Data Bases • Custom Term Papers • Free Term Papers • Free Research Papers • Free Essays • Free Book Reports • Plagiarism? Links • Top 100 Term Paper Sites • Top 25 Essay Sites • Top 50 Essay Sites • Search 97,000 Papers @ DirectEssays.com • Search 101,000 Papers @ ExampleEssays.com • Search 90,000 Papers @ MegaEssays.com Free Essays • Term Paper Sites • Chuck III's Free Essays • Free College Essays • TermPaperSites.com • My Term Papers • Get Free Essays • Essay World • Planet Papers	Search Lots of Essays Back to Subjects - Architecture The US Capitol building The US Capitol building Our nation's revolutions was a great achievement in U.S History. With the dawn of a new nation, there would have to be a central location to make the new decisions of our country. Our capitol has stood as the heart of our country since the late 1700s. The United States capitol is among the most architecturally impressive and symbolically important buildings in the world. For almost two centuries it has housed the meeting chambers of the senate and the House of Representatives. Begun in 1793, the capitol building has been built, burnt, rebuilt, extended, and restored. Today our capitol stands as a monument to the American people and their government. (AOC.gov) "Where to put a nation's capitol?" was the exact question that irritated George Washington and a man by the name of Pierre L'Enfant, city planner and engineer. "The District of Columbia is a perfect site; its in the middle of the 14 states, halfway between Massachusetts and Georgia," exclaimed Washington. Being near to the ocean so that many people can get to it easily. In 1790, Congress passed the "Residence Act," which provides that the federal government will be located in a permanent site on the Potomac River by 1800. Pierre Charles L'Enfant develops plan for capital city; he and President Washington select site for "Congress House" on Jenkins Heights. With a location chosen the only task now is to design the capitol building. (Prolman, 5) "Five hundred dollars will be the reward for the architect who sets forth the plans for our nations new capitol building." Thomas Jefferson stated. He was also included in the long list of contestants who submitted thier construction designs. Three months after the contest ended, a man by the name of Dr .William Thorton submitted his designs of the capital. (Prolman, 5) His design was a Neo-classical plan that followed the classical style of ancient Greece and Rome. He drew a building 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 Capitol in ashes. On August 24, 1814, British troops set fire to the Capitol, and only a sudden rainstorm prevented its complete destruction. In 1815, Latrobe was rehired to restore the Capitol. In addition to making repairs, he took advantage of this opportunity to make further changes in the building's interior design by adding an enlargment onto the Senates chamber. He also replaced the sandstone interior in marble. With construction delays and costs running over the budget Latrobe resigned from his post in November 1817.(AOC.gov) On January 8, 1818,Charles Bulfinch, was appointed in Latrobe's place as the new architect. Continuing the restoration of the north and south wings, he was able to make the chambers for the Supreme Court, the House, and the Senate ready for use by 1819. Work on the central dome section of the capitol was ready to begin.(AOC.gov) The center section of our nation's capitol "The Great Rotunda" was designed by Thomas U. Walter in 1793. The actual director of the construction was Charles Bulfinch. Conceived in the age of neoclassicism, the Rotunda was intended to recall the Pantheon, the ancient Roman temple. The sandstone walls raise to 48 feet above the marble floors. The interior of the Rotunda contains many works of art, including paintings that chronologically date the history of our nation. Also many statues of past presidents are included, like the marble statue of Abraham Lincoln. The center of the Capitol was to be finished by 1824 to accomedate the visit of the Marquis de Lafayette.(AOC.gov) Mounting the Great Rotunda is a huge cast-iron dome. The dome of the United States Capitol may well be the most famous man-made landmark in America. There have actually been two domes in the history of our capitol building. The Capitol's first dome was finished in 1824 to the design of Charles Bulfinch, made of wood covered in copper. Yet it was replaced like everything in our capitol's headquarters with a fireproof cast-iron dome. Weighing 8,909,200 pounds the new dome was lifted atop the Rotunda in 1863, completing the basic structure of the Capitol Building. (AOC.gov) The last piece of art to signify our nation's capitol was the Statue of Freedom which was mounted atop of the dome. This sculpture of a woman wearing a headress, and whielding a sword in one hand and a shield in the other. Standing 19.5 feet tall and weighing in at 14,985 pounds she symbolizes the untouched freedom of our nation. This huge copper statue was mounted atop the cast-iron dome in 1863, completeing the construction of the Capitol building.(Wold Book, 196) Since its completion in 1863 changes have still been made through the years in modernizing the Capitol building. Upgrades have helped in the evolving process of time such as running water in 1832. Gas lighting was added to the building in the 1840's. To strengthen the structure 1,000 steel rods were also inserted into the body of the Capitol. Total completion costs were $ 2,432,851.34 it was money well spent on bringing a life to the base of our country. (AOC.gov) Today our government building covers a ground area of 175,170 square feet (4 acres). Extending 751 ft. 4 in. north to south this massive monument has a width of 350 feet. Its height above the base line on the east front to the top of the Statue of Freedom is 288 feet. The building contains approximately 540 rooms and has 658 windows (108 in the dome alone) and approximately 850 doorways.(AOC.gov) The Capitol building is divided into five levels. The first floor is occupied mainly by committee rooms and the spaces allocated to various congressional officers. These areas accessible to visitors on this level include the Hall of Columns, the Brumidi Corridors, the restored Old Supreme Court Chambers, and the Crypt beneath the Rotunda, where historical exhibits are presented.(AOC.gov) The second floor holds the Chambers of the House of Representatives (in the south wing) and the Senate (in the north wing) as well as the offices of the congressional leadership. This floor also contains three major public areas. In the center under the dome is the Rotunda. The semicircular chamber south of the Rotunda served as the Hall of the House until 1857; now designated National Statuary Hall, it houses part of the Capitol's collection of statues donated by the states in commemoration of notable citizens. The Old Senate Chamber is north-east of the Rotunda, which was used by the Senate until 1859, has been returned to its mid-19th-century appearance.(AOC.gov) The third floor allows access to the galleries from which visitors to the Capitol may watch the proceedings of the House and the Senate when Congress is in session. The rest of this floor is occupied by offices, committee rooms, and press galleries. The fourth floor and the basement/terrace level of the Capitol are occupied by offices, machinery rooms, workshops, and other support areas.(Aikman, 149) The capitol building is open everyday to the public except for New Year's Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas. Admission tickets are free, of course since the american people did pay for it through thier tax dollars. It is estimated that about 10 million people come to visit this monument every year. Tours every thirty minutes of the capitol building are open from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. everyday. For recorded information regarding tours of the Capitol, call 202-225-6827. (AOC.gov) Since the building of Congress was built it has been through many stages. Being the meeting house for the bodies that govern our land of the free since 1793. The United States Capitol is one of the greatest structures in the world also serving as a symbol to the people of our nation. It will forever be the heart of our nation.(New Book, 420) Bibliography: Bibliography Aikman, Lowell. "US. Captol, Citidel of Democracy" The National Geographic; August, 1952: 147-162 AOC.Gov- The United States Capitol, http://www.aoc.gov National Park Science- US Capritol Building, Wed. May 17, 2000. http://www.cr.nps.govNR/travel/wash/dc76.htm New Book of Knowledge, The. "Capitol,US" Deluxe Library Edition, copyright 1999, vol. 3C p. 420 Prolman, Marilyn. The Story of the Capitol. copyright 1969, p. 5-9 World Book Encyclopedia, "Capitol, US" Vol. 3, Ch. C, Copyright 1996, p. 196 Word Count: 1593
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