The Capitol is the second such building on Union Square. A simple, two-story brick State House was built on Union Square between 1792 and 1796. That building was enlarged in the early 1820s to include a third floor, eastern and western wings, and a domed rotunda.
The State House burned in 1831 when workmen attempted to fireproof the roof by pouring melted zinc onto the shingles. The process of melting zinc took longer than expected, so the workmen went on a breakfast break. Their unattended smelting pot overturned, and the roof was engulfed in flames. Only a few furnishings were saved.
The exterior walls of the current State Capitol are granite stones weighing as much as ten tons each. The stone came from a quarry a little more than one mile southeast of Union Square. It was brought by the Experimental Railroad, a wooden cart drawn by horses, mules, and oxen on a railroad track.
There is very little mortar holding the stones together, and only ropes and muscle power of people and draft animals were used to put the stones in place.
The building was designed in a cruciform plan, cross-shaped with a domed rotunda at the center connecting four wings. The building has 3 floors and an attic, but no basement. Until 1988, all of state government was housed in this building or on Union Square. The executive branch was on first floor, the legislative branch on second floor, and the judicial branch and state library on the third floor.
The governor and lieutenant governor and their immediate staff still maintain offices on the first floor. The building is open to visitors.
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The Marker and the Capitol Building:
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Most of all, enjoy the History that North Carolina has to offer! From the Mountains to the Ocean .. it's all here!