The cornerstone was laid on August 18, 1785, with Governor Patrick Henry in attendance, prior to the completion of its design. The building also served as the Capitol of the Confederacy during the American Civil War.

The design was modeled after the Maison Carrée at Nîmes in southern France, an ancient Roman temple. The only other state to accurately copy an ancient model is the Vermont State House, which based its portico on the Temple of Theseus in Athens. Jefferson had Clérisseau substitute the Ionic order over the more ornate Corinthian column designs of the prototype in France.