lding that consists of two wings that extended north and south of a centural section. A huge cast-iron dome rests on the central section of the building.(World, 196) President Washington was very pleased with Dr. Thorton's plans and he was awarded first prize. Now it was time for Washington to lay the cornerstone on September 18, 1793.(National Park) Construction was a very labor intensive and time-consuming process. The sandstone used for the building had to be ferried on boats from the quarries at Aquia, Virginia. Funding became very scarce so by August 1796, the Commissioners were forced to focus the entire work effort on the building's north wing so that it at least it could be ready for government's occupancy as scheduled. Even so, some third-floor rooms were still unfinished when the Congress, the Supreme Court, the Library of Congress, and the courts of the District of Columbia occupied the Capitol in late 1800. These were the first government sections ready to be occupied of the new capitol. Yet, only the first north wing was completed.(AOC.gov) In 1803, Congress allocated funds to resume construction. To oversee the renewed construction effort, Benjamin Latrobe was appointed architect. Now all of the construction was focused on the South wing. A small new building was erected in 1801 as a meeting place for the House of Representatives. By 1807 construction on the south wing was sufficiently advanced that the House was able to occupy its new legislative chamber. In 1808 Latrobe began rebuilding the north wing, he actually redesigned the wing and added chambers for the Supreme Court. By 1813 , Latrobe had no further work in Washington with the two wings completed and so he departed, leaving the north and south wings of the Capitol connected only by a temporary wooden passageway.(AOC.gov) Funding for the War of 1812 became our countries prime concern, which nearly left our Capi...
