ALBANY — Free tours of both the State Education Building and the Capitol will be given on the second Saturday of each month, starting Aug. 12.

Tours of the Education Building will be offered at 12:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m., and tours of the Capitol will be given at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Each of the tours can accommodate 25 people and reservations are required. Reservations may be made at: www.empirestateplaza.org. Visitors may choose to register for both or either the State Education Building tour or the New York State Capitol tour.

New York State Museum staff will lead the 45-minute Education Building tour, and visitors will have the opportunity to explore the historic Chancellors Hall, Regents Room, and the Rotunda, which have murals by Albany native Will H. Low. The State Education Building is located at 89 Washington Avenue, Albany.

This is the first time the building has been made available for regular public tours since the State Museum and Library were moved from the Education Building to the Cultural Education Center in the 1970s.

State Capitol tours conducted by the State Office of General Services begin at the Empire State Plaza Visitors Center, located on the concourse level of the plaza. Highlights of the tour can include the legislative chambers, Hall of Governors, Governor’s Reception Room, Hall of New York, historic staircases, and carvings.

The New York State Education Building was designed by New York City architect Henry Hornbostel, one of 63 architects to submit plans, and was constructed by the Rochester firm R. T. Ford and Company. Construction began in 1908 and the building was dedicated in 1912.

At the time, the cost to construct the building amounted to approximately $4 million and covered everything from the purchase of the land to building construction.

The Education Building was the first major building constructed in the United States solely as a headquarters for the administration of education. In addition to State Education Department staff, the Education Building originally housed the State Library and State Museum — now currently in the Cultural Education Center.

Sitting atop Albany’s State Street hill, the New York State Capitol has served as the seat of government for New York since the 1880s, built over a period of 32 years.