<P> The State Capitol is largely surrounded by state government buildings . The parks, walking trails, and monuments on the grounds give visitors information about the state's history, making it one of the city's tourist attractions . Six buildings exist on the grounds; all built during various time periods as the government grew . Not all state agencies are housed on the grounds, however: a large number are spread throughout the city in various facilities . Plans for a massive expansion and improvement of the grounds were developed in 2000, but very little of the plan has been implemented as of 2012 . </P> <P> The original North Dakota State Capitol building, built between 1883 and 1884, and expanded in 1894 (Senate wing) and 1903 (House wing), burned to the ground the morning of December 28, 1930 . The fire was said to have been started by oily rags in a janitor's closet on the top floor of the main part of the building . The rags had been used to clean and varnish the legislators' desks in preparation for the upcoming legislative session . North Dakota Secretary of State Robert Byrne saved the original copy of the state's constitution, but he suffered cuts and burns on his hands while breaking a window to reach the document . Another state employee, Jennie Ulsrud, burned her hands when she attempted to save records in the North Dakota State Treasurer's office . Governor George F. Shafer came back from his visit to St. Paul, Minnesota while the fire was still burning . Upon arrival, he immediately assembled a team of state legislators and officials to discuss plans for coping with the loss of records and work space . The day after the fire, to save as many records as possible, 40 state prison inmates went to work trying to salvage materials from the ruins . The Legislature met temporarily in Bismarck's War Memorial Building and the City Auditorium . </P> <P> The disaster required the construction of a new building during the Great Depression . The tower and wing were built between 1931 and 1934, at a cost of $2 million . Ground was broken for the building by Governor George F. Shafer on August 13, 1932 . Workers on the building were paid only 30 cents an hour and, after multiple worker strikes, the capitol grounds were administered by martial law in June 1933 . The state sold half of the original capitol campus to defray the cost of construction. Artist Edgar Miller was brought in to do much of the interior design and decoration as well as the bas - relief sculptures on the facade which depict the rich human history of North Dakota . </P> <P> While the new 19 - story Capitol building was expected to have plenty of space for years to come, it quickly filled as the Government of the state expanded . The Liberty Memorial Building, which was completed in 1924, was able to contain some of the additional workers, but more space was needed by 1955 when construction was begun for the State Office Building . The building originally housed the Bismarck Junior College, but the Legislature purchased it in 1959 . The 1960s was a period of rapid development of the grounds . In 1960, the new North Dakota Governor's Residence was built on the grounds to replace the old residence which was beginning to deteriorate . In 1980, the North Dakota Heritage Center was built to accommodate the expanding State Historical Society of North Dakota, and in 1968, the North Dakota Department of Transportation building was built to provide more office space for that agency . It is the last new building built as of 2007, although a Judicial Wing was added onto the base of the Capitol tower in 1977 (completed in 1981). While the space needed by state government has increased since the original construction of the Capitol in the 1930s, the state's population has decreased since that time . </P>

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