U.S. Capitol Grounds

In this section

Capitol Through Time

Capitol Construction Timeline

George Washington laid the cornerstone for the United States Capitol on September 18, 1793, following a plan by amateur architect Dr. William Thornton. Since 1800, the Capitol has been home to the United States Congress and its two legislative bodies, the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. It is where the issues facing the nation are considered, debated, and written into law.

Capitol Views from the East, 1863-2008

ver the last two centuries, the Capitol has been built, burnt, rebuilt, extended, and restored; today it stands as a monument to the American people, and its majestic Dome is an international symbol of democracy and representative government.

Capitol History

President George Washington laid the cornerstone in the building’s southeast corner on September 18, 1793.

Architect Charles Bulfinch designed the original Capitol dome, which was made of wood covered in copper, was 96 feet high, and had an oculus (circular opening) at the center. The dome was completed in 1824.

Congress voted in 1855 to replace the original dome with a cast-iron dome designed by architect Thomas U. Walter, who was hired to oversee the Capitol extension. The Statue of Freedom was lifted into place at the top of the dome in 1863. Construction on the dome was completed in 1866.

The Statue of Freedom

East Front House Pediment

The House pediment was unveiled more than fifty years after the Senate pediment was installed. Its central allegorical group, entitled Peace Protecting Genius, is flanked with figures representing agriculture and industry, two great sources of wealth that support American democracy. Stretching between waves that symbolize the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, on the left of Peace are The Reaper and His Attendant; The Husbandman, depicting a man with an ox, Mother and Children Harvesting the Field, and Child Wrestling with a Ram. Opposite Agriculture, to the right of Peace, are The Ironworker and Printer, The Founder and His Assistant, Woman Measuring Cloth, and the Fisherboy. In designing the pediment sculpture, Bartlett wanted to depict recognizable American types in a flowing, integrated composition, but at the same time he had to balance realistic details with the classicism of the building.

East Front Center Pediment

This allegorical sculpture combines three primary elements to illustrate the Constitutional foundation of American democracy. The central figure is a personification of America, who rests her right arm on a shield inscribed "USA"; the shield is supported by an altar bearing the inscription "July 4, 1776." America points to Justice, who lifts scales in her left hand and in her right hand holds a scroll inscribed, "Constitution, 17 September 1787." To America's left are an Eagle and the figure of Hope, who rests her arm on an anchor. The original sandstone figures were executed by Italian sculptor Luigi Persico in 1825-1828, following a design suggested by President John Quincy Adams.

East Front Senate Pediment

This grouping by sculptor Thomas Crawford celebrates the development of America but also acknowledges that the New World expansion of western civilization led to the demise of indigenous peoples. In the center stands America, an eagle at her side and the sunrise behind her. She extends her left hand in a beseeching gesture, asking for Divine guidance, and in her right holds laurel and oak wreaths. On her left, a woodsman, coiled snake in the grass, and Indian hunter, chief, mother and child, and grave represent America's pre-colonial period. On her right, an industrialized modern America is suggested by the soldier, merchant, two youths, schoolmaster and child, and mechanic with a hammer and cogwheel. Sheaves of wheat and an anchor, symbolic of fertility and hope, contrast with the Indian grave at the opposite end of the tympanum.