THE CAPITOL BUILDING. The Capitol is situated in latitude 38° 53′ 20.4" north and longitude 77° 00' 35.7" west from Greenwich. It fronts east and stands on a plateau 88 feet above the level of the Potomac. ORIGINAL BUILDING. The southeast corner stone of the original building was laid on the 18th of September, 1793, by President Washington, with Masonic ceremonies. It is constructed of sandstone from quarries on Aquia Creek, Va. The original designs were prepared by Dr. William Thornton, and the work was done under the direction of Stephen H. Hallet, James Hoban, George Hadfield, and B. H. Latrobe, architects. The north wing was finished in 1800 and the south wing in 1811. A wooden passageway connected them. On the 24th of August, 1814, the interior of both wings was destroyed by fire, set by the British. The damage to the building was immediately repaired. In 1818 the central portion of the building was commenced, under the architectural superintendence of Charles Bulfinch. The original building was finally completed in 1827. Its cost, including the grading of the grounds, alterations, and repairs, up to 1827, was $2,433,844.13. EXTENSIONS. The corner stone of the extensions was laid on the 4th of July, 1851, by President Fillmore, Daniel Webster officiating as orator. This work was prosecuted under the architectural direction of Thomas U. Walter till 1865, when he resigned, and it was completed under the supervision of Edward Clark. The material used in the walls is white marble from the quarries at Lee, Mass., and that in the columns from the quarries at Cockeysville, Md. The House extension was first occupied for legislative purposes December 16, 1857, and the Senate January 4, 1859. The value of the Capitol Building and Grounds, October 14, 1911, was as follows: Building, $15,000,000; grounds, $10,400,000; total, $25,400,000. DIMENSIONS OF THE BUILDING. The entire length of the building from north to south is 751 feet 4 inches, and its greatest dimension from east to west 350 feet. The area covered by the building is 153,112 square feet. DOME. The Dome of the original central building was constructed of wood, covered with copper. This was replaced in 1856 by the present structure of cast iron. It was completed in 1865. The entire weight of iron used is 8,909,200 pounds. The Dome is crowned by a bronze statue of Freedom, which is 19 feet 6 inches high and weighs 12,985 pounds. It was modeled by Crawford. The height of the Dome above the base line of the east front is 287 feet 5 inches. The height from the top of the balustrade of the building is 217 feet 11 inches. The greatest diameter at the base is 135 feet 5 inches. The Rotunda is 97 feet 6 inches in diameter, and its height from the floor to the top of the canopy is 180 feet 3 inches. The Senate Chamber is 113 feet 3 inches in length by 80 feet 3 inches in width and 36 feet in height. The galleries will accommodate 1,000 persons. The Representatives' Hall is 139 feet in length by 93 feet in width and 36 feet in height. The room now occupied by the Supreme Court was, until 1859, occupied as the Senate Chamber. Previous to that time the court occupied the room immediately beneath, now used as a law library. OFFICE BUILDINGS. The value of the Senate and House Office Buildings and Grounds is as follows: Senate Building, $3,732,078; grounds, $746,111; total, $4,478, 189. House Building, $3,342,011; grounds, $743,452; total, $4,085,463. 85617-67-2-2D ED- -17 241 |