| Old State Capitol Baton Rouge, LA |
| This photograph above of the Old State Capitol in Baton Rouge was taken in 1862, after the interior was destroyed by fire. The fire was started accidentally while the building was being used as a prison and garrison by Union troops. The capitol was designed by James Dakin and construction had been completed in 1852. After the fire, the building stood empty until 1882, when the interior was completely reconstructed by architect and engineer William Freret. The legislature continued to use the building until 1932, when a new capitol was constructed. In 1936, the Works Progress Administration moved into the building and occupied it until the early 1940's. The Old State Capitol stood empty and neglected for decades. But, in 1991, a group of citizens and politicians saved the building from demolition and the overwhelming task of restoring the building started. In 1994, Phase I, the restoration of the interior, was completed; in 2006, Phase II, restoration of the exterior was finished. Phase III, completed in 2008, involved the restoration of the fence which surrounds the 5 acre tract of land on which the old capitol was built. The cast-iron fence was cast and erected in 1855 by the John Hill Foundry. The design is unique, in that the fence is constructed by interlocking parts, the only bolts that are used secure the posts to the base plates. The project required that each section of the fence be sent to an ironworks in Alexander City, Alabama for restoration. |
| The Old State Capitol today. |
| Above, the rotunda; above, right, the house chamber during restoration; right, portion of the fence before restoration. |