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Old Capitol has a colorful and varied past. It served as third capitol of the Territory of Iowa, from 1842 until 1846; as first capitol of the State of Iowa, from 1846 to 1857; and as the first permanent home of The University of Iowa, beginning in 1857.
Between 1857 and 1970, Old Capitol served the University in many ways: as the first homes for the Normal Department (now the College of Education), College of Law, and the State Historical Society; as general classroom space; and as home to many administrative offices. In order to serve so many purposes, the interior of Old Capitol was remodeled many times, the space carved up to suit the needs of the ever-expanding University.
By 1970 the University had grown so much that Old Capitol was no longer large enough to accommodate even central administration offices. Once the administrative offices found new and larger quarters, University president, Willard L. (Sandy) Boyd, had a new vision for the venerable old limestone building. "Old Capitol is such an important part of Iowa’s heritage that it should be available to future generations in its original form, or as closely to it as possible," he said in an Iowa City Press-Citizen article.
In July of 1970, Boyd appointed a restoration committee. By November the committee made two important decisions: first, to restore Old Capitol to reflect its total history (territorial capitol, state capitol, and University years), and second, to make it a "living museum," with rooms of historical furnishing and exhibits, but also space for University events.
In keeping with this, two rooms, the former University president's office and the Senate Chamber, have been restored to look as they did after the 1920s rehabilitation, to represent the period during which Old Capitol housed University offices. The remainder of the first and second floors is restored to the 1842-1857 period, the 15 years in which the building served as a capitol. No restoration has been done on the ground floor level.
The restoration began in 1970 under the direction of Professor Margaret N. Keyes. After six painstaking years of research, reconstruction, and acquisition, Old Capitol reopened to the public on July 3, 1976, as a National Historic Landmark.
Today 40,000 people tour Old Capitol every year. In addition, many University functions are held within its limestone walls, and the Senate Chamber is a popular site for doctoral dissertation defenses.
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