The Missouri State Capitol is the seat of Missouri’s state government, standing at 201 West Capitol Avenue in Jefferson City on a limestone bluff above the south bank of the Missouri River.1Missouri Office of Administration. Missouri Capitol Building The building houses both chambers of the General Assembly and serves as the working center for the state’s legislative and executive branches.2Missouri House of Representatives. The Legislative Process in Missouri It was dedicated on October 6, 1924, and is the sixth capitol in state history.3Missouri State Capitol Commission. About the Capitol
Where It Is and How to Visit
The address is 201 West Capitol Avenue, Jefferson City, MO 65101.1Missouri Office of Administration. Missouri Capitol Building The building dominates the city’s skyline from the north side of the river, and the grounds include the Missouri Law Enforcement Memorial and the Missouri Veterans Memorial.
The Capitol is open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and closes only on New Year’s Day, Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Admission is free. Guided tours run Monday through Friday on the hour from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., with no tour at noon. Weekend tours are offered at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Reservations are required at least 24 hours ahead and can be made by calling (573) 751-2854.
The Building
The Capitol is built in the Classical Revival style. It runs 437 feet long and 200 feet wide through the wings, covers roughly three acres, and contains about 500,000 square feet of floor space.4Missouri Secretary of State. Missouri State Capitol History The dome rises 262 feet above the basement floor.5Missouri State Parks. Missouri State Capitol Both the exterior cladding and the interior corridors, rotundas, and stairways use Carthage limestone marble quarried in southwestern Missouri.
A bronze and copper statue of Ceres, the Roman goddess of agriculture, stands atop the dome. She is 10 feet, 6 inches tall, weighs 1,400 pounds, and has been in place since 1924. Lightning has struck her an estimated 300 times. She was taken down for laser restoration in 2018 and returned afterward.
How Missouri Got to This Capitol
When Missouri became a state in 1821, legislators met in a temporary capitol in St. Charles along the Missouri River.6Missouri State Parks. First Missouri State Capitol State Historic Site After Jefferson City was designated the permanent capital, the first purpose-built capitol there was completed around 1826.
Fire destroyed the next two. The first Jefferson City capitol, built between 1823 and 1826, burned in 1837.3Missouri State Capitol Commission. About the Capitol A replacement was finished by 1840 and stood until February 5, 1911, when lightning struck the dome. Within hours, only the walls remained.7Missouri Secretary of State. Capitol Fire Transcript
Construction on the current building began in 1913 and was largely complete by 1917. New York architects Evarts Tracy and Egerton Swartwout designed it, and the extensive interior finishing pushed the official dedication to 1924.5Missouri State Parks. Missouri State Capitol
The Thomas Hart Benton Mural
The Capitol’s best-known artwork is Thomas Hart Benton’s mural “A Social History of the State of Missouri,” in the House Lounge. The state commissioned Benton in 1936, and he completed the 40-foot work in about six months.8Missouri State Parks. General Information – Thomas Hart Benton Several scenes drew criticism at the time, including fur traders selling whiskey to American Indians and Jesse James robbing a bank. The mural remains one of Benton’s most recognized works and draws visitors who come specifically to see it.
National Register Status
The building and its immediate surroundings are listed as the Missouri State Capitol Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places. That designation triggers a review under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act whenever a federally funded or licensed project could affect the property, requiring the responsible federal agency to assess effects and consider public input before proceeding.9U.S. General Services Administration. Section 106 – National Historic Preservation Act of 1966