As a condition for entering the Union, Michigan was forced to accept the western three-quarters of the Upper Peninsula in exchange for ceding its claim to the Toledo Strip.

This brick structure was one of Michigan's earliest Greek revival buildings, with a portico of Ionic columns and a central tower of 140 feet (43 m).

Before Stevens was re-interred for the fourth time, his coffin was transported to Lansing to lay in state in the current capitol building.

Proponents of moving the capitol also sought to promote settlement and the economy in the interior, as well as making the government more accessible to the people throughout the state.

[3] After extensive debate, State Senator Joseph H. Kilbourne of Ingham County proposed that the nearly uninhabited Lansing Township be made the seat of government.

The legislature agreed, with the location north of Ann Arbor, west of Detroit, and east of Grand Rapids being deemed a suitable compromise.

It was a simple two-story wood-frame structure, painted white with green wooden shutters and topped by a tin cupola.

[3] The Lansing capitol building inspired a national trend after the American Civil War for fireproof buildings, large enough to house expanding government as well as serving as a durable repository for artifacts of the war,[12] including battle flags that were moved to the Michigan Historical Museum in 1990.

One of the restoration's largest phases entailed removal of "half-floors" that were installed in 1969 to create 50,000 square feet (4,600 m2) of additional office space.

The ground floor corridors led to "store rooms" designed by the architect in the original building plans.

Today, the ground floor is home to several offices, including the Secretary of the Senate, the Clerk of the House, and the Capitol Tours and Information Service.

The exception is the floor of the rotunda which is composed of 976 blocks of translucent glass, supported by iron beams[16] and columns.

[17] The blocks vary in size so that when viewed from the upper floors, they appear to form a bowl which mirrors the dome above.

For more than a century, the muses' artist remained anonymous; it is now known that it was Tommaso Juglaris, who created them in his Boston studio and never came to Michigan.

The court vacated its chambers in 1970 for larger quarters, eventually moving to its current location in the Michigan Hall of Justice.

[20] Although having the same floor plan, the House and Senate chambers are decorated very differently, with the former in terra cotta and teal colors and the latter in blue and gold.

An oval cartouche in the carpet at the entrance to the House chamber features the state flower, the apple blossom.

Presiding over the house is the speaker, whose chair is behind a desk in the center with a plaster and paint version of the state coat of arms.

[4] In summer 2013, the structure underwent additional work to replace carpeting installed in the 1989–1992 renovation that had become worn and frayed in many areas.

[23] The Capitol Pediment, located above the main front entrance to the building, is entitled "The Rise and Progress of Michigan".

She is surrounded by symbols of Michigan's economy, including a plow, cornucopia, and a laurel wreath to represent agriculture.

[4] The cornerstone, located at the northeast corner of the building, bears the dates 1872, the start of construction, and 1878, the year of completion.

The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Tree was planted in memory of the slain leader in 1984 to the north of the Austin Blair Monument.

The American Forestry Association has certified this catalpa is the largest living tree of its kind in the United States.