Oklahoma State Capitol

Oklahoma State Capitol
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
The Oklahoma State Capitol
Location:	Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Coordinates:	35°29′32.21″N 97°30′12.14″W / 35.4922806°N 97.5033722°W / 35.4922806; -97.5033722Coordinates: 35°29′32.21″N 97°30′12.14″W / 35.4922806°N 97.5033722°W / 35.4922806; -97.5033722
Built:	1919
Architect:	Frankfurt-Short-Bruza
Architectural style:	Renaissance, Classical Revival
Governing body:	State of Oklahoma
NRHP Reference#:	76001572[1]
Added to NRHP:	1976

Entrance to Oklahoma State Capitol (1972 photograph)

The Oklahoma State Capitol is the house of government of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. It is the building that houses the Oklahoma Legislature, and the meeting place of the Oklahoma Supreme Court. It is located along Lincoln Boulevard in Oklahoma City. The present structure includes a dome that was completed during 2002.^[2] The building is a National Historic Landmark.

The state capitol campus is famous for its oil wells and remains the only state capitol grounds in the United States with active oil rigs.^[3] The capitol building is directly atop the Oklahoma City Oil Field.

History

First state capitol

Oklahoma's first capitol was originally located in the city of Guthrie. At noon on April 22, 1889 cannons sounded the start of the Oklahoma land run. In only six hours about 10,000 people had settled in what would soon become the capital city. Within only months Guthrie became a modern brick and stone town with municipal water, electricity, a mass transit system and underground parking garages for horses and carriages.

Oklahoma's newly established state government had an election to decide where the capitol should be located. As a result, on June 11, 1910, the state seal was taken from Guthrie and moved south to Oklahoma City, the present site of the state capitol. For several years the capitol offices were housed in the Huckins Hotel in downtown Oklahoma City.^[4]

The capitol today

The back of the Capitol building.

The Oklahoma State Capitol is composed primarily of white limestone and Oklahoma pink granite.^[5] However, the building's dome is made of steel-reinforced concrete and reinforced plaster casts.^[2] In the Rotunda is displayed Chickasaw artist Mike Larsen's mural Flight of Spirit, honoring the Five Moons, notable 20th-century Native American ballerinas from Oklahoma.

The west wing of the capitol houses the Oklahoma House of Representatives chamber and offices. The east wing houses the Oklahoma Senate chamber and offices. The Oklahoma Supreme Court and ceremonial office of the governor are located on the second floor. Elected state officials such as the state auditor and inspector, state treasurer, and state attorney general have offices on the first floor. The building also contains a museum, a cafeteria, and a barber shop.

Several large paintings by Wayne Cooper are on display in the building. Many of them depict the early heritage and oil history of the state.

Capitol complex

The state capitol building and the surrounding government buildings, non-government agencies, museums, libraries, and tree lined streets and boulevards form the Oklahoma State Capitol Complex^[6] or Capitol Campus. The complex includes the State Capitol Park and the governor's mansion. The surrounding neighborhood is home to numerous restaurants and bars.

The Capitol Campus should not be confused with the Capitol Hill neighborhood, located on Oklahoma City's south side.

See also

• List of tallest buildings in Oklahoma City

External links

• Oklahoma State website

References

1. ^ "Oklahoma County," National Register of Historic Places
2. ^ ^{a b} "Introduction," Oklahoma State Capitol Dome (accessed May 3, 2010)
3. ^ "State Capitol," Oklahoma County Website (accessed May 3, 2010)
4. ^ "History of Guthrie," Guthrie Oklahoma Chamber of Commerce (accessed May 3, 2010)
5. ^ Architecture, Art of the Oklahoma State Capitol (accessed May 3, 2010).
6. ^ Oklahoma State Capitol Complex, Oklahoma Department of Transportation (accessed May 3, 2010)

Preceded by Utah

List of U.S. states by date of statehood Admitted on November 16, 1907 (46th)

Succeeded by New Mexico