The People's House
The Capitol is often called the People’s House
because it is where America’s democracy operates of, by and for the people. Consequently, it is an important place for every citizen. This section is intended to provide you with a comprehensive look at the buildings on Capitol Hill. Enjoy the following pages as you explore their art, architecture, and history.
From Arsenal Hill to Capitol Hill
In 1911, the Capitol Commission, created to oversee the building of the State Capitol, focused their efforts on choosing the location of the building.
They contracted one of the most celebrated landscape design firms in the country - the Olmsted Brothers of Brookline, Massachusetts. John C. Olmsted, the son of famed landscape architect Fred Olmsted, visited Salt Lake City. He drew a group of potential plans to transform what was then known as Arsenal Hill (the site of local munitions storage) to the Capitol Hill that we know today. Capitol architect Richard K.A. Kletting drew the final landscape plans and work on the Capitol commenced in 1912. Financial difficulties prevented the realization of Kletting’s original plans for the complex. Yet today some of the central elements of his initial designs are realized through the Capitol Preservation Project.
Why Capitol Hill?
The site of Utah’s Capitol, similarly to the site of our nation's Capitol, is commonly referred to as Capitol Hill. This appellation is derived from the name of one of the Seven Hills of Rome - Capitoline Hill. Capitoline Hill is home to the Temple of Jupiter, the supreme deity of Roman mythology. As the head of the esteemed Capitoline Triad, which includes his sister and wife, the goddess Juno and daughter Minerva, Jupiter was the head of Roman social order and the administrator of Roman laws. Analogously, those that administer our state’s laws are housed on Capitol Hill.
The origin of the name Capitoline is said to have been the result of the discovery of a human skull that had been buried in the hill. This is because the root of Capitoline came from the Latin word for head, which is caput. Capitoline Hill was one of Rome’s main strongholds. Its steep slope and single entrance made it hard for enemies to attack. Our modern Capitol Hill is symbolically similar as it represents the strength of American democracy.