The capitol, a 21-story Art Deco tower, is located in Bismarck at 600 East Boulevard Avenue, and is the tallest habitable building in the state.

The parks, walking trails, and monuments on the grounds provide a great deal of information about the state's history, making it one of the city's tourist attractions.

On the morning of December 28, 1930, smoke was spotted coming from the northeast part of the original building, and despite the fire department being summoned within minutes, it was too late to save the structure.

Upon arrival, he immediately assembled a team of state legislators and officials to discuss plans for coping with the loss of records and work space.

The Legislature met temporarily in Bismarck's War Memorial Building and the City Auditorium, an annex being constructed to link the two.

State offices were spread out across all available space across town, including an entire floor of the Patterson Hotel downtown.

[1] Artist Edgar Miller was brought in to do much of the interior design and decoration as well as the bas-relief sculptures on the facade which depict the human history of North Dakota.

The new 19-story capitol was expected to provide ample space for years to come, however it quickly filled as the state government expanded.

Through the center of the grounds is the Capitol Mall, a large open field of grass with walking paths lined by American Elm trees.

[6] The capitol building is a 241.67-foot (73.7 m) tall, 21-story, Art Deco, high rise designed by North Dakota architects Joseph Bell DeRemer of Grand Forks and William F. Kurke of Fargo in conjunction with the noted Chicago firm of Holabird and Root,[1][7] It is the tallest building in North Dakota and is known as the Skyscraper on the Prairie.

[11] In 1988, U.S. President George H. W. Bush presented and dedicated an American Elm tree near the Capitol steps in commemoration of the state's Centennial of 1989.

Included in the wing is the Capitol lunchroom, which serves food to state employees and even the general public on weekdays.

[14] Prior to the 2017 Legislative Assembly, two new committee rooms were added in the Judicial Wing (in a space vacated by the Information Technology Department).

[citation needed] The Liberty Memorial Building is home to the State Library, as well as offices for the North Dakota Parks & Recreation Department.

[15] The building's construction was authorized by the state's legislature in 1919 in response to an increase of governmental departments and the project was finished by 1924 with a cost of $350,000.

The building also is home to office space for the North Dakota State Historical Society which operates the museum.

The construction cost approximately $50 million and nearly doubled the size of the complex adding three large galleries to the east of the existing structure, as well as a new main entry fronting State Street.

[18] In addition to the new gallery area, the expansion includes a 50-seat digital auditorium, climate-controlled storage areas, a café, a children's gallery, expanded visitors service and store, and the Corridor of History, a 25-foot (7.6 m)-wide walkway spanning the length of the expansion with a glazed southern exposure on one side and digital murals on the other.

After an extensive remodeling effort managed by then-first-lady Nancy Schafer in 2000, the residence had more than 10,000 square feet (1,000 m2) of floor space and eighteen rooms.

The Capitol Park is at the northwest corner of the grounds at the intersection of 4th Street and Divide Avenue and includes a playground with trees and shrubs planted by the Farwest Rotary Club.

In 2006, the trail was expanded to take walkers from the corner of State Street and Divide Avenue south into the main grounds area.

The "French Gratitude Box Car," which transported troops in both world wars is also on the grounds, as well as the bowplate of the USS North Dakota.