Plaque Text for Florida Landmark #F-367:
The first two sessions of the territorial legislature were held at St. Augustine and Pensacola. The hazards of traveling between cities 400 miles apart prompted legislators in 1824 to locate a new capital at Tallahassee, between the two cities. Log buildings that housed the government made way in 1826 for a two-story masonry structure. This was succeeded in 1845 by what is now the core of the present historic capitol. A dome and wings were added in 1902, and further additions made in 1923, 1936 and 1947. The building was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1973 and restored to its 1902 appearance in 1982.
More about the Florida State Capitol:
For reasons unknown, Florida didn’t record the architect of the original brick building that opened on June 25, 1845, or who decided to add the cupola on top or the striped awnings! But they did record the first renovator: Frank Pierce Milburn, who came aboard in 1902 after Tallahassee survived a vote that could have moved the capital to Jacksonville, Ocala, or back to St. Augustine!
Mr. Milburn was one of the South’s most prominent architects of public buildings from courthouses to train depots, and he gave this capitol a copperized iron dome and pressed metal reliefs of the State Seal! It saw another expansion by Henry Klutho during the Florida Boom of 1923, which added 13 counties to the state, but the state soon outgrew its capitol.
Tallahassee survived another move-the-capital vote in 1968 and saw the toppling of a group of 20 conservative legislators called the Pork Chop Gang and the inclusion of more legislators from central and southern Florida! That meant the capitol needed to grow again, so in 1970, a huge Neoclassical tower went up behind the historic capitol building, designed by Edward Durell Stone and the firm of Reynolds, Smith & Hills! They assumed the old capitol would be demolished, so they built something completely different. Luckily for history, Secretary of State Bruce Smathers and his wife, Nancy McDowell, led the campaign to preserve and restore the original capitol, which serves as a museum today!
How Can I #HelpTheHelpers?
- Become a member of the Florida Historic Capitol Museum!
- Become a member of the Florida Historic Capitol Museum!
- Be a responsible visitor! Please respect the signs and pathways, and treat all structures and artifacts with respect. They’ve endured a lot to survive into the present. They’ll need our help to make it into the future!
How Do I Get There?
400 S Monroe St
Tallahassee, FL 32399
(Take Me There!)
When Should I Visit?
The capitol museum opens at 9:00 AM Monday through Friday, 10:00 AM on Saturdays, and 12:00 PM on Sundays, closing at 4:30 PM every day!
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