Old State Capitol

The Old State Capitol is a white Gothic castle on a bluff above the Mississippi, and it was built that way on purpose. New Orleans architect James H. Dakin called his design Castellated Gothic, and it is one of only two state capitols in the style, the other being Georgia's, finished in 1841. The state approved his plans in 1847, the building opened on January 28, 1850, and interior work ran until 1852. Mark Twain later called it a little sham castle and blamed Louisianans for reading too much Sir Walter Scott.

The war nearly ended it. Union troops occupied the building on December 28, 1862, and a cooking fire during the occupation destroyed the interior, leaving only the exterior walls. The legislature moved to the new tower capitol in 1932, and the castle became office space and then fell into disrepair. In 1991 it was threatened with demolition. The legislature had placed it under the secretary of state in 1990 and funded a restoration, finished in 1994, which won an AIA Honor Award in 1998.

Today it houses the Museum of Political History, at 100 North Boulevard. Admission is free. The museum lists Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., with the building closed Sunday, Monday and Wednesday. Inside are a cast-iron spiral staircase and a stained glass dome, exhibits on Louisiana politics, and a presentation called The Ghost of the Castle. The Old Governor's Mansion is a short walk away.