Location Window Rock, Arizona NRHP Reference # 04001155 Opened 1935 Added to NRHP 18 August 2004 | Built 1935 Designated NHL August 18, 2004 Area 6,500 m² | |
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Architectural style Pueblo Revival architecture Similar Navajo Nation Zoologica, Navajo Nation Museum, Black Mesa, Hubbell Trading Post Nati, Kinishba Ruins | ||
Navajo Nation Council Chambers (Navajo: Béésh bąąh dah siʼání) is the center of government for the Navajo Nation. The landmark building, in Window Rock, Arizona, is significant for its association with the 1930s New Deal, and its change in Federal policy for relations with Native Americans, as established in the Indian Reorganization Act. With its red sandstone façade and overall rustic architectural style, the chamber was designed to harmonize with its spectacular natural surroundings.
Built from 1934 to 1935, the chamber’s octagon shape and structural framework are meant to evoke a monumental hogan, the traditional building form of the Navajo people. Additionally, the building incorporates the Navajo ceremonial features of an east-facing main entrance and a windowless north wall. The Navajo artist Gerald Nailor, Sr. was commissioned in 1942 for a mural cycle depicting The History and Progress of the Navajo Nation, which is installed in the interior.
The building was declared a National Historic Landmark in 2004. It is "the only legislative headquarters in the United States owned by an American Indian tribe which has been continuously in use by that tribe and whose design incorporates indigenous materials and architectural traditions tied to the Navajo heritage."