The Old State House is the oldest standing state capitol building west of the Mississippi River. Shryock chose the Greek Revival style for Arkansas's new capitol.Much material for the Old State House was obtained locally, including bricks made on-site with slave labor. After Little Rock fell to Union forces on September 10, 1863, General Frederick Steele quartered part of his army there. Early in 1864, Steele ordered repairs to the State House, though they were cut short by his march to Camden in the spring.The State House served as the state capitol until 1911, when construction was completed on a new building. The building also served as a meeting place for statewide patriotic organizations.In 1947, the Old State House became a museum by acts of the Arkansas legislature, and the Arkansas Commemorative Commission was established to oversee operations.William Jefferson Clinton has stated that, to him, the Old State House embodies both a reverence for the past and a hope for the future. But the people of Arkansas chose to erect a grand edifice reflecting the glory and democracy of ancient Greece to house their new government—a legacy of hope built in the wilderness and a fitting start for those first steps across the bridge into a new millennium.Problems have plagued the Old State House since it was built. So in 1996, the Old State House Museum closed to undergo the most extensive restoration in its history.