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21030
United States Capitol Building
Washington, D.C., USA
The United States Capitol Building
The United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. is a symbol of
American democracy and the meeting place of the nation’s
government. As well as housing an important collection of
American art and being an architectural achievement in its
own right, the Capitol is still a working office building and a
tourist attraction visited by millions every year. The building
has been at the heart of the country’s history since it was
first completed in 1800.
[ We have built no temple but the Capitol.
We consult no common oracle but the Constitution ]
Rufus Choate, Congressman & Orator
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History
On September 18, 1793, President George Washington laid
the cornerstone of the U.S. Capitol Building at the southeast
corner of its foundation. The ceremony was carried out
with great pomp and celebration as it marked the building
of the young nation’s most symbolically important and
architecturally impressive building.
The building was to be the centerpiece in the creation of
Washington, D.C. as the nation’s new capital. Pierre Charles
L’Enfant, who created the plan of the city, selected the site
and laid out the wide boulevard leading up to it, but was
dismissed before he could draw the building itself.
In the democratic spirit that the building represented, the
then U.S. Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson announced a
public competition to design the new Capitol Building.
An idea submitted by the amateur architect William
Thornton was selected and received praise from President
Washington for its “Grandeur, Simplicity and Beauty”. Three
renowned architects of the time, Stephen Hallet, George
Hadfield and the designer of the White House, James
Hoban, were asked to realize Thornton’s plan. After seven
years and many changes to Thornton’s original drawings,
the first stage was completed in 1800.
After being partially burned down by the British in 1814, the
U.S. Capitol Building was rebuilt and the first dome at the
center of the building was added in 1818. By the 1850s it was
clear that the building could no longer accommodate the
growing number of states joining the union and the Capitol
was expanded to become the building we recognize today.
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