Mississippi State Capitol

Coordinates: 32°18′14″N 90°10′56″W / 32.30389°N 90.18222°W / 32.30389; -90.18222
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

For the former building that housed the state government, see Old Mississippi State Capitol.
Mississippi State Capitol
Classical Revival style architecture
NRHP reference No.69000086
USMS No.049-JAC-0001-NR-ML
Significant dates
Added to NRHPNovember 25, 1969[2]
Designated NHLOctober 31, 2016[3]
Designated USMSMarch 5, 1986[1]

The Mississippi State Capitol or the “New Capitol,” has been the seat of the state’s government since it succeeded the

state capital / capital city of Jackson, in Hinds County, it was designated as a Mississippi Landmark in 1986, and subsequently a National Historic Landmark in 2016 and earlier added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1969, (lists and descriptive information maintained by the National Park Service of the United States Department of the Interior
).

History

After years of public debate, the 35th

Mississippi Supreme Court chambers; and the Governor’s Reception Room; Rotunda; Hall of History and its historical exhibits; and the elaborate decorated United Daughters of the Confederacy Reception Room
were also restored.

Architecture

The Capitol exemplifies Beaux Arts classicism in architecture. 

The Capitol is 402 feet in width, 225 feet in depth, with a total of 171,000 square feet.  The central dome rises 180 feet above ground level.

The exterior walls of the Capitol are Indiana limestone and the base and stairs are Georgia granite. The drum of the main dome is a limestone-colored terra cotta and is surrounded by a limestone colonnade.  The eagle that stands atop is eight feet tall and 15 feet wide, made of copper, and gilded with gold leaf.

Inside the Capitol are more than ten types of marble from other states and countries and eight types of art marble, known as scagliola.  Architect Theodore Link used the new technology of electric lighting when designing the Capitol and incorporated 4,750 electric fixtures, which are still being used today. 

Windows of stained and leaded glass, crafted by Louis Millet of Chicago, Illinois, are original and adorn the grand staircase, domes and walls of the chambers of the Senate and House of Representatives, Governor’s Office, and other spaces within the building.  The ceilings of the third and fourth floor corridors contain Millet’s stained glass and work with the skylights on the roof and with the glass cylinders within the marble of the fourth floor as a skylight system to provide natural light along those corridors.

The ground floor’s Hall of Governors displays portraits of the former governors of Mississippi, beginning with the first territorial governor, Winthrop Sargent.

The main Rotunda is located on the second floor with walls of Italian white marble trimmed with Belgian black marble, cast iron balustrades with architectural motifs encircling the space, and the central dome rising above allowing in natural light to mix with the original electric light fixtures. A relief sculpture of Lady Justice is seen above each of the top arches.

The Rotunda also displays all the major classical orders, including Roman Doric on the first level (second floor), Ionic on the second level (third floor), and the highest order in the Composite capitals on the monumental columns. 

The second floor also houses the old Supreme Court and the old State Library.

In addition to the chambers of the Senate and the House of Representatives, the third floor is home to the offices of the Lieutenant Governor and the Speaker of the House, and the ceremonial office of the Governor. The Senate has 52 members.  The House of Representatives has 122 members.

The public galleries of the Senate and the House of Representatives are located on the fourth floor.

On top of the state capital building is a gold-plated American Bald Eagle figurine, facing south.

Visitation

The Capitol is open Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m and closed on weekends. Guided tours are conducted free of charge by staff and volunteers. Tours are given Monday-Friday at 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m., or visitors are welcome to do a self-guided tour anytime between 8 a.m.-5 p.m. There is also a gift shop that is open Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. It is closed on weekends.[6]

  • Another perspective of the "New" Mississippi State Capitol building
    Another perspective of the "New" Mississippi State Capitol building
  • Another perspective of the "New" Mississippi State Capitol building
    Another perspective of the "New" Mississippi State Capitol building
  • Another perspective of the "New" Mississippi State Capitol building
    Another perspective of the "New" Mississippi State Capitol building
  • "New" Mississippi State Capitol rotunda
    "New" Mississippi State Capitol rotunda
  • "New" Mississippi State Capitol second floor facing upward
    "New" Mississippi State Capitol second floor facing upward
  • "New" Mississippi State Capitol inner dome
    "New" Mississippi State Capitol inner dome
  • The gold eagle atop the Mississippi State Capitol Building
    The gold eagle atop the Mississippi State Capitol Building
  • A look at the Mississippi State Capitol Building from the east
    A look at the Mississippi State Capitol Building from the east

Capitol Complex Improvement District

Map of the CCID. Red areas show the original District created in 2017, with blue showing additional areas added by the state legislature in 2023.

The Capitol Complex Improvement District (CCID) was created by the Mississippi Legislature in 2017 as a means to improve infrastructure in areas of Jackson near the Capitol and other state government property.

Mississippi Capitol Police to patrol beyond the immediate blocks surrounding the Capitol property. This expansion of the Capitol Police's powers and patrol area was seen as preemptive power grab by Legislature Republicans of the Democrat-led City of Jackson. The bill authors cite it as a response to crime in Jackson. The law expanding the CCID also creates a separate court to prosecute state law offenses cited by the Capitol Police. Theses courts would have judges appointed by the Supreme Court of Mississippi and prosecutors appointed by the Governor rather than the elected judges and prosecutors of the Hinds County court system.[8]

Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba has called the policing expansion "an attack on Black leadership in every form"[9] and "apartheid"[10] as the state-run police patrolling neighborhoods in the majority Black city is less responsive to community concerns and local authority.

The District is under the management of the state Department of Finance & Administration which develops a comprehensive master plan in consultation with the CCID Project Advisory Committee. This committee is composed of representatives and appointees of the

Mayor of Jackson, Jackson City Council, Jackson State University, and University of Mississippi Medical Center.[7] Jesse O'Quinn currently serves as the Director of CCID and Assistant Director of Bureau of Building within the Department of Finance & Administration. The Capitol Police is responsive to the Mississippi Department of Public Safety
.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Mississippi Landmarks" (PDF). Mississippi Department of Archives and History. May 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 9, 2010. Retrieved May 12, 2009.
  2. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  3. ^ "Secretary Jewell, Director Jarvis Announce 10 New National Historic Landmarks Illustrating America's Diverse History, Culture". Department of the Interior. November 2, 2016. Retrieved November 3, 2016.
  4. ^ "The Official and Statistical Register of the State of Mississippi". March 2, 2024.
  5. ^ Southwick 1998, p. 124.
  6. ^ "About the Capitol". Mississippi Legislature. Mississippi Legislature. n.d. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
  7. ^ a b "CCID Informational Pamphlet" (PDF). Mississippi Department of Finance & Administration. Mississippi Department of Finance & Administration. 2019. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
  8. ^ Crown, Kayode (January 27, 2023). "White Mississippi Officials Would Appoint Courts, Bypassing Black Jackson Judges Under Bill". Mississippi Free Press. Jackson, MS: Mississippi Journalism and Education Group. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
  9. ^ Crown, Kayode (February 23, 2023). "Lumumba: New H.B. 1020 Is 'Attack on Black Leadership'; Will Not Sign Forced MOU". Mississippi Free Press. Jackson, MS: Mississippi Journalism and Education Group. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
  10. ^ Tolan, Casey (February 27, 2023). "A proposed 'takeover' has sparked a battle for power in one of America's Blackest big cities". CNN. Retrieved January 10, 2025.

Works cited

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