{"nrhp_refnum":"66000331","name":"Old State Capitol","other_names":["Sangamon County Courthouse"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Bounded by 5th, 6th, Adams, and Washington Sts.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Springfield","county":"Sangamon County","state":"IL","lat":39.80109523800007,"lon":-89.64856666599997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1966-10-15","is_nhl":true,"nhl_designated_date":"1961-07-04","areas_of_significance":["Politics/Government"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A Greek Revival government building on Springfield Square in Springfield, Sangamon County, Illinois, designed in 1837 by John F. Rague and completed in 1853. It served as Illinois' fifth state capitol and later as the county courthouse.","why_significant":"It was Illinois' capitol from 1839 to 1876 and is closely tied to Abraham Lincoln, who served in the legislature here, argued cases in its Supreme Court room, and delivered the 'House Divided' speech in 1858. It is also associated with Stephen A. Douglas and Ulysses S. Grant, and Lincoln lay in state here in 1865.","narrative":"Standing on Springfield Square, this Greek Revival building was designed in 1837 by John Rague of New York and finished in 1853. It has a dolomite limestone base, brick upper floors and a slender lantern dome. The Illinois legislature met here as the state's fifth capitol from 1839 to 1876. Abraham Lincoln served in the legislature in the building, pleaded more than 200 cases in its Supreme Court room, and gave his 'House Divided' speech in the Hall of Representatives on June 16, 1858. Stephen A. Douglas sat as a justice here and was elected to the U.S. Senate by legislators meeting in the building. Lincoln lay in state here in 1865. Sangamon County bought the building in 1869 for use as a courthouse and altered it heavily, including raising it to insert a new first floor. The State of Illinois repurchased it in 1962 and reconstructed the original design, and it opened as a museum and Lincoln memorial.","period_of_significance":"1839-1865","architect_builder":"John F. Rague","architectural_style":"Greek Revival","criteria":[],"status_note":"Reconstructed by the State of Illinois after 1962 and opened to the public as a museum and memorial to Lincoln; listed in excellent condition and occupied.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:35.803649-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/42/8916/28891642/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/66000331_NHL.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/66000331/0c463e7254-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/66000331/0c463e7254-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Shadow2700 at en.wikipedia","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Etc_450.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Shadow2700 at en.wikipedia</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Etc_450.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"78001187","name":"Central Springfield Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/illinois/central-springfield-historic-district-78001187/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28891642","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_State_Capitol_State_Historic_Site","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q998003"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/sangamon-county/old-state-capitol-66000331/"}