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Arkansas Capitol

Arkansas State Capitol
Arkansas State Capitol.jpg
General information
Architectural style Neoclassical
Town or city Little Rock, Arkansas
Country United States
Construction started 1899
Completed 1915
Cost $2,200,000
Client State of Arkansas
Technical details
Size
Arkansas State Capitol
Arkansas State Capitol is located in Arkansas
Arkansas State Capitol
Arkansas State Capitol is located in the US
Arkansas State Capitol
Location 5th and Woodlane Sts., Little Rock, Arkansas
Coordinates 34°44′48″N 92°17′20″W / 34.74667°N 92.28889°W / 34.74667; -92.28889Coordinates: 34°44′48″N 92°17′20″W / 34.74667°N 92.28889°W / 34.74667; -92.28889
Built 1899
Architect Mann,George R.
Architectural style Classical Revival
NRHP Reference # 74000494
Added to NRHP June 28, 1974
Design and construction
Architect George R. Mann

The Arkansas State Capitol Building, located in Little Rock, is the main house of government of the state of Arkansas.

In 1899, the St. Louis architect George R. Mann visited the governor of Arkansas Daniel W. Jones, and presented his drawings of his winning competition design for the Montana State Capitol, which had not been built. They were hung on the walls of the old Capitol to generate interest in a new building. The drawings' attractiveness eased the passage of the bills for the new building, and also drew attention to the architect. In 1899, Mann was selected as architect by a seven-member commission that included future governor George W. Donaghey. Donaghey opposed Mann's selection and advocated a national design competition, but the majority of the commission voted for Mann. After Donaghey was elected governor in 1908, he forced Mann off the project and selected Cass Gilbert to finish the Capitol.

Construction took 16 years, from 1899 to 1915. The Capitol was built on the site of the state penitentiary and prisoners helped construct the building. They lived in a dormitory that was left on the Capitol grounds while construction was taking place.

The Capitol foundations were aligned incorrectly by their original builder, future Governor George Donaghey. He centered the building on the centerline of Fifth Street (now Capitol Avenue), but he aligned the building north-south using the still-standing penitentiary walls as a guide without recognizing that Fifth Street was not aligned east-west; like other "east-west" downtown Little Rock streets, it runs parallel to the Arkansas River at a slight angle off true east-west. Therefore, the structure is situated in a north-south manner from end-to-end, which does not fit the grid street pattern of Little Rock's downtown. This also led to a slight S-curve in the formal entrance walkway between the foot of Capitol Avenue and the front steps of the Capitol.

As a scale replica of the US capitol, the Capitol has frequently been used as a filming location. In 1990 the Capitol grounds were featured extensively in external and internal photography for the action film Stone Cold starring Brian Bosworth.


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Wikipedia

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