The State Capitol is unique. Not only is it Michigan's most important historic building, but it is a proudly regarded symbol of the state itself. It has received national recognition for its extraordinary architecture and art. However, more than one hundred years of weathering, neglect, hard use and structural and technological alterations diminished architect Elijah E. Myers's once-magnificent design.

In 1987, the Michigan Legislature, recognizing the Capitol's importance, established the Michigan Capitol Committee and charged it with overseeing the building's restoration and maintenance.

It was not the goal of the restoration to create a museum. Right from the first the goal was not only to restore the Capitol but to retain it as the modern working seat of Michigan state government: the place where, for at least the next one hundred years, the Legislature and the Governor can continue to address the issues that confront the citizens of our great state.