The domed building on the bluff is Missouri's third capitol in Jefferson City. Both of the earlier ones were destroyed by fire, and the second fire, in 1911, shaped the building that visitors see today.
1837: the first capitol
The first capitol in Jefferson City was a modest two-story brick building that also served as the governor's residence. It burned down in 1837, and with it went many of the state's early records. The legislature was already planning something larger, and a new capitol went up on the bluff, completed in 1840. It would serve the state for seventy years.
1911: lightning on the dome
On the evening of 5 February 1911, a lightning strike set the dome of the second capitol on fire. The town had little equipment that could reach so high, and the fire spread through the building through the night. People rushed in to carry out records, furniture and paintings, and much of the state's paperwork was saved. The building itself was a ruin by morning.
Paying for a new one
The fire forced a decision the state had put off for years. In August 1911 Missouri voters approved a $3.5 million bond to build a new capitol. Moving the capital out of Jefferson City was argued over once again, and once again the bluff kept it. A national design competition followed, won by the New York firm Tracy and Swartwout.
1917: the Capitol that stands today
Construction took several years. The new building was finished in 1917 and formally dedicated in 1924. It was built to last, in stone and steel, with a dome that can be seen from far along the river. The bond money stretched further than expected, and part of the surplus paid for the art inside, which is why the building is so richly decorated: paintings, sculpture and, later, the Benton mural of 1936.
Seeing the story today
Nothing remains of the earlier capitols on the site, but their story is told in the Missouri State Museum on the ground floor of the present Capitol. Ask on the guided tour about the fire of 1911: the guides have photographs of the ruins, and the contrast with the building around you is striking. For the earlier story of why the capital is here at all, read How Jefferson City became the capital.