the Sunshine State" murals by Florida artist James Rosenquist. The Florida Welcome Center offer maps, brochures including a self-guided tour pamphlet, and related information. List of Governors of Florida: Florida Governors Military Government Territorial Government Statehood Categories: Lists of United States governors | Governors of Florida | Government of Florida ... The Florida Cabinet is a state agency unique to Florida which engages in collective governance of the state. ... Motto: Deo Vindice (Latin: With God As Our Vindicator) Anthem: God Save the South (unofficial) Dixie (popular) Capital Montgomery, Alabama February 4, 1861–May 29, 1861 Richmond, Virginia May 29, 1861–April 9, 1865 Danville, Virginia April 3–April 10, 1865 Largest city New Orleans February 4, 1861–May 1...

The public viewing galleries for the Florida House of Representatives and the Florida Senate are on the fifth floor. A series of murals on Florida’s history by Christopher Still encircle the House chamber floor. Outside of the Senate galleries is the Five Flags Mural by Renee Faure depicting people from the Florida history. The Florida House of Representatives, one of the two Chambers of the Florida Legislature, is composed of 120 members, each representing a district. ... The Florida Senate is part of the Legislative branch of government for the state of Florida. ...

The Observation Deck is the top or twenty-second floor of the Capitol building. The deck is 307 feet above the Plaza Level and 512 above sea level. In the east wing is an art gallery featuring a rotating display of artwork by Florida resident artists and a series of bronze plaques on the inductees of the Florida Artists Hall of Fame. The southern side is the Freedom Shrine.

See also

• Marshall Ledbetter

Marshall Ledbetter, Jr. ...

External links

• History of Florida's Capitols - Florida Department of State
• The Old Capitol (The Florida Center of Political History and Governance)
• Florida Department of Management Services

• Maps and aerial photos
  • Street map from Google Local or Yahoo! Maps
  • Topographic map from TopoZone
  • Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
  • Satellite image from Google Local or Microsoft Virtual Earth