We The People: Why did Iowa’s capitol move?

IOWA CITY, Iowa (KCRG) - Before Iowa was recognized as a state, work began on the ‘Old Capitol’ in Iowa City, with plans for the structure to be Iowa’s Capitol. Today, the state capitol building is in Des Moines.

While Iowa was a territory, what is now Iowa City was thought to be the ideal spot for the state’s government.

“They chose a spot that was overlooking a bluff on the Iowa River, and they found it to be perfectly suitable. So they drove a stake and here’s Iowa City,” Liz Crooks, director of Pentacrest Museums, which oversees the Old Capitol today.

Construction went triple the original budget, costing $300,000 across the early 1840s before lawmakers eventually got to work. For more than a decade, the Old Capitol was the only capitol and was home to the first draft of Iowa’s constitution. The building itself was a strong marker as Iowa City began to grow.

“Within three months, they had plotted streets from Brown Street at the north to Burlington Street at the south, starting west of the river and going all the way east to Governor Street. The space we widely think of is downtown today,” Crooks said.

In 1857 lawmakers decided to move the seat of government from Iowa City to Des Moines. That’s because leaders felt the government needed to follow Iowa’s rapid western expansion.

Crooks said vast prairies made for good farm land allowing Iowa’s biggest industry, agriculture, to grow. Cities would then pop up along the railroads and rivers that were used to move crops and livestock across the country.

“There were supporting industries, banking, that sprung up around the mercantiles that came along,” Crooks said.

These elements made Des Moines’ central location the preferred spot for the state’s government and the change was made official in 1857.

Despite the change the Old Capitol in Iowa City hadn’t outlived its usefulness and would serve the University of Iowa for decades. The building became the heart of the University of Iowa as Iowa City itself grew around the building.

Thanks to restoration efforts, the Old Capitol is largely preserved and is currently a museum.