How Tallahassee Became Florida's Capital, and How the Old Capitol Was Saved

Florida's seat of government sits in the Panhandle, far from the state's biggest cities. That location was a compromise struck two centuries ago, and the buildings that rose there tell the rest of the story.

A capital halfway between two old ones

When Florida was a U.S. territory, lawmakers had to travel roughly 400 miles between St. Augustine and Pensacola, a hazardous trip that took nearly 20 days, according to a Florida Historic Capitol Museum brochure. On March 4, 1824, Tallahassee was selected as the new capital because it sat about halfway between those two former colonial capitals, the museum's audio tour explains. Today the Florida Constitution names Tallahassee, in Leon County, as the seat of government.

From log cabins to a domed Capitol

The territorial government first met in log cabins. A capitol begun in 1826 was never fully finished and was torn down in 1839 to make room for the current building, according to the museum's history page. That structure was completed in 1845, the year Florida joined the Union as the 27th state. President John Tyler signed the statehood bill on March 3, 1845, according to the University of South Florida's Exploring Florida project.

The building grew over the next century. Architect Frank Milburn added a classical dome in 1902 that rose 136 feet, the brochure notes. Wings followed in 1923, 1936 and 1947, the last two housing the House and Senate chambers, the museum says.

The tower, and the fight over the old building

A new 22-story Capitol tower, designed by Edward Durell Stone, was completed in 1977, according to the museum's audio tour. Its top floor holds a free public observation deck, and the building stands 322 feet to the roof, according to SkyscraperPage.

A 1972 plan called for tearing down the old Capitol and replacing it with landscaping. Public outcry stopped it. From 1978 to 1982, crews removed the later wings and restored the building to its 1902 appearance at a cost of $7 million, the audio tour says. The museum's brochure adds that the Department of General Services and the Department of State jointly oversaw the work, which was documented historically, architecturally and archaeologically. The restored chambers, rotunda and governor's suite now house a museum of Florida political history.

How we reported this: This explainer was drafted with AI assistance from the sources linked above, and every fact was checked against those sources. See an error? Contact us and we'll correct it.

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