THE ELLIOT BUILDING AND CAPITOL CENTER HISTORIC DISTRICT

In 1946, the State Improvement Commission hired landscape architect A.D. Taylor (1883-1951) to develop a plan for the Capitol Center in Tallahassee. As state government and the city expanded after World War II, Taylor’s plan continued to guide the development of downtown Tallahassee for the next 50 years. In 1961, a two-story Neoclassical Revival style building designed by Tallahassee architect Forrest R. Coxen (1925-2020) was built here to house staff of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund, the government entity that acquires and administers state lands. The building was named after Fred C. Elliot (1878-1963), a Tallahassee native whose 46-year career included serving as the chief Everglades drainage engineer, secretary of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund, and secretary of the State Budget Commission. Later, the Elliot Building housed many agencies including the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. As part of the Capitol Center Historic District, the Elliot Building was considered an important resource for the National Register of Historic Places. Although the Elliot Building was demolished in 2024, this space remains part of a long-term reimagining of the Capitol Center.