The Tennessee State Capitol building, a National Historic Landmark, was designed by renowned architect William Strickland and constructed over a period of 14 years, beginning in 1845 and completed in 1859. The Greek Revival style building is notable from an engineering standpoint because of its unusually extensive use of stone for the time, as well as being one of the first buildings to use structural iron instead of wood for roof supports to reduce the risk of fire. It is also one of just 11 U.S. state capitol buildings without a dome. President James K. Polk, one of three Tennesseans to serve as President, and his wife, Sarah, are entombed on the grounds.
