For several years, the capital of West Virginia shifted back and forth between Wheeling and Charleston.

[2] The state's citizens voted on the final location of their capital, Charleston,[2] on August 7, 1877.

From the state's official inception in 1863 (i.e., the date of its admission to the Union), the legislature met in the building of the Linsly Military Institute, on Eoff Street in Wheeling.

[6] The new building was architecturally eclectic, combining elements of the French Baroque[7][circular reference], Second Empire, and High Victorian Gothic styles.

Charleston was selected, and in the fall of 1877, Governor Jacob issued a proclamation that after 1885, that city would be the permanent state capital.

Architect Cass Gilbert designed the buff limestone structure that was to have a final cost of just under $10 million.

The U.S. Supreme Court chamber is a larger version of the one found in the West Virginia Capitol's East Wing.

Beside the main capitol, there are two wings which lie perpendicular to the east and west ends of the building, forming an open-ended quadrangle centered on a fountain, one of three in the plaza.

The Lincoln statue, known as Abraham Lincoln Walks at Midnight by Fred Torrey,[12] depicts the President, who was in office at the time of the state's incorporation, walking at midnight, head bowed, wearing a robe over his clothes, and is located in front of the main entrance of the building, facing the river.

There are also two large fountains on the grounds, in the quadrangle just behind the rear entrance of the main building and one to the northwest, between the cultural center and the Division of Motor Vehicles building, just east of the Washington Street entrance to the plaza.

At a height of 292 feet (89 m), the State Capitol is the tallest building in West Virginia.