Virginia State Capitol
A state capitol designed by Thomas Jefferson after the Roman temple Maison Carree, housing Houdon's life-size marble statue of Washington. Free guided tours are offered.
Thomas Jefferson designed the State Capitol based on the Maison Carree, a Roman temple in Nimes, France. It opened in 1788, is one of the earliest Neoclassical public buildings in America, and remains home to the oldest continuously operating legislature in the Americas. At the center of the rotunda stands a life-size marble statue of Washington carved by the French sculptor Jean-Antoine Houdon. Free guided tours (about 1 hour) are offered daily, and security screening is required at the entrance. The surrounding Capitol Square green space holds the Governor's Mansion and monuments.
Opening hours
Mon–Sat 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.; Sun 1:00–5:00 p.m.
Nearby sights
- Richmond Canal Walk
- Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site
- The Poe Museum
- Virginia Holocaust Museum
- American Civil War Museum at Historic Tredegar
- St. John's Church
- Libby Hill Park
- Belle Isle & James River Park System