Capitol Building
On August 28, 1883, two tracts of 160 acres were deeded to the Territory of North Dakota from the Northern Pacific Railroad Company for the land on which the ND State Capitol was erected, which includes two parks.
North Dakota has enjoyed two statehouses, the first constructed during the territorial period (1883-4) five years before statehood in 1889. Fire consumed the Capitol on the night of December 28, 1930. They sold 160 acres of the Capitol grounds to help pay for the second building. The second and present Capitol was completed in 1934, in the depths of the Great Depression. Much of the exterior ornament was eliminated from Holabird and Root's design. For instance, a 50-foot statue intended for the entry plaza in front of Memorial Hall was reduced to a simple obelisk and eventually was removed altogether. Also deleted from the design was the decorative etching from the cornice stones of the Legislative wing and from the metal panels between windows of the administrative tower. The abandonment of exterior embellishment does not deny the building's Art Deco roots; rather, that simplification links the building with the International Style, an architectural order which dominated commercial construction after World War II. North Dakota's Capitol was slightly under its $2 million dollar limit, has 80% usable space, it cost merely 46 cents per cubic foot. The Capitol building is 241 feet and 8 inches in height. The WPA workers (Works Progress Administration), made $.30 per hour and went on strike to get $.50. At this point in time the Capitol went under martial Law June 1, 1933. Pictures of old and new Capitol, WPA workers, Capitol under martial law.
At the present time the Capitol complex is made up of 132 acres. In 1949 the area that is known as the Baptist Home was sold. The rest have been easements for water, and streets. The latest easement was in 2002 for the reconstruction of State Street, a section of land 15 feet X 3 feet of land by the State Office Building, to make the street wider.
Building Dimensions: The Legislative wing and Memorial Hall are 294 feet long, east-to-west; the tower has a total of 21 floors and is 241 feet and 8 inches high.
Judicial Wing of the State Capitol
The design began in May 1977, Construction began in April of 1979, agencies started moving in December of 1980, total occupancy began October 1981. The size of the Judicial Wing is 168,400 square feet and the cost of this addition was $10.5 million. The official building dedication was held on November 15, 1981 Governor Allen Olson and former Governor Arthur A. Link were both part of the ceremony.
The design concept: To balance and connect the three branches of state government; executive, legislative, and judicial in the Capitol tower and wings.
Building dimensions: The Judicial Wing is 300 feet long, east-to-west; there is a four-story atrium with skylights at the east side entrance.
State Office Building
The building was built in 1955. After voter approval for an 8-mill tax levy for construction, Bismarck Junior College Building occupied the corner of Highway 83 and Boulevard until 1961. In 1959 the Legislative Assembly purchased the building. During the 1991-93 biennium the building was totally remodeled and re-faced with an exterior that blended with other Capitol Complex Buildings. Many divisions within state agencies occucpied the building over the years. In 2024, after years of water infiltration issues, Capitol Grounds Planning Commission, Emergency Commission and Budget Section all approved demolition of the State Office Building. Demolition was completed in October that year. Prior to demolition, the State Office Building was deemed the smallest facility housing state agencies on the Capitol Grounds as it contained 28,838 square feet. The last agency to occupy the State Office Building was the Department of Water Resources.
Department of Transportation
State Highway Department was located in various buildings, from the original Capitol; the current State Capitol; and the old Bismarck Junior College building; until it moved into its own building in 1968. The highway building houses the various division which make up the Department of Transportation and several additional departments of government. The highway building was constructed with materials which harmonized visually with the pre-existing capitol grounds structures. The Department of Transportation Building contains 125,000 square feet of gross building area.
North Dakota Heritage Center
In 1963 planning for the North Dakota Heritage Center began. In 1981 the State Historical Society moved from the Liberty Memorial Building into its new Heritage Center quarters. This facility contains 130,000 square feet and provides both exhibit areas plus storage; meeting room; and office area for the State Historical Society.
Governor's Residence
Completed in 2018, the Governor's residence provides a home for the state’s First Family. Construction of the current residence commenced in September of 2016, and was completed when the Burgum family occupied the residence in March 2018. The residence contains over 13,000 square feet of living space on two floors.
The total cost of construction for the Governor’s residence was $4.9 million. The 64th Legislative Assembly approved $5 million in spending authority to for construction - $4 million was appropriated from the Capitol Building Fund and $1 million in donations were raised through the Friends of the Residence.
Liberty Memorial Building
In 1919 the Legislative Assembly responding to an increase in the number of governmental agencies and authorized construction of the Liberty Memorial Building. In 1924 the building cost $350,000 and it housed the State Historical Society Museum, the Adjutant General, the Library Commission, and the Supreme Court. Today the Liberty Memorial Building houses the State Library as well as a division of Department of Public Instruction. The building is the oldest facility on the Capitol grounds and was totally renovated in 1982.
State Laboratory
Located northeast of the North Dakota State Capitol, construction of the North Dakota State Laboratory began in the spring of 2024. Benefits of a new State Laboratory:
- The new state-of-the-art laboratory will preserve and advance the state's ability to protect North Dakota's public health and environment for future generations.
- It will be scalable, designed to be flexible to meet immediate demands, adjust for growth opportunities and quickly pivot for public health and environmental emergencies.
- Modern mechanical equipment will ensure superior air quality and quantity, which are critical for a quality testing environment. The facility will also include a training lab for continuous learning and safety training.