Virginia State Capitol Building and Grounds

Location: 1000 Bank Street, Richmond, VA 23218

Phone: (804) 698-1788

Website: https://virginiacapitol.gov/

Hours: 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Sundays. Self-Guided tours are available during operating hours each day our Capitol Visitors Brochure will help you get started. Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years Day. Guided tours are available from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Sundays, with the last tour commencing at 4:00 pm.

Ticket Price: Free

Homeschool discount? Not applicable

Visited: Saturday, September 3, 2017 2:00 – 4:30

In 1779, the Virginia legislature decided to move the capital from Williamsburg to Richmond. Williamsburg was close to the Chesapeake bay and the James and York rivers, making it easily accessible to the British Navy. Richmond is located further upstream on the James River, where the water is more shallow and unreachable by large boat. Until a new Capitol building could be built, the

General Assembly met in the warehouse district of Richmond at what is now 14^th Street and Cary Street.

The new Capitol building was designed by Thomas Jefferson. A spot on Shockoe Hill was chosen. He modeled the building after an ancient Roman temple in Nimes, France in the Classical building style. The cornerstone of the building was laid in August, 1785. It opened in 1788, when the Virginia General Assembly held its first session.

The building has gone through two major renovations: the wings on each side were added in 1904, and in 2004, a three-year renovation began that restored the interior and exterior of the building, as well as expanded it with an undergound entrance and additional space.

The entrance / underground area houses a few display areas, including an informative one about the visit by Winston Churchill, as well as a gift shop.

An introductory video is available to watch called, “Keepers of the Flame”. In it, Thomas Jefferson accompanies two young congressional pages through the Capitol building and grounds, and they discuss the history of it, Virginia, and our country.

Guided tours begin on each hour and start in the underground area near the gift shop. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and entertaining.

At the center of the original building is the Rotunda, open to the upstairs. It has a domed ceiling that is only visible from the inside (it is hidden by the roof line on the outside).

In the center of the room stands a life-sized marble statue of George Washington made by French sculptor Jean-Antoine Houdon.

Around the room you'll find the busts of other Presidents from Virgina: Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, Zachary Taylor, and Woodrow Wilson. Because so many Virginians have served as President, the state is known as the “Mother of Presidents.” One other bust is found in the room: Marquis de Lafayette.

The room that is the Old Senate Chamber originally served as a courtroom. In the early 1840s, it was converted to be used by the Senate of Virginia. In 1861, it was turned into the “Hall of Congress” for the Confederate House of Representatives for the Confederate States of America. The Virginia Capitol served as the Virginia state Capitol building (housed the State Assembly) as well as housed the Confederate government. After the Civil War, the Virginia Senate moved back in and used the room until 1904 (when the wings were added).

In the Old Senate Chamber, you'll find several historical paintings. One depicts the Arrival of the First Permanent English Settlers, painted by Griffith Baily Coale in 1949. It depicts the 104 settlers who sailed to Virginia and established Jamestown on May 13, 1607. 

Behind the table are two portaits: Captain John Smith and Pocahontas.

Another wall is covered with the largest painting in the room: The Storming of a British Redoubt by American Troops at Yorktown, painted by Eugene-Louis Lami in 1840.

Across the hallway, you'll find The Jefferson Room. There, you'll find a large, full-length portrait of Thomas Jefferson, as well as an enlarged copy of the Declaration of Independence.

There are also two scale models in glass cases: one is the original that Thomas Jefferson sent to the builders from France, depicting what the finished building would look like. The other is the same model, made with modern technology. The back of the original model shows the different colors of exterior paint used throughout the years on the Capitol's exterior.

In the Old Hall of the House of Delegates, you'll find seats and tables arranged in a curved fashion facing the Speaker's chair. The House of Delegates met here from 1788 until 1904, when the wings were added.

Many historic events have occurred in the Old Hall. In December, 1791, the House voted to ratify the proposed U.S. Bill of Rights. Later that month, the first ten amendments to the Constitution were adopted. In 1807, Aaron Burr was tried and acquitted of treason in a trial presided over by Chief Justice John Marshall. The Virginia Secession Convention of 1861 also met there.

The hall is filled with many busts and statues: Robert E. Lee, which stands where he stood on April 23, 1861, when he accepted command of Army of Virginia. You'll also find busts that include George Mason, Patrick Henry, George Wythe, Stonewall Jackson, Cyrus McCormick, John Marshall, Sam Houston, Jefferson Davis, and Alexander Stephens.

At the front of the room, you'll see a gold-plated silver mace that symbolizes the authority of government. When the General Assembly is in session, the mace is placed in the current House Chamber in front of the Clerk's podium.

The new House of Delegates chamber is where the 100 Delegates, who are elected every two years, meet. The desks fill the room, facing the chair of the Speaker of the House (who presides over the House, elected by the members). Each desk has buttons for voting on proposed laws or requesting to speak.

On the other side of the building is the Senate chamber. The Senate is made up of 40 Senators who are elected every four years. The Lieutenant Governor, an elected official, is the President and presiding officer of the Senate.

The Virginia General Assembly convenes on the second Wednesday in January and lasts for 60 days in even numbered years or 46 days in odd numbered years. Sessions can be viewed by the public in the viewing gallery, up a floor from the chambers. The Governor's Office is also located on this floor, but it is not open to the public.

Three booklets are available for schoolkids at the end of the tour: a coloring book and two Virginia General Assembly activity books (one for Grades 4-5 and one for younger kids). Be sure to pick them up for your children to learn more about how their state government works.

The 12 acres surrounding the Capitol building are a public park. There, you'll find fountains, statues, monuments, and a bell tower.

The Governor's Executive Mansion is located behind the Capitol and is open for free tours on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 10 a.m. - Noon and 2:00 p.m. - 4 p.m.