Washington, D.C., is the most honorable city in North America. It is not only the capital of the United States, but also one of the national symbols of freedom, because the first American president George Washington, who founded it, put a lot of effort into fighting the British colonists for the independence of his country.
Washington, D.C., today, is the main political center of America. It is home to the judicial, executive and legislative branches of government, 174 foreign embassies, the headquarters of the largest banks and foreign exchange funds and most importantly, the presidential residence, or White House. Washington itself is governed by the mayor, but the highest authority is Congress, which can amend laws approved by the City Council and oversee the administration of the city. The Congressional seat, the Capitol, is located in the heart of the U.S. capital and is one of America’s major landmarks. You could say that the Capitol in Washington is a worthy monument on a pedestal of honor.
The Capitol is one of the tallest buildings in the city. Its height is 88 meters. The top floor, accessible by elevator, offers a stunning view of the Washington skyline.
History of the Washington Capitol
The snow-white Capitol stands on the hill of the same name, which in turn was named after one of the seven ancient Roman towers. The history of the Capitol is quite impressive. This abode of city officials was built by more than one generation of architects, each of whom seemed to face insurmountable difficulties.
It all began in the spring of 1792, when President George Washington announced a competition among architects for the best construction design for a government building after the city’s extravagant designer, P. S. Lanfant, was dismissed from his duties. The judges of the competition, however, were greatly disappointed when they were presented with just over a dozen worthless designs. At the very last moment, another work was submitted very late – its author was a 33-year-old Scotsman William Thornton.
Already at the very beginning of the Capitol construction problems arose: the material was supplied slowly, with great interruptions, there was an eternal shortage of money and manpower. Because of this, the building’s foundations alone took as long as three years to build. Exactly ten years after construction began, the government provided about $50,000 for the project, and Thornton was replaced by Henry Latrobe, who by that time had established himself as the best architect in Philadelphia. He did a fine job: in 1800, Congress met for the first time in the unfinished Capitol.
In 1813 Latrobe had to freeze construction because of the war with Great Britain, and exactly one year later the unfinished Capitol was burned by the British. Virtually everything was destroyed. Twenty years of hard work became a pile of ashes and a pile of rubble. Nevertheless, Latrobe began to restore the building he had grown fond of. However, trying to make his brainchild even more beautiful than before, the architect got carried away and began spending exorbitant amounts of money on building materials. The best is the enemy of the good: Latrobe was excommunicated from the management of the project.
In 1818, James Monroe, then president of the United States, appointed Charles Bulfinch, widely known in Boston, as chief architect of the Capitol. This man was much less sensual and lacked at all the design taste and flair of the brilliant Latrobe. Nevertheless, by 1823 the conservative Bulfinch, who had redesigned his predecessor, had completely rebuilt the central part of the Capitol for $12,000.
In the mid-19th century, Thomas Walter, a famous engineer from Philadelphia, was commissioned to “enlarge” the newfound Congressional building. Nine years later, the architect proposed replacing Bulfinch’s wooden structure with a large cast-iron dome more proportionate to the size of the Capitol. Walter executes it in the style of the architecture of European cathedrals. Also at this time he completes the north, south, and west terraces in white marble. In 1863 a momentous event occurred: the 6-meter statue of Liberty, created by T. Crawford, was placed on the roof of the Capitol. Abraham Lincoln himself, the 16th president of the United States, was present at this historic moment. By 1865, the north and south wings of the government abode had been completed by Walter, thereby doubling in size.
Visiting the Capitol
About 4.5 million tourists visit the famous congressional building each year. There are 540 rooms in total in the Capitol, but tourists will only be able to tour two rooms. The first and second floors are the Congressional offices, while the third floor is occupied by the House of Representatives, Rotunda and Senate. Tours of the Capitol are absolutely free.