History:

The foundations of the original Capitol were laid in 1701, with Virginia's General Assembly convening here from 1704-1780. The east wing contained the Hall of the House of Burgesses (the lower house of legislature and America's oldest representative assembly) with committee rooms on the second floor. The west wing housed the General Courtroom and Counci Chamber on the second floor. Appropriately linking the two wings, is the Conference Room. It was here where burgesses and councilors met together for morning prayer or held joint conferences to resolve disagreements. The H-shaped plan of the Capitol is an early example of an architectural design successfully devised for a specific purpose. Originally built without chimneys, the use of fire, candles or tobacco was strictly prohibited. A secretary complined that his records were "exposed by the Damps,: thus, two chimneys were added in 1723. Then, on Jan. 30, 1747, the Capitol was gutted by fire. Reconstruction was completed in 1753. Today's Capitol was rebuilt and opened in 1934.