West Virginia State Capitol
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West Virginia State Capitol
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West Virginia State Capitol
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| Location | 1900 Kanawha Boulevard East, Charleston, West Virginia |
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| Coordinates | 38°20′10″N 81°36′43″W / 38.33611°N 81.61194°WCoordinates: 38°20′10″N 81°36′43″W / 38.33611°N 81.61194°W |
| Built | 1925 |
| Architect | Cass Gilbert |
| Architectural style |
Colonial Revival, Italian Renaissance |
| Part of | West Virginia Capitol Complex (#74002009) |
| Added to NRHP | December 31, 1974 |
The West Virginia State Capitol is the seat of government for the U.S. state of West Virginia, and houses the West Virginia Legislature and the office of the Governor of West Virginia. Located in Charleston, West Virginia, the building was dedicated in 1932. Along with the West Virginia Executive Mansion it is part of the West Virginia Capitol Complex, a historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Prior to the American Civil War, the counties that would ultimately form West Virginia were a part of the state of Virginia; the state capitol was in Richmond, Virginia. After Virginia seceded from the Union in 1861, the northwest counties of Virginia loyal to the United States started the process which would ultimately create the State of West Virginia on June 20, 1863.
Settling on a state capital location, however, proved to be difficult. For several years, the capital of West Virginia intermittently traveled between Wheeling and Charleston. In 1877, however, the state's citizens voted on the final location of their capital, Charleston.
From the state's inception in 1863, the legislature met in the building of the Linsly Military Institute, on Eoff Street in Wheeling. The government soon outgrew this building, which had been built in 1859. In 1865, the legislature voted to move to Charleston, which was to be the permanent capital city. The legislature remained in Wheeling until 1870, when the new building was completed.
In 1869, construction began on a new building on Capitol Street in downtown Charleston. The new building was designed by Leroy S. Buffington of Anderson & Hannaford, Cincinnati. The new building was architecturally eclectic, combining elements of the Italianate, Second Empire, and High Victorian Gothic styles. The legislature met in the building until 1875, when the City of Wheeling offered to build a new capitol building if the legislature would agree to return to the city.
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