page_title: Iowa Old Capitol Building
section_title: Campus landmark and 1970s restoration
hierarchical_section_title: Iowa Old Capitol Building / Campus landmark and 1970s restoration
caption_attribution_description: English: Courtesy Matthew Charles yohe. The following information is from University of Iowa: The Old Capitol is located on the University of Iowa campus. It was once the primary government building for the state of Iowa, but it is now a museum of Iowa history. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
context_page_description: The Iowa Old Capitol Building is located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It was once the main government building for the state of Iowa, and it now stands as the most prominent landmark at the center of the University of Iowa's campus. The building was depicted on the 1946 Iowa Centennial commemorative half dollar. It was individually listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1972, and it was named a U.S. National Historic Landmark in 1976. In 1978 it was included as a contributing property in the Pentacrest, a historic district listed on the NRHP.
context_section_description: The Old Capitol Building housed almost the entire university from 1857 to 1863. As the school grew, the Old Capitol remained the focal point of the university, serving as a library, chapel, and armory, and providing space for classrooms and offices. 
  The Old Capitol sits in the middle of the Pentacrest, five buildings in an X pattern at the center of the University of Iowa's campus. The four other buildings are Jessup Hall directly northwest of the Capitol, MacBride Hall to the northeast, MacLean Hall to the southwest, and Schaeffer Hall to the southeast.
  The state of Iowa authorized a major renovation of the building in the 1920s, and it continued to function as a classroom and office building until the 1970s. University presidents had their offices there until the 1970s.
  In 1970, the building needed another renovation. However, the university decided against converting the building into a modern office building. Instead, the offices were moved out, and with the leadership of educator and conservationist Margaret Keyes the university undertook a six-year interior renovation of the building, restoring most of it back to its original condition as a government building in the 1850s, and for use as a state historical museum. It was declared a National Historic Landmark on January 7, 1976. The Old Capitol Building reopened to the public on the nation's bicentennial, July 4, 1976.
caption: Old Capitol
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