The Georgia Capitol through the years

Metro Atlanta

The Georgia Capitol through the years

Historic photos of the Georgia Capitol building and the grounds, since its time as Atlanta's first City Hall during the Civil War.

Today's Georgia State Capitol was once the site of Atlanta's City Hall. This photo from 1864 during the Civil War shows City Hall surrounded by huts used by occupying Union soldiers from Massachusetts. (George N. Barnard/Library of Congress)

From 1875, this view looks westward on Mitchell Street, with the old Atlanta City Hall/County Hall building on the right, the site of today's Capitol. State judicial buildings now sit where the plants are in the foreground. (AJC archives/Georgia State University Archive)

Before the Capitol moved to its present location in 1889, it had been located on the corner of Marietta and Forsyth Streets in the former Kimball Opera House, shown in the center distance in this heavily retouched photo, from sometime in the 1880s. A caption provided by the Atlanta History Center states, "In 1870, the state of Georgia purchased the recently completed Atlanta Opera House at the corner of Marietta and Forsyth Streets in downtown Atlanta, Georgia, to house the state capitol. Atlanta had been designated the temporary state capital in 1868 and became the permanent capital in 1877. The state legislature continued to meet in the building until 1889, when the current Georgia State Capitol building was completed." (William A. Kuhns/AJC Archives/GSU Archives)

During the 1920s, the statehouse was surrounded by churches, residences, businesses and rail lines. The area at the top of the photo is where the Downtown Connector would be built in the 1950s. (Provided by the Georgia Building Authority)

Air View of Atlanta, 1941. (Tracy O'Neal Photographic Collection/Georgia State University Library)

This aerial photo from the early 1950s shows the demolition for the Downtown Connector (bottom, center), and for I-20 at the far right. The Georgia State Capitol building is at the upper right. Much of the area in the center of this image became the interstate interchange. (AJC Archives/GSU Archives)

From the early 1950s, another aerial view of downtown, looking northwest at the Capitol Building, Atlanta, Georgia. (AJC Archives/GSU Archives)

A view from the Georgia Capitol dome, Oct. 1950: looking west, with Central Presbyterian Church in the bottom foreground and the Catholic Shrine of the Immaculate Conception behind it. (Tom Aldred/AJC Archives/GSU Archives)

Another view from the Georgia Capitol dome, Oct. 1950: Looking northwest toward downtown. (Tom Aldred/AJC Archives/GSU Archives)

Another view from the Georgia Capitol dome, Oct. 1950: Looking northeast toward the construction of Grady Memorial Hospital. (Tom Aldred, AJC Archives/GSU Archives)

Another view from the Georgia Capitol dome, Oct. 1950: Looking northeast toward Cabbagetown. The area in the center of this photo would soon be demolished for the construction of the Downtown Connector. Note the rail spurs that came right up to the street (now known as MLK Jr. Drive) at the bottom of the photo. Today, that area is part of the Twin Towers plaza, along Jesse Hill Jr. Drive. (Tom Aldred/AJC Archives/GSU Archives)

This 1954 photo of the Capitol shows the statehouse without its now signature gold on the dome. The dome would be painted with gold leaf in 1958, as part of a refurbishment effort by Gov. Marvin Griffin. This photo was taken around the time state officials built the parking deck in the area to the left in the photo, that is being torn down today to make room for the new Liberty Plaza. (Provided by the Georgia Building Authority)

From 1954, showing the construction of the state judicial buildings on Mitchell Street, south of the Georgia State Capitol Building. (Guy Hayes/ AJC Archives/GSU Archives)

From Sept. 27, 1961, this aerial view shows the construction of the Downtown Connector near the Georgia State Capitol building, looking southwest, Atlanta, Georgia. The Capitol building is just out of the frame to the right. (Floyd Edwin Jillson/AJC Archives/GSU Archives)

From the early 1960s, an aerial view of downtown Atlanta, looking north from the intersection of Capitol Avenue and Memorial Drive, and with the completed I75-I85/I-20 interchange at bottom. Also note the expanded complex of judicial buildings to the south of the Capitol. (Floyd Edwin Jillson/AJC Archives/GSU Archives)

From 1967, the southwest side of the Georgia State Capitol, with Grady Memorial Hospital in the background, Atlanta, Georgia. Note that the dome has now been covered with its shiny gold leaf. Also look closely and you'll see the Tom Watson statue in the bottom left. (J.C. Lee/AJC Archive/GSU Archive)

This 1971 photo shows how closely trains ran to the state Capitol during the administration of Gov. Jimmy Carter. (Provided by the Georgia Building Authority)

From 1973, this aerial view of the Georgia Capitol Building looks south, with the state archives building at the top right, and residences at the top left, with I-20 in the far background. (George Clark/AJC Archives/GSU Archives)

From 1977, another aerial view of the Georgia State Capitol, looking north towards downtown. (Bill Mahan/AJC Archives/GSU Archives)

As seen in this Nov. 18, 2014 photo, Liberty Plaza, the new park and protest area across from the State Capitol, still has a ways to go as construction workers race to finish before the the Legislative session kicks off at the beginning of 2015.

The Georgia State Capitol on April 17, 2014.

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Today's Georgia State Capitol was once the site of Atlanta's City Hall. This photo from 1864 during the Civil War shows City Hall surrounded by huts used by occupying Union soldiers from Massachusetts. (George N. Barnard/Library of Congress)

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