The North Carolina State Capitol is located in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina, on Capitol Square. The capitol's official street address is One East Edenton St.
As with most other states, North Carolina had several capital cities and capitol buildings before Raleigh and the present day capitol. Prior to the state convention in 1788 to place the new capital in Wake County, North Carolina's capital had been in Edenton, then in New Bern. Once the site that was to become the new city of Raleigh had been chosen in 1788 to serve as North Carolina's new capital, a new state house needed to be built. Construction on the new capitol building began in 1792, and the structure became occupied in 1794. However, it burned to the ground in 1831. Construction for the present capitol building began in 1833 and was completed in 1840 at a cost of $532,682.34, a large sum for that time.
David Paton, born in Edinburgh, Scotland, was the architect who supervised construction of the present capitol. The capitol building is an excellent example of the Greek revival style of architecture, which was a popular style for large estates and civic buildings from that era in many places around the country. Many of the architectural details show signs of similarity to buildings in ancient Greek temples. Additionally, the columns on the front of the building are modeled after the Parthenon and are in the Doric style.
Until 1888, all the North Carolina state government functions were housed within the capitol building. Additionally, until 1963, the North Carolina General Assembly held its meetings within the capitol building. Since 1963, the North Carolina General Assembly has met in the North Carolina State Legislative Building. Currently, the governor and the governor's staff work in offices housed within the capitol building.
In addition to serving as home to the offices of the governor of North Carolina and the governor's staff, the North Carolina State Capitol is a National Historic Landmark and holds a special place in the collective hearts of native North Carolinians. As such, tours of the capitol are available. Self-guided tours are available Monday through Friday, and guided tours are available on Saturday at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. Actual hours of operation for the state capitol are Monday through Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. The capitol is closed for most major holidays.
