RALEIGH—To improve public accessibility to the State Capitol and its grounds, restoration will begin in mid-November on Union Square in downtown Raleigh. The project will feature an extensive rehab of the Capitol grounds’ walkways, focusing on repairing uneven sections of concrete and improving accessibility to the square. Existing walks between the northeast corner of Union Square and the south entrance at the end of Fayetteville St. will be improved. The Capitol will maintain normal operating hours during the project, which is expected to take about 90 days. During the rehab visitors will enter on the Capitol’s west side.
The project is funded by the N.C. Department of Transportation through the federal Transportation Enhancement program. Federal funding was matched 80/20 with additional monies from the N.C. Department of Administration’s accessibility remediation fund. The overall project budget is $600,000. Little & Little Landscape Architects of Raleigh designed the enhancement plan and will assist the Office of State Construction.
Union Square dates back to 1792, when it was designated as the site for the statehouse in William Christmas’ plan for the city of Raleigh. The square’s existing layout was designed 80 years ago by Percival Gallagher of the Massachusetts-based Olmsted Brothers landscape architecture firm. This company succeeded the firm founded by famed landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted who designed New York’s Central Park; Riverside, Ill., one of the nation’s first planned communities; and the grounds of the Biltmore Estate in Asheville. A 1928 newspaper article noted that Olmsted Brothers’ new design for Union Square would “place around the building a proper setting, one calculated to delight the eye of the artist and give the layman a pleasing sensation of the fitness of things.” The square remains one of the most intact state capitol landscapes designed by the Olmsted firm.
Mirroring the original Olmsted plan, the Capitol’s new walks will also feature several important improvements. At the south and northeast entry points, sloped sections will give visitors universal access. Existing steps at the square’s northeast corner will be removed while new walks at the south entrance will be built to flank the broad steps currently facing Fayetteville Street. Additionally, all newly installed paving will be reinforced to better withstand the wear and tear of maintenance vehicles. An outdoor exhibit highlighting the square’s history will be displayed during construction.
A National Historic Landmark, the N.C. State Capitol is one of the finest and best-preserved examples of the Greek Revival style of architecture in the U.S. It features a domed rotunda and state senate and house chambers, meticulously restored to their 1840 appearance. Until 1888, its granite walls housed all of state government and the legislature met here until 1961. Today, the governor and his staff still occupy offices in the Capitol.
The State Capitol’s mission is to preserve and interpret the architecture, history, and functions of the 1840 Capitol building and Union Square where it is located. In downtown Raleigh, the State Capitol is bounded by Edenton, Salisbury, Morgan and Wilmington Streets. For more information on the State Capitol call (919) 733-4994 or go to http://www.nchistoricsites.org/capitol/default.htm.
Administered by the Division of State Historic Sites, the State Capitol is part of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources, a state agency dedicated to the promotion and protection of North Carolina’s arts, history and culture. Join the Cultural Resources 2008 theme observance of “Telling Our Stories”. For more information, visit www.ncculture.com.