United States Capitol
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The United States Capitol |
The
United States Capitol is the US
capitol building, that serves as home for
Congress, the
legislative branch of the
United States federal government. It is located in
Washington, D.C., on top of
Capitol Hill at the east end of the
National Mall. Although not in the geographic center of the
District of Columbia, the Capitol is the
focus by which the quadrants of the district are divided.
The building, designed by
Dr. William Thornton, is marked by its central
dome above a
rotunda and two wings, one for each chamber of Congress: the north wing is the
Senate chamber and the south wing is the
House of Representatives chamber. Above these chambers are galleries where people can watch the Senate and House of Representatives. It is an exemplar of the
Neoclassical architecture style.
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The Capitol when first occupied by Congress, 1800 |
The current building is the fourth to serve as the U.S. capitol, after the
Maryland State House in
Annapolis, Maryland (1783–1784),
Federal Hall in
New York (1789–1790) and
Congress Hall in
Philadelphia (1790–1800).
Construction of the current Capitol building began in 1793. It is known that
George Washington laid the cornerstone, but the exact whereabouts of that stone are now unknown. The Capitol was built and later expanded in the 1850s using the labor of
slaves "who cut the logs, laid the stones and baked the bricks."[
1] The original plan was to use workers brought in from Europe; however, there was a poor response to recruitment efforts and
African Americansâ€"free and slaveâ€"comprised the majority of the work force.[
2]
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The U.S. Capitol as it appeared in 1856, before reconstruction |
The Senate wing was completed in 1800, while the House wing was completed in 1811. The Capitol held its first session of
U.S. Congress on
November 17,
1800. The
Supreme Court also met in the Capitol until its own building (behind the East Front) was completed in 1935. Shortly after completion, it was partially burned by the British during the
War of 1812. Reconstruction began in 1815, and was completed by 1830. The architect
Benjamin Latrobe is principally connected with the original construction and many innovative interior features; his successor, noted architect
Charles Bulfinch, also played a major role.
The building was expanded dramatically in the 1850s. The original timber-framed dome of 1818 would no longer be appropriately scaled.
Thomas U. Walter was responsible for the wing extensions and the "wedding cake" cast-iron dome, three times the height of the original dome and 100 ft (30 m) in diameter, which had to be supported on the existing masonry piers. Like
Mansart's dome at
Les Invalides (which he had visited in 1838), Walter's dome is double, with a large
oculus in the inner dome, through which one views
The Apotheosis of Washington painted on a shell suspended from the supporting ribs, which also support the visible exterior structure and the
tholos that supports the
Freedom, a colossal statue that was added to the top of the dome in 1863. The weight of the cast-iron for the dome has been published as 8,909,200 lb of iron (4,041,100 kg). For construction details, see links.
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The U.S. Capitol under construction, 1860 |
When the dome of the Capitol was finally completed, but to a significantly enlarged design than had initially been planned, its massive visual weight overpowered the proportions of the columns of the East
Portico, built in 1828. The East Front of the Capitol building was rebuilt in 1904, following a design of the architects
Carrère and Hastings, who also designed the Senate and House Office Buildings. A marble duplicate of the sandstone East Front was built 33.5 feet (10.2 m) from the old Front during 1958-1962, and a connecting extension incorporated what formerly was an outside wall as an inside wall. In the process, removal of the old entrance rendered homeless the historic
Corinthian columns, until landscape designer
Russell Page created a suitable setting for them in a large meadow at the
National Arboretum, where they are combined with a reflecting pool in an ensemble that reminds some visitors disconcertingly of
Persepolis.
Underground tunnels (and even a private
subway) connect the main Capitol building with each of the
Congressional Office Buildings in the surrounding complex. All rooms in the Capitol are designated as either S (for Senate) or H (for House), depending on whether they are north (Senate) or south (House) of the Rotunda. Similarly, rooms in the Congressional office buildings are designated as HOB (for House Office Building, which are all south of the Capitol) or SOB (for Senate Office Building, which are all north of the Capitol). Additionally, all addresses in Washington, D. C. are designated NE, NW, SE, or SW, in relationship to the Rotunda. (Because the Capitol Rotunda is not located in the center of the District - but is rather slightly farther east — this means that the four D.C. quadrants themselves are not the same shape and size.)
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Construction of the Capitol Visitor's Center. |
On
June 20,
2000, ground was broken for the
Capitol Visitor Center, which is due to open in Spring 2007. Since 2001, the East Front of the Capitol (site of all Presidential Inaugurations until Ronald Reagan broke with tradition in 1981) has been the site of construction for this massive underground complex, designed to facilitate a more orderly entrance for visitors to the Capitol. (When construction is complete, the East Front will be restored to its earlier, pre-pavement appearance.) Prior to the center being built, visitors to the Capitol had to queue on the parking lot and ascend the stairs, whereupon entry was made through the massive sculpted Columbus Doors, through a small narthex (with cramped security) and thence directly into the Rotunda. The new underground facility will provide a grand entrance hall, a visitors theater, room for exhibits, and dining and restroom facilities, in addition to space for building necessities such as an underground tunnel for the removal of trash.
The Capitol building is believed to have been the intended target of the hijacked
United Airlines Flight 93 on
September 11,
2001 before it crashed in
Somerset County, Pennsylvania after passengers tried to take over control of the plane from hijackers.
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The United States Capitol at night |
The Capitol Grounds cover approximately 274 acres (111 ha), with grounds proper consisting mostly of lawns, walkways, streets, drives, and planting areas. Today's grounds were designed by noted American landscape architect
Frederick Law Olmsted, who planned the expansion and landscaping performed from 1874 to 1892. In 1875, as one of his first recommendations, Olmsted proposed the construction of the marble terraces on the north, west, and south sides of the building that we see today.
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The US Capitol Building dome ceiling |
Olmstead also designed the Summer House, the open-air brick building that sits just north of the Capitol. Three arches open into the hexagonal structure, which encloses a fountain and twenty-two brick chairs. A fourth wall holds a small window that looks onto an artificial grotto. Built between 1879 and 1881, the Summer House was intended to answer complaints that visitors to the Capitol had no place to sit or water their horses and themselves. Modern drinking fountains have since replaced Olmsted's fountain for the latter purpose, but the horses ridden by the Capitol's mounted police unit can still occasionally be seen dipping into the original stone basin. Olmsted intended to build a second, matching Summer House on the southern side of the Capitol, but Congressional objections led to the project's cancellation.
The Capitol has a long history in American art. Beginning in 1856 with Italian-American artist
Constantino Brumidi and his murals in the hallways of the first floor, Senate side of the Capitol. The murals, known as the Brumidi Corridors, reflect great moments and people in American History. Among the original works are included
Benjamin Franklin,
John Fitch,
Robert Fulton, and events such as the Cession of Luisiana. Also decorating the walls animals, insects and natural flaura indigenous to the United States. Brumidi's design also left many spaces open so that future events in American History could be added. Among those added are the
Spirit of St. Louis, The Moon Landing, and the
Challenger Shuttle crew.
Brumidi also worked within the Capitol Rotunda. He is responsible for the painting of the
Apotheosis of Washington beneath the top of the dome, and also the famous Frieze of American History. The Frieze is located around the inside of the base of the dome and is a chronological, pictoral history of America from the landing of
Christopher Columbus to the
Wright Brothers's flight in
Kitty Hawk. The Frieze was started in 1878 and was not completed until 1987. The Frieze was therefore painted by 4 different artists: Brumidi,
Filippo Castoggini,
Charles Ayer Whipple, and
Allyn Cox. It is interesting to note that the final scenes depicted in the fresco had not yet occurred when Brumidi began his Frieze of American History.
Within the Rotunda is also located 8 paintings of the development of America as a nation. On the east side are 4 paintings depicting major events in the discovery of America. On the west are four paintings depicting the founding of the American Nation. The east side paintings include The Baptism of
Pocahontas(by
John Gadsby Chapman), The Embarkation of the Pilgrims (by
Robert W. Weir), The Discovery of the Mississippi (by
William H. Powell), and The Landing of Columbus (by (
John Vanderlyn). On the west side is
The Declaration of Independence, The Surrender of
General Burgoyne, The Surrender of
Lord Cornwallis, and
General George Washington Resigning His Commission, all painted by
John Trumbull, a contemporary of America's
founding fathers and a participant in the
American Revolutionary War. In fact, Trumbull painted himself into The Surrender of Lord Cornwallis.
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Rows of iron poles, or bollards, line the U.S. Capitol grounds for security. |
Since the
events of September 11, 2001, the roads and grounds around the U.S. Capitol Building have undergone a number of dramatic changes. Most notably, construction is well underway on the previously-mentioned underground, 3-level, 580,000 square foot
United States Capitol Visitor Center by the east face of the Capitol. The overall project budget is $517 million.
The project had long been in the planning stages, but 9-11 provided the impetus to start work. Construction was begun in the fall of 2001. Security is expected to be enhanced by directing all visitors through the center.
Critics charge that security improvements have been the least of the project's expense; and, indeed, construction delays and added features by Congress continue to add to the cost. As of January of 2005, the General Accountability Office estimated the completed cost at $559 million. The target date for opening to the public of December 2005 has come and gone, and the end of construction is hardly within sight. Citizens Against Government Waste have called it a
Monument to Waste.
The
Capitol Police have also installed numerous "vehicle screening checkpoints" around Capitol Hill, and have closed a section of one street entirely [
3]. The level of screening employed varies. On the main east-west thoroughfares of Constitution and Independence Avenues, barricades are implanted in the roads that can be raised in the event of an emergency. Trucks larger than pickups are interdicted by the
United States Capitol Police and are instructed to use other routes. On the checkpoints at the shorter cross streets the barriers are typically kept in a permanent "emergency" position, and only vehicles with special permits are allowed to pass.
Finally, structures ranging from scores of
Jersey barriers to hundreds of ornamental
bollards have been erected to obstruct the path of any vehicles that might stray from the designated roadways. Each of the poles is
reported to cost $7,500.
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The Capitol dome close up |
The House of Representatives Chamber is adorned with relief portraits of famous lawmakers and lawgivers throughout history.
In order clockwise around the chamber:
*
George Mason*
Robert Joseph Pothier*
Jean Baptiste Colbert*
Edward I*
Alfonso X*
Pope Gregory IX*
Saint Louis*
Justinian I*
Tribonian*
Lycurgus*
Hammurabi*
Moses*
Solon*
Papinian*
Gaius*
Maimonides*
Solomon *
Innocent III*
Simon de Montfort*
Hugo Grotius*
Sir William Blackstone*
Napoleon I*
Thomas Jefferson |
United States Capitol at sunset |
*The Capitol houses a variety of works of art, including the
National Statuary Hall Collection comprising statues donated by the fifty states to honor persons notable in their histories.
*On
July 24,
1998,
Russell Eugene Weston Jr. burst into the Capitol and opened fire, killing two
United States Capitol Police officers. He was later ruled to be incompetent to stand trial. In 1975, a bomb detonated in the lobby outside the Senate chamber. In 1954, Puerto Rican nationalists opened fire on members of Congress from the visitors gallery (see
U.S. Capitol shooting incident (1954)).
*The Capitol is depicted on the reverse of the U.S.
$50 bill.
*Under the Rotunda there is an area known as the Crypt. It was designed to look down on the final resting place of
George Washington in the
tomb below. At the request of his wife, Martha, however, Washington was buried at
Mount Vernon, and as such the area remains open to visitors. The Crypt now houses exhibits on the history of the Capitol. A star inlaid in the floor marks the exact center of Washington D.C.'s four
quadrants. Eight other presidents have
lain in state in the Rotunda for public viewing, most recently
Ronald Reagan. The tomb meant for Washington now stores the
catafalque which is used to support caskets laying in state or honor in the Capitol. After the
Capitol Visitors Center is completed, the catafalque will be on display for the general public to see when not in use.
*Up to four
US flags can be seen flying over the Capitol. Two flagpoles are at the base of the dome on the East and West front. These flagpoles have flown the flag day and night since
World War I. The other two flagpoles are above the North and South wings of the building and fly only when the chamber below is in session. Several auxiliary flagpoles, to the west of the dome and invisible from the ground, are used to meet
Members' requests for flags flown over the Capitol.
*In the basement of the Capitol building in a utility room are two marble bathtubs, which are all that remain of the once elaborate Senate baths. These baths were a spa-like facility designed for members of Congress and their guests before many buidlings in the city had modern plumbing. The facilities included several bathtubs, a barbershop, and a massage parlor.
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Ronald Reagan lying in state in the Capitol Building rotunda. |
The United States Capitol, as well as the grounds of Capitol Hill, have played host to major events. Every year since 1990, people gather on the west lawn on the Sunday before
Memorial Day for the National Memorial Day Concert, broadcast on
PBS.
Every July 4, people gather on Capitol Hill to celebrate
Independence Day.
Among the major events the United States Capitol has hosted:
*
Presidential inaugurations
*Americans
lying in state. Among them:
** President
Abraham Lincoln (1865)
** President
James Garfield (1881)
** President
Warren Harding (1923)
** President
William Taft (1930)
** President
John F. Kennedy (1963)
** General
Douglas MacArthur (1964)
** President
Herbert Hoover (1964)
** President
Dwight Eisenhower (1969)
** Senator
Everett Dirksen (1969)
** Director of the FBI
J. Edgar Hoover (1972)
** President
Lyndon Johnson (1973)
** Vice-President
Hubert Humphrey (1978)
** President
Ronald Reagan (2004)
* Americans
lying in honor:
** Officers
Jacob Chestnut and Detective
John Gibson (1998), the two officers killed in the 1998 shooting incident (Chestnut was the first African American ever to lie in honor in the Capitol)
** Civil rights icon
Rosa Parks: the first woman and second African American to lie in honor in the Capitol (2005).
*
*
Architect of the Capitol*
Congressional Subway*
U.S. Capitol shooting incident (1954)*
U.S. Capitol shooting incident (1998)*
United States Capitol Historical Society*
Architect of the Capitol Website*
National Capitol Columns*
Capitol Visitors Center*
WashingtonPost.com: Protection vs. 'the People's House'*
Cupolas of Capitalism Gallery - United States Capitol (1 of 8)*
U.S. Senate: Visitors Center Home*
Temple of Liberty: Building the Capitol for a New Nation*
"Examining the Capitol dome," in
Civil Engineering Magazine, October 2000
*
Arbor Friends, Spring 1999: Take the Tram Tour for a Taste of the Arboretum's Pleasures* Balloon View in 1861 of
Washington D.C. showing Construction of Capitol during the beginning of the
American Civil War.
*
Photo collections of US Capitol Building
