The original Wyoming Governor's Mansion (now called the Historic Governor's Mansion) was built in 1905 under the direction of the Capitol Building Commission. This building accomodated 22 Wyoming governors and thier families. By 1971, however, the needs of the governor had expanded beyond the mansion's capacity, and a new building was proposed.

In 1971, the State Legislature passed Enrolled Act 114/Chapter 185, creating the Governor's Mansion Commission. The commission was comprised of five members: First Lady Bobby Hathaway, a member of the state house of representatives, a member of the state senate, and two citizens, at-large, appointed by the governor. The law charged the commission to submit a study to the legislature by January 1973.

The commission's report to the legislature resulted in the passage of Chapter 56, Wyoming Session Laws, 1973. The act continnued the life of the Governor's Mansion Commission "for the purpose of obtaining, supervising and directing the construction of a new residence for the governor of the state of Wyoming." The commission was given sole authority to select the site for the new residence and to determine the structural design, style, form, type of construction, landscaping, and furnishings and equipment. The act carried an appropriation of $550,000 for the new residence.

The commission organized a design competition to select the plans for the new governor's residence. The juried competitionan followed American Institute of Architects rules regarding blind submissions and jury selection. The contest was open to licensed, qualified Wyoming-resident architects. 25 architects and firms qualified for submission by the deadline of January 31, 1974, which resulted in 17 submissions received by the March 22, 1974 deadline. After two days of judging, the five member jury announced it had selected Entry No. 1, submitted by the firm Kellogg and Kellogg.

A number of locations in and near the Cheyenne city limits were considered. Eventually, an agreement was reached to exchanged state-owned land for the Legion Park, adjacent to I-25 and Lions Park.

The new governor's residence was completed in 1975, and occupied by Governor Ed and Mrs. Casey Herschler. The original governor's mansion was designated as the Historic Governor's Mansion and transferred from the control of the Capitol Building Commission to the Archives, Museums and Historical Departmet for use as a museum. This structure continues to be operated as a state historic site by the State Parks and Cultural Resources Department.