The description from the book is as follows:
The STATE CAPITOL (open Mon.-Fri. 8:30-4:30; Sat. 8:30-12 rotunda and halls only), on Goat Hill at the east end of Dexter Ave., was designed by George Nichols, Philadelphia architect; Stephen Button supervised the construction. The building, .constructed of brick covered with stucco and patterned after the National Capitol, ranks among the most beautiful of the Greek Revival capitols built during ante bellum-days. Its 97-foot dome, glistening in the sunlight, is visible from many points in the city. The building was originally square, but it has been extended on three sides to accommodate the expanding executive branch of the government and new departments. The rear, or east, wing, was built in 1885; the south wing was added in 1907 and the north wing in 1912. All these additions are harmonious in proportion and conform to the original design.
The trees arid plants 'of the Capitol grounds bear plates giving their botanical names and historical associations. A garden in the rear of the building has such a variety of roses that there are some in bloom every month of the year, On the north lawn is the Confederate Monument, the cornerstone of which was laid by Jefferson Davis, April 26, 1886. The completed monument, unveiled December 7, 1898, was designed by Gorda C. Doud, a Montgomery artist, and executed by Alexander Doyle. On the south lawn is a bronze statue of Allen Wyeth, noted Confederate surgeon and founder of the New York Polyclinic Medical School, by Gutzon Borglum, and a bronze statue of James Marion Sims, the celebrated Montgomery physician, by Biagio Paul Melorangno, of Boston. The Sims statue was placed there by the Alabama Medical Association in 1939. Nearby is a boulder commemorating the one-hundredth anniversary of General Lafayette's visit to Montgomery in 1825, and a flagpole made from the mast of a Spanish cruiser sunk at Santiago in 1898. The flagpole was presented to the State through the efforts of Rear Admiral Richmond Pearson Hobson, of Greensboro, Alabama, naval hero of the Spanish-American War. On the terrace to the left of the capitol steps is a recent monument of Jefferson Davis, erected by the National U.D.C.
A portico, with six Corinthian columns and entablature adorns the main facade of the Capitol. The large timepiece above the entrance still keeping almost perfect time, was Montgomery's town clock until 1852. Three flights of steps give access to the entrance portal. On the main (west) portico is the brass, six-pointed Davis Star unveiled May 20, 1897, marking the spot where Jefferson Davis stood while Howell Cobb of Georgia administered the Presidential oath.
The Rotunda is the outstanding interior feature. At each side a spiral .cantilever stairway, without visible means of support, winds up two flights. The House and Senate chambers are situated on the second floor. A tablet bears an inscription telling of the origin of the first flag of the Confederacy, known as the Stars and Bars. The upper part of the rotunda is decorated with eight murals by the late Roderick Mackenzie, Mobile artist, depicting outstanding events in Alabama history.
In the first floor lobby is a bronze bust of General William Crawford Gorgas, Alabama physician who won international fame for his fight against yellow fever. Executed by P. Bryant Baker, New York sculptor, the bust was placed in its present position by the State and by the Medical Association of Alabama on April 20, 1937.
The chamber of the House of Representatives is on the second floor on the right of the hall that divides the building, and the Senate Chamber is on the left. Voices of many notables have resounded in these rooms, among them Sam Houston, Robert Toombs, William Lowndes Yancey, and John Tyler Morgan, one of Alabama's most honored sons who served five terms as U, S. Senator from Alabama.
Alabama: A Guide to the Deep South, Montgomery Section, pp. 225-228.
The Capitol Building is a replacement for the original building that burned in 1849. The Capitol was the site of the provisional congress of the Confederate States of America in 1861 and where Jefferson Davis was sworn in as the first President of the CSA on February 18, 1861. The Confederate capital was moved to Richmond, Virginia, in May, 1861, so the buiding returned to its previous use as home to the state legislature and government office. Over the years since then, additions have been made to add east, west, and north wings. The building underwent a significant renovation from 1985 to 1992. While the Governor of Alabama and other state offices moved back into the building, the legislature meets in the nearby State House. The Senate and House chambers were furnished as they appeared in 1861 and are used on occasion. Free self-guided tours are available most days from Monday through Saturday, as are prearranged guided tours.