Louisiana "Old" State Capitol

The Old State Capitol Building was constructed in 1852 on the banks of the Mississippi River. In 1862, during the Civil War, Union Admiral David Farragut captured New Orleans and the seat of government retreated from Baton Rouge. The Union troops first used the "old gray castle," as it was once described, as a prison and then as a garrison for African-American troops under General Culver Grover. While used as a garrison the Old Louisiana State Capitol caught fire twice. This, in turn, transformed the building into an empty, gutted shell abandoned by the Union troops. By 1882 the state house was totally reconstructed by architect and engineer William A. Freret, who is credited with the installation of the spiral staircase and stained glass dome, which are the focal points of the interior. From the beginning, the turrets were controversial. The extreme weight of the turrets led to their removal in 1915. The smaller turrets came down in the renovation of 1937-38. The refurbished state house remained in use until 1932, when it was abandoned for the New State Capitol building. The Old State Capitol Building has since been used to house federally chartered veteran's organizations, and the seat of the Works Progress Administration. Restored in the 1990s, the former Capitol Building is now a museum. The Center for Political and Governmental history is the state's official repository of film and video archives and houses several state-of-the-art interactive exhibits including, the Huey Long assassination exhibit, the Governor's exhibit, the Campaign and Elections exhibit and the Louisiana Purchase exhibit.

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