A Capitol Idea

Sacramento won the prize of statehood by being named California’s capital in 1854, but securing a suitable Capitol building proved frustrating. One early site was destroyed by fire, and another forced the state to share a building with the county jail and courthouse. The legislature even met in the county courthouse while the building was being raised off its foundation as a flood prevention effort. By 1860, the state, with assistance from Sacramento, began construction on a Capitol intended exclusively for state use, and the building that still serves as the State Capitol was not completed until 1874.

Sacramento, California · United States