Located on more than 100 acres in NE Oklahoma City, the Oklahoma State Capitol is the only capitol in the world surrounded by working oil wells. One is even named Petunia #1, because it was drilled in the middle of a flower bed. The architecture is Greco-Roman and the structure comprises 650 rooms and 11 acres of floor space with murals, restored stained glass, tribal flag plaza and changing art exhibits. The current site was chosen in 1915 and construction was completed in 1917. Construction of a dome was completed in 2002, a feature that was included with the original design plans of the building but never completed. A complete multi-year restoration of the historic Capitol concluded in 2022. Following the restoration, the Oklahoma Arts Council reinstalled hundreds of artworks and installed 21 newly commissioned artworks throughout the building to create a new visitor experience.
Southeast of the Capitol, the Oklahoma Veterans Memorial is outside the Oklahoma Judicial Center. Four walls depicting the scenes of WWI, WWII, Korea and Vietnam wars are featured, along with a bronze sculpture standing eight-and-a-half-feet tall on a three-and-a-half-foot pedestal.
Guided tours of the Oklahoma State Capitol are available at no cost weekdays from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Tours are provided by volunteer docents trained by the Oklahoma Arts Council. For more information, visitarts.ok.gov/tours or email tours@arts.ok.gov.