The New Hampshire State House, located in Concord at 107 North Main Street, is the state capitol building of New Hampshire. The capitol houses the New Hampshire General Court, Governor, and Executive Council. The building was constructed on a block framed by Park Street (named in honor of the architect, Stuart James Park) to the north, Main Street to the east, Capitol Street to the south, and North State Street to the west.
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The current statehouse was designed in 1814, and paid for by the city of Concord. In 1816, local Quakers sold the lot where their meetinghouse was to the state of New Hampshire, [1] [2] [3] and the building was built between 1816 and 1819 by architect Stuart Park.
The building was built in the Greek Revival style with smooth granite blocks. The entrance is covered by a small projecting portico supported by Doric columns. The balcony above is lined with a balustrade separated by Corinthian columns supporting a pediment. Another balustrade lines the edge of the flat roof.
The windows on the first floor are rectangular in shape, those on the second floor are arched, and those on the third floor are square panels. An octagonal drum with large arched windows supports a golden dome with bull's-eye windows and supporting a small lantern. A statue of a huge gold-painted wooden war eagle looking to the left was raised in 1818. In 1957, it was replaced with an element-proof peace eagle statue looking to the right, with the original eagle given to the New Hampshire Historical Society.
The capitol grounds occupy 2.6 acres (11,000 m2) and are enclosed by a granite fence. No gate impedes the flow of visitors, as this is "the people's house". The following seven statues or memorials are on the grounds, installed at various times from 1886 to 1998: [4] [5]
| Subject | Designer or artist | Date dedicated | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Secretary of State Daniel Webster | Thomas Ball | June 17, 1886 | [6] |
| General John Stark | Carl Conrads (statue), John A. Fox (pedestal) | October 23, 1890 | [7] |
| Senator John Parker Hale | William E. Chandler (sponsor) | August 3, 1892 | [8] |
| Statue of George H. Perkins | Daniel Chester French (sculptor), Henry Bacon (architect) | April 25, 1902 | [9] |
| Statue of Franklin Pierce | Henry Augustus Lukeman | November 25, 1914 | [10] |
| Liberty Bell replica | n/a | July 5, 1950 | [11] [12] |
| New Hampshire Law Enforcement Officers' Memorial | Emil Birch | September 26, 1998 | [13] |
The main entrance opens into the Hall of Flags. The hall is designed after Charles Bulfinch's design for the Massachusetts State House. The hall features 107 battle flags for New Hampshire representing the Civil War, Spanish–American War, World War I, World War II, and the Vietnam War.
The Senate Chamber is located in the northeast corner of the capitol. It houses the 24-member chamber.
Large arched windows light the chamber. Behind the rostrum are large murals, arched like the windows, depicting events of the state's history. The mural to the left depicts the first commencement at Dartmouth College; the next, Daniel Webster reading the United States Constitution; after that, Abbott Thayer teaching his art class; and the last, John Stark preparing for battle in the Revolution. The murals were painted by Barry Faulkner in 1942.
Large curved tables surround the rostrum and are replicas of originals.
The House Chamber houses the largest state legislative body in the United States, with 400 members. Large arched windows line the walls. On the rostrum hang portraits of John P. Hale, Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, Franklin Pierce, and Daniel Webster.
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The first session of the General Court began in 1819. The State House is the oldest state capitol in which both houses of the legislature meet in their original chambers. (The current chamber of the Massachusetts Senate is older but was originally used by the House of Representatives.)
In 1814, discussion began about building a suitable building for the state capitol. The General Court debated three locations: Concord, Hopkinton, and Salisbury, which offered $7,000 to be the capital. The legislature chose Concord as the location in 1816. Granite used to build the capitol came from the present-day Swenson quarries; the cutting, shaping and facing of the stone was performed by inmates of the state prison. The prison building was also constructed by Stuart Park.
The cost of construction for the capitol was $82,000. The building was designed and built to house the General Court, its committees, the Governor and Council, the Secretary of State, the State Treasurer, and the State Library.
During Meldrim Thomson Jr.'s governorship (1973–1979) the lights that shone on the State House's golden dome at night were turned off to save energy. This caused controversy because the illuminated dome had been an informal symbol of Concord for many years. With the help of several New Hampshire legislators, the lights were activated again in the first days of Hugh Gallen's first term as governor.
In 2016 the gold dome was regilded with 24 karat leafing, a process that has occurred several times over the history of the building. The 2016 project cost $2.8 million. [14]
Concord is the capital city of the U.S. state of New Hampshire and the seat of Merrimack County. As of the 2020 census the population was 43,976, making it the 3rd most populous city in New Hampshire after Manchester and Nashua.
The Wisconsin State Capitol, located in Madison, Wisconsin, houses both chambers of the Wisconsin legislature along with the Wisconsin Supreme Court and the Office of the Governor. Completed in 1917, the building is the fifth to serve as the Wisconsin capitol since the first territorial legislature convened in 1836 and the third building since Wisconsin was granted statehood in 1848. The Wisconsin State Capitol is the tallest building in Madison, a distinction that has been preserved by legislation that prohibits buildings taller than the columns surrounding the dome. The Capitol is located at the southwestern end of the Madison Isthmus. The streets surrounding the building form the Capitol Square, which is home to many restaurants and shops.
The Maryland State House is located in Annapolis, Maryland. It is the oldest U.S. state capitol in continuous legislative use, dating to 1772 and houses the Maryland General Assembly, plus the offices of the Governor and Lieutenant Governor. In 1783 and 1784 it served as the capitol building of the United States Congress of the Confederation, and is where Ratification Day, the formal end of the American Revolutionary War, occurred.
The Massachusetts State House, also known as the Massachusetts Statehouse or the New State House, is the state capitol and seat of government for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, located in the Beacon Hill neighborhood of Boston. The building houses the Massachusetts General Court and the offices of the Governor of Massachusetts. The building, designed by architect Charles Bulfinch, was completed in January 1798 at a cost of $133,333, and has repeatedly been enlarged since. It is one of the oldest state capitols in current use. It is considered a masterpiece of Federal architecture and among Bulfinch's finest works, and was designated a National Historic Landmark for its architectural significance.
The California State Capitol is the seat of the California state government, located in Sacramento, the state capital of California. The building houses the chambers of the California State Legislature, made up of the Assembly and the Senate, along with the office of the governor of California. The Neoclassical structure, designed by Reuben S. Clark, was completed between 1861 and 1874. Located at the west end of Capitol Park and the east end of the Capitol Mall, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. The California State Capitol Museum is housed on the grounds of the capitol.
The U.S. state of New Hampshire has, since 1958, placed historical markers at locations that are deemed significant to New Hampshire history. The New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources (DHR) and the Department of Transportation (DOT) are jointly responsible for the historical marker program. The program is authorized by RSA 227 C:4, X, and RSA 236:40 to 44. As of November 2023, DHR has installed 288 markers, although several have been retired or refurbished.
The Utah State Capitol is the house of government for the U.S. state of Utah. The building houses the chambers and offices of the Utah State Legislature, the offices of the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, the State Auditor and their staffs. The capitol is the main building of the Utah State Capitol Complex, which is located on Capitol Hill, overlooking downtown Salt Lake City.
The New Hampshire Governor's Mansion, known as "Bridges House", is the official residence of the governor of New Hampshire and the governor's family. Bridges House, located at 21 Mountain Road in Concord, the capital of New Hampshire, has served as the governor's official residence since 1969. Built in 1836, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in December 2005, and the New Hampshire State Register of Historic Places in July 2005.
The Concord Civic District consists of a collection of local and state civic buildings centered on the New Hampshire State House in Concord, New Hampshire. In addition to the State House, the district includes the Legislative Office Building, New Hampshire State Library, Concord City Hall, Concord Community Center, New Hampshire Historical Society, State House Annex, and the Concord Public Library. It also includes statuary and memorial objects placed on the grounds of the State House. The buildings, although architecturally different, are predominantly made out of locally quarried granite, and their grounds are landscaped in similar ways. The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.
The New Hampshire State Library is a library in Concord, New Hampshire, and also a state agency, overseen since 2017 by the New Hampshire Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (DNCR). The physical building is located across the street from the New Hampshire State House.
The New England Masonic Charitable Institute is a historic building on Town House Road in Effingham, New Hampshire. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2019, and the New Hampshire State Register of Historic Places in 2002.
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