Louisana State Capitol, North Boulevard, Saint Philip, America & Front Streets, Baton Rouge, East Baton Rouge Parish, LA

Significance: The Old Louisiana State Capitol is a sham castle, belonging to the early picturesque, or romantic, phase of the Gothic Revival. It represents the castle type, which rarely occurred in the American Gothic Revival where villa and cottage forms predominated. In addition, the Old Capitol is one of the only two ante-bellum Gothic state capitols in America (the other being in Milledgeville, Georgia), where the Gothic Revival was seldom applied to governmental buildings. The exterior facades of James H. Dakin and the spectacular glass and iron fan-vaulted rotunda of William A. Freret represent the work of two important nineteenth century architects.
Survey number: HABS LA-1132
Building/structure dates: ca. 1849 Initial Construction
Building/structure dates: 1862 Subsequent Work
Building/structure dates: ca. 1882 Subsequent Work
National Register of Historic Places NRIS Number: 73000862