After years of public debate, the 35th Governor of Mississippi Andrew Houston Longino (1854-1942, served 1900-1904), who took office in January 1900, soon convinced the members of both chambers of the Mississippi Legislature, that it was finally time to construct a new Capitol in Jackson, and he was appointed chairman of the State House Commission in the following month of February 1900 by the State Legislature.

Fourteen architects submitted plans in response to the architectural contest advertised though newspapers in five large prominent cities across the country seeking submissions of bids and proposal drawings.

[4]  Bernard R. Green, the architect / engineer who designed the massive huge monumental Library of Congress (oldest Thomas Jefferson Building of 1890-1897, east of the United States Capitol on Capitol Hill) in the federal national capital city of Washington, D.C., was hired as a consultant by the State House Commission of Mississippi to review the submissions; he chose the plans prepared by architect Theodore C. Link (1850-1923), of St. Louis, Missouri.

Most fortuitously, rather than issuing bonds as was planned, the cost of the Capitol was paid in full at its 1903 completion after the State of Mississippi was awarded a substantial windfall of one million dollars in a legal lawsuit settlement ordered by the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington for back taxes owed by the Illinois Central Railroad of Chicago.

In 1933-1934, a major repainting program transformed the interior of the Capitol from its original plain white plaster ceilings to a much more colorful and decorative palette.

and overseen by Jackson architect A. Hays Town, included artwork in the domes of the central Rotunda and that of the Senate Chamber.

The major public areas of the building, including the chambers of the House of Representatives, Senate and old Mississippi Supreme Court chambers; and the Governor’s Reception Room; Rotunda; Hall of History and its historical exhibits; and the elaborate decorated United Daughters of the Confederacy Reception Room were also restored.

Windows of stained and leaded glass, crafted by Louis Millet of Chicago, Illinois, are original and adorn the grand staircase, domes and walls of the chambers of the Senate and House of Representatives, Governor’s Office, and other spaces within the building.

The main Rotunda is located on the second floor with walls of Italian white marble trimmed with Belgian black marble, cast iron balustrades with architectural motifs encircling the space, and the central dome rising above allowing in natural light to mix with the original electric light fixtures.

The District is under the management of the state Department of Finance & Administration which develops a comprehensive master plan in consultation with the CCID Project Advisory Committee.