The State Capitol of Oklahoma is unique. It is the only Capitol in the world surrounded by working oil wells. The site was selected in 1913 and the building completed four years later. It was dedicated June 30, 1917.  Although originally designed with a dome, that part was postponed indefinitely because of steel shortages during World War I and was not to see completion until Nov. 16, 2002 when the Capitol finally was completed as English architects Wemyss Smith and Solomon A. Layton designed it. A statue entitled “The Guardian,” created by Native American artist Enoch Kelly Haney now stands guard atop the dome.

An oil well directly south of the Capitol was drilled in 1941 and named “Petunia #1” because drilling was done in the middle of a flower bed. It produced up to 600 barrels of oil per day before running dry in 1986. It is one of the several oil wells surrounding the capitol.

The Capitol, of classic Greco-Roman architecture, has 650 rooms and 11 acres of floor space. It is built of Indiana Limestone with a base of Oklahoma pink and black granite. The flooring is of Alabama marble and the stairs and wall bases are of Vermont marble. All ceilings throughout the Capitol display hand painted and hand carved detail.

Murals, paintings and portraits of famous Oklahomans adorn the walls throughout the Capitol building. A major work of art on the north wall of the fifth floor is “Flight of Spirit”, a mural by Chickasaw Indian Artist Mike Larsen commemorating the five world famous Oklahoma Indian Ballerinas: Yvonne Chouteau, Rosella Hightower, Moscelyne Larkin and Maria and Marjorie Tallchief.

The State Capitol is toured by thousands annually and is open every day except Christmas. Guided tours are available Monday through Friday on the hour from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Source: www.oklahomadome.com and www.shopoklahoma.com/statecap.htm