The United States Government Buildings in Washington DC

The Lincoln Memorial

View of the Lincoln Memorial from the Jefferson Memorial

The Unted States States Capital Building

The U.S. Capitol is among the most architecturally impressive and symbolically important buildings in the world. It has housed the meeting chambers of the Senate and the House of Representatives for over two centuries. Begun in 1793, the U.S. Capitol has been built, burnt, rebuilt, extended and restored; today, it stands as a monument not only to its builders but also to the American people and their government.

The United States Capital Building

At the U.S. Capitol the Senate and the House of Representatives come together to discuss, debate and deliberate national policy; develop consensus; and craft the country's laws. As the nation has grown so has the U.S. Capitol: today it covers well over 1.5 million square feet, has over 600 rooms, and miles of corridors. It is crowned by a magnificent white dome that overlooks the city of Washington and has become a widely recognized icon of the American people and government. The U.S. Capitol's design was selected by President George Washington in 1793 and construction began shortly thereafter.

The Senate Wind of the Capitol Building

A fine example of 19th-century neoclassical architecture, the U.S. Capitol combines function with aesthetics. Its designs derived from ancient Greece and Rome evoke the ideals that guided the nation's founders as they framed their new republic. As the building was expanded from its original design, harmony with the existing portions was carefully maintained.

The United States Senate

The North Wing of the Capitol Building houses the United States Senate. The Senate (north) wing was completed in 1800.The Senate has 100 members, two from each state. A senator must be thirty years of age, a resident of the state, and a citizen of the United States for nine years. Senators are elected for six year terms, one-third of the Senate being elected every two years.

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The United States House of Representatives

This is the southern wing of the Capitol Building. It house the House of Representatives. The House of Representatives first used the chamber on December 16, 1857. It was designed by Thomas U. Walter, the architect of the U.S. Capitol extension, who planned the room without windows in order to insulate the members from outside noise and interference. Natural light was provided through a large skylight and fresh air was introduced by steam-powered fans. The ceiling and the remaining high-Victorian design features were removed during the chamber's reconstruction that took place in 1949-1950.

Welcome to the Capital Visitors Center

The U.S. Capitol Visitor Center is the newest addition to the historic Capitol Complex. At nearly 580,000 square feet, the Visitor Center is the largest project in the Capitol's more than two-century history and is approximately three-quarters the size of the Capitol itself.

Statue of Freedom in The Capital Visitors Center

The 15,000-pound plaster model of The Statue of Freedom is now the centerpiece of Emancipation Hall, and visitors can see details of the model that would be impossible for them to see from the ground looking up at the bronze statue atop the Capitol.

Statue of Po'Pay in the National Visitors Center

This statue of Po'pay was given to the National Statuary Hall Collection by New Mexico in 2005. Po'pay was born around 1630 in the San Juan Pueblo, in what is now the state of New Mexico. As an adult he became a religious leader and was responsible for healing as well as for his people's spiritual life. He also knew of his people's suffering under Spanish settlers, who forced them to provide labor and food to support the Spanish community. In 1675, Po'pay and 46 other Pueblo leaders were convicted of sorcery; he was among those flogged, while others were executed. In 1680 Po’pay organized the Pueblo Revolt against the Spanish. The Pueblo Revolt helped to ensure the survival of the Pueblo culture and shaped the history of the American Southwest. KEYWORDS

Statue of Kamehameha I in the Capital Visitors Center

This statue of King Kamehameha I was given to the National Statuary Hall Collection by Hawaii in 1969. King Kamehameha I was born at Kokoiki in the Kohala district of the Island of Hawai'i about 1758. He grew into a courageous warrior and was said to have overturned the huge Naha Stone in Hilo. According to native belief, such a feat indicated superhuman strength and foreshadowed the inevitable conquest of all of Hawai'i. As king, Kamehameha placed capable followers in charge of large districts. He encouraged trade and peaceful activities, and he presided over the opening of Hawai'i to the rest of the world. On May 8, 1819, King Kamehameha I, also referred to today as Kamehameha the Great, died at Kailua in the district of Kona on his home Island of Hawai'i. His remains were hidden with such secrecy, according to ancient custom, that "only the stars know his final resting place."

Statue of John Swiget Jr. in the National Visitors Center

This statue of John L. Swigert Jr., was given to the National Statuary Hall Collection by Colorado in 1997. John L. "Jack" Swigert Jr., was born on August 30, 1931, in Denver, Colorado. He attended the University of Colorado, where he played varsity football and earned a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering. Swigert was one of three astronauts aboard the Apollo 13 moon mission, which was launched on April 11, 1970. The third lunar landing attempt, the mission was aborted after the rupture of an oxygen tank on the spacecraft's service module. Swigert and fellow astronauts James A. Lovell Jr., and Fred W. Haise Jr., returned safely to earth on April 17 after approximately 5 days and 23 hours in space. He later became staff director of the Committee on Science and Technology of the U.S. House of Representatives. Elected to Colorado's newly created Sixth Congressional District in 1982, he died on December 27, 1982, before taking office.

Statue of Chief Washakie in the Capital Visitors Center

This statue of Chief Washakie was given to the National Statuary Hall Collection by Wyoming in 2000. He was a renowned warrior and in approximately 1840 united several Shoshone bands. He had learned French and English from trappers and traders, and he also spoke a number of Native American languages. Having realized that the expansion of white civilization into the West was inevitable, he negotiated with the army and the Shoshone to ensure the preservation of over three million acres in Wyoming's Wind River country for his people; this valley remains the home of the Shoshone today. Upon his death in 1900, he became the only known Native American to be given a full military funeral.

Statue of Sarah Winnemucca in National Visitors Center

This statue of Sarah Winnemucca was given to the National Statuary Hall Collection by Nevada in 2005. Having a great facility with languages, she served as an interpreter and negotiator between her people and the U.S. Army. In 1878 when the Bannock Indians revolted and were being pursued by the U.S. Army under General Oliver Howard's command, Sarah volunteered for a dangerous mission. Locating her father’s band being forcibly held by the Bannocks, she secretly led them away to army protection in a three-day ride over 230 miles of rugged terrain with little food or rest. As a spokesperson for her people, she gave over 300 speeches to win support for them, and she met with President Rutherford B. Hayes and Secretary of the Interior Carl Schurz in 1880. Her 1883 autobiography, Life among the Piutes: Their Wrongs and Claims, was the first book written by a Native American woman. She started a school for Native Americans, where she taught children both in their native language and in English.

Bust of Raoul Wallenberg in the United States Capital

Raoul Wallenberg was a Swedish humanitarian who worked at his country's legation in Budapest during World War II and used his diplomatic status to save the lives of tens of thousands of Jews threatened by the occupying Nazi forces and their Hungarian collaborators. His determination and accomplishments in the face of great opposition and personal danger have made him a figure honored around the world. The smaller-than-life-size bust seems to capture Raoul Wallenberg's modesty and slim physique. Wallenberg's head is positioned looking straight ahead and his facial expression is solemn. In June 1994, Congress adopted a resolution "to accept a bust of Raoul Wallenberg and to place the bust in an appropriate location in the Capitol"

The U. S. Capital Building Crypt

This center section of the building was completed in 1827 under the direction of the third Architect of the Capitol, Charles Bulfinch. The Crypt's 40 Doric columns of brown stone surmounted by groined sandstone arches support the floor of the Rotunda. The star in the center of the floor denotes the point from which the streets in Washington are laid out and numbered.

The Presidential Staircase in US Capitol

This staircase leads from the lower level of the capital to the rotunda. While The Presidential Staircase is not its official name the staircase has been referred to as the Presidential staircase because each president climbs these stairs as he walks to his inauguration on the steps of the capital

The United States Capitol Dome

The U.S. Capitol's dome made of cast iron was designed by Thomas U. Walter and constructed from 1856-1866 at the total cost of $1,047,291. The Capitol Dome was constructed with 8,909,200 pounds of ironwork bolted together.

Interior of the Capital Dome

Painted in 1865 by Constantino Brumidi, the Apotheosis of Washington in the eye of the U.S. Capitol Building's Rotunda depicts George Washington rising to the heavens in glory, flanked by female figures representing Liberty and Victory/Fame and surrounded by six groups of figures. The fresco is suspended 180 feet above the Rotunda floor and covers an area of 4,664 square feet. The Apotheosis of Washington, his most ambitious work at the Capitol Building, was painted in 11 months at the end of the Civil War, soon after the new dome was completed, for $40,000. The figures, up to 15 feet tall, were painted to be intelligible from close up as well as from 180 feet below. Some of the groups and figures were inspired by classical and Renaissance images, especially by those of the Italian master Raphael.

Apotheosis of Washington in the Capital Dome

The Apotheosis of Washington in the eye of the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol was painted in the true fresco technique by Constantino Brumidi in 1865. In the central group of the fresco, Brumidi depicted George Washington rising to the heavens in glory, flanked by female figures representing Liberty and Victory/Fame. A rainbow arches at his feet, and thirteen maidens symbolizing the original states flank the three central figures. (The word "apotheosis" in the title means literally the raising of a person to the rank of a god, or the glorification of a person as an ideal; George Washington was honored as a national icon in the nineteenth century.)

Frieze of American History in the Capital Dome

The frieze is the work of three artists. It was designed by Constantino Brumidi. His design traces America's history from the landing of Columbus to the discovery of gold in California. As was common in the history books of the day, the Spanish explorers and the Revolutionary War are emphasized. After his death Filippo Costaggini, who had also been trained in Rome, was selected to complete the remaining eight scenes using Brumidi's sketches. In 1951 Allyn Cox was commissioned to paint the last three panels tracing the growth of the nation from the Civil War through the birth of aviation. The frieze was completed in 1953 and dedicated the next year.

Frieze of American History in the Capital Dome

Thomas U. Walter's 1859 cross-section drawing of the new Dome (constructed 1855-1863) shows a recessed belt atop the Rotunda walls with relief sculpture. Eventually it was painted in true fresco, a difficult and exacting technique in which the pigments are applied directly onto wet plaster. As the plaster cures the colors become part of the wall. Consequently, each section of plaster must be painted the day it is laid.

The Rotunda of the Capital Building

The curved sandstone walls are divided by fluted Doric pilasters with wreaths of olive branches carved in the frieze above. The floor is composed of concentric rings of waxed Seneca Sandstone arrayed around a central circular white marble slab. Individual stones have been replaced as needed since their installation. The space is used for important ceremonial events as authorized by concurrent resolution, such as the lying in state of eminent citizens and the dedication of works of art.

Baptism of Pocahontas in the Rotunda of The U.S. Capital

This painting depicts the ceremony in which Pocahontas, daughter of the influential Algonkian chief Powhatan, was baptized and given the name Rebecca in an Anglican church. It took place in 1613 or 1614 in the colony at Jamestown, Virginia, the first permanent English settlement on the North American continent. Pocahontas is thought to be the earliest native convert to Christianity in the English colonies; this ceremony and her subsequent marriage to John Rolfe helped to establish peaceful relations between the colonists and the Tidewater tribes. This statue of Thomas Jefferson was the first full-length portrait statue placed in the U.S Capitol Building. Its bronze medium was unusual in early 19th-century America, where sculpture was more commonly carved in marble.

Discovery of the Mississippi by De Soto and the Statue of President Andrew Jackson

William Henry Powell's dramatic and brilliantly colored canvas was the last of the eight large historical paintings in the Rotunda commissioned by the Congress. It shows Spanish conquistador and explorer Hernando De Soto (1500–1542), riding a white horse and dressed in Renaissance finery, arriving at the Mississippi River at a point below Natchez on May 8, 1541. De Soto was the first European documented to have seen the river. This statue of Andrew Jackson was given to the National Statuary Hall Collection by Tennessee.

Painting of Declaration of Independence in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capital

This painting depicts the moment on June 28, 1776, when the first draft of the Declaration of Independence was presented to the Second Continental Congress. The document stated the principles for which the Revolutionary War was being fought and which remain fundamental to the nation. Less than a week later, on July 4, 1776, the Declaration was officially adopted, it was later signed on August 2, 1776. In the central group in the painting, Thomas Jefferson, the principal author of the Declaration, is shown placing the document before John Hancock, president of the Congress. With him stand the other members of the committee that created the draft: John Adams, Roger Sherman, Robert Livingston and Benjamin Franklin. This event occurred in the Pennsylvania State House, now Independence Hall, in Philadelphia.

National Statuary Hall in the United States Capital

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National Statuary Hall in The United States Capital Building

National Statuary Hall, also known as the Old Hall of the House, now serves as the main exhibition space for the National Statuary Hall Collection. National Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol Building is built in the shape of an ancient amphitheater and is one of the earliest examples of Greek revival architecture in America. While most wall surfaces are painted plaster, the low gallery walls and pilasters are of sandstone. Around the room's perimeter stand colossal columns of variegated Breccia marble quarried along the Potomac River.

National Statuary Hall in The United States Capital Building

The Statues in this photo include: John Luke of North Dakota. He was a congressman and governor of the state and served as treasurer of the United States during the Wilson Administration. John Sevier was from Tennessee. He served as a militia captain under George Washington, he first governor of Tennessee, a state senator, and as a US> Congressman. John Ingalls of Kansas served as a State Senator and United States Senator. He was also president pro tempore of the Senate.

National Statuary Hall in The United States Capital Building

Today, National Statuary Hall is one of the most popular rooms in the U.S. Capitol Building. It, and its collection of statuary from individual states, is visited by thousands of tourists each day and continues to be used for ceremonial occasions. Special events held in the room include activities honoring foreign dignitaries and presidential luncheons.

Ceiling of National Statuary Hall in The United States Capital Building

This picture shows the beauty of the ceiling and chandelier in National Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capital Building. The half-dome shape of National Statuary Hall produces an acoustical effect whereby, in some spots, a speaker many yards away may be heard more clearly than one closer at hand. The modern-day echoes occur in different locations from those in the 19th century, when the floor and ceiling of the hall were different.

National Statuary Hall in The United States Capital Building

National Statuary 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. The meeting place of the U.S. House of Representatives for nearly 50 years (1807–1857), it is now the main exhibition space for the National Statuary Hall Collection

The Old Senate Chamber in the United States Capital Building

The Old Senate Chamber is considered one of the oldest parts of the U.S. Capitol Building.. A curved table with richly turned and carved legs and a crimson modesty screen sits on a raised platform in the center of the room. This is the desk of the Vice President of the United States, who serves as President of the Senate. The desk is crowned as a place of importance by an elaborate canopy with a mahogany valence from which crimson fabric is hung. A carved gilt eagle and shield stand above the valence.

The Ceiling and Chandlier in the Old Senate Chamber

The domed, white-painted ceiling of the Chamber is elaborately coffered and enriched by decorative moldings. A central, semicircular skylight is bordered by five smaller circular skylights; they originally provided the Chamber with natural light but are now artificially lit. Additional light was provided by a large brass chandelier made by Cornelius and Company, a prestigious Philadelphia firm, similar to the one now hanging above the Vice President's desk.

The Ladies Gallery in the Old Senate Chamber

"Ladies' Gallery" follows the curved western wall. It is carried on 12 steel columns encased in cast-iron forms with Corinthian capitals, which were designed to simulate the cast-iron originals. A wrought-iron balcony railing follows the contour of the gallery and is backed by crimson fabric that accentuates the decorative metalwork.

The Old Senate Chamber

Latrobe modeled the chamber after similar rooms he had seen in Paris, which he considered ideally suited for hearing, speaking and seeing. He employed marble columns based on Grecian examples to support the visitor's gallery along the eastern wall. In 1828 Charles Bulfinch added a second gallery supported by slender cast-iron columns along the curving western wall.

The Small Rotunda in the Old Senate Wing of the U.S. Capitol

The small rotunda in the old Senate wing of the U.S. Capitol was designed by Benjamin Henry Latrobe as an ornamental air shaft. It was constructed after the fire of 1814 as a means of lighting the corridors and circulating air into rooms that open onto the space. In the pre-fire period this elliptical space housed the Senate wing’s main staircase. Benjamin Henry Latrobe remarked to Thomas Jefferson that "it was one of the most remarkable parts of the Capitol." In rebuilding the wing’s interior after the fire, Latrobe moved the staircase to the east and in its place erected a circular arcade holding 16 columns, which, in turn, support a dome.

Chandler in the Small Rotunda of the Capital Building

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The Old Supreme Court Chamber

Built by Benjamin Henry Latrobe, it was a significant architectural achievement, for the size and structure of its vaulted, semicircular ceiling were virtually unprecedented in the United States. In addition to housing the Supreme Court, this space later served as a committee room, a law library, a meeting room, and a storage room. Today, it has been restored to its mid–19th-century appearance.

Old Supreme Court Chamber

The Old Supreme Court Chamber is the first room constructed for the use of the nation's highest judiciary body. The Supreme Court first met in this chamber in 1810 with Chief Justice John Marshall presiding. In 1860 the Court moved upstairs into the former Senate Chamber and this room was converted into the law library. After the Court left the Capitol in 1935 this chamber was divided into four rooms and used by the Joint Committee on Atomic Energy. In the 1960s the chamber had been abandoned and stood vacant until restored in 1975.

Old Supreme Court Chamber

The floor in the central area of the chamber is approximately 1 foot lower than the level upon which the justices' desks are placed. In this area stand four baize-covered mahogany tables used by lawyers presenting cases before the Supreme Court. Facing these tables and lining the area's western end are the wooden panel-back settees provided for the audience.

Old Supreme Court Chamber

In front of the eastern arcade are mahogany desks for the nine Supreme Court justices, set off from the rest of the room by a mahogany railing. Seven of these desks are 19th-century originals, believed to have been purchased for the court in the late 1830s. The chairs behind the desks represent various styles used around the year 1860; each justice selected the style of his own chair.

Old Supreme Court Chamber

Over the west fireplace hangs a clock ordered for the chamber by Chief Justice Taney in 1837. Above the clock is a plaster relief sculpted in 1817 by Carlo Franzoni. The central figure in the relief is Justice, who is seated and holds a pair of scales in her left hand; her right rests upon the hilt of an unsheathed sword. Unlike many depictions of Justice, she wears no blindfold. The winged youth seated beside her is Fame, who holds up the Constitution of the United States under the rays of the rising sun. At the right side of the sculpture, an eagle protectively rests one foot upon books containing the written laws.

The Capitol From Union Station

As I walked out of Union Station I noticed the Capitol in front of me.

Our Beautiful Capital Building

60 The Capital From Union Station

Our Capitol Building

As you approach the US Capital from the National Mall you pass this beautiful reflecting pool.

The Rayburn House Office Building in Washington DC

The Rayburn House Office Building, completed in early 1965, is the third of three office buildings constructed for the United States House of Representatives. On either side of the main entrance to the building stand two ten-foot marble statues by C. Paul Jennewein, Spirit of Justice and Majesty of Law