In 1911the United States Congress authorized funds to construct a capitol building for what was then the Alaska Territory. Construction was delayed by World War I and the funds appropriated by Congress were insufficient and only paid for half of the block on which the building is located. The citizens of Juneau raised the additional money needed to buy the remainder of the site and presented the property to the government. Construction began on September 18, 1929. The future capitol building was completed on February 2, 1931, and formally dedicated on February 14, 1931.

The building was designed by Treasury Department architects under Acting Supervising Architect James A. Wetmore in the Art Deco architectural style. It was used initially by the federal government and housed a federal courthouse and a post office. Since Alaska gained statehood in 1959 with the Alaska Statehood Act the building has been used by the state government.