Arizona

The Arizona State Capitol was built in 1901, when Arizona was still a territory, and was then known as the Arizona Territorial Capitol. It was designed to show that Arizona was ready for statehood. After statehood in 1912, Arizona continued using it as a capitol building though, over time, government functions migrated elsewhere, leaving the 1901 building to serve as a museum.

The Arizona State Capitol is in downtown Phoenix not far from I-10 and I-17. Though Phoenix is the largest state capital in the nation, I found it surprisingly easy to reach—and parking is free. Learn more about the Arizona Capitol Museum or plan a visit.  

The Arizona Legislature, consisting of the Senate and House of Representatives, moved in 1960 to the office buildings in front. Looking at the front, the Senate is on the left and the House on the right. The Executive Tower in the back was built in 1974 and houses the Arizona Governor’s office. I did not venture past security there.

This is not the most aesthetically pleasing capitol building, and the surrounding buildings are in disrepair. But as a museum, I highly recommend a visit. The highlights are:

• U.S.S. Arizona Exhibit

• Arizona State Flagstate flag in Lego

• Room-size Model Train (now closed)

The U.S.S. Arizona was notably sunk during the attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941, killing 1,177 officers and crew. It remains where it sank, with a memorial built above the site. Learn more about the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, HI.

U.S.S. Arizona: Flagship of the Fleet contains the ship’s silver service and other artifacts. There is also a model of the U.S.S. Arizona.

The Wesley Bolin Memorial Plaza, located in front of the capitol, includes a tribute to those who died along with numerous other memorials and monuments.

Like a moth to a flame, this Lego nerd was naturally drawn to the 7-foot Arizona State Flag built entirely with Legos. It is made with exactly 114,006 Legos to represent the total square miles in Arizona.  

Sadly, the massive model train exhibit by the Arizona Railroad Historical Society has closed at the capitol building. I was fortunate to see this magnificent, room-size model during my June 2023 visit, before the lease expired in 2024.At the time, it was still a work-in-progress, but the portion that was finished was amazing.  

The Society has moved to Tempe, where they are renovating the new venue; hopefully, you can see this model train there. Fortunately, Axios Phoenix provides more model train information from an article written in December 2022. 

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