Maine State House

About this property

The Maine State House in Augusta, Maine, is the state capitol of the State of Maine. The building was completed in 1832, one year after Augusta became the capital of Maine. Built using Maine granite, the State House was based on the design of the Massachusetts State House (Maine was formerly part of Massachusetts, and became a separate state in 1820). Governor Janet Mills and the Maine Legislature convene at the State House. When Maine separated from Massachusetts and became a state in 1820, a number of cities and towns sought the honor of becoming the state capital. The principal aspirants were Portland, Brunswick, Hallowell, Waterville, Belfast, Wiscasset, and Augusta. The first capital of Maine was Portland, but it moved to Augusta because of its more central location. On February 24, 1827, Governor Enoch Lincoln signed the bill establishing Augusta as the capital. Five years later, the legislature held its first session in the new State House on January 4, 1832, under Governor Samuel E. Smith. After careful consideration of various sites on both sides of the river, the governor and the Commissioners had chosen a 34 acres (140,000 m2) lot for the Maine State House, extending from the old Hallowell road to the Kennebec River. The building was designed by the renowned architect Charles Bulfinch of Boston, and in its original form resembles his Massachusetts State House. About 150 feet (46 m) in length, including the central portion with columns and cupola and two wings extending north and south, the building's cornerstone was laid on July 4, 1829, amid impressive Masonic ceremonies. Construction was of granite from Hallowell quarries and took three years to complete. The cost of the building was originally estimated to be $80,000, but when completed, expenditures of the building, furnishings and grounds amounted to $135,000, of which $11,500 was contributed by the city of Augusta. The Maine Legislature held its first session in the new state Capitol on January 4, 1832. The interior of the Capitol was remodeled in 1852 and again in 1860 to provide additional room for state departments. In 1890–1891, a large three-story wing was added to the rear of the building to accommodate the State Library and to provide more office space for departments. Major remodeling of the Capitol during 1909–1910 established the present-day appearance of the building. It was enlarged according to designs by G. Henri Desmond, necessitating the demolition of almost all the old buildings save the front and rear walls. While the noble Bulfinch front was preserved, the length of the building was doubled to 300 feet (91 m) by extending the north and south wings. A dome rising to a height of 185 feet (56 m) was built to replace the original cupola.

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Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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