What Is the Montana State Capitol?
It’s the Montana State Capitol building!
What Makes It Historical?
After becoming a state on November 8, 1875, Montana put the final location of its capital up to voters! While it was a territory, its capital had been Helena for ten whole years, but in the 17 year of elections that followed, seven other cities vied for the part of Montana capital! Despite a close race with Anaconda, after all this back-and-forth, Helena kept its crown anyway!
Now that they had decided where to build, capitol construction finally began in 1875, and the Capitol Commission was immediately accused of corruption! A trial date was set, but unfortunately, state architect, John C. Paulsen, died before he could testify! In any case, Governor Robert Smith dismissed this questionable commission and appointed new capitol masterminds: Charles Bell and John Kent to start over. The catch was that they’d have to move to Helena from Iowa because only Montana residents could be capitol architects!
The cornerstone for Montana’s capitol building was laid on July 4, 1898. The firm of Bell & Kent joined forces with Joseph Soss’ construction company from Butte and F. Pedretti’s Sons from Ohio, and three years later, the capitol opened its doors! Like many capitol buildings, this one got additions over the years, from wings in 1905 to a new entrance in 1947 to plenty of artistic pieces, inside and out! It was within these walls in 1972 that Montana’s second (and current) constitution was adopted!
How Can I #HelpTheHelpers?
- Become a member of the Montana Historical Society!
- Donate to the Montana Historical Society!
- 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?
1301 E 6th Ave
Helena, MT 59601
(Take Me There!)
When Should I Visit?
The capitol building is open for exploration Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM until 5:00 PM, and on weekends from 9:00 AM until 3:00 PM!
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