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Lost building, Detroit, 1828 to 1893

Michigan State Capitol

Demolished in 1893

FARMER(1884) Detroit, p525 THE COURT HOUSE OR CAPITOL Photo: This file is from the Mechanical Curator collection, a set of over 1 million images scanned from out-of-copyright books and released to Flic, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Opened
1828
Style
Greek Revival
Torn down
1893

Designed by Obed Wait

Michigan State Capitol stood in Detroit from 1828 until 1893. Here is what it was, who made it and where to find the spot today.

On the map

Then and now

What stands there now

Michigan State Capitol, The first Michigan Capitol Building, which was located in Detroit, Michigan, in an 1847 photo
Statue of Stevens T. Mason, Stevens T Mason Monument
1847 Today
Drag the line to see the spot in 1847 and today. 1847 Photo: capitolunionschool.jpg via http://www.senate.michigan.gov/history/capitolhistory.html (was a smaller version from http://www.senate.michigan, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Today Photo: Goldnpuppy, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Statue of Stevens T. Mason

Built 1908, Sculpture

Detroit's Michigan State Capitol, designed by Obed Wait, stood on this spot for 65 years. In 1908, 15 years after it came down, Statue of Stevens T. Mason rose in its place. It has now stood 118 years, longer than the building it replaced.

Stevens T. Mason, also known as the Stevens T. Mason Monument, is a monumental statue in Detroit, Michigan, United States. The monument was designed by sculptor Albert Weinert and architect H. Van Buren Magonigle in honor of Stevens T. Mason, who had served as the first governor of Michigan in the mid-1800s and is notable for being the youngest person to ever serve as the governor of a U.S. state.

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Walk the block on the map
  1. 1828 Opens Michigan State Capitol
  2. 1893 Comes down Michigan State Capitol
  3. 1908 Rises Statue of Stevens T. Mason
  4. 2026 Today Statue of Stevens T. Mason, 118 years on the site
How we know what stands there
  • Wikidata at the same map point (19 m), opened 1908

Checked October 25, 2026. We never guess: a site no source speaks for shows no answer.

More photos of Michigan State Capitol

High School, from Robert N. Dennis collection of stereoscopic views, 1875 Photo: public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
High School, by Jenney, J. A. (James A.), 1875 Photo: Jenney, J. A. (James A.) -- Artist, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
High School, by Jenney, J. A. (James A.), 1875 Photo: Jenney, J. A. (James A.) -- Artist, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

What is there now

Statue of Stevens T. Mason

  • Rose on the site Sculpture Source: Wikidata
  • Michigan State Capitol came down Source: Historic Detroit
See then and now

We checked Wikidata, Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Rebuild Detroit's landmark records and the county parcel records on October 25, 2026.

The story

By Victoria Jackson, Editor in Chief Updated

In 1828, when Detroit was still a river town of timber, brick and church steeples, Michigan State Capitol went up.

Credit the design to Obed Wait, in the Greek Revival style.

It is gone now, demolished in 1893, and the map pin below marks where it stood.

Timeline

  1. 1828 Built Designed by Obed Wait
  2. 1893 Closed
  3. 1893 Demolished
  4. 2026 Today 133 years since it came down

Where it is

Capitol Park

On this map

  1. Michigan State Capitol This place
  2. Capitol Park Historic District 90 ft
  3. Malcomson Building 140 ft
  4. Miles Theatre 160 ft
  5. Capitol Park Building 160 ft
  6. Stevens T. Mason Monument 170 ft
  7. The Albert 170 ft
  8. Farwell Building 200 ft
  9. Brown Brothers Building 220 ft

Street map from OpenStreetMap contributors

Who made it

Architect

Obed Wait

Architect. Designed Michigan State Capitol (1828)

Around the block

Photo credits

Every photo on this page is used under its license, named here with its author and a link to the original.

  1. FARMER(1884) Detroit, p525 THE COURT HOUSE OR CAPITOL Photo: This file is from the Mechanical Curator collection, a set of over 1 million images scanned from out-of-copyright books and released to Flic, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
  2. The first Michigan Capitol Building, which was located in Detroit, Michigan, in an 1847 photo Photo: capitolunionschool.jpg via http://www.senate.michigan.gov/history/capitolhistory.html (was a smaller version from http://www.senate.michigan, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
  3. High School, from Robert N. Dennis collection of stereoscopic views, 1875 Photo: public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
  4. High School, by Jenney, J. A. (James A.), 1875 Photo: Jenney, J. A. (James A.) -- Artist, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
  5. High School, by Jenney, J. A. (James A.), 1875 Photo: Jenney, J. A. (James A.) -- Artist, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
  6. FARMER(1884) Detroit, p802 THE HIGH SCHOOL Photo: This file is from the Mechanical Curator collection, a set of over 1 million images scanned from out-of-copyright books and released to Flic, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Sources

Facts only, gathered from these sources. The story above is written by Rebuild Detroit. Every photo names its author and license where it appears.