The Mississippi State Capitol or the “New Capitol,” has been the seat of the state’s government since it succeeded the old statehouse in 1903. Located in Jackson, it was designated as a Mississippi Landmark in 1986, a National Historic Landmark in 2016 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1969. The Capitol History After years of public debate, Governor Andrew Houston Longino, who took office in January 1900, convinced the Legislature it was time to construct a new Capitol and was appointed chairman of the State House Commission in February 1900 by the Legislature. Fourteen architects submitted plans in response to the architectural contest advertised though newspapers in five cities across the country. Bernard Green, the engineer who designed the Library of Congress, was hired by the State House Commission to review the submissions; he chose the plan of Theodore C. Link of St. Louis, Missouri. Erected on the site of the old State Penitentiary, the Capitol was completed within 28 months in 1903 at a cost of $1,093,641. Most fortuitously, rather than issuing bonds as was planned, the cost of the Capitol was paid in full at completion after the State of Mississippi was awarded one million dollars in a lawsuit settlement ordered by the U.S. Supreme Court for back taxes owed by the Illinois Central Railroad. The Capitol originally housed all three branches of government. Currently, the Legislative Branch is the only full-time serving branch remaining. The Supreme Court moved out in 1972 and is across the street in the Carroll Gartin Justice Building. The main office of the Governor currently resides across the street in the Walter Sillers Building. In 1933-34, a major painting program transformed the interior of the Capitol from its original white plaster ceilings to a much more colorful palette. This project, funded by the Civil Works Administration and overseen by Jackson architect A. Hays Town, included artwork in the domes of the Rotunda and the Senate Chamber. From 1979 through 1982, the Capitol underwent its most significant renovation. During the $19 million project the Legislature met in Jackson’s old Central High School. Mezzanines were installed in the second floor offices to increase the staff working area. The major public areas of the building, including the chambers of the House of Representatives, Senate, and old Supreme Court; Governor’s Reception Room; Rotunda; Hall of History; and United Daughters of the Confederacy Reception