New York architects Trowbridge & Livingston conceived the current structure's Art Deco stripped classical design in association with Francis Keally.

[1][2] The federal government's Public Works Administration partially financed construction which was completed during the Great Depression in 1938.

However, Governor John P. Gaines refused to relocate, on the basis that the same act located the university in Corvallis and the penitentiary in Portland; he declared the act unconstitutional, on the grounds that the authority to locate those institutions was his, and the Territorial Supreme Court concurred; the governor and most of the Supreme Court remained in Oregon City.

[6][7] On January 13, 1855, the Oregon Territorial Legislature passed a bill moving the seat of government from Salem to Corvallis.

[6] On December 3, 1855, the legislature convened in Corvallis and quickly introduced legislation to move the capital back to Salem.

Built of native ashlar blocks, the exterior walls, two stories high, ranged in color from a deep sky blue to white.

The building housed a variety of rooms, including a federal courthouse with a chamber measuring 20 by 27 feet (6 by 8 m) and an executive office of 18 by 20 ft (5.5 by 6 m) on the first floor.

[9] The capitol was designed by Captain Charles Bennet, who participated in the discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill in 1848, and construction supervised by William H. Richter at a total cost of $25,000.

The cornerstone for the building was laid on October 5, 1873, during a ceremony that included a speech by Governor Stephen F. Chadwick and the music of several bands.

Citizens helped to remove items from the smoky building, but when firefighters arrived, they ordered everyone to leave the structure, which was soon engulfed in flame.

A strong updraft in the hollow columns enclosing the dome's eight supporting steel lattice girders rapidly pulled the flames through the rotunda to the upper stories.

The capitol was dedicated on October 1, 1938, with speeches from President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Leslie M. Scott, Robert W. Sawyer, and Oregon Governor Charles Henry Martin.

[23] Controversy occurred before construction began when Governor Martin suggested the new building be sited on a hill south of downtown (Candalaria Heights) and away from the busy center of town.

[32] On August 30, 2008, the building caught fire around 12:30 in the morning and was quickly extinguished with damage to the Governor's offices on the second floor on the south side.

[34] During a special session in December 2020, armed protesters demonstrated at the capitol against health restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic in Oregon.

[35][36] In January 2021, a security video was released showing Representative Mike Nearman allowing protesters to enter the Capitol Building.

[37] As a result of his action, Nearman pleaded guilty to one count of official misconduct in the first degree[38] and the Oregon House of Representatives voted 59–1 to expel him on the grounds of "disorderly behavior.

In its center, the floor of the prominent rotunda features an embedded Oregon State Seal sculpted in bronze by Ulric Ellerhusen.

The interior of the dome was painted by Frank H. Schwarz and features 33 stars, symbolizing Oregon's place as the 33rd state to join the Union.

[19] An inscription on the rotunda south wall, facing the entrance from the north, reads:In the souls of its citizens will be found the likeness of the state which if they be unjust and tyrannical then will it reflect their vices, but if they be lovers of righteousness confident in their liberties so will it be clean in justice bold in freedom.Also encircling the interior of the rotunda are four murals depicting moments from Oregon history.

[20] One mural depicts Captain Robert Gray's exploration of the Columbia River in 1792, another shows the Lewis and Clark Expedition, and two others portray covered wagons from pioneer times.

A large mural painted by Faulkner, depicting the 1843 Champoeg Meetings at which the provisional government was formed, is behind the desk of the Speaker of the House.

The Senate's large mural was painted by Schwarz and depicts a street scene showing news of statehood reaching Salem.

Sculptor Leo Friedlander used Vermont marble for the large relief sculptures on both sides of the main entrance.

[41] In 2007, the capitol wings closed for a restoration project to upgrade items such as furniture, plumbing, and electrical systems.

One Douglas-fir tree was grown using a seed that rode aboard Apollo 14 to the Moon in 1971 and was transplanted to the capitol in 1976 from Oregon State University.

[46] On the east side of the building is Capitol Park, which includes a bronze equestrian statue by A. Phimister Proctor called The Circuit Rider, statues of Jason Lee (Jason Lee) and John McLoughlin (John McLoughlin) by Gifford Proctor, and portions of the Corinthian columns of the second capitol building.

[11] Willson Park features the Oregon World War II Memorial, the Waite Fountain, a gazebo built in 1982, and Peter Helzer's sculpture, A Parade of Animals (1991),[19] which was designed as a play structure.

It was added in 1990 and has 22 nozzles shooting water 12 feet (3.7 m) into the air in a plaza that also has slabs of stone with information about Oregon's history.

Additional features of the grounds include a peace pole donated by the Society of Prayer for World Peace, a large boulder that once lay along the Oregon Trail, a planter that spells out "Oregon" using shrubs, and a rose garden maintained by the Salem Rose Society.