United States 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 was originally designed by William Thornton. This plan was subsequently modified by Benjamin Latrobe and then Charles Bulfinch. The current dome and the House and Senate wings were done by Thomas U. Walter and were completed under the supervision of Edward Clark.^[1]

The building 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.

History

Previous capitols

Prior to 1800, at a least eight other buildings and eight other cities have hosted Congress, going back to the First Continental Congress. Since the ratification of 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 U.S. Capitol building, including during expansions and renovations. The capital was first located in New York.

First Continental Congress

• 1774: Carpenters' Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Second Continental Congress

• 1775-1776: Pennsylvania State House (Independence Hall), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• 1776-1777: Henry Fite House, Baltimore, Maryland
• 1777: Pennsylvania State House (Independence Hall), Philadelphia
• 1777: Court House, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
• 1777: Court House, York, Pennsylvania
• 1779-1781: Pennsylvania State House (Independence Hall), Philadelphia

Articles of Confederation

• 1781-1783: Pennsylvania State House (Independence Hall), Philadelphia
• 1783: Nassau Hall, Princeton, New Jersey
• 1783–1784: Maryland State House, Annapolis, Maryland
• 1784: French Arms Tavern, Trenton, New Jersey
• 1785-1789: City Hall (Federal Hall), New York, New York

United States Constitution (effected March 4, 1789):

• 1789–1790: Federal Hall, New York, NY
• 1790–1800: Philadelphia County Building–Congress Hall, Philadelphia

Present Capitol

The United States Capitol

The site for the United States Capitol chosen by Pierre Charles L'Enfant was Jenkins Hill, which rose 88 feet above the Potomac River.^[2] The site is one mile from the White House. In 1792, a contest was announced by Commissioners of the Federal City seeking designs for both the Congress House and the President's House.^[2] A late submission by amateur architect, William Thornton, was selected by President George Washington.

Adorned in masonic attire, George Washington laid the cornerstone on September 18, 1793 during a groundbreaking ceremony for construction of the Capitol.^[3] 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 its 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."^[4] 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.^[5]

The Senate wing was completed in 1800, while the House wing was completed in 1811. Though the building was incomplete, The Capitol held its first session of United States Congress on November 17, 1800. The legislature was moved to Washington prematurely, at the urging of President John Adams in hopes of securing enough Southern votes to be re-elected for a second term as president.^[6]

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. Architect Benjamin Latrobe is principally connected with the original construction and many innovative interior features; his successor, 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 feet (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 is seen 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 pounds (4,041,100 kg).

When the dome of the Capitol was finally completed, it was significantly larger than the original plan, and 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, the Corinthian columns were removed, and 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 of Persepolis. The Capitol draws heavily from other notable buildings, especially churches and landmarks in Europe, including the dome of St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican, and St. Paul's Cathedral in London. On the roofs of the Senate and House Chambers are flagpoles that fly the U.S. flag when either is in session.

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. (Since the Capitol Rotunda is not located in the center of the District — it is slightly farther east — the four D.C. quadrants 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 Summer 2008. Since 2001, the East Front of the Capitol (site of most Presidential Inaugurations until Ronald Reagan broke 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 service tunnel.

Exterior

Grounds

The Capitol Grounds cover approximately 274 acres (111 ha), with the grounds proper consisting mostly of lawns, walkways, streets, drives, and planting areas. The current 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 exist today.

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 and no place to water their horses and themselves. Modern drinking fountains have since replaced Olmsted's fountain for the latter purpose. 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.

Flags

Up to four U.S. 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. Constituents of Members of Congress pay to have a U.S. flag flown over the Capitol for a short time to commemorate a variety of events (death of a veteran family member, birthdays, etc.).

Interior

Art

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 of the Senate side of the Capitol. The murals, known as the Brumidi Corridors,^[7] reflect great moments and people in American history. Among the original works are Benjamin Franklin, John Fitch, Robert Fulton, and events such as the Cession of Louisiana. Also decorating the walls are animals, insects and natural flora indigenous to the United States. Brumidi's design 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^[8]. The Apotheosis of George Washington was completed in 11 months and painted by Brumidi while suspended nearly 180 feet (55 m) in the air. It is said the be the first attempt by America to deify a founding father. Washington is depicted surrounded by 13 maidens in an inner ring with many Greek and Roman gods and goddesses below him in a second ring. The frieze is located around the inside of the base of the dome and is a chronological, pictorial 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 1953. The frieze was therefore painted by four different artists: Brumidi, Filippo Castoggini, Charles Ayer Whipple, and Allyn Cox. 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 eight paintings of the development of America as a nation. On the east side are four 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.

The Capitol also houses the National Statuary Hall Collection comprising statues donated by the fifty states to honor persons notable in their histories.

Features

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. Eleven other presidents have lain in state in the Rotunda for public viewing, most recently Gerald Ford. The tomb meant for Washington now stores the catafalque which is used to support caskets lying 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.

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 buildings in the city had modern plumbing. The facilities included several bathtubs, a barbershop, and a massage parlor.

House Chamber

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
• Suleiman the Magnificent
• Pope Innocent III
• Simon de Montfort
• Hugo Grotius
• Sir William Blackstone
• Napoleon I
• Thomas Jefferson

Senate Chamber

This section is a stub. You can help by expanding it.

Security

In 1954, Puerto Rican nationalists opened fire on members of Congress from the visitors gallery. In 1971, a bomb exploded on the ground floor, placed by a new left group called the Weather Underground or Weatherman. They placed the bomb as a demonstration against U.S. involvement in Laos. On November 7, 1983, the John Brown Anti-Klan Committee claimed responsibility for a bomb that detonated in the lobby outside the office of Senate Minority Leader Robert Byrd.^[9][10] On July 24, 1998, Russell Eugene Weston Jr. burst into the Capitol and opened fire, killing two United States Capitol Police officers.

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.^[11] Since the September 11, 2001 attacks, the roads and grounds around the U.S. Capitol Building have undergone dramatic changes. Most notably, construction is well underway on an underground, 3-level, 580,000 square foot United States Capitol Visitor Center by the east face of the Capitol. The estimated final cost as of March 2007 is about $600 million.

The project had long been in the planning stages, but the attacks provided the impetus to start work. Construction began in the fall of 2001. Security is expected to be enhanced by directing all public 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. Citizens Against Government Waste have called it a Monument to Waste. However many, including those who work in the Capitol, consider it a necessary and appropriate historical project. It will be mainly underground, though skylights will provide views of the Capitol dome.

The United States Capitol Police have also installed checkpoints to inspect vehicles at specific locations around Capitol Hill,^[12][13] and have closed a section of one street indefinitely.^[13] 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 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.

Major events

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:
  • Senator Henry Clay (1852), the first person to lie in state at the Capitol.
  • President Abraham Lincoln (1865)
  • Representative Thaddeus Stevens (1868)
  • President James Garfield (1881)
  • President William McKinley (1901)
  • President Warren Harding (1923)
  • President and Chief Justice William Howard 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)
  • President Gerald Ford (2006-07)
• Americans lying in honor:
  • Officers Jacob Chestnut and 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).

See also

• Architect of the Capitol
• Congressional Subway
• U.S. Capitol shooting incident (1954)
• U.S. Capitol shooting incident (1998)

References

Other references

• Associated Press (2005). Capitol slave labor studied. Washington Times. Retrieved on February 18, 2006.
• White House Historical Association (Date unknown). 1790s—African Americans. Timelines. Retrieved on February 18, 2006.
• Armed Resistance Unit Bombs US Capitol, Death To The Klan (Winter, 1984, No.3).
• F.B.I. Chief Says Capitol Bombing Resembles Other Blasts, Leslie Maitland Werner, The New York Times, November 11, 1983, Sec A; Page 24.

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