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Kentucky State Capitol at sunrise

Kentucky State Capitol

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The Kentucky State Capitol is located in Frankfort, Kentucky. The Beaux-Arts style building was designed by Frank Mills Andrews and constructed between 1905-09 and dedicated in June 1910.

Between 1792 and 1830, two buildings were used in Frankfort as the Kentucky state capitol building, both of which burned. The state legislature authorized the construction of the first state capitol building in 1827 and opened in 1930. The structure was designed in the Greek Revival style to link Kentucky, a young republic, with ancient Greece, the prototype of a popular democratic government. The front of the building was styled to duplicate the Temple of Minerva Polias at Priene.

After much discussion and spirited debate, the Kentucky General Assembly selected Frankfort as the location of the fourth state capitol building, versus Lexington or Louisville. It appropriated $1 million toward the construction of the building. Ground-breaking for the new capitol building was held on August 14, 1905, and the new edifice to government dedicated on June 2, 1910.

Outside, the Beaux Arts-style building featured Indiana limestone and Vermont granite, with a sculptured pediment of the classical front portico designed by Charles Henry Niehaus and carved by Australian sculptor Peter Rossack. Inside, the Beaux-Arts style building included many traditional French interior designs, including staircases that were styled as replicas of the Opéra Garnier in Paris. The State Reception Room, designed as a place for ceremonial events, is decorated with pilasters finished in scagliola and hand-painted murals meant to represent tapestries from the Gobelin Tapestry Guild. Elsewhere, white Georgia marble, gray Tennessee marble, and dark green Italian marble adorn the interior surrounded by 36 imposing columns of Vermont granite.

Above the entrances to the House and Senate chambers are oil paintings by T. Gilbert White that depict frontier scenes with Daniel Boone. One shows a view of Boone and his party catching their first glimpse of the Bluegrass region atop Pilot Knob in 1769, while the other features the negotiations for the Treaty of Sycamore Shoals, which led to the purchase of Cherokee land that would eventually become Kentucky.

The Kentucky State Capitol was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. Today, the complex is open to visitors six days per week, and tours can be arranged by contacting the Tour Guide at (502) 564-3449.

Contact
Website
700 Capital Avenue, Frankfort, KY 40601
(502) 564-3449
Directions

From downtown Frankfort, follow Capital Avenue south to the Kentucky State Capitol complex.

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A view of a shoe repair workshop inside the Centre Family Dwelling at the Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill, the site of a Shaker religious community that was active between 1805 and 1910 in central Kentucky. The land is now home to the largest private collection of original 19th-century buildings and is the largest National Historic Landmark in the Commonwealth. ¶ • • #NikonNoFilter#ShakerVillageKY#villageatwork#Kentucky#KentuckyKicksAss#TravelKY#ExploreKY#KYStatePark#Appalachia#Appalachian_Explorers#InstaTravel#Adventure#ParkChaser#Fantastic_Earth#Awesome_EarthPix • @shakervillageky
The Shaker village at Pleasant Hill in central Kentucky had a well-developed garden seed trade that was sold mostly from saddle bags and wagons, and was later traded downriver with New Orleans and St. Louis. Pleasant Hill is the site of a Shaker religious community that was active between 1805 and 1910 in central Kentucky. The land is now home to the largest private collection of original 19th-century buildings and is the largest National Historic Landmark in the Commonwealth. ¶ • • #NikonNoFilter#ShakerVillageKY#villageatwork#Kentucky#KentuckyKicksAss#TravelKY#ExploreKY#KYStatePark#Appalachia#Appalachian_Explorers#InstaTravel#Adventure#ParkChaser#Fantastic_Earth#Awesome_EarthPix • @shakervillageky
The Shaker village at Pleasant Hill in central Kentucky had a well-developed garden seed trade that was sold mostly from saddle bags and wagons, and was later traded downriver with New Orleans and St. Louis. Pleasant Hill is the site of a Shaker religious community that was active between 1805 and 1910 in central Kentucky. The land is now home to the largest private collection of original 19th-century buildings and is the largest National Historic Landmark in the Commonwealth. ¶ • • #NikonNoFilter#ShakerVillageKY#villageatwork#Kentucky#KentuckyKicksAss#TravelKY#ExploreKY#KYStatePark#Appalachia#Appalachian_Explorers#InstaTravel#Adventure#ParkChaser#Fantastic_Earth#Awesome_EarthPix • @shakervillageky
A glimpse inside the kitchen inside the Centre Family Dwelling at the Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill. Constructed between 1824 and 1834, the building comprised of up to 100 members who lived as brothers and sisters on opposite sides of the building. The structure contained 14 bedrooms, kitchens, a dining room, a cellar with food storage areas, an infirmary, and a large meeting room. The Pleasant Hill community was divided into five communal families, each with 50 to 100 members. Every family had its own dwelling house, shops, and related facilities. The Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill is the site of a Shaker religious community that was active between 1805 and 1910 in central Kentucky. The land is now home to the largest private collection of original 19th-century buildings and is the largest National Historic Landmark in the Commonwealth. ¶ • • #NikonNoFilter#ShakerVillageKY#villageatwork#Kentucky#KentuckyKicksAss#TravelKY#ExploreKY#KYStatePark#Appalachia#Appalachian_Explorers#InstaTravel#Adventure#ParkChaser#Fantastic_Earth#Awesome_EarthPix • @shakervillageky
A glimpse inside the kitchen inside the Centre Family Dwelling at the Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill. Constructed between 1824 and 1834, the building comprised of up to 100 members who lived as brothers and sisters on opposite sides of the building. The structure contained 14 bedrooms, kitchens, a dining room, a cellar with food storage areas, an infirmary, and a large meeting room. The Pleasant Hill community was divided into five communal families, each with 50 to 100 members. Every family had its own dwelling house, shops, and related facilities. The Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill is the site of a Shaker religious community that was active between 1805 and 1910 in central Kentucky. The land is now home to the largest private collection of original 19th-century buildings and is the largest National Historic Landmark in the Commonwealth. ¶ • • #NikonNoFilter#ShakerVillageKY#villageatwork#Kentucky#KentuckyKicksAss#TravelKY#ExploreKY#KYStatePark#Appalachia#Appalachian_Explorers#InstaTravel#Adventure#ParkChaser#Fantastic_Earth#Awesome_EarthPix • @shakervillageky
A glimpse inside the kitchen inside the Centre Family Dwelling at the Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill. Constructed between 1824 and 1834, the building comprised of up to 100 members who lived as brothers and sisters on opposite sides of the building. The structure contained 14 bedrooms, kitchens, a dining room, a cellar with food storage areas, an infirmary, and a large meeting room. The Pleasant Hill community was divided into five communal families, each with 50 to 100 members. Every family had its own dwelling house, shops, and related facilities. The Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill is the site of a Shaker religious community that was active between 1805 and 1910 in central Kentucky. The land is now home to the largest private collection of original 19th-century buildings and is the largest National Historic Landmark in the Commonwealth. ¶ • • #NikonNoFilter#ShakerVillageKY#villageatwork#Kentucky#KentuckyKicksAss#TravelKY#ExploreKY#KYStatePark#Appalachia#Appalachian_Explorers#InstaTravel#Adventure#ParkChaser#Fantastic_Earth#Awesome_EarthPix • @shakervillageky
A glimpse inside the kitchen inside the Centre Family Dwelling at the Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill. Constructed between 1824 and 1834, the building comprised of up to 100 members who lived as brothers and sisters on opposite sides of the building. The structure contained 14 bedrooms, kitchens, a dining room, a cellar with food storage areas, an infirmary, and a large meeting room. The Pleasant Hill community was divided into five communal families, each with 50 to 100 members. Every family had its own dwelling house, shops, and related facilities. The Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill is the site of a Shaker religious community that was active between 1805 and 1910 in central Kentucky. The land is now home to the largest private collection of original 19th-century buildings and is the largest National Historic Landmark in the Commonwealth. ¶ • • #NikonNoFilter#ShakerVillageKY#villageatwork#Kentucky#KentuckyKicksAss#TravelKY#ExploreKY#KYStatePark#Appalachia#Appalachian_Explorers#InstaTravel#Adventure#ParkChaser#Fantastic_Earth#Awesome_EarthPix • @shakervillageky
A view of a lone corn broom set among a pine board wall inside the Centre Family Dwelling at the Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill. Constructed between 1824 and 1834, the building comprised of up to 100 members who lived as brothers and sisters on opposite sides of the building. The structure contained 14 bedrooms, kitchens, a dining room, a cellar with food storage areas, an infirmary, and a large meeting room. The Pleasant Hill community was divided into five communal families, each with 50 to 100 members. Every family had its own dwelling house, shops, and related facilities. The Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill is the site of a Shaker religious community that was active between 1805 and 1910 in central Kentucky. The land is now home to the largest private collection of original 19th-century buildings and is the largest National Historic Landmark in the Commonwealth. ¶ • • #NikonNoFilter#ShakerVillageKY#villageatwork#Kentucky#KentuckyKicksAss#TravelKY#ExploreKY#KYStatePark#Appalachia#Appalachian_Explorers#InstaTravel#Adventure#ParkChaser#Fantastic_Earth#Awesome_EarthPix • @shakervillageky
The Centre Family Dwelling at the Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill, constructed between 1824 and 1834, comprised of up to 100 members who lived as brothers and sisters on opposite sides of the building. The structure contained 14 bedrooms, kitchens, a dining room, a cellar with food storage areas, an infirmary, and a large meeting room. The Pleasant Hill community was divided into five communal families, each with 50 to 100 members. Every family had its own dwelling house, shops, and related facilities. The Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill is the site of a Shaker religious community that was active between 1805 and 1910 in central Kentucky. The land is now home to the largest private collection of original 19th-century buildings and is the largest National Historic Landmark in the Commonwealth. ¶ • • #NikonNoFilter#ShakerVillageKY#villageatwork#Kentucky#KentuckyKicksAss#TravelKY#ExploreKY#KYStatePark#Appalachia#Appalachian_Explorers#InstaTravel#Adventure#ParkChaser#Fantastic_Earth#Awesome_EarthPix • @shakervillageky