Arizona Capitol Museum
Arizona is a great state, the city of phoenix holds one of its most prized historical and tourist centers; the Arizona Capitol Museum. The building is listed on the national register of historic places, the museum “uses a balance of technology, hands-on activities, historical artifacts and public programs to help visitors learn about cultural, political and social history”.
About the Arizona State Capitol Museum
The Arizona Capitol Museum is located at 1700 Washington St Phoenix AZ 85007.
The Arizona State Capitol museum celebrates and heritage through history. Housed in the former Capitol building which is now restored and renovated, the museum presents exhibits, artifacts, and programs pertaining to the government of the Arizona territory and the early days of the state. The Arizona State Capitol Museum has free admission and opens Mondays to Fridays from 9 AM to 4 PM.
The Arizona State Capitol Museum covers 2 acres and was built in a classical revival
architectural style by James Riely Gordon (an architect). The Museum has in its collection, over 20 exhibits that feature contemporary historical and artifacts from the Arizona state-owned collection. Some of the permanent exhibits and artifacts at the museum include the sinking; of the USS Arizona, a formal silver service from the USS Arizona constitution which spans over 100 years of exhibits. A collection of the gifts that were received by Arizona as part of the “ Merci Train” sent by France to the USA after world war II can be found at the Museum. The Arizona State Capitol has on display the works of Lon Mergargee, a renowned artist in Arizona.
History of the Arizona State Capitol Museum
At the inception, a design contest for the state Capitol building was held, the competition was won by James Riely Gordon who was then awarded the contract. In 1974 the state conceived the idea of turning the capitol building to a museum dedicated to Arizona’s history. In 1978 the Arizona State Capitol museum was opened by Governor Bruce Babbitt, the building the year 1979 alone hosted over 400,000 school children. The building closed down for restoration and
reopened as a museum in 1981.
On the 14 th of January 2014 the Arizona State Department of Administration announced that it had sold the surrounding state buildings to private investors, this includes the tower, the legislative building at the flanks, and other state structures. The old capitol was part of the buildings sold.