Benicia Capitol State Historic Park preserves California’s third capitol building, where the state legislature met from February 3, 1853, to February 24, 1854, making it the only pre-Sacramento state capitol still standing. Lawmakers moved there from Vallejo with Governor John Bigler’s consent after complaining about poor conditions, then left for Sacramento after renewed dissatisfaction with weather, lodging, and the safety of public archives. Restored in Greek Revival-Palladian style, the building evokes its brief but important role in California’s early statehood. The grounds also include the Fischer-Hanlon House and related outbuildings, and the site remains a rare survivor of the state’s unsettled early capitals.