Central sections of the present building were completed in 1800. These were partly destroyed in the1814 Burning of Washington, then were fully restored within five years. The building was enlarged in the 1850s by extending the wings for the chambers for thebicameral legislature, theHouse of Representatives in the south wing and theSenate in the north wing. The massivedome was completed around 1866 just after theAmerican Civil War. The east front portico was extended in 1958. The building'sVisitors Center was opened in the early 21st century.
Both its east and west elevations are formally referred to asfronts, although only the east front was intended for the reception of visitors and dignitaries, while the west front is now used for presidential inauguration ceremonies. The building and grounds are overseen by thearchitect of the Capitol, who also oversees the surroundingCapitol Complex.
The U.S. Congress was established uponratification of theU.S. Constitution and formally began on March 4, 1789. New York City remained home to Congress until July 1790,[5] when theResidence Act was passed to pave the way for a permanent capital. The decision of where to locate the capital was contentious, butAlexander Hamilton helped broker a compromise in which the federal government would take on war debt incurred during the American Revolutionary War, in exchange for support fromnorthern states for locating the capital along thePotomac River. As part of the legislation, Philadelphia was chosen as a temporary capital for ten years (until December 1800), until the nation's capital in Washington, D.C., would be ready.[6]
Pierre L'Enfant was charged with creatingthe city plan for the new capital city and the major public buildings.[7] The Congress House would be built on Jenkins Hill, now known asCapitol Hill, which L'Enfant described as a "pedestal awaiting a monument."[8] L'Enfant connected Congress House with the President's House viaPennsylvania Avenue with a width set at 160 feet, identical to the narrowest points of theChamps-Élysées in Paris. Westwards was a 400-foot-wide (122 m) garden-lined "grand avenue" containing a public walk (later known as theNational Mall) that would travel for about 1 mile (1.6 km) along the east–west line.
The term "Capitol" (from LatinCapitolium) originally denoted theCapitoline Hill in Rome and theTemple of Jupiter that stood on its summit.[9] The Roman Capitol was sometimes misconceived of as a meeting place for senators, and this led the term to be applied to legislative buildings; the first such building was theWilliamsburg Capitol inVirginia.[10]Thomas Jefferson had sat here as a member of theHouse of Burgesses, and it was he who applied the name "Capitol" to what on L'Enfant's plan had been called the "Congress House".[11] "Capitol" has since become a general term for government buildings, especially in the United States. It is often confused with "capital"; one, however, denotes a building or complex of buildings, while the other denotes a city.[12]
In early 1792, afterPierre L'Enfant was dismissed from the federal city project, Jefferson proposed a design competition to solicit designs for the Capitol and the "President's House", and set a four-month deadline. The prize for the competition was $500 and a lot in the Federal City. At least ten individuals submitted designs for the Capitol; however the drawings were regarded as crude and amateurish, reflecting the level of architectural skill present in the United States at the time.[17]
The most promising of the submissions was byStephen Hallet, a trained French architect who was a draftsman to Pierre L'Enfant on the city plan.[18] However, Hallet's designs were overly fancy, with too much French influence, and were deemed too costly.[19] However, the design did incorporate the concept for a "great circular room and dome" which had originated with L'Enfant.John Trumbull was given a tour of "Jenkins Hill" by L'Enfant himself and confirmed this in his autobiography years later.
William Thornton's approved design for the Capitol, 1793
On January 31, 1793, a late entry by amateur architectWilliam Thornton was submitted, and was met with praise for its "Grandeur, Simplicity, and Beauty" by Washington, along with praise from Jefferson. Thornton was inspired by theeast front of the Louvre, as well as theParis Pantheon for the center portion of the design.[20][21] Thornton's design was officially approved in a letter dated April 5, 1793, from Washington, and Thornton served as the firstarchitect of the Capitol (and later first superintendent of theU.S. Patent and Trademark Office).[22] In an effort to console Hallet, the commissioners appointed him to review Thornton's plans, develop cost estimates, and serve as superintendent of construction. Hallet proceeded to pick apart and make drastic changes to Thornton's design, which he saw as costly to build and problematic.[23]
In July 1793, Jefferson convened a five-member commission, bringing Hallet and Thornton together, along withJames Hoban (winning architect of the "President's Palace") to address problems with and revise Thornton's plan. Hallet suggested changes to the floor plan, which could be fitted within the exterior design by Thornton.[14][24] The revised plan was accepted, except that Secretary Jefferson and President Washington insisted on an openrecess in the center of the East front, which was part of Thornton's original plan.[25]
Construction proceeded with Hallet working under supervision ofJames Hoban, who was also busy working on construction of the "President's House" (also later known as the "Executive Mansion"). Despite the wishes of Jefferson and the President, Hallet went ahead anyway and modified Thornton's design for the East Front and created a square central court that projected from the center, with flanking wings which would house the legislative bodies. Hallet was dismissed by Secretary Jefferson on November 15, 1794.[29]George Hadfield was hired on October 15, 1795, as Superintendent of Construction, but resigned three years later in May 1798, because of his dissatisfaction with Thornton's plan and quality of work done thus far.[30]
The Senate (north) wing was completed in 1800. The Senate and House shared quarters in the north wing until a temporary wooden pavilion was erected on the future site of the House wing which served for a few years for the Representatives to meet in, until theHouse of Representatives (south) wing was finally completed in 1811, with a covered wooden temporary walkway connecting the two wings with the Congressional chambers where the future center section with rotunda and dome would eventually be. However, the House of Representatives moved early into their House wing in 1807. Though the Senate wing building was incomplete, the Capitol held itsfirst session of the U.S. Congress with both chambers in session on November 17, 1800. The National Legislature was moved toWashington prematurely, at the urging of PresidentJohn Adams, in hopes of securing enoughSouthern votes in theElectoral College to be re-elected for a second term as president.[31]
In March 1803,James Madison appointedBenjamin Henry Latrobe to the position of "Surveyor of Public Buildings", with the principal responsibility of completing construction of the Capitol's south and north wings. Work on the north wing began in November 1806. Although occupied for only six years, it had suffered from falling plaster, rotting floors and a leaking roof. Instead of repairing it, Latrobe demolished, redesigned and rebuilt the interiors within the existing brick and sandstone walls. Notably, Latrobe designed the Supreme Court and Senate chambers. The former was a particular architectural achievement; the size and structure of its vaulted, semi-circular ceiling was then unprecedented in the United States.[32]
For several decades, beginning when the federal government moved to Washington in the fall of 1800, the Capitol building was used for Sunday religious services as well as for governmental functions. The first services were conducted in the "hall" of the House in the north wing of the building. In 1801 the House moved to temporary quarters in the south wing, called the "Oven", which it vacated in 1804, returning to the north wing for three years. Then, from 1807 to 1857, they were held in the then-House Chamber (now calledStatuary Hall). When held in the House chamber, the Speaker's podium was used as the preacher's pulpit. According to theU.S. Library of Congress exhibitReligion and the Founding of the American Republic:
It is no exaggeration to say that on Sundays in Washington during the administrations of Thomas Jefferson (1801–1809) and ofJames Madison (1809–1817) the state became the church. Within a year of his inauguration, Jefferson began attending church services in the chamber of the House of Representatives. Madison followed Jefferson's example, although unlike Jefferson, who rode on horseback to church in the Capitol, Madison came in a coach and four. Worship services in the House – a practice that continued until after theCivil War – were acceptable to Jefferson because they were nondiscriminatory and voluntary. Preachers of every Protestant denomination appeared. (Catholic priests began officiating in 1826.) As early as January 1806 a female evangelist,Dorothy Ripley, delivered a camp meeting-style exhortation in the House to Jefferson,Vice PresidentAaron Burr, and a "crowded audience".[33]
Not long after the completion of both wings, the Capitol waspartially burned by theBritish on August 24, 1814, during theWar of 1812. After the fires, Latrobe was rehired as Architect of the Capitol to oversee restoration works.
George Bomford andJoseph Gardner Swift, both military engineers, were called upon to help rebuild the Capitol. Reconstruction began in 1815 and included redesigned chambers for both Senate and House wings (now sides), which were completed by 1819. During the reconstruction, Congress met in theOld Brick Capitol, a temporary structure financed by local investors. Construction continued through to 1826, with the addition of the center section with front steps and columned portico and an interiorRotunda rising above the first low dome of the Capitol. Latrobe is principally connected with the original construction and many innovative interior features; his successor Bulfinch also played a major role, such as design of the first low dome covered in copper.
By 1850, it became clear that the Capitol could not accommodate the growing number of legislators arriving from newly admitted states. A new design competition was held, and PresidentMillard Fillmore appointed Philadelphia architectThomas U. Walter to carry out the expansion. Two new wings were added: a new chamber for the House of Representatives on the south side, and a new chamber for the Senate on the north.[34]
When the Capitol was expanded in the 1850s, some of the construction labor was carried out byslaves "who cut the logs, laid the stones and baked the bricks".[35] The original plan was to use workers brought in from Europe. However, there was a poor response to recruitment efforts; African Americans, some free and some enslaved, along with Scottish stonemasons, comprised most of the workforce.[36]
Inauguration ofAbraham Lincoln in 1861, before the partially complete Capitol dome
The 1850 expansion more than doubled the length of the United States Capitol; it dwarfed the original, timber-framed, copper-sheeted, low dome of 1818, designed byCharles Bulfinch which was no longer in proportion with the increased size of the building. In 1855, the decision was made to tear it down and replace it with the "wedding-cake style" cast-iron dome that stands today. Also designed byThomas U. Walter, the new dome would stand three times the height of the original dome and 100 feet (30 m) in diameter, yet had to be supported on the existing masonry piers.
LikeMansart's dome atLes Invalides in Paris (which he had visited in 1838), Walter's dome is double, with a largeoculus in the inner dome, through which is seenThe Apotheosis of Washington painted on a shell suspended from the supporting ribs, which also support the visible exterior structure and thetholos that supports theStatue of Freedom, a colossal statue that was raised to the top of the dome in 1863. The statue invokes the goddessesMinerva orAthena.[37][38] Thecast iron for the dome weighs 8,909,200 pounds (4,041,100 kg).[39] The dome'scast iron frame was supplied and constructed by the iron foundryJanes, Fowler, Kirtland & Co.[40] The thirty-six Corinthian columns that surround the base of the dome were provided by the Baltimore ironworks ofPoole & Hunt.[41]
When the Capitol's new dome was finally completed, its massive visual weight, in turn, overpowered the proportions of the columns of the EastPortico, built in 1828.[42]
In 1904, the East Front of the Capitol building was rebuilt, following a design of the architectsCarrère and Hastings, who designed theRussell Senate andCannon House office buildings earlier that year.[43]
In 1958, the next major expansion to the Capitol started, with a 33.5-foot (10.2 m) extension of the East Portico.[citation needed] In 1960, two years into the project, the dome underwent a restoration.[44] A marble duplicate of thesandstone East Front was built 33.5 feet (10.2 m) from the old Front. In 1962, a connecting extension repurposed what had been an outside wall as an inside wall. In the process, the original sandstoneCorinthiancolumns were removed and replaced with marble. It was not until 1984 that landscape designerRussell Page created a suitable setting for them in a large meadow at theU.S. National Arboretum in northeast Washington as theNational Capitol Columns, where they were combined with a reflecting pool into an ensemble that reminds some visitors of the ruins ofPersepolis, inPersia.
Besides the columns, two hundred tons of the original stone were removed in several hundred blocks, which were first stored on site at the Capitol, and then stored in an unused yard at theCapitol Power Plant until 1975.[45] The same year, the power plant was renovated and expanded in accordance with legislation passed in 1970, and the stones fell to the Commission on the Extension of the United States Capitol.[45] As this body was long-defunct, responsibility for the material passed to the House and Senate office building commissions.[45][46] These commissions then arranged for theNational Park Service to store the debris at the back of a NPS maintenance yard inRock Creek Park.[47][48]
With the permission of thespeaker of the House, the United States Capitol Historical Society has periodically mined the blocks for sandstone since 1975. The stone removed is used to make commemorative bookends, which are still sold to support the Capitol Historical Society.[49][50] By 1982, more than $20,000 (nearly $60,000adjusted) had been raised through such sales.[45] Unpursued uses for the stones proposed by the Capitol Historical Society have included their sale as cornerstones in new housing developments.[45]
The Capitol draws heavily from other notable buildings, especially churches and landmarks in Europe, including the dome ofSt. Peter's Basilica in theVatican andSt. Paul's Cathedral in London.[53] On the roofs of the Senate and House Chambers are flagpoles that fly theU.S. flag when either is in session. On September 18, 1993, to commemorate the Capitol's bicentennial, the Masonic ritual cornerstone laying with George Washington was reenacted. U.S. senatorStrom Thurmond was one of the Freemason politicians who took part in the ceremony.[citation needed]
The Capitol dome in 2006The Capitol's visitor center in March 2024
On June 20, 2000, ground was broken for theCapitol Visitor Center, which opened on December 2, 2008.[54] From 2001 through 2008, the East Front of the Capitol (site of mostpresidential inaugurations untilRonald Reagan began a new tradition in 1981) was the site of construction for this massive underground complex, designed to facilitate a more orderly entrance for visitors to the Capitol. Prior to the center being built, visitors to the Capitol had to line up in the basement of the Cannon House Office Building or the Russell Senate Office Building. The new underground facility provides a grand entrance hall, a visitors theater, room for exhibits, and dining and restroom facilities, in addition to space for building necessities such as aservice tunnel.[55]
A large-scale Capitol dome restoration project, the first extensive such work since 1959–1960, began in 2014, with completion scheduled before the 2017 presidential inauguration.[56] As of 2012, $20 million in work around the skirt of the dome had been completed, but other deterioration, including at least 1,300 cracks in the brittle iron that have led to rusting and seepage inside, needed to be addressed. Before the August 2012 recess, theSenate Appropriations Committee voted to spend $61 million to repair the exterior of the dome. The House wanted to spend less on government operations,[44] but in late 2013, it was announced that renovations would take place over two years, starting in spring 2014.[57]
In 2014, extensive scaffolding was erected, enclosing and obscuring the dome.[56][58] All exterior scaffolding was removed by mid-September 2016.[59]
With the increased use of technologies such as the Internet, a bid tendering process was approved in 2002 for a contract to install the multidirectional radio communication network forWi-Fi and mobile-phone within the Capitol Building and annexes, followed by the new Capitol Visitor Center. The winning bidder was anIsraeli company called Foxcom which has since changed its name and been acquired byCorning Incorporated.[60][61]
The Capitol building is marked by its centraldome above arotunda in the central section of the structure (which also includes the older original smaller center flanked by the two original (designed 1793, occupied 1800) smaller two wings (inner north and inner south) containing the two original smallermeeting chambers for the Senate and the House of Representatives (between 1800 and late 1850s) and then flanked by two further extended (newer) wings, one also for each chamber of the larger, more populous Congress: the new north wing is the Senate chamber and the new south wing is the House of Representatives chamber. Above these newer chambers are galleries where visitors can watch the Senate and House of Representatives. It is an example ofneoclassical architecture.
Tunnels and internalsubways connect the Capitol building with theCongressional office buildings in theCapitol Complex. All rooms in the Capitol are designated as either S (for Senate) or H (for House), depending on whether they are in the Senate or House wing of the Capitol.
Brumidi also worked within the Rotunda. He paintedThe Apotheosis of Washington beneath the top of the dome, and also theFrieze of American History.[63]The Apotheosis of Washington was completed in 11 months and painted by Brumidi while suspended nearly 180 feet (55 m) in the air. It is said to be the first attempt by the United States to deify afounding father. Washington is depicted surrounded by 13maidens in an inner ring with manyGreek andRoman gods and goddesses below him in a second ring. Thefrieze is located around the inside of the base of the dome and is a chronological, pictorial history of the United States from the landing ofChristopher Columbus to theWright Brothers's flight inKitty Hawk,North Carolina. The frieze was started in 1878 and was not completed until 1953. The frieze was therefore painted by four different artists: Brumidi,Filippo Costaggini, Charles Ayer Whipple, andAllyn Cox. The final scenes depicted in the fresco had not yet occurred when Brumidi began hisFrieze of the United States History.
The Capitol also houses theNational Statuary Hall Collection, comprising two statues donated by each of thefifty states to honor persons notable in their histories. One of the most notable statues in theNational Statuary Hall is abronze statue of King Kamehameha donated by the state of Hawaii upon its accession to the union in 1959. The statue's extraordinary weight of 15,000 pounds (6,800 kg) raised concerns that it might come crashing through the floor, so it was moved to Emancipation Hall of the new Capitol Visitor Center. The 100th, and last statue for the collection, that ofPo'pay from the state ofNew Mexico, was added on September 22, 2005. It was the first statue moved into the Emancipation Hall.
On the ground floor is an area known asthe Crypt. It was intended to be the burial place ofGeorge Washington, with a ringedbalustrade at the center of the Rotunda above looking down to his tomb. However, under the stipulations of his lastwill, Washington was buried atMount Vernon. The Crypt houses exhibits on the history of the Capitol. Acompass star inlaid in the floor marks the point at which Washington, D.C. is divided into its four quadrants and is the basis for howaddresses in Washington, D.C., are designated (NE,NW,SE, orSW).
Gutzon Borglum's massiveAbraham Lincoln Bust is housed in the crypt. The sculptor had a fascination with large-scale art and themes of heroic nationalism, and carved the piece from a six-ton block ofmarble. Borglum carved the bust in 1908; it was donated to the Congress byEugene Meyer Jr. and accepted by theJoint Committee on the Library the same year. The pedestal was specially designed by the sculptor and installed in 1911. The bust and pedestal were on display in the Rotunda until 1979 when, after a rearrangement of all the sculptures in the Rotunda, they were placed in the Crypt.[65] Borglum was a patriot and believed the "monuments we have built are not our own"; he looked to create art that was "American, drawn from American sources, memorializing American achievement", according to a 1908 interview article.[citation needed] Borglum's depiction of Lincoln was so accurate thatRobert Todd Lincoln, the president's son, praised the bust as "the most extraordinarily good portrait of my father I have ever seen".[65] Supposedly, according to legend, the marble head remains unfinished (missing the left ear) to symbolize Lincoln'sunfinished life.
A statue ofJohn C. Calhoun is located at one end of the room near theOld Supreme Court Chamber. On the right leg of the statue, a mark from a bullet fired during the1998 shooting incident is clearly visible. The bullet also left a mark on the cape, located on the back right side of the statue.
Thirteen presidents havelain in state in the Rotunda for public viewing, most recentlyJimmy Carter. The tomb meant for Washington stored thecatafalque which is used to supportcoffins lying in state or honor in the Capitol. The catafalque now on display in the Exhibition Hall of the Capitol Visitor Center was used for President Lincoln.
TheHall of Columns is located on the House side of the Capitol, home to twenty-eight fluted columns and statues from the National Statuary Hall Collection. In the basement of the Capitol building in a utility room are two marble bathtubs, which are all that remain of the once elaborate Senate baths. These baths were aspa-like facility designed for members of Congress and their guests before many buildings in the city had modern plumbing. The facilities included several bathtubs, a barbershop, and amassage parlor.
A steep metal staircase, totaling 365 steps, leads from the basement to an outdoor walkway on top of the Capitol's dome.[66] The number of steps represents each day of the year.[67] Also in the basement, the weeklyJummah prayer is held on Fridays by Muslim staffers.[68]
TheHouse of Representatives Chamber has 448 permanent seats. Unlike senators, representatives do not have assigned seats.[70] The chamber is large enough to accommodate members of all three branches of the federal government and invited guests forjoint sessions of Congress such as theState of the Union speech and other events.
The Chamber is adorned withrelief portraits of famous lawmakers and lawgivers throughout Western and Near Eastern history. TheUnited States national motto "In God We Trust" is written over the tribune below the clock and above the United States flag. Of the twenty-three relief portraits, only Moses is sculpted from a full front view and is located across from the dais where the Speaker of the House ceremonially sits.
There is a quote by statesmanDaniel Webster etched in the marble of the chamber, as stated: "Let us develop the resources of our land, call forth its powers, build up its institutions, promote all its great interests, and see whether we also, in our day and generation, may not perform something worthy to be remembered."[71]
The NationalStatuary Hall is a chamber in the United States Capitol devoted to sculptures of prominent Americans. The hall, also known as the Old Hall of the House, is a large, two-story, semicircular room with a second story gallery along the curved perimeter. It is located immediately south of the Rotunda. It was the meeting place of the U.S. House of Representatives for nearly 50 years (1807–1857). After a few years of disuse, in 1864, it was repurposed as a statuary hall.
TheOld Senate Chamber is a room in the United States Capitol that was the legislative chamber of the United States Senate from 1810 to 1859, and served as the Supreme Court chamber from 1860 until 1935.
This room was originally the lower half of theOld Senate Chamber from 1800 to 1806. After division of the chamber in two levels, this room was used from 1806 until 1860 as the Supreme Court Chamber. In 1860, theSupreme Court began using the newly vacated Old Senate Chamber. In 1935, the Supreme Court vacated the Capitol Building and began meeting in the newly constructedUnited States Supreme Court Building across the street.
TheCapitol Grounds cover approximately 274 acres (1.11 km2), with the grounds proper consisting mostly of lawns, walkways, streets, drives, and planting areas. Several monumental sculptures used to be located on the east facade and lawn of the Capitol includingThe Rescue andGeorge Washington. The current grounds were designed by noted Americanlandscape architectFrederick Law Olmsted, who planned the expansion and landscaping performed from 1874 to 1892. In 1875, as one of his first recommendations, Olmsted proposed the construction of themarbleterraces on the north, west, and south sides of the building creating an enveloping base. This addressed issues with the placement of the original structure; it had been built too far westwards on the crest of the hill and gave the appearance as if the building might slide into the marshy terrain below.
Olmsted also designed the Summerhouse, the open-air brick building that sits just north of the Capitol. Threearches open into thehexagonal structure, which encloses a fountain and twenty-two brick chairs. A fourth wall holds a small window which looks onto an artificialgrotto. Built between 1879 and 1881, the Summerhouse was intended to answer complaints that visitors to the Capitol had no place to sit and no place to obtain water for their horses and themselves. Moderndrinking fountains have since replaced Olmsted's fountain for the latter purpose. Olmsted intended to build a second, matching Summerhouse on the southern side of the Capitol, but congressional objections led to the project's cancellation.[74]
Up to fourU.S. flags can be seen flying over the Capitol. Two flagpoles are located at the base of the dome on the East and West sides. These flagpoles have flown the flag day and night sinceWorld War I. The other two flagpoles are above the North (Senate) and South (House of Representatives) wings of the building, and fly only when the chamber below is in session. The flag above the House of Representatives is raised and lowered byHouse pages. The flag above the United States Senate is raised and lowered by Senate Doorkeepers. To raise the flag, Doorkeepers access the roof of the Capitol from theSenate Sergeant at Arms's office. Several auxiliary flagpoles, to the west of the dome and not visible from the ground, are used to meet congressional requests for flags flown over the Capitol.[citation needed]Constituents pay for U.S. flags flown over the Capitol to commemorate a variety of events such as the death of aveteran family member.
The Capitol's west front during theInauguration of Joe Biden, January 20, 2021PresidentGeorge H. W. Bush lying in state in the United States Capitol rotunda on December 3, 2018
The Capitol and the grounds ofCapitol Hill have played host to major events, includingpresidential inaugurations, which are held every four years. During an inauguration, the front of the Capitol is outfitted with a platform and a grand staircase. Annual events at the Capitol includeIndependence Day celebrations, and theNational Memorial Day Concert.
The general public has paid respect to a number of individualslying in state at the Capitol, including numerous former presidents, senators, and other officials. Other Americans lying in honor includeOfficersJacob Chestnut andJohn Gibson, the two officers killed in the1998 shooting incident. Chestnut was the first African American ever to lie in honor in the Capitol. The public also paid respect toRosa Parks, an icon of thecivil rights movement, at the Capitol in 2005. She was the first woman and second African American to lie in honor in the Capitol. In February 2018, the evangelical Rev.Billy Graham became the fourth private citizen to lie in honor in the Rotunda.[75]
On September 24, 2015,Pope Francis gave a joint address to Congress, the first Pope to do so.[76]
Since the September 11 attacks, the roads and grounds around the Capitol have undergone dramatic changes. The United States Capitol Police have also installed checkpoints to inspect vehicles at specific locations around Capitol Hill,[79][80] and have closed a section of one street indefinitely.[80] The level of screening employed varies. On the main east–west thoroughfares ofConstitution andIndependence Avenues,barricades are implanted in the roads that can be raised in the event of an emergency. Trucks larger thanpickups are interdicted by the Capitol Police and are instructed to use other routes. On the checkpoints at the shorter cross streets, the barriers are typically kept in a permanent "emergency" position, and only vehicles with special permits are allowed to pass. All Capitol visitors are screened by amagnetometer, and all items that visitors may bring inside the building are screened by anx-ray device. In both chambers, gas masks are located underneath the chairs in each chamber for members to use in case of emergency. Structures ranging from scores ofJersey barriers to hundreds of ornamentalbollards have been erected to obstruct the path of any vehicles that might stray from the designated roadways.[81]
On January 30, 1835, what is believed to be the first attempt to kill a sitting President of the United States occurred just outside the United States Capitol. As PresidentAndrew Jackson was leaving the Capitol out of the East Portico after the funeral ofSouth Carolina RepresentativeWarren R. Davis,Richard Lawrence, an unemployed and deranged housepainter from England, either burst from a crowd or stepped out from hiding behind a column and aimed a pistol at Jackson which misfired. Lawrence then pulled out a second pistol which also misfired. It has since been postulated that the moisture from the humid weather of the day contributed to the double misfiring.[82] Lawrence was then restrained, with legend saying that Jackson attacked Lawrence with his cane, prompting his aides to restrain him. Others present, includingDavy Crockett, restrained and disarmed Lawrence.
On April 23, 1844, then House-SpeakerJohn White was involved in a physical confrontation on the House floor with Democratic CongressmanGeorge O. Rathbun of New York. White was delivering a speech in defense of SenatorHenry Clay, theWhig nominee for president in that year's presidential election, and objected to a ruling from the Speaker denying him time to conclude his remarks. When Rathbun told White to be quiet, White confronted him and their disagreement lead to a fistfight between the two with dozens of their colleagues rushing to break up the fight. During the disturbance, an unknown visitor fired a pistol into the crowd, wounding a police officer. Both White and Rathbun subsequently apologized for their actions.[83]
On July 2, 1915, prior to the United States' entry intoWorld War I,Eric Muenter, also known as Frank Holt, aGerman professor who wanted to stop American support of theAllies of World War I, exploded a bomb in the reception room of the U.S. Senate. The next morning he tried to assassinateJ. P. Morgan Jr., son ofthe financier, at his home onLong Island, New York.J.P. Morgan's company served as Great Britain's principal U.S. purchasing agent formunitions and other war supplies. In a letter to theWashington Evening Star published after the explosion, Muenter, writing under an assumed name, said he hoped that the detonation would "make enough noise to be heard above the voices that clamor for war".
In the1954 United States Capitol shooting, Puerto Rican nationalists opened fire on members of Congress from the visitors' gallery, injuring five representatives.
In 2004, the Capitol was briefly evacuated after a plane carrying the then-Governor of Kentucky,Ernie Fletcher, strayed into restricted airspace above the district.
In 2015,Doug Hughes, a US postal worker, landed aGyrocopter on the West lawn of the Capitol building.[87] His alleged goal was to deliver letters to members of Congress to convince them to reform campaign finance laws. After Hughes was detained, bomb squad confirmed that there was no explosive ordinance in the vehicle.
A shooting incident occurred in March 2016. One female bystander was wounded by police but not seriously injured; a man pointing a gun was shot and arrested, in critical but stable condition.[88] The city police of Washington D.C. described the shooting incident as "isolated".[89]
On January 6, 2021, during thecounting of Electoral College votes for the2020 United States presidential election, a pro-Trump rally resulted in a mob thatentered the Capitol.[90] The rioters unlawfully entered the Capitol during thejoint session of Congress certifying the election of President-electJoe Biden and Vice President-electKamala Harris, temporarily disrupting the proceedings. This triggered a lockdown in the building.[91] Vice PresidentMike Pence, Speaker of the HouseNancy Pelosi, and other staff members were evacuated, while others were instructed to barricade themselves inside offices and closets.[92] The rioters breached the Senate Chamber and multiple staff offices, including the office of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.[93][94] One person was shot by law enforcement, and later succumbed to the injury.[95] President-electJoe Biden criticized the violence as "insurrection" and said democracy was "under unprecedented assault" as a result of the attack.[96] The attack resulted in the death of four rioters, including a woman who was shot as she attempted to breach the Capitol.[97] The events ultimately led to thesecond impeachment of Donald Trump.[98] It was the first time the Capitol had been violently seized since theBurning of Washington, during theWar of 1812.[99]
On April 2, 2021, a black nationalistrammed a car into barriers outside the Capitol, hitting several Capitol Police Officers before exiting his vehicle and attempting to attack others with a knife. An officer hit by the attacker's car died shortly thereafter. The attacker was shot by Capitol Police and later died of his injuries.[100][101]
The United States Capitol Visitor Center (CVC), located below the East Front of the Capitol and its plaza, between the Capitol building and 1st Street East, opened on December 2, 2008. The CVC provides a single security checkpoint for all visitors, including those with disabilities, and an expansion space[clarification needed] for the US Congress.[102][103]
The complex contains 580,000 square feet (54,000 m2) of space below ground on three floors,[104] and offers visitors a food court, restrooms, and educational exhibits, including an 11-foot scale model of the Capitol dome.[105] It also featuresskylights affording views of the actual dome. Long in the planning stages, construction began in the fall of 2001, following the killing of two Capitol police officers in 1998. The estimated final cost of constructing the CVC was$621 million.[106]
^Hodgkins, George W. (1960). "Naming the Capitol and the Capital".Records of the Columbia Historical Society, Washington, D.C. 60/62:36–53.JSTOR40067217.
^Kornwolf, James D; Kornwolf, Georgiana Wallis (2002).The Creation of the Federal City: Washington. Architecture and Town Planning in Colonial North America: Vol. 3. Baltimore, Maryland: The Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 1552.ISBN0801859867.OCLC45066419. RetrievedOctober 29, 2016.A final legacy of Jefferson's vision of the city is found in correspondence between him and L'Enfant. Jefferson consistently called the building to house Congress, the "Capitol," whereas L'Enfant just as consistently referred to it as "Congress House."AtGoogle Books.
^Jefferson, Thomas (July 17, 1793)."Letter: Jefferson to Washington".Thomas Jefferson and the National Capital. University of Virginia. Archived fromthe original on February 21, 2011. RetrievedDecember 11, 2008.
^Woods, Robert O. (June 2003)."Under the Capitol Dome".Mechanical Engineering Magazine. The American Society of Mechanical Engineers. Archived fromthe original on January 26, 2009. RetrievedDecember 11, 2008.
^Carter II, Edward C. (1971–1972). "Benjamin Henry Latrobe and the Growth and Development of Washington, 1798–1818".Records of the Columbia Historical Society: 139.
^Swett, Steven (2022).The Metalworkers: Robert Poole, His Ironworks, and Technology in 19th Century America. Baltimore, Maryland: Baltimore Museum of Industry. pp. 85–122.ISBN978-0-578-28250-3.
^Dozier, Kimberly; Bergengruen, Vera (January 7, 2021)."Incited by the President, Trump Supporters Storm the Capitol". TIME. RetrievedJanuary 8, 2021.'If you don't fight like hell, you're not going to have a country anymore,' Trump had told the crowd, urging them to head to the Capitol.
Brown, Glenn (1998). Architect of the Capitol for The United States Capitol Preservation Commission (ed.).History of the United States Capitol (Annotated Edition in Commemoration of The Bicentennial of the United States Capitol ed.). Government Printing Office. Archived fromthe original on December 7, 2008.
Aikman, Lonnelle.We, the People: the Story of the United States Capitol, Its Past and Its Promise. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Capitol Historical Society, in cooperation with the National Geographic Society, 1964.
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