Between 2004 and 2007, the Virginia State Capitol was restored, renovated and expanded. Original exterior brickwork and interior woodwork were preserved. Useable space was increased by over one third in the form of a 27,000-square-foot underground extension beneath the Capitol's South Lawn. The extension contains a gift shop, exhibit space, a café and multipurpose meeting rooms. The centerpiece of that expansion is the Visitor's Center.
Following a security screening, the first statue visitors to the Virginia State Capitol encounter honors Henry Clay.
Henry Clay was born on 12 April 1777 in Hanover County, Virginia. In November 1797, Clay relocated to Lexington, Kentucky and soon established a reputation for his legal skills and courtroom oratory. In 1803, Clay was elected to serve as a representative in the Kentucky General Assembly. In 1806, the Kentucky legislature elected him to the United States Senate. A year later, Clay was elected the Speaker of the Kentucky House of Representatives. In 1810, he returned to the Senate. The next year, Clay was elected to the United States House of Representatives. He was chosen Speaker of the House on the first day of his first session, something never done before or since. in 1830, Clay returned to the Senate for the third time. Between 1825 and 1829, he served as Secretary of State in the John Quincy Adams administration. Clay returned to the Senate for the final time in 1849. Henry Clay is best known as "The Great Compromiser" who brokered the Missouri Compromise and the Compromise of 1850. Henry Clay died on 29 June 1852.
The Henry Clay Statue, sculpted by Joel Tanner Hart, was unveiled on 12 April 1860 and originally stood under an iron gazebo on Capitol Square. In 1930, it was moved to the Old House Chamber. Following the expansion of the State Capitol, its home is in the Extension.
After passing by the Gift Shop and before meeting the tour guide, visitors to the Virginia State Capitol have the opportunity to get a bird's eye view of the twelve acres that make up Capitol Square, in the form of a scale model of the Square and its surroundings. The model is highly detailed; featuring among others models of the statuary on Capitol Square, the Oliver Hill Building, the General Assembly Building, and the Governor's Mansion.
The first few moments of a tour of the Virginia State Capitol are spent admiring a massive Virginia flag. In 1865, Governor William Smith asked the daughters of Colonel George Wythe Munford to make a Virginia flag to fly over the State Capitol. On 3 April 1865, Major Atherton H. Stevens led the 4th Massachusetts Cavalry onto Capitol Square, where the Confederate and Virginia flags were lowered and removed. Souvenir hunters tore the Confederate flag into pieces but Major Stevens took the Virginia flag for himself. Sixty-two years later in 1927, Steven's descendants returned the flag to the Commonwealth.
Following the Munford flag, the tour guide shares a few words about an impressive bronze statue called "Brothers". Sculpted by Gary Casteel in 2010, the statue is "reminiscent of the harsh realities of the American Civil War". The two figures represent "the real possibility of familial recognition by opposing soldiers". The statue conveys both the feeling of grief and hope that the struggle is over and better days are ahead.
The Extension is dominated by the final stop visitors taking a tour of the State Capitol make before entering the building itself, which is a larger than life statue of Thomas Jefferson.
Thomas Jefferson was born in Goochland County, Virginia on 13 April 1743. Following his studies at the College of William And Mary, Jefferson was admitted to the bar in 1767. He was a member of the House of Burgesses between 1769 and 1775. In 1776, Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence. He was also a member of the Continental Congress and minister to France from 1785 to 1789. Jefferson served as Secretary of State during the Washington administration and as Vice President during the John Adams administration. Subsequently, he became the third President of the United States. Jefferson was the founder of the University of Virginia. Thomas Jefferson died on 4 July 1826.
The bronze Thomas Jefferson, Architect of Liberty statue stands eight feet tall and portrays Jefferson at the age of 42, which was when he designed the State Capitol. Featured on the front of the statue's pedestal are Jefferson's signature and the inscription "Architect of Liberty".
The side of the pedestal below Jefferson's left side highlights his public service to the Commonwealth of Virginia and the United States. The inscription reads: "Thomas Jefferson. Public Servant. Member of the House of Delegates. Member of the Continental Congress. Governor of Virginia. Minister to France. Secretary of State. Vice President of the United States. President of the United States."
The side of the pedestal behind Jefferson commemorates the generous benefactors of the statue. The inscription reads: "Thomas Jefferson. April 13, 1743 - July 4, 1826. 'That my country should be served is the first wish of my heart.' Presented to Our Fellow Virginians by The Thomas F. Farrell Family, The William H. Goodwin, Jr. Family, The Brenton S. Halsey Family. May 4, 2012."
The side of the pedestal below Jefferson's right side celebrates what Jefferson himself considered to be his proudest achievements. The inscription reads: "Thomas Jefferson. Architect of Liberty. Author, Declaration of Independence. Author, Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom. Architect, Virginia State Capitol. Architect and Founder, University of Virginia."
Featured in Thomas Jefferson's hands in the statue are architectural plans for the Virginia State Capitol. The State Capitol was designed in 1875 by Jefferson during the time he was serving as the United States Minister to France. Jefferson was assisted by Charles-Louis Clerisseau, who was a respected French architect. The Capitol was modeled after the Maison Carree, which is an ancient Roman temple located in Nimes, France.
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