In 1872, architect Elijah E. Myers of Springfield, Illinois, was commissioned to design the new capitol building and the design committee selected his design named "Tuebor", which means "I will defend". Myers used the central dome and wing design found in the United States Capitol in his design and subsequently went on to design two other state capitol buildings, the statehouses of Colorado and Texas, as well as the former territorial capitol building of Idaho, the most by any architect. The cornerstone was laid on October 2, 1873, with about 7,000 Lansing residents and some 30,000 to 50,000 visitors attending. Construction and finishing work were completed by late 1878. The new capitol, with 139 rooms, was dedicated at the same time as the inauguration of Governor Charles Croswell January 1, 1879.