The Tennessee State Capitol, located in Nashville, is the seat of government for the U.S. state of Tennessee. It serves as the home of both houses of the Tennessee General Assembly – the House of Representatives and the Senate – and contains the governor's office. It was designed by architect William Strickland of Philadelphia, who considered it his greatest achievement. The statehouse was built between 1845 and 1859 by skilled artisans and convict and slave labor. It is one of Nashville's most prominent examples of Greek Revival architecture, and is one of the oldest working statehouses in the United States, having been used continuously since 1853. It was constructed predominantly of limestone quarried nearby, and was one of the first buildings in the United States to use iron as a structural element. One of 11 state capitols that does not have a dome, it was the tallest building in the Southeastern United States when completed. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970 and named a National Historic Landmark in 1971.
The basement and the ground floor of the Tennessee State Capitol are primarily office space; the original Tennessee Supreme Court chamber was on the ground floor. The second (principal) floor contains the house and senate chambers and a room that originally housed the Tennessee State Library and Archives. The tower consists of a pedestal topped by a circular cupola modeled on the Choragic Monument of Lysicrates. During the American Civil War, the building served as a camp for Union troops, a hospital, and a lookout. The capitol grounds were landscaped from 1871 to 1877. The building was extensively restored in the 1950s, when much of the exterior limestone was replaced with Indiana limestone. Additional interior renovations restored parts of the building to its mid-19th-century appearance.
The Tennessee State Capitol is located atop a prominent hill on the highest point in downtown Nashville. It is adorned by numerous monuments, memorials, and pieces of artwork, and the surrounding grounds are extensively landscaped with green spaces and a terraced east garden. Strickland, who died before the capitol was completed; and Samuel Morgan, who oversaw the commission that supervised construction; are entombed within the building's walls. The tombs of James K. Polk, the 11th President of the United States, and his wife Sarah Childress Polk are on the grounds. The Tennessee Supreme Court Building and original state library building are adjacent to the west side of the building, and additional state office buildings surround the capitol on the east, south, and west. Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park, considered an extension of the grounds, is directly north of the building.
Description The Tennessee State Capitol is overseen by the State Capitol Commission, which governs maintenance policies and historical preservation, and approves modifications. This agency is under the jurisdiction of the Office of the State Architect, and consists of seven members appointed by the governor and speakers of the house and senate; and seven ex officio members from the governor's cabinet. The State of Tennessee Real Estate Asset Management division of the Tennessee Department of General Services handles regular maintenance and upkeep.
Location and grounds
The Tennessee State Capitol is one of the oldest working statehouses in the United States, having been used continuously by the Tennessee General Assembly since 1853. It sits atop Capitol Hill, the highest point in Downtown Nashville. This hill rises approximately above the nearby Cumberland River. In 1854, capitol porter George Dardis compared the structure's placement to that of the ancient city of Rome on seven hills, the Acropolis of Athens, and Capo Colonna. The grounds are bounded by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard to the south; a horseshoe-shaped road that is part of 6th Avenue on the east and Lamar Alexander Way on the west envelops the rest of the grounds. The Tennessee Supreme Court building for the Middle Tennessee division and old state library building are located on the west side of the grounds. Another road that is part of 7th Avenue runs between the building's west side and the court and archives buildings, and loops around the north side to connect to parking encircling the building. The capitol complex is surrounded on the west, south, and east by several state office buildings. Directly south of the capitol is Legislative Plaza, a public plaza. The Nashville District Energy System provides heating and cooling to the capitol and other nearby buildings.
The capitol grounds are an extensively landscaped green space with cedar, magnolia, maple, and hickory trees. Next to each of the building's corners is a circular bed with herbaceous flowers arranged in the tri-star emblem of the Tennessee Flag. North of the capitol is a steep grassy slope that is bisected by the loop road. The Belvedere, an overlook, is situated approximately midway down this slope and provides views to the north. James Robertson Parkway separates the north grounds from Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park, a large public park that traces the state's history and geographic features. This park is considered an extension of the grounds. The east garden, also called the Jackson Garden, consists of a terraced slope that includes a rectangular plaza with circular fountains on each end. A wide staircase connects this plaza to 6th Avenue, which is accessed by another wide staircase to the capitol's east entrance, considered the main entrance. The Motlow Tunnel connects Charlotte Avenue to the capitol's basement and elevators. The tunnel entrance is surrounded by two narrow staircases, which broaden into a single wider staircase above the tunnel that ascends to the north entrance. Other smaller staircases are on the northeast, southeast, and southwest corners of the grounds. The capitol building is decoratively illuminated at night, and is frequently lit with colors chosen to match seasonal events, holidays, and special events. Guided tours of the building and grounds are provided by Tennessee State Museum staff.
Structure and architecture
The Tennessee State Capitol is modeled after an Ionic temple, incorporating Greek Revival architecture. It is one of 11 state capitol buildings without a dome. The building measures , and is approximately tall. It is composed of fossiliferous limestone quarried from nearby, and replacement oolitic Indiana limestone. Each stone block weighs between . The load-bearing walls are solid limestone, with the floors supported by brick vaults. The north and south porticoes each contain eight Ionic columns; the east and west porticoes, which do not span the structure's entire length, contain six. Each columns measure in diameter, and are capped by entablatures consisting of an architrave, frieze, and cornice. Pediments are situated atop the entablatures at the north and south ends of the building, and parapets are atop the side porticoes. The porticoes are based on the Erechtheion in Athens, and are on the second floor atop a Doric basement. They emphasize the building's entrances on all four sides, and are supported by first-floor square columns.
The trusses supporting the roof are made of wrought iron rafters, and span the building's entire width. Their connections are made of cast iron. The roof is made of copper. The attic underneath reaches in height, and is used for storage. On the roof is a lantern-like round tower, or cupola, modeled after the Choragic Monument of Lysicrates, that sits on a square pedestal-like structure. The tower weighs . Nashville architect Kem Hinton notes an irony about the tower, as the Choragic Monument honors Lysicrates, an Ancient Greek choral leader. Tennessee later played a major role in developing popular music, with Nashville known internationally as "Music City". The cupola has eight Corinthian columns, surmounted by capitals of small lotus leaves and a single row of acanthus leaves above. A flower resembling the Egyptian lotus is between the acanthus leaves on each capital. The roof is crowned by a cast iron finial composed of four tiers of leaves and a spire on top. Four cast iron ornamental scrolls are between the cupola roof and lower leaf tier. The American flag and Tennessee flag are permanently flown here, with the flag of the Tennessee General Assembly displayed when the legislature is in session. These flags measure . The cupola's roof decorations were designed by Strickland's son Francis after his father's death.
Interior and layout
The basement of the capitol building was originally an unfinished crypt with the state armory and fuel storage. It was later excavated into offices for gubernatorial staff and other state officials. The ground floor, sometimes called the executive floor, is crisscrossed by halls and contains the governor's office, the original supreme court chamber, and offices of cabinet members and other officials. It originally contained space for the state archives and a federal courtroom. The ceiling is approximately tall. The principal stairway leads from the first floor to the second and principal level on the building's west side. It is surrounded by reddish-brown marble handrails and balustrades. A chip in a handrail was reportedly caused by a gunshot during debate over the 14th Amendment in 1866. Each step is carved out of a single block of mottled limestone with a curved underside. The bottom half of the staircase is wide, and leads to a landing situated against the west wall. This consists of three limestone slabs supported by Doric columns. The second part of the staircase has double stairwells that bridge the landing to the second floor. These are cantilevered into the north and south-side walls of the stairwell, and are sided with cast iron facing.
The house of representatives chamber, known as the Hall of Representatives in its early years, encompasses the entire building's south end on the second floor, which is also called the legislative floor. This two-story room is wide, tall, and is flanked by third-floor spectator galleries on the east and west side. These are accessible from staircases connecting to the second-floor hallway with original iron handrailings, and are atop eight smaller offices that originally served as committee meeting rooms. Both galleries are fronted by eight fluted Ionic columns that measure in diameter, each carved of a single limestone block. These represent Tennessee's status as the 16th state admitted to the Union. They are topped by elaborate capitals designed in Composite order, and on each side of the chamber, support entablatures that are more than thick. A wallscreen of Tennessee marble with carvings of fasces, original to the building, is in the chamber's front behind the speaker's podium.