Michigan became a state in 1837 with its Capital City in Detroit. At some point in the 1840s, a debate grew over the vulnerability of Detroit which sits right across the lake from Canada and had been occupied in the War of 1812. Many cities vied for the seat of government, and the compromise was to build a new Capital City at a strategic inland crossroads. The area, known as Lansing, was renamed Michigan City, but the original name would be restored the following year. A two story wooden structure with a tin roof was built to house the state legislature and would serve as the State Capitol for for over 20 years. Finally, in the 1870s, construction on the current Capitol was begun. Elijah Meyers was chosen as the architect and he modeled the building after the U.S. Capitol in Washington. Meyers would go on to design the Colorado and Texas Capitols as well. The building opened in 1879. A hundred years later, people were calling to pull down the old building and replace it with a modern structure like they tragically did in Louisiana, Florida and elsewhere. Thankfully, that did not happen and instead a major, top-to-bottom restoration took place. The meticulous restoration even brought in artists to hand-paint all of the walls as had been done in the original design. The result is really quite something. The Michigan State Capitol is beautiful inside and out, and I was very fortunate to get a personal tour with the building’s lead guide. I hope you enjoy this look inside the beautiful Michigan State Capitol in Lansing.