Tennessee State Capitol

About

The Tennessee State Capitol, located in Nashville, is the seat of government for the U.S. state of Tennessee. It serves as the home of both houses of the Tennessee General Assembly – the House of Representatives and the Senate – and contains the governor's office. It was designed by architect William Strickland of Philadelphia, who considered it his greatest achievement. The statehouse was built between 1845 and 1859 by skilled artisans and convict and slave labor. It is one of Nashville's most prominent examples of Greek Revival architecture, and is one of the oldest working statehouses in the United States, having been used continuously since 1853. It was constructed predominantly of limestone quarried nearby, and was one of the first buildings in the United States to use iron as a structural element. One of 11 state capitols that does not have a dome, it was the tallest building in the Southeastern United States when completed. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970 and named a National Historic Landmark in 1971.