Public building that has hosted the oldest elected lawmaking legislature active in the western hemisphere today. In terms of architecture, since we are the First American State Capitol to open after the revolutionary war and since we are the first monumental roman temple style public building in the modern era its influence on other State Capitols, county courthouses and public buildings that are very famous in washington, d. C. , cannot be underestimated. I have heard an architectural historian describe the iconic government buildings in washington, d. C. , as the sequel to the virginia State Capitol back here in richmond. Well, we started off with our First Political center at jamestown, which is the oldest English Speaking settlement in north america. And that was used throughout the 1600s. There were multiple buildings, public and private, used for government meetings. When we moved to williamsburg we built a capitol in the english colonial tradition which burned down in the middle