By Jack Bundy

The Capitol Building was made for the Congress to meet and Presidential inaugurations.

Has been ongoing for over 200 years

Pierre Charles L’Enfant

“A pedestal waiting for a monument”

•Designed all of Washington D.C.

•Plans for Capitol were in his head

•Plans were to make very long roads

•Tore down a private home without permission

•Fired

•Refused to take money

•Died in poverty 1825

Contest to find a design for building $500

• Free city lot

•

• Winner

• Dr. William Thornton’s

• simple design

George Washington laid the first stone in 1793

It was very hard labor for workers •The ground was

very muddy and soft

• Sandstone had to be ferried in on boats from Virginia

•Workers had to stay out in the wilderness for months at a time

•Congress moved in long before it was finished

1803 Ben Latrobe first professional architect to work in America

Worked on Capitol until 1827 Finished both wingsand was working on the dome untilthe war started

War 1812

•British set Capitol on fire

•Also burnt the White house down

•Unexpected rainstorm put the flames out

•George Washington portrait survived

•Capitol was damaged

Model 1818

Latrobe continued work on Capitol this time using limestone and marble

•Sandstone was deteriorating

• by 1827 $2.5 million

•Still not finished

•The first dome was finished in 1824

•After 30 years of building nobody liked it

Improvements kept coming

•1832 running water

•1840’s gas lighting

•1860’s steam heat

•1874 first elevator installed

•1880’s electric lighting

First photograph of Capitol

1846

Congress got bigger with the growing number of states

•Another contest

•$500 prize

•5 architects won

• 1851 Expansion begins

•Exterior rebuilt with marble

Larger building means larger dome

•Metal ribs are built around old

dome

•New exterior is built around

the metal

The new dome was built of cast iron

•Taller

•Heavier

•Stronger

•Made of iron

Construction slowed down

during Civil War•Used as hospital

•Gave shelter to 3,000 Union

soldiers

•Money was scarce

Government felt construction should not stop

We needed to send a message to the world that we were still a strong country

1863 Statue of Freedom is put on top of dome and it is finished

• 19 feet 6 inches tall

• Solid bronze• Almost 15,000 lbs.• Left hand holds

wreath and shield with 13 stripes

• Right hand holds a sword

             

•Helmet has stars & stripes and

eagle

•Symbolizes Native American

costumes

•Tip of her crown is made of platinum to

protect her from lightning

•When she was put on top the

nearby forts gave a gun salute

By 1868 The rest of the Capitol was for the most part finished

Maintenance & Upkeep has kept an architect on staff constantly

• 1898 gas explosion

• Had to make it fireproof

• 1950’s air conditioning

• Upgrades on technology & security are ongoing

Last renovation was finished in 1996

Interior today is a meeting place for Congress and an art & history museum

• 540 rooms• President has his

own room• Some of the most

important moments in U.S. history took place here

             

The first floor of the Capitol is the Crypt. It displays sculptures and exhibits

             

Hall of Columns is 100 feet long and holds 28 marble columns

            

 

Minton Tile Floors

             

Old Supreme Court Chamber

National Statuary Hall has statues of important people from all 50

states

            

 

            

 

Brumidi Corridors are some of the most beautifully decorated parts of the capitol. He spent 25 years painting them.

                           

Most impressive part of the Capitol

Brumidi’s The Apotheosis of Washington is painted on the ceiling

Lower walls have paintings that show famous moments in U.S. history

•frieze

•paintings