Inside Dome Front of Capitol with flowers Front of Capitol with statue Ariel view of Capitol Back of Capitol First floor hallway Summer Banner

Michigan Senate

Explore the Capitol

Capitol Building Statistics: In 1992 the National Park Service designated the Capitol a National Historic Landmark, an award reserved for America's most important historic places. To qualify, a site must possess exceptional historical, architectural or artistic significance for the nation as a whole.

Capitol History: The first State Capitol, completed in 1828, was known as the Territorial Courthouse until Michigan became a state in 1837.

Did You Know: The Michigan Senate owns the only known portrait of Elijah E. Myers, architect of the Michigan Capitol. This large portrait hangs in one of the nicest rooms in the Michigan Capitol, the Elijah Myers Room. This room is near the Senate Chamber and is used for Senate Majority Caucuses.

Elijah E. Meyers: The Michigan State Capitol was the first of three designed by architect Elijah E. Myers in the 1870s and 1880s.

Explore the Capitol Building: Step inside to go back in time -- back to the Victorian era of fine craftsmanship, elegance and grand opulence. Magnificent chandeliers softly light halls as they did when the Capitol was lit by gas; walls and ceilings glow with authentically restored painted colors and patterns; furnishings recreate the aura of another age.

Explore the Capitol Flowerbeds: The Capitol's setting was vitally important to its builders. The setting had to be simple but elegant.

Explore the Monuments and Memorials: Capitol Square contains a unique collection of trees, as well as several memorials and monuments. The trees, monuments, memorials, and Capitol have much to tell us about our past and our hopes for the future.

Explore Trees on the Grounds: There are may species of trees on the expansive lawn.

Pediment: If you face the Capitol and look up toward the dome, you will see a sculpture on the triangular area above the Capitol's multi-storied entrance porch.

Rotunda Muses: On the Capitol Rotunda are eight monumental paintings of female figures drawn from Greek and Roman mythology.

Senate Chamber Portraits: There are six large and unique portraits displayed in the Senate Chamber.

An early published tour of the Capitol Building in 1879 states that, "In the Senate, at the right of the President's chair, is a full-length portrait of the immortal Lafayette.