Tennessee State Capitol

The Tennessee State Capitol, located in Nashville, Tennessee, is the seat of government for the U.S. state of Tennessee. It serves as the home of both houses of the Tennessee General Assembly–the Tennessee House of Representatives and the Tennessee Senate–and contains the governor's office. It was designed by architect William Strickland of Philadelphia, who considered it his greatest achievement. The statehouse was built between 1845 and 1859 by skilled artisans and convict and slave labor. It is one of Nashville's most prominent examples of Greek Revival architecture, and is one of the oldest working statehouses in the United States, having been used continuously since 1853. It was constructed predominantly of limestone from a nearby quarry, and was one of the first buildings in the United States to use iron as a structural element. The building, one of 11 state capitols that does not have a dome, was the tallest building in the Southeastern United States when completed, and is one of the oldest working statehouses in the country. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970 and named a National Historic Landmark in 1971.

The Tennessee State Capitol contains a basement and first floor that consists primarily of office space, with the original Tennessee Supreme Court chamber in the latter. The second and principal floor contains the house and senate chambers and a room that originally housed the Tennessee State Library and Archives. The tower consists of a pedestal topped by a circular cupola modeled on the Choragic Monument of Lysicrates. During the American Civil War, the building served as a camp for Union troops, a hospital, and a lookout point. The capitol grounds were landscaped from 1871 to 1877. The building was refurbished in 1901 and 1902 and extensively restored in the 1950s, when much of the exterior limestone was replaced with Indiana limestone. Additional interior renovations in the late 1980s and early 2010s restored parts of the building to its mid-19th century appearance.

The Tennessee State Capitol is located atop a prominent hill on the highest point in downtown Nashville. It contains numerous monuments, memorials, and pieces of artwork, and the surrounding capitol grounds are extensively landscaped with green spaces and a terraced east garden. Strickland, who died before the capitol was completed; and Samuel Morgan, who oversaw the commission that supervised construction; are entombed within the building's walls. The tombs of James K. Polk, the 11th President of the United States; and his wife Sarah Childress Polk are on the capitol grounds. The Tennessee Supreme Court Building and original state library building are located on the west side of the building on the grounds, and additional state office buildings surround the capitol on the east, south, and west. Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park, which is considered an extension of the capitol grounds, is located directly north of the building.

Description

Location and grounds

thumb|left|Closeup photo of one of the wrought iron trusses supporting the roof in 1970. The capitol was one of the first buildings in the United States to use [[structural element|structural iron.]]

The Tennessee State Capitol is one of the oldest working statehouses in the United States, having been used continuously by the Tennessee General Assembly since 1853. It sits atop Capitol Hill, the highest point in Downtown Nashville. This hill rises approximately above the nearby Cumberland River. In 1854, George Dardis, the capitol porter, compared the structure's location to that of the ancient city of Rome's situation on seven hills, the Acropolis of Athens, and Capo Colonna. The grounds are bounded by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard to the south; a horseshoe-shaped road that is part of 6th Avenue on the east and Lamar Alexander Way on the west envelop the rest of the grounds. The Tennessee Supreme Court building for the Middle Tennessee Grand Division and old state library building are located on the west side of the grounds. Another road that is part of 7th Avenue runs between the west side of the building and the supreme court and archives buildings, and loops around the northside to connect to parking encircling the building. The capitol complex is surrounded on the west, south, and east by several state office buildings. Directly south of the capitol is Legislative Plaza, a public plaza.

North of the capitol is a steep grassy slope that is bisected by the loop road. The Belvedere, an overlook, is situated approximately midway down this slope, and provides views to the north. James Robertson Parkway separates the grounds on the north from Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park, a large public park that traces the state's history and geographic features. This park is considered an extension of the grounds. The east garden consists of a terraced slope that includes a rectangular plaza with circular fountains on each end. A wide staircase connects this plaza to 6th Avenue, which is accessed by another wide staircase to the east entrance of the capitol, considered the main entrance.

Structure and architecture

thumb|left|200px|A closeup view of one of the porticoes. The capitol building incorporates [[Greek Revival architecture.]]

thumb|right|200px|The cupola is modeled on the [[Choragic Monument of Lysicrates in Athens.]]

The Tennessee State Capitol is modeled after an Ionic temple, incorporating Greek Revival architecture. Four cast iron ornamental scrolls are between the cupola roof and lower tier of leaves. The ceiling is approximately tall. President Andrew Johnson is represented with a statue by sculptor Jim Gray, dedicated on October 18, 1995.

In 1880, a triangular marker honoring the three Tennessee governors surnamed Brown from Giles County was placed on Capitol Hill. In October 1907, a tree and marker were placed on Capitol Hill by the Watauga Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution honoring early Tennessee settlers. A statue of Sam Davis called Boy Hero of the Confederacy is on the southwest grounds. It was sculpted by George Julian Zolnay and dedicated on April 29, 1909. On July 27, 1927, a triangular time capsule was buried on the grounds by Nashville Council No. 1 of Royal and Select Masons to celebrate the chapter's centennial. It will be opened on July 27, 2027. The United States Geological Survey placed a survey marker on Capitol Hill in 1934. On October 3, 1939, the American Legion Post 5 and American War Mothers placed a marker honoring mothers of American soldiers killed in World War I.

thumb|left|200px|Statue of Sgt. [[Alvin York|Alvin C. York by Felix de Weldon.]]

A statue of Sgt. Alvin C. York sculpted by Felix de Weldon was unveiled on the southeast corner on December 13, 1968. On September 10, 1969, the United Daughters of the Confederacy placed a plaque in the east garden to commemorate the 75th anniversary of their founding in Nashville. The Colonial Dames of America placed a tree and marker in 1975, commemorating the 200th anniversary of George Washington's acceptance of command of the Continental Army. A replica of the Liberty Bell was placed in the east gardens to commemorate the United States Bicentennial in 1976. A time capsule was buried by Governor Ray Blanton in 1978, but its location is unknown.

On January 16, 1984, Governor Lamar Alexander planted a tulip poplar in memory of Martin Luther King Jr. in a ceremony attended by other state and local officials. The Tennessee Holocaust Memorial is located on the southeast corner, and was dedicated on May 5, 1986. It consists of a stone marker and six native Tennessee cedars that memorialize the six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust. In July 1999, the state legislature's Black Caucus dedicated a memorial to Africans during the Middle Passage at the southwest corner. The Charles Warterfield Reliquary is a group of broken limestone columns and fragments removed and saved from the capitol during the 1950s restoration, located near the northern belvedere on Capitol Drive. They were installed in 1995 and designated in memory of Warterfield, an architect who led the capitol's restoration projects, on August 8, 1999, eight months after his death. Additional reliquary fragments are at Bicentennial Mall.

A monument to unborn children, including those lost to abortion, was approved by the legislature in 2018. It is scheduled for dedication on June 24, 2026, the fourth anniversary of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization case that ended the nationwide right to abortion. it was later relocated to the Tennessee Performing Arts Center. Busts of Governors Robert Love Taylor and Alfred A. Taylor, who were brothers, were sculpted by Mary Hooper Donelson and placed in the second floor hallway in 1935; they were relocated to the basement sometime in the 1980s. In 1939, a statue of World War I Admiral Albert Gleaves was installed. A second bust of Jackson was sculpted by Puryear Mims and placed in the main hallway in 1941. A bust of U.S. Secretary of State Cordell Hull by Bryant Baker was dedicated on February 21, 1945, and installed in the library chamber. On May 30, 1946, portraits of Union rear admiral Samuel P. Carter and World War I rear admiral Charles St. John Butler by Eleanor McAdoo Wiley were dedicated during the state's sesquicentennial celebration. The next day, busts of Union Admiral David Farragut by Scholz, and Confederate naval officer Matthew Fontaine Maury by Frederick William Sievers were unveiled in the second floor hallway. Busts of Polk and Jackson were placed in the main hall in December 1963. They were started by Scholz and completed by Gifford Proctor in 1961 after her death. A bust of Sampson W. Keeble, the first Black member of the Tennessee General Assembly, was sculpted by Roy W. Butler and unveiled in the main hall on March 29, 2010. A bust of frontiersman Davy Crockett by Antonio Tobias Mendez was dedicated on December 6, 2016.

Artwork controversies

After the Civil War, many Confederate sympathizers objected to artwork in the capitol honoring Union leaders. Portraits of Reconstruction era governor Parson Brownlow and Union General George Henry Thomas by George Dury were installed in the house chamber shortly after the war, and moved to the library in 1870 after the legislature ordered their relocation. Many legislators were so offended by the Brownlow portrait that they would frequently spit on it, requiring the artist to retouch it. In 1905, the house passed a resolution to give the Thomas portrait to Union veteran and Tennessee Historical Society vice president Gates P. Thruston, but this failed in the senate. The portrait was eventually removed and placed in storage, but it is unknown when this occurred. The Brownlow portrait was moved throughout various state buildings before being placed in the old library room in April 1987 during the room's restoration. This immediately drew fire from several legislators, including state senator and Sons of Confederate Veterans member Douglas Henry, who objected because of Brownlow's voting restrictions on ex-Confederates. Henry later claimed he did not object to its presence in the capitol, but did not want it displayed in "a place of prominence". The capitol restoration commission voted to move it a few weeks later, despite opposition from East Tennessee legislators, which was largely Unionist during the war. This was also criticized as racist and sympathetic to the Confederate cause. The portrait was removed on May 27, 1987, along with portraits of several governors as part of the renovation project, and installed in the Tennessee State Museum shortly thereafter.

thumb|right|[[George Floyd protests in Tennessee#Nashville|A demonstration against the murder of George Floyd on the capitol steps in 2020. This event renewed debate over Confederate monuments at the captiol, leading to removal of the Nathan Bedford Forrest Bust the following year.]]

The Statue of Edward W. Carmack by Nancy Cox-McCormack was unveiled on June 6, 1925, honoring a journalist and U.S. Senator from Tennessee who was murdered nearby in 1908. It was controversial because of Carmack's racist views, particularly his calls for retaliation against civil rights advocate Ida B. Wells. Calls for its permanent removal occurred during its temporary relocation for the Motlow Tunnel construction in the late 1950s. On May 30, 2020, the statue was toppled by protestors during a demonstration against the police murder of George Floyd. They unofficially claimed the area as "Ida B. Wells Plaza" in an attempt to set up an autonomous zone modeled on Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone in Seattle. The statue was not reinstalled, but its base was left in place.

In 1973, Henry introduced legislation to commission a bust of slave trader, Confederate general, and Ku Klux Klan founder Nathan Bedford Forrest for the capitol. He wanted a memorial to the Confederate counterpart to Farragut, who he considered the most influential Union officer from Tennessee. The Nathan Bedford Forrest Bust was sculpted by Loura Jane Herndon Baxendale and dedicated in the main hall on November 5, 1978. A movement to relocate the bust gained momentum after the Charleston church shooting and Unite the Right Rally. After Governor Bill Lee called for its removal following the social unrest of 2020, the Tennessee Historical Commission voted on March 9, 2021, to relocate it to the state museum, along with the Farragut bust and Gleaves portrait. The busts and portrait were removed on July 23, 2021, and installed in the museum three days later.

The unborn children memorial has drawn controversy from abortion rights advocates, who argue that it stigmatizes women and takes a stance on the abortion debate. The monument has also been criticized as a distraction from more pressing issues.

History

Background and planning

Lick Branch, later known as French Lick Creek, was a stream that flowed through the bottomlands immediately north of the capitol building site. It contained numerous salt licks and springs along its banks, including McNairy Spring. Herds of bison, deer, turkey, bears, and other game wildlife were attracted to this stream, and Cherokee, Chickasaw, Shawnee and other Native American peoples used animal trails in the area. Due to constant territorial disputes, no single Native American group controlled the area when European settlers first arrived. French traders under the command of Charles Charleville established a trading post along French Lick in 1714, which was the first European settlement in what is now Nashville; it became known as French Lick. The creek and springs attracted settlers from East Tennessee in 1779, who established Fort Nashborough, the namesake of Nashville, along the Cumberland River, and founded the Cumberland Association the following year.

When Tennessee was admitted to the Union as the 16th state on June 1, 1796, Knoxville was its capital. Over the next thirty years, the seat of government alternated between Kingston, Nashville, Knoxville, and Murfreesboro, before moving to Nashville in 1826. No permanent statehouse was constructed during this time, and the legislature met in courthouses and other meeting places. The 1835 state constitution mandated the General Assembly choose a permanent capital by 1843. On October 7, 1843, the legislature declared Nashville the permanent capital, and planning for a statehouse began shortly thereafter. The prominent hill on which the capitol was constructed was known initially as Cedar Knob, and later Campbell's Hill after Judge G. W. Campbell, who owned it at the time. It was previously occupied by the Holy Rosary Cathedral, the first Roman Catholic Church in Nashville. The property was purchased by the city of Nashville for $30,000, and conveyed to the state government for $1 on December 11, 1843.

Design and early construction

thumb|left|1829 portrait of [[William Strickland (architect)|William Strickland (1788–1854), the capitol's architect, by John Neagle.]]

On January 30, 1844, the Tennessee General Assembly established the Tennessee Capitol Commission to oversee the statehouse's design and construction, and made an initial appropriation of $10,000 for the project. This act also mandated prisoner labor from the nearby penitentiary in Nashville be used to save money, and specified the structure be "built of smooth hewn or cut stone",

Strickland chose to model the capitol on Greco-Roman architecture, like his previous projects, and engineered the edifice almost entirely of limestone. He specified the roof trusses be made of wrought iron, recognizing its effectiveness as a fireproof structural member. Strickland may have wanted to take advantage of wrought iron's greater tensile strength. This was considered groundbreaking as one of the first uses of structural iron. Most structures in the United States at the time, including bridges, were still built with wooden structural elements. In his initial report, Strickland estimated that the project would cost $340,000, or between $240,000 and $260,000 if constructed with convict labor.

thumb|Tennessee State Capitol

Shortly after taking office in October 1845, Governor Aaron V. Brown reported the project on schedule and budget, but that this was likely at risk of changing due to the massive scale. A protest was held one month later against the use of convict labor by local artisans interested in working on the project, but the majority of state legislators insisted on using convict labor to reduce costs. On January 5, 1846, the legislature appropriated of $32,000 for 1846 and 1847, and authorized the capitol commission to employ 150 convicts to quarry stone without allowing them to work on the capitol grounds. Slaves were first reportedly used in site excavation and carting away debris before construction began. In November 1850, a contract was awarded to Woods, Stacker & Co. to furnish the roof trusses. On October 17, 1851, Strickland reported the second-story walls were nearing completion, and the cornice was prepared and ready for installation atop the walls. The iron trusses were provided by Cumberland Iron Works in Stewart County, Tennessee, and assembled by convicts. The copper for the roof covering had been delivered to the site from Pittsburgh, and was ready to be grooved and assembled. equivalent to $ in . A fire at the penitentiary destroyed the stonecutters' shops and tools 17 days later, and rendered rough and dressed stone intended for the tower unusable. This resulted in temporary suspension of work to allow replacement of the tools and relocation of sheds from the quarry to the prison. The house of representatives passed a resolution in March 1854 asking the commission to supply the building with natural gas. In April 1855, E. L. Davis was hired to install gas pipes and fittings. On May 11, Cornelius & Baker of Philadelphia was hired to fabricate and install four gas chandeliers for $2,250: a 48-burner fixture for the Hall of Representatives, a 30-burner fixture for the senate chamber, and two smaller fixtures for the main hall and library, respectively. This firm had already provided chandeliers for the United States Capitol and several statehouses. The house chamber chandelier was noted for its elaborate design in Philadelphia newspapers, incorporating bronze figures of Native Americans and buffalo representing the state's settlement; and figures of the state's major agricultural products of corn, tobacco, and cotton. Another 30 fixtures were ordered from this firm over the next two years, with the last chandeliers installed in the main hall by the fall of 1857. On June 7, 1855, Sloan was hired for a third and final documented time to fabricate handrails and balusters for the stairwells, which he completed by November 1. The tower's blocks and columns were installed using a series of ropes and spars, and the last stone was laid on July 21, 1855. In the fall of 1855, Francis Strickland reported the tower was constructed to its full height and work was underway on the ornamental leaves. Around that time, it was discovered that the convict labor, estimated at over $300,000, had not been charged to the state capitol account. This inflated the cost to over $700,000, prompting the legislature to require the penitentiary to record the value of the materials and labor, and present this information to the commission.

On February 28, 1856, the legislature made the final appropriation for the capitol at $150,000. Bids were received in May of that year for remaining plastering work, which included the first-floor vaults, the ceiling under the tower in the main hall, and three ceilings within the tower. It took 10 months for a contract award. Bids were solicited for marblework in the supreme court room in September 1856, but it is unknown who received the contract. In the winter of 1857, George C. Creighton, the building's superintendent, was arrested twice and fined $50 for disrupting the supreme court's proceedings. Creighton was supervising installation of flagstones in the crypt below the courtroom. On April 14, 1859, a contract was jointly awarded to Jackson & Adams and T. Robinson & Brother for constructing the state armory in the north end of the crypt for $2,200. On July 17, 1859, Wood and Perot of Philadelphia received a contract for ironwork at $20,600. Work on the railings on the secondary stairs was finished by November 5, 1859, and the iron stairs in the tower were completed a few days later. The capitol building was officially completed in December 1859, when work on the library was finished. Union troops seized control of the undefended city on February 25, 1862, and thousands of soldiers quickly poured in, establishing barracks inside the capitol building and camps on Capitol Hill and the surrounding lowlands. Expecting Confederates to attack Nashville, a cedar log fortification was constructed and an artillery battery consisting of 15 cannons was placed around the building; the soldiers called this "Fort Andrew Johnson". The building also served as a hospital for wounded soldiers after the Battle of Stones River. Governor Johnson and Union troops used the capitol's tower to observe the Battle of Nashville in December 1864. An 1865 senate resolution requested that the grounds be landscaped as a Civil War memorial, but the 1870 law required the plans to be consistent with William Strickland's original plans. Most of these plans did not survive the war, however, and the memories of capitol commission chairman Samuel Morgan were used to craft new ones. New York civil engineer John Bogart was hired to design new plans for the grounds, and it is believed that he tried to follow Strickland's plans to the greatest extent possible. Along with the terraced walls around the building, Bogart's plan included a series of graded meandering walkways with stairs connecting the adjacent streets to the building, with walls along the perimeter of the rectangular grounds. On the north side of the hill, a winding carriage road and small pond were built. Red cedars were planted on the grounds, in accordance with the natural growth of the hill. Elaborate entrances flanked by gateposts were built at the four street corners surrounding the grounds, and the east entrance of the building was configured to become the main entrance, as intended by Strickland. The east side of the grounds contained an open concourse with two circular fountains and a site in-between for a statue of Andrew Jackson. A narrow road connected to Sixth Avenue on the east, and looped around the north side of the building to access the west entrance. Bogart's plan was adopted on July 1, 1871, Work continued over the next six years between April and November, and convict labor was also used in the landscaping. More than 35,000 cartloads of topsoil were hauled to the rocky hill to provide a base for the lawn and vegetation. The state prison superintendent reported on January 1, 1877, that the improvement project was nearly complete, and final work was finished on July 21, 1877. On June 10, 1880, Morgan died at the age of 81. His remains were moved from the original cemetery plot and reinterred in a tomb in the southeast corner of the capitol building on December 24, 1881.

thumb|right|200px|The House of Representatives chamber c. 1884 with the original chandelier

In 1885 a series of major repairs took place. The copper roof, which had struggled with severe leaks since at least 1867, was replaced with tin. The ten original water closets were poorly ventilated and had been declared unsanitary by the State Board of Health and the Nashville Sanitation Officer. They were replaced by eight new water closets, located equally on each side of the building, that included toilets and urinals. The cisterns were cleaned and repaired with concrete. The windows had also been plagued by water damage and leaks, and several of them, including in the house, senate, and supreme court chambers; and along the main stairwell, were replaced with double-hung windows. Other broken window panes were repaired, and sashes and frames repainted. The lampposts by the east and west entrances were also painted. The offices, which had accumulated dirt and dust, were repainted, and carpets installed. Nashville's electric company installed electric lights on the capitol grounds in the summer of 1886. On March 5, 1889, the original chandelier in the house chamber was removed after a mechanic expressed concerns about its structural integrity. An inexpensive drop arc light fixture was installed over the clerk's desk, and electric lighting was first installed in the main hall that year. Many of the cedars on the capitol grounds were gradually replaced by hardwood shade trees beginning in the 1890s. On March 7, 1891, Louisville architect Henry P. McDonald presented a report on repair needs to the legislature. His report recommended a new heating and ventilation system, waterproofing work, erection of handrails around the esplanades, and covering the walls with a preservative. He also recommended repairs to the water closets, which continued to struggle with poor ventilation; and stabilization of the north portico, which had started settling. A new heating and ventilation system was installed later that year, which required a new boiler plant outside and new ductwork and vents in the building. Despite someone falling to their death from the esplanade the previous year, the legislature did not believe railings were needed since the grounds were lit at night. Most of the other recommendations in the 1891 report were ignored. In 1895, more electric lighting was installed, which included converting the gasoliers to electricity, and the library and Adjutant General's office were painted and recarpeted.

Earlier 20th century

thumb|left|Postcard of the Tennessee State Capitol from the early 20th century showing the original landscaping of the capitol grounds.

In 1899, Nashville architectural firm Thompson, Gibel & Asmus investigated the capitol building and prepared an extensive report detailing needed repairs. At the same time, a special committee examined the building's condition, finding it susceptible to water leaks through the roof and windows, making it unsanitary. This caused foundation damage and flooding in the basement during wet weather. In March 1901, the legislature reported that a local architect was hired to examine the building and prepare a rough estimate for repair costs, and later that year created the Capitol Improvement Commission. Later that year, the first phase of what was, at the time, the most elaborate alteration and refurbishment to the building began. This included repainting all of the windows and iron railings installed in 1891, and frescoing the ceilings in the hallways in front of the four entrances. In February 1902, a contract was awarded to replace the original four exterior doors and renovate the entrances. New transoms and sidelights were cut around the doors, and new marble mosaics were installed in the south and east vestibules. In March 1902, a contract was awarded to reface the esplanade walls and pave the terraces with Portland cement.

The following month, the contract was awarded for repairing the exterior. The first work cleaned the exterior stonework by scrubbing it with steel wire brushes, followed by coating it with a preservative that consisted of a mixture of paraffin wax and linseed oil. Following this, the broken dentil moldings at the northwest and southwest corners were replaced. Many of the joints, including all of the ones in the tower, were dressed down and smoothed, and all seams were filled with Portland cement. That same month, contracts were awarded for constructing a new approach on the south end from Charlotte Avenue (then Cedar Street), which included stone gateposts and wrought and cast iron gates. A new space was constructed in the attic for the archives, which were moved from the basement where they were susceptible to mold and water damage. This required plastering and new roof skylights. Some of the architects involved in the restoration objected to this plan, expressing concerns about placing additional load on the roof structural members; they instead recommended partitioning a second level of the main hall between the library and senate chamber. The improvement commission ultimately decided to relocate the archives to the attic. Additional restoration work in 1902 involved minor repairs to interior stonework, which was contracted in the spring. The bulk of the capitol's first electrical infrastructure, including a 30,000 watt transformer, 1,200 base lamps, more than 1,000 receptacles, and outdoor pole-mounted arc lamps, was installed during this time. This required thousands of pounds of wiring to be strung through the building. The restoration cost $24,792, and was completed by the end of 1902. About $8,000 worth of minor repairs were conducted in 1903 and 1904, but little is known about this work.

thumb|right|The main staircase in 1940.

In 1905, Governor James B. Frazier called attention to overcrowding in the capitol building that developed as the state government grew. In response, the house passed a joint resolution asking for a feasibility study on constructing an annex to the building, but little action was taken. To relieve this overcrowding, the state began leasing buildings for office space in 1915. In 1917, a Nashville architect proposed a 10-story office tower atop the capitol building supported by an independent steel frame. This design included removing the tower, with a similar one atop the new addition. On December 21, 1916, Elizabeth A. Eakin and Margaret J. Weakley formed the Tennessee Capitol Association, a non-partisan organization that advocated for preserving the building and grounds, and encouraged the state to acquire adjacent land and expand the grounds. The organization worked over the next several years to purchase surrounding tracts of land for future expansion of state facilities, and lobbied the state to take charge of purchasing additional land. The first major state office building completed was the War Memorial Building south of the capitol in 1927. This included an adjacent plaza that was transformed into Legislative Plaza in 1974. The Tennessee Capitol Association played a major role in acquiring land for the Supreme Court Building in 1937 and the John Sevier State Office Building in 1940.

Sometime in the early 20th century, the plaster ceiling in the house chamber was replaced with metal. Between October 1917 and March 1918, portions of the iron balustrades in the library were removed to make room for new steel shelving, and new carpet was installed. These were initially used as dividers on the main floor, and reinstalled in 1953. The Treasurer's office received new flooring in March 1918, and the room was painted two months later. Five cluster light fixtures were installed in the house chamber in the 1920s. Concurrent with the supreme court relocation to its new building, the chamber was partitioned into six offices for the Secretary of State and a ladies' lounge in 1937. Between February and December 1938, the first floor's east side was renovated in a project that removed three walls that divided the space into long, narrow corridors; constructed a new reception and conference room for the governor, respectively; added new Georgian-style woodwork in the governor's suite; installed new six-panel doors in Ionic pilaster frames based on the house at Westover Plantation in Virginia; and replaced the east windows and installed hardwood atop the stone flooring in the southeast quadrant. As part of this work, 11 panels depicting events from Tennessee history were designed by artist George Davidson and painted by Armenian American artist Jirayr Zorthian in the governor's reception room, and the ceiling of the governor's office was stenciled. During this time, the governor's and secretary of state's offices were temporarily relocated to the second floor. As part of an urban renewal project initiated by the Housing Act of 1949, many of the structures around the capitol were demolished, and a new four-lane road called James Robertson Parkway was constructed around the north side of Capitol Hill.

Restoration

thumb|left|Exterior restoration of the Tennessee State Capitol, c. 1957.

Despite renovation and improvement efforts, the capitol building continued to be plagued by structural deterioration, leading state officials to recognize that a large-scale, comprehensive restoration was needed. The exterior deterioration had been of particular concern since the early 20th century. Large cracks in the walls and columns developed over a long period of time, and ornamental details had degraded. The steel rails installed in 1891 had also largely rusted away. The need for restoration became particularly apparent when, on August 8, 1951, a large piece of stone on a north-side exterior column was knocked loose by blasting from a nearby construction project and fell to the ground. Different ideas were floated, including removing the ornamental work and replacing the building completely. In 1953, the general assembly appropriated funds for restoration and established the Capitol Hill Area Commission to supervise the project. The commission hired Nashville firms Victor H. Stromquist and Woolwind, Harwood and Clark to inspect the building and develop plans. That year, the library relocated to its new building, and the old room in the capitol was restored. The original iron balustrades were reinstalled, the walls and ceiling cleaned, the floor refinished and recarpeted, and new shades and drapes were hung. The firms examined the structure to determine which stones needed replacement or repair. The legislature established the State Building Commission to oversee construction of state buildings in March 1955; this organization assumed the roles of the Capitol Hill Area Commission. Plans for restoration were completed in the fall of 1955.

A contract for exterior restoration was awarded in February 1956. About of the original limestone was removed and replaced with thicker oolitic limestone from Indiana. This stone was chosen for its durability, strength, and resistance to harsh weather. All 28 exterior columns and supported entablatures, and the pilasters and entablature on the cupola were replaced. The stonework in the upper and lower terraces and the lower stairs was also replaced, the latter with granite. As part of this, the lamps with the sculptures Morning, Noon, and Night, which had severely rusted, were removed. The new limestone was quarried and fabricated by the Indiana Limestone Company of Bedford, Indiana. To ensure accurate replication, pieces of the original column caps and templates of other original stonework components were sent to the company. Mobile cranes with a capacity were used to set the new stones except for in the cupola, which were installed with a guy derrick atop a steel tower built up from the second-floor corridor walls. Following stonework replacement, the exterior was cleaned and waterproofed. The 1885 tin roof was replaced with copper, and the attic penthouse structure for the archives was removed, which included removing the skylights and ventilators. Chimneys protruding from the roof were removed, and an enclosed ship's ladder providing access to the cupola from the attic at the tower base was constructed to replace a catwalk atop the roof. The original 1850s cupola roof was found to be in excellent condition and not altered, and all wrought iron in the building was determined to be in acceptable condition. All windows were replaced with pressure-treated pine windows, except for the ones replaced in 1938; and new bronze windows were installed in the tower. All of the 1902 exterior doors were replaced with oak doors, and bronze railings supplanted the iron railings on the porticoes. The exterior work was effectively completed by the end of 1957, at which point workers started installing new floodlights on the grounds and roof, replacing the old pole-mounted lights.

Before exterior work was complete, the general assembly appropriated funds for interior renovations in 1957, and the same architectural firms were hired for this. Construction began on February 20, 1958. The first floor was extensively altered, providing more office space. In the southwest quadrant, the three original transverse stone walls were removed, and the area reconfigured into eight square-shaped offices. Another eight offices were partitioned in the northwest quadrant, which previously served as a federal courtroom. These offices were given Georgian wood paneling, like the ones created in 1938. Two elevators were installed north of the east–west hall on the first floor, and restrooms constructed in place of the original secondary stairs on the first and second floors. The original limestone flooring in both floors' halls was replaced with Carthage marble and the ceilings cleaned and then repainted by Louis Bagnoli and Frank Bernarde under the direction of muralist Allyn Cox. New plaster was placed on the ceilings in the house chamber, senate chamber, library, and second-floor halls; this was subsequently painted by Bagnoli and Bernarde, similar to the original appearance. Four new chandeliers were installed in the house chamber, replacing the 1920s fixtures. New red oak doors replaced the original second-floor interior doors, and the original decorative moldings and ornaments were placed on them. Fluorescent lighting and new electrical, plumbing, and a heating and air conditioning system were installed in the building, requiring raising the floors in the house chamber and library, and a new equipment room above the second-floor men's restroom. In conjunction with the interior work, the Motlow Tunnel was constructed to provide access to the basement of the statehouse from Charlotte Avenue. The tunnel and elevators had been advocated for several decades by legislators and citizens, due to the long climb required to reach the legislative chambers from the streets. The substantial restoration completion and new tunnel were dedicated on January 15, 1959, by Governor Frank G. Clement, which included unveiling a new plaque on the first floor detailing the history of the building and restoration project. The exterior renovation project cost $1.97 million, and the interior cost $1.84 million. Final work on the tunnel was completed shortly thereafter, and it was officially named the Motlow Tunnel by the general assembly on January 28, 1959. Once building restoration was complete, work turned to improving the grounds. In 1960, new parking was constructed around the building, and a new access road built from 7th Avenue, resulting in closure of the 6th Avenue access. In the fall of 1961, additional topsoil was hauled onto Capitol Hill and more than 600 trees were planted. In conjunction with the capitol restoration, the urban renewal effort, which became known as the Capitol Hill Redevelopment Project, continued in the vicinity, resulting in several new office buildings, apartments, and skyscrapers.

Later 20th century to present

The capitol was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 8, 1970. This refurbished the old state library room by cleaning the stone and repainting. New 1850s-style carpet was installed, and the chandelier cleaned and polished. This work was completed in April 1987. The next phase, which began in June 1987, restored the first floor by refurbishing the artwork, installing 1850s-style carpet and new flooring, and revived the supreme court chamber to its original appearance. Gold-leaf chandeliers similar to the originals were installed on the first floor, replacing fixtures installed during the 1950s renovation, and older chandeliers were rehabilitated. Final work was mostly completed in January 1988.

In 1969, Knoxville architect Robert Church proposed a multi-level parking garage along the north and west side of Capitol Hill. As part of this plan, Church reportedly discussed extending the greenery of Capitol Hill north of James Robertson Parkway with state architect Clayton Dekle. The state began gradually acquiring much of the land north of the capitol in the early 1970s with the intent of eventually constructing a large office complex, necessitated by the state government's growth. Meanwhile, a movement arose to preserve the north view from the capitol. Starting in the mid-20th century, a building boom resulted in several skyscrapers around the capitol. In 1988, around the time planning for Tennessee's bicentennial began, John Bridges of Nashville-based Aladdin Industries conceived an idea for a public park north of the capitol modeled on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.. He shared a sketch and brief narrative with Aladdin's CEO Victor S. Johnson Jr., who contacted Governor Ned McWherter in 1989 and presented him with Bridges' idea. McWherter first publicly spoke about converting the land north of the capitol into a linear green space modeled on the National Mall for the bicentennial on July 19, 1989, and several plans were presented over the next few years. A feasibility study for the mall was conducted in late 1991.

thumb|right|alt=A stairwell leading to the Tennessee State Capitol on an open grassy hillside|A stairwell connecting the state capitol to [[Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park.]]

On August 27, 1992, Tuck Hinton Architects and staff from SSOE Engineers and Ross/Fowler Landscape Architects were hired to develop a master plan for the mall, which required alterations to the north face of Capitol Hill. The State Building Commission approved the plan on July 8, 1993, followed by the capitol commission 15 days later. Construction on the mall began on June 27, 1994, and was supervised by Heery International. To improve visibility between the mall and capitol, a state employee parking lot and a section of Gay Street on the north slope were removed, and a new overlook called Belvedere was constructed here. Two stairwellsone from the capitol to the east side of Belvidere and another from the west side of Belvidere to James Robertson Parkwaywere constructed. The mall was dedicated on June 1, 1996the 200th anniversary of Tennessee's admission to the Unionas part of the bicentennial celebration. Additional features planned for the mall complex were added over the succeeding years, the last of which was the Answer Bell on Capitol Hill, dedicated on June 1, 2003. That year, the American Society of Civil Engineers designated the building a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in recognition of its innovative construction, which made unusually extensive use of stone and was an early example of the use of structural iron. The designation recognizes the interior columns built from single pieces of stone that required massive wooden derricks to hoist into place. It also acknowledges the use of wrought iron, instead of wood, for the roof trusses to reduce the building's vulnerability to fire as groundbreaking.

thumb|left|Restoration work on the cupola in 2017

In May 2012, work began on a project to upgrade the capitol's heat and air conditioning, plumbing, electrical, and security systems. Offices in the basement were also renovated as part of this project. During this phase, workers removed drop ceilings, exposing hidden Roman-inspired brick arches, which were repainted and not covered back up. The project was completed in December 2012 at a cost of $15.7 million. A tunnel was constructed between the capitol and the Cordell Hull State Office Building as part of a renovation of this building between May 2016 and January 2018. On November 2, 2016, a restoration of the cupola began. Major activities commenced on May 31, 2017, which required erecting scaffolding around the cupola and removal of the top. The decorative cast iron elements were removed and then refurbished and repainted, before being reinstalled. The copper roof was replaced, deteriorating stone was repaired or replaced, and all joints were remortared. Cracks in the iron staircase were repaired, and a new flagpole was installed. The final restoration element replaced old interior and exterior light fixtures with LED lighting. In 2021, a project relandscaped the capitol grounds, added new stairways to the northwest and east sides of the building, and installed handrails on existing staircases. In January 2025 the second phase of a renovation of the War Memorial Building and Legislative Plaza began, which includes a new capitol visitor center in the latter structure and refurbishing the Motlow Tunnel. Work is expected to be completed in January 2027. In February 2025, the general assembly passed a resolution honoring 15 enslaved craftsmen who helped build the capitol.

Gallery

File:Tennessee State Capitol Nighttime.jpg|Night time view of the Capitol

File:Andrew Jackson Statue Nashville.jpg|Andrew Jackson Statue located on the grounds of the Tennessee State Capitol

File:James Polk Grave.jpg|Tomb of James K. Polk located on the grounds of the Tennessee State Capitol

File:Tennessee Senate 2022l.jpg|Senate chamber

File:Tennessee House of Representatives 2022f.jpg|House chamber

File:Tennessee Old Supreme Court Chamber 2022b.jpg|Old Supreme Court chamber

File:Tennessee Capitol Library 2022a.jpg|Old State Library

File:Tennessee State Capitol second floor 2022a.jpg|Second floor corridor

File:Tennessee State Capitol basement 2022.jpg|Basement corridor

File:Tennessee Senate 2022i.jpg|Senate chamber ceiling

File:Tennessee State Capitol Nashville TN 2013-07-20 001.jpg|Tennessee Historical Commission historical marker

File:Tennessee State Capitol plaque - 1956-59 restoration.jpg|Plaque commemorating 1956-59 restoration

File:Tennessee State Capitol Nashville TN 2013-07-20 002.jpg|American Society of Civil Engineers plaque

File:Tennessee State Capitol Nashville TN 2013-07-20 007.jpg|Motlow Tunnel plaque

</gallery>

References

Notes

Explanatory notes

Inflation figures

Bibliography

Citations

External links

Tennessee State Museum - State Capitol information
Tennessee Legislature Website
Documentary: Tennessee State Capitol - Grounded in Tradition