Florida Capitol
Posted by: 
tiki-4
N 30° 26.282 W 084° 16.945
16R E 760993 N 3370461
Florida's Capitol Complex includes a 22-story executive tower with domed House and Senate chambers on the north and south. The Historic Capitol is directly in front of the tower (to the east) with the House and Senate office buildings to its north and south.
Waymark Code: WM20B8
Location: Florida, United States
Date Posted: 08/14/2007
Views: 118
The New York firm of Edward Durell Stone & Associates designed the Capitol Complex in cooperation with Reynolds, Smith and Hill of Jacksonville. Different from the proposed Capitol Center of 1948, the Florida Cabinet approved a comprehensive plan for the surrounding Capitol Center and the new Capitol Complex in 1969. The site plan added a section of Adams Street between the Historic Capitol and the Supreme Court Building to the west. When an artist drawing omitted the Historic Capitol, indecision over the need for the building and/or how to renovate it slowed the construction start date.
The first phase of the new Capitol Complex started in June 1970 with site preparation of the House and Senate's five-story office buildings. These buildings were designed to provide legislative committee rooms and member offices.
Excavated in November 1973, the three lower level floors of the Capitol are below street level. The steel structure was completed by 1975. Concrete the equivalent of four football fields three feet thick (25,000 cubic yards) was used for the project. It took three years and ten months for the 718,080 sq. ft. Capitol to be declared complete in August 1977. The Executive Tower main floor is 206 ft. above sea level, which puts the 300 ft. building's top at 506 ft. above sea level. With the west plaza unfinished, the building was officially opened for the 1978 legislative session. The Capitol Complex which includes the House and Senate Office Buildings has 747,152 net maintainable square feet.
Florida's population has grown to become the 4th largest in the nation, from 54,000 in 1840 to over 17.8 million in 2005. As a result, conducting the public's business has changed and the contrast between the historic and new Capitol buildings illustrates the two eras. Both population growth and geographic size have played an essential role in how state facilities have evolved. Regional Service Centers have been established statewide to move services closer to citizens.
Improving public participation in the governmental process is being built into the State's facilities through a teleconferencing network. Interactive meetings between state leaders and the general public shortens the distance and increase the service of Florida's public buildings. Included in the Knott Building renovation of 1998 - 1999, a new conference center was constructed next to the Capitol Complex for teleconferencing activity.
Type of Capitol: State, Province, Canton, or Other Primary Division of a Nation
Address:
Office of Cultural and Historical Programs
500 S. Bronough Street
Tallahassee, FL USA
32399-0250
Dates of Construction: August 1977
Hours: M-S 0900-1500
Capitol Web Site: [Web Link]
Major Renovations: Not listed
Historical Monuments/Memorials: Not listed
|
Visit Instructions:
Post one photo of the capitol that includes either a GPSr and/or the waymarker along with the capitol in the picture.
Please also tell us about your visit.