US Capitol
The United States Capitol is the capitol building that serves as the location for the United States Congress, the legislative branch of the U.S. 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 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.
Prior to the current Capitol building being first occupied in 1800, at least eight other buildings and eight other cities have hosted Congress, going back to the First Continental Congress. Under the present government of the United States, the United States Constitution, Congress has only met in two other buildings. The Senate and House of Representatives each have met in various chambers within the US Capitol building, including during expansions and renovations.
Construction
Construction of the current Capitol building began in 1793. As reported by the Columbian Mirror and Alexandria Gazette on September 23, 1793, George Washington laid the cornerstone on September 18, 1793, in the 13th year of American independence, after a Masonic ceremony; the stone is located near the Old Supreme Court, through a passageway taken by people visiting the United States Senate Gallery. It is not known that this actually is the original cornerstone, but it was engraved with a masonic symbol and commissioned in 1893 (100 years after is placement). The cornerstone has been moved from its original location. 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.” The original plan was to use workers brought in from Europe; however, there was a poor response to recruitment efforts and African Americans–free and slave–composed the majority of the work force.
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, the capitol 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).
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. The Capitol draws heavily from other notable buildings, especially churches and landmarks in Europe, including the dome of St. Peters in the Vatican, and St. Paul's Cathedral in London.
Underground tunnels (and even a private underground railway) 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 – therefore the four D.C. quadrants themselves are not the same shape and size.)
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 most 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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