What was nc first state capitol

The State Capitol , located on Union Square in central Raleigh, has been the seat of North Carolina government since its completion in Raleigh had been chosen as the permanent capital city in After the statehouse on the site burned in and after the General Assembly had voted not to move the capital to Fayetteville-the legislature in appropriated funds to build a new capitol building where the old one had stood, incorporating a similar cross-shaped design with a central domed rotunda.

Scottish-born David Paton ultimately supervised the majority of the construction and was responsible for many of the building's features. The resulting structure is considered one of the best-preserved examples of Greek Revival architecture in America. The capitol's interior reflects the features of ancient Greek temples, while its Doric-style exterior columns were modeled after the columns of the Parthenon.

The chambers for the State Senate and House of Representatives are designed in similarly classical fashion. The entire North Carolina state government was situated within the building's walls until , when the Supreme Court and the State Library relocated. In members of the General Assembly moved their offices to the State Legislative Building a block away. The modern-day capitol building houses the offices of the governor and lieutenant governor and their staffs.

A replica of an Antonio Canova statue of George Washington the original of which was destroyed in the fire stands in the center of the State Capitol rotunda, and many plaques and busts line the walls. During much of the colonial period, North Carolina was without a fixed capital city.

Governors lived in their own homes and the Assembly moved from place to place, meeting in private homes, and in courthouses when available.

In the Assembly selected Edenton as the capital, but years passed before modest government facilities became available.

By then the center of the population had shifted southward, and the government again became migratory. Several efforts to establish a seat of state government failed until , when the town of New Bern was selected.

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