Stephen Hills was an architect

Architect

An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...

 notable for designing the original Pennsylvania State Capitol

Pennsylvania State Capitol

The Pennsylvania State Capitol is the seat of government for the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and is in downtown Harrisburg. It was designed in 1902 in a Beaux-Arts style with Renaissance themes throughout...

.

Early life

Hills was born in Ashford, Kent

Ashford, Kent

Ashford is a town in the borough of Ashford in Kent, England. In 2005 it was voted the fourth best place to live in the United Kingdom. It lies on the Great Stour river, the M20 motorway, and the South Eastern Main Line and High Speed 1 railways. Its agricultural market is one of the most...

 in England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 on August 10, 1771. Hills married Margaret Ashby in 1794 and emigrated to the Boston

Boston

Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...

, Massachusetts

Massachusetts

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...

 soon afterwards. In 1801 he moved to Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Lancaster is a city in the south-central part of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is the county seat of Lancaster County and one of the older inland cities in the United States, . With a population of 59,322, it ranks eighth in population among Pennsylvania's cities...

 after receiving to design and build houses there. He was also a Duke player of the year.

Pennsylvania State Capitol

In 1810 he was employed by Bucher, Crouch and Dorsey, to remodel the Dauphin County, Pennsylvania

Dauphin County, Pennsylvania

Dauphin County is a county in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and is one of the three counties comprising the Harrisburg–Carlisle Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2010 census, the population was 268,100. The county includes the city of Harrisburg, which has served as the state capital...

 Court House in preparation for a temporary capitol when the government moved from Lancaster to Harrisburg in 1812.

In March 1816 William Strickland

William Strickland

William Strickland may refer to:* William Strickland , English clergyman* William Strickland , credited with introducing the turkey to England, later a Member of Parliament...

 and James C. Lavelier submitted plans for a new larger capital but the costs at $300,000 were more than the state could afford. In 1819 he submitted the winning proposal for the new capitol which was completed in 1821. It was destroyed in 1897.

Missouri projects

In 1837 he submitted the Pennsylvania capital design for the first Missouri State Capitol

Missouri State Capitol

The Missouri State Capitol is located in the U.S. state of Missouri. Housing the Missouri General Assembly, it is located in the state capital of Jefferson City at 201 West Capitol Avenue. The domed building was designed by the New York architectural firm of Tracy and Swartwout and completed in 1917...

/Missouri Governor's Mansion

Missouri Governor's Mansion

The Missouri Governor's Mansion is a historic U.S. residence in Jefferson City, Missouri. It is located at 100 Madison Street. On May 21, 1969, it was added to the U.S...

 after the government moved to Jefferson City, Missouri

Jefferson City, Missouri

Jefferson City is the capital of the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Cole County. Located in Callaway and Cole counties, it is the principal city of the Jefferson City metropolitan area, which encompasses the entirety of both counties. As of the 2010 census, the population was 43,079...

. That building burned in 1840.

In 1840 he designed Academic Hall

Academic Hall

Academic Hall was the original main building of the University of Missouri. It was dedicated in 1843 and destroyed by fire in 1892. Academic Hall's six Ionic columns stand as the most recognizable symbol of the University of Missouri.- History :...

 at the University of Missouri

University of Missouri

The University of Missouri System is a state university system providing centralized administration for four universities, a health care system, an extension program, five research and technology parks, and a publishing press. More than 64,000 students are currently enrolled at its four campuses...

. The building burned in 1892 but the columns remain on the Francis Quadrangle and are a symbol of the school.

Later life

After finishing the buildings at the University of Missouri, Hills bought a farm, in Columbia

Columbia, Illinois

Columbia is a city in Monroe and St. Clair County in the U.S. state of Illinois, about south of St. Louis, Missouri. The population was 7,922 at the 2000 census.-History:...

, Illinois

Illinois

Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...

, next to his son Thomas' farm. He died on October 17, 1844.