Nevada State Capitol: then and now

1875 vs 2025 · Carson City, NV

NowThen

Then, 1875A few years after it opened, the Capitol stood in an open plaza behind a fence, with young trees just planted. The date is the one listed on Wikimedia Commons.Photo: Unknown author · Public domain · Source · resized

Today, 2025A recent view from above. You can see the two wings and the annex added in the early 1900s, so it is a different angle from the 1875 photo.Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC0 · Source · resized

The story

Carson City was named the capital when Nevada became a state in 1864. The Capitol was built between 1869 and 1871, with the cornerstone laid on June 9, 1870.

To save money the builders used sandstone from the Nevada State Prison quarry, hauled in by prison labor. It still cost far more than the $100,000 the Legislature first allowed.

The first lawmakers met in the unfinished building in early 1871. A State Library annex was added in 1906, and two legislative wings joined in time for the 1915 session.

Did you know? The Capitol sits on a plaza that town founder Abraham Curry set aside in the middle of Carson City years before the building existed.

Historians argue about this. The date on the "Then" photo (1875) comes from its Wikimedia Commons listing, and its photographer is unknown. Treat the year as approximate.

Fact or tall tale?

SolidThe Capitol’s sandstone came from the Nevada State Prison quarry.
The state’s Public Works history and Wikipedia agree the stone came from the prison quarry near town.
Not trueThe Capitol was finished under its $100,000 budget.
The 1869 law set aside $100,000, but the state ended up paying over $160,000.

Sources

More: Look for historic photos at the Library of Congress

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More in Carson City

Next: The Old Mint. Written from the cited sources, not yet walked on site unless noted.