RALEIGH – On Feb. 6, 1963, the General Assembly met in the Legislative Building on Jones Street for the first time. The General Assembly had previously met in the State Capitol — now a state historic site —o n Union Square since 1840.
As space became increasingly crowded in the State Capitol, a commission was formed in 1957 to acquire land, create plans and expend funds for the construction of a new building for North Carolina’s legislative branch. Architects Edward D. Stone, John Holloway and Ralph Reeves drew up plans for the building, and bids were received by the end of 1960.
Construction began in early 1961 and was finished by early 1963. The building required more than 10,000 cubic yards of concrete and nearly 150,000 masonry blocks to complete. The 206,000-square-foot building also has nearly two miles of water piping and more than 51 miles of electrical wire. The building cost about $5.5 million to construct, which translates to about $1.24 for each citizen of North Carolina at the time.
