View source for United States Capitol

{{Short description|Meeting place of the United States Congress}}
{{About|the building|the group of buildings|United States Capitol Complex|the capital city|Washington, D.C.}}
{{Use American English|date=February 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{Infobox building
| name             = United States Capitol
| image            = United States Capitol west front edit2.jpg
| image_size       = 270px
| caption          = The west front of the U.S. Capitol in 1997
| map_type         = United States Washington, D.C. central#Washington, D.C.#USA
| map_alt          = 
| map_caption      = Location of the U.S. Capitol in [[Washington, D.C.]]
| style            = [[Architecture of the United States#Colonial|American]] [[Neoclassical architecture|neoclassic]]
| location_town    = {{nowrap|[[Capitol Hill]], [[Washington, D.C.]]}}
| location_country = [[United States]]
| coordinates      = {{coord|38|53|23|N|77|00|32|W|region:US-DC_type:landmark|display=inline,title}}
<!-- WGS84 coordinates for Statue of Freedom atop center of dome, 3 mm precision for statue per National Geodetic Survey datasheet UA0016 converted from Jun 15, 1994 to January 1, 2018 using [https://www.ngs.noaa.gov/cgi-bin/HTDP/htdp.prl?f1=4&f2=1 Horizontal Time-Dependent Positioning] -->| architect        = [[William Thornton]]<br />[[Benjamin Henry Latrobe]] (see [[Architect of the Capitol]])
| client           = [[Presidency of George Washington|Washington administration]]
| height           = {{convert|288|ft|m}}
| construction_start_date = {{Start date and age|September 18, 1793}}
| completion_date  = {{Start date and age|1800}}<br />(first occupation)<br />{{Start date and age|1962}}<br />(last extension)
| floor_count      = 5
| floor_area       = {{convert|16.5|acre|ha}}<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.aoc.gov/capitol-buildings/about-us-capitol-building | title=The United States Capitol: An Overview of the Building and Its Function | publisher=Architect of the Capitol | access-date=November 5, 2010 }}</ref>
| website          = {{URL|www.aoc.gov/us-capitol-building}}
| embedded         = {{Infobox NRHP
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The '''United States Capitol''', often called the '''Capitol''' or the '''Capitol Building''', is the [[Seat of government|seat]] of the [[United States Congress]], [[United States Congress|the legislative branch]] of [[Federal government of the United States|the federal government]]. It is located on [[Capitol Hill]] at the eastern end of the [[National Mall]] in [[Washington, D.C.]] Although no longer at the geographic center of the [[Geography of Washington, D.C.|national capital]], the U.S. Capitol forms the origin point for the street-numbering system of the district as well as [[Quadrants of Washington, D.C.|its four quadrants]]. Like the principal buildings of the [[Federal government of the United States#Executive branch|executive]] and [[Federal judiciary of the United States|judicial]] branches, the Capitol is built in a [[neoclassical architecture|neoclassical style]] and has a white exterior.

Central sections of the present building were completed in 1800, when the [[6th United States Congress|6th U.S. Congress]] convened there on November 17, 1800, moving the national capital from [[Philadelphia]] to [[Washington, D.C.]]. The building was partly destroyed in the [[Burning of Washington|1814 Burning of Washington]] by the British, then was fully restored within five years. The building was enlarged during the 19th century, by extending the wings for the chambers for the [[bicameral]] legislature as more [[U.S. state|states]] were admitted to the union, with the [[United States House of Representatives|House of Representatives]] housed in the south wing and the [[United States Senate|Senate]] housed in the north wing. The [[United States Capitol dome|massive dome]] was completed around 1866 just after the [[American Civil War]]. The east front portico was extended in 1958. The building's [[United States Capitol Visitor Center|Visitors Center]] was opened in the early 21st century.

Both its east and west elevations are formally referred to as ''fronts'', 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 the [[architect of the Capitol]], who also oversees the surrounding [[United States Capitol Complex|Capitol Complex]].

== History ==
[[File:United States Capitol Building 2024.jpg|thumb|The west front of the United States Capitol in 2024]]
{{See also|History of Washington, D.C.|List of National Historic Landmarks in Washington, D.C.|List of capitals in the United States#Capitals of the United States}}
===18th century===
{{Further|United States Capitol cornerstone laying}}
Prior to establishing the nation's capital in [[Washington, D.C.]], the [[United States Congress]] and its predecessors met at [[Independence Hall]] and [[Congress Hall]] in [[Philadelphia]]; [[Federal Hall]] in [[New York City]], and five additional locations: [[York, Pennsylvania]]; [[Lancaster, Pennsylvania]]; the [[Maryland State House]] in [[Annapolis, Maryland]]; and [[Nassau Hall]] in [[Princeton, New Jersey]]; and [[Trenton, New Jersey]].<ref>See [[List of capitals in the United States]]</ref> In September 1774, the [[First Continental Congress]] brought together delegates from the [[Thirteen Colonies|colonies]] in Philadelphia, followed by the [[Second Continental Congress]], which met from May 1775 to March 1781.

After adopting the [[Articles of Confederation]] in York, Pennsylvania, the [[Congress of the Confederation]] was formed and convened in Philadelphia from March 1781 until June 1783, when a mob of angry soldiers converged upon Independence Hall, demanding payment for their service during the [[American Revolutionary War]]. Congress requested that [[John Dickinson (delegate)|John Dickinson]], the [[Governor of Pennsylvania]], call up the [[Militia (United States)|militia]] to defend Congress from attacks by the protesters. In what became known as the [[Pennsylvania Mutiny of 1783]], Dickinson sympathized with the protesters and refused to remove them from Philadelphia. As a result, Congress was forced to flee to [[Princeton, New Jersey]], on June 21, 1783,<ref>{{cite book | last=Crew | first=Harvey W. |author2=William Bensing Webb |author3=John Wooldridge | title=Centennial History of the City of Washington, D. C. | publisher=United Brethren Publishing House | year=1892 | location=[[Dayton, Ohio]] | url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_5Q81AAAAIAAJ | page=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_5Q81AAAAIAAJ/page/n73 66]}}</ref> and met in [[Annapolis, Maryland]], and [[Trenton, New Jersey]], before ending up in New York City.

The U.S. Congress was established upon [[History of the United States Constitution|ratification]] of the [[United States Constitution|U.S. Constitution]] and formally began on March 4, 1789. New York City remained home to Congress until July 1790,<ref>Allen (2001), p. 4</ref> when the [[Residence Act]] was passed to pave the way for a permanent capital. The decision of where to locate the capital was contentious, but [[Alexander 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 from [[Northeastern United States|northern states]] for locating the capital along the [[Potomac 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.<ref>Allen (2001), p. 4–7</ref>

[[Pierre L'Enfant]] was charged with creating [[L'Enfant Plan|the city plan]] for the new capital city and the major public buildings.<ref>L'Enfant identified himself as "Peter Charles L'Enfant" during most of his life, while residing in the United States. He wrote this name on his [http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.gmd/g3850.ct000512 "Plan of the city intended for the permanent seat of the government of t(he) United States ...."] (Washington, D.C.) and on other legal documents. However, during the early 1900s, a French ambassador to the U.S., [[Jean Jules Jusserand]], popularized the use of L'Enfant's birth name, "Pierre Charles L'Enfant". (Reference: Bowling, Kenneth R (2002). ''Peter Charles L'Enfant: vision, honor, and male friendship in the early American Republic.'' George Washington University, Washington, D.C. {{ISBN|978-0-9727611-0-9}}). The [[United States Code]] states in {{USC|40|3309}}: "(a) In General.{{snd}}The purposes of this chapter shall be carried out in the District of Columbia as nearly as may be practicable in harmony with the plan of Peter Charles L'Enfant." The [[National Park Service]] identifies L'Enfant as "[https://web.archive.org/web/20070629094749/http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/travel/wash/text.htm#washington Major Peter Charles L'Enfant]" and as "[https://web.archive.org/web/20090114210737/http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/travel/presidents/washington_monument.html Major Pierre (Peter) Charles L'Enfant]" on its website.</ref> The Congress House would be built on Jenkins Hill, now known as [[Capitol Hill]], which L'Enfant described as a "pedestal awaiting a monument."<ref>{{cite web | url=http://uschscapitolhistory.uschs.org/articles/uschs_dome-02.htm | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081023082234/http://uschscapitolhistory.uschs.org/articles/uschs_dome-02.htm | archive-date=October 23, 2008 | title=U.S. Capitol Historical Society &#124; CAPITOL HISTORY }}</ref> L'Enfant connected Congress House with the President's House via [[Pennsylvania Avenue]] with a width set at 160 feet, identical to the narrowest points of the [[Champs-Élysées]] in Paris. Westwards was a 400-foot-wide (122 m) garden-lined "grand avenue" containing a public walk (later known as the [[National Mall]]) that would travel for about 1 mile (1.6&nbsp;km) along the east–west line.

The term "Capitol" (from Latin ''Capitolium'') originally denoted the [[Capitoline Hill]] in Rome and the [[Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus|Temple of Jupiter]] that stood on its summit.<ref>{{Cite OED|Capitol|6242540895}}</ref> 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 the [[Capitol (Williamsburg, Virginia)|Williamsburg Capitol]] in [[Virginia]].<ref>{{cite journal |title=Naming the Capitol and the Capital |first=George W. |last=Hodgkins |journal=Records of the Columbia Historical Society, Washington, D.C. |volume=60/62 |year=1960 |pages=36–53 |jstor=40067217}}</ref> [[Thomas Jefferson]] had sat here as a member of the [[House of Burgesses]], and it was he who applied the name "Capitol" to what on L'Enfant's plan had been called the "Congress House".<ref name=Kornwolf>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4bHwImC-UOUC&pg=PA1522|page=1552|title=The Creation of the Federal City: Washington|series=Architecture and Town Planning in Colonial North America: Vol. 3|first1=James D|last1=Kornwolf|first2=Georgiana Wallis|last2=Kornwolf|location=Baltimore, Maryland|publisher=The Johns Hopkins University Press|year=2002|isbn=0801859867|oclc=45066419|access-date=October 29, 2016|quote=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."}} ''At'' [[Google Books]].</ref> "Capitol" has since become a general term for government buildings, especially in the United States. It is often confused with "capital"; the former, however, denotes a building or complex of buildings, while the latter denotes a city.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title=Capitol |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/capitol |dictionary=Merriam-Webster |access-date=July 21, 2022}} and {{cite encyclopedia |title=Capital |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/capital |dictionary=Merriam-Webster |access-date=July 21, 2022}}</ref>

L'Enfant secured the lease of [[Quarry|quarries]] at [[Public Quarry at Government Island|Wigginton Island]] and along [[Aquia Creek]] in [[Virginia]] for use in the [[Foundation (architecture)|foundation]]s and outer walls of the Capitol in November 1791.<ref name="morgan-p120">{{cite journal | author=Morgan, J.D. | title=Maj. Pierre Charles L'Enfant | journal=Records of the Columbia Historical Society | year=1899 | volume=2 | page=120}}</ref> Surveying was under way soon after the Jefferson conference plan for the Capitol was accepted.<ref name="Allen 2001, p. 23"/> On September 18, 1793, President Washington, along with eight other Freemasons dressed in [[Freemasonry|masonic]] regalia, [[United States Capitol cornerstone laying|laid the cornerstone]], which was made by [[silversmith]] [[Caleb Bentley]].<ref>Hazelton (1907), p. 84</ref><ref>{{cite book | last=Allen | first=William C. | title=In the Greatest Solemn Dignity: The Capitol's Four Cornerstones | publisher=Government Printing Office | year=1995 | page=7}}</ref>

In early 1792, after [[Pierre 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.<ref>Allen (2001), p. 13–15</ref> 

The most promising of the submissions was by [[Étienne Sulpice Hallet|Stephen Hallet]], a trained French architect who was a draftsman to Pierre L'Enfant on the city plan.<ref>Frary (1969), p. 28</ref> However, Hallet's designs were overly fancy, with too much French influence, and were deemed too costly.<ref>Allen (2001), p. 18</ref> 
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.

[[File:Flickr_-_USCapitol_-_Thornton_Capitol_Winning_Design.jpg|thumb|William Thornton's approved design for the Capitol, 1793]]
On January 31, 1793, a late entry by amateur architect [[William 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 the [[east front of the Louvre]], as well as the [[Pantheon, Paris|Paris Pantheon]] for the center portion of the design.<ref>Allen (2001), p. 19</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.loc.gov/rr/print/adecenter/essays/B-Thornton.html | title=William Thornton (1759–1828) | publisher=Library of Congress | access-date=July 7, 2007 }}</ref> Thornton's design was officially approved in a letter dated April 5, 1793, from Washington, and Thornton served as the first [[architect of the Capitol]] (and later first superintendent of the [[U.S. Patent and Trademark Office]]).<ref>Frary (1969), p. 33</ref> 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.<ref>Frary (1969), p. 34–35</ref> 

In July 1793, Jefferson convened a five-member commission, bringing Hallet and Thornton together, along with [[James 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.<ref name="Allen 2001, p. 23">Allen (2001), p. 23</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/etcbin/toccer-new2?id=JefThom.sgm&images=images/modeng&data=/texts/english/modeng/parsed&tag=public&part=178&division=div2 | work=Thomas Jefferson and the National Capital | title=Letter: Jefferson to Washington | date=July 17, 1793 | author=Jefferson, Thomas | publisher=University of Virginia | access-date=December 11, 2008 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110221135738/http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/etcbin/toccer-new2?id=JefThom.sgm&images=images%2Fmodeng&data=%2Ftexts%2Fenglish%2Fmodeng%2Fparsed&tag=public&part=178&division=div2 | archive-date=February 21, 2011 | url-status=dead | df=mdy-all }}</ref> The revised plan was accepted, except that Secretary Jefferson and President Washington insisted on an open [[Alcove (architecture)|recess]] in the center of the East front, which was part of Thornton's original plan.<ref>Frary (1969), p. 36</ref>

The original design by Thornton was later significantly altered by [[Benjamin Henry Latrobe]], and later [[Charles Bulfinch]].<ref name=WDL1>{{cite web | title=United States Capitol, Washington, D.C.: East Front Elevation, Rendering | url=http://www.wdl.org/en/item/17 | publisher=[[World Digital Library]] | access-date=February 13, 2013 }}</ref> The [[United States Capitol dome|current cast-iron dome]] and the House's new southern extension and [[United States Senate|Senate]] new northern wing were designed by [[Thomas Ustick Walter]] and [[August Schoenborn]], a German immigrant, in the 1850s,<ref>{{cite web | last=Woods | first=Robert O. | url=http://www.memagazine.org/contents/current/features/capdome/capdome.html | title=Under the Capitol Dome | work=Mechanical Engineering Magazine | publisher=The American Society of Mechanical Engineers | date=June 2003 | access-date=December 11, 2008 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090126092928/http://www.memagazine.org/contents/current/features/capdome/capdome.html | archive-date=January 26, 2009 | df=mdy-all }}</ref> and were completed under the supervision of [[Edward Clark (architect)|Edward Clark]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.aoc.gov/cc/capitol/capitol_construction.cfm | title=A Brief Construction History of the Capitol | publisher=Architect of the Capitol}}</ref>

Construction proceeded with Hallet working under supervision of [[James 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.<ref>Frary (1969), p. 37–39</ref> [[George Hadfield (architect)|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.<ref>Frary (1969), p. 44–45</ref>

===19th century===
{{See also|Burning of Washington}}
[[File:USCapitol1800.jpg|thumb|An 1800 portrait of the Capitol by [[William Russell Birch]]]]
[[File:US Capitol 1814c.jpg|thumb|An 1814 portrait by [[George Munger (artist)|George Munger]] of the U.S. Capitol after the [[burning of Washington]] by the [[British Army]] during the [[War of 1812]]]]
[[File:Capitol1846.jpg|thumb|[[Daguerreotype]] of the east side of the Capitol in 1846, by [[John Plumbe]], showing Bulfinch's dome]]
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 the [[United States House of Representatives|House 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 its [[History of the United States Congress|first session]] of the U.S. Congress with both chambers in session on November 17, 1800. The National Legislature was moved to [[Washington, D.C.|Washington]] prematurely, at the urging of President [[John Adams]], in hopes of securing enough [[Southern United States|Southern]] votes in the [[Electoral College (United States)|Electoral College]] to be re-elected for a second term as president.<ref name="carter-p139">{{cite journal | author=Carter II, Edward C. | title=Benjamin Henry Latrobe and the Growth and Development of Washington, 1798–1818 | journal=Records of the Columbia Historical Society | date=1971–1972 | page=139}}</ref>

In March 1803, [[James Madison]] appointed [[Benjamin 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.<ref>{{cite web |title=Old Supreme Court Chamber |url=https://www.aoc.gov/explore-capitol-campus/buildings-grounds/capitol-building/senate-wing/old-supreme-court-chamber |publisher=Architect of the Capitol |access-date=August 10, 2024}}</ref>

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 called [[Statuary Hall]]). When held in the House chamber, the Speaker's podium was used as the preacher's pulpit. According to the [[U.S. Library of Congress]] exhibit ''Religion and the Founding of the American Republic'':

{{Blockquote|It is no exaggeration to say that on Sundays in Washington during the administrations of Thomas Jefferson (1801–1809) and of [[James 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{{snd}}a practice that continued until after the [[American Civil War|Civil War]]{{snd}}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 President of the United States|Vice President]] [[Aaron Burr]], and a "crowded audience".<ref name= LOC-religion>{{cite web | title=Religion and the Founding of the American Republic | date=July 23, 2010 | publisher=U.S. Library of Congress | url=https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/religion/rel06-2.html | access-date=September 23, 2011 }}</ref>}}

Not long after the completion of both wings, the Capitol was [[Burning of Washington|partially burned]] by the [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|British]] on August 24, 1814, during the [[War of 1812]]. After the fires, Latrobe was rehired as Architect of the Capitol to oversee restoration works.

[[George Bomford]] and [[Joseph 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 the [[Old 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 interior [[United States Capitol rotunda|Rotunda]] 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 President [[Millard Fillmore]] appointed Philadelphia architect [[Thomas 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.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmo-A_8HoOM | archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211029/jmo-A_8HoOM| archive-date=October 29, 2021| title=The History of the United States Capitol | date=October 27, 2010| publisher=YouTube | access-date=February 19, 2012}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

When the Capitol was expanded in the 1850s, some of the construction labor was carried out by [[History of slavery in the United States|slaves]] "who cut the logs, laid the stones and baked the bricks".<ref>{{cite news | url=http://washingtontimes.com/national/20050531-110046-7574r.htm | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050604031125/http://washingtontimes.com/national/20050531-110046-7574r.htm | archive-date=June 4, 2005 | title=Capitol slave labor studied | date=June 1, 2005 | agency=Associated Press | work=The Washington Times}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.whitehousehistory.org/05/subs/05_c.html | title=Timeline | publisher=White House Historical Association | access-date=June 10, 2007 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070519051655/http://www.whitehousehistory.org/05/subs/05_c.html | archive-date=May 19, 2007 | url-status=dead | df=mdy-all }}</ref>

====Capitol dome====
{{Main|United States Capitol dome}}
[[File:LincolnInauguration1861a.jpg|thumb|Inauguration of [[Abraham 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 by [[Charles 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 by [[Thomas U. Walter]], the new dome would stand three times the height of the original dome and {{convert|100|ft}} in diameter, yet had to be supported on the existing masonry piers.

Like [[Jules Hardouin-Mansart|Mansart]]'s dome at [[Les Invalides]] in Paris (which he had visited in 1838), Walter's dome is double, with a large [[Oculus (architecture)|oculus]] in the inner dome, through which is seen ''[[The Apotheosis of Washington]]'' painted on a shell suspended from the supporting ribs, which also support the visible exterior structure and the [[wikt:tholos|tholos]] that supports the ''[[Statue of Freedom]]'', a colossal statue that was raised to the top of the dome in 1863. The statue invokes the goddesses [[Minerva]] or [[Athena]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://picturinghistory.gc.cuny.edu/thomas-crawford-statue-of-freedom-1855-63/|title = Picturing US History - Thomas Crawford, Statue of Freedom, 1855-63}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.aoc.gov/explore-capitol-campus/art/statue-freedom|title = The Statue of Freedom &#124; Architect of the Capitol}}</ref> The [[cast iron]] for the dome weighs {{convert|8909200|lb|kg}}.<ref>{{cite web|title=Capitol Dome|url=https://www.aoc.gov/capitol-buildings/capitol-dome|publisher=Architect of the Capitol|access-date=May 2, 2017}}</ref> The dome's [[cast iron frame]] was supplied and constructed by the iron foundry [[Adrian Janes|Janes, Fowler, Kirtland & Co.]]<ref>{{Cite web|last=Terrell|first=Ellen|date=May 20, 2015|title=The Capitol Dome: Janes, Fowler, & Kirtland Co. {{!}} Inside Adams: Science, Technology & Business|url=https://blogs.loc.gov/inside_adams/2015/05/the-capitol-dome-janes-fowler-kirtland-co/|access-date=August 24, 2021|website=Library of Congress Blogs }}</ref> The thirty-six Corinthian columns that surround the base of the dome were provided by the Baltimore ironworks of [[Robert Poole (industrialist)|Poole & Hunt.]]<ref>{{Cite book |last=Swett |first=Steven |title=The Metalworkers: Robert Poole, His Ironworks, and Technology in 19th Century America |publisher=Baltimore Museum of Industry |year=2022 |isbn=978-0-578-28250-3 |location=Baltimore, Maryland |pages=85–122}}</ref>

[[File:National Capitol Columns - Washington, D.C..jpg|thumb|[[National Capitol Columns]] at the [[United States National Arboretum|National Arboretum]] in 2008]]

When the Capitol's new dome was finally completed, its massive visual weight, in turn, overpowered the proportions of the columns of the East [[Portico]], built in 1828.<ref>{{Cite web |title=U.S. National Arboretum |url=https://www.usna.usda.gov/discover/gardens-collections/national-capitol-columns/ |access-date=June 14, 2023 |website=www.usna.usda.gov}}</ref>

===20th century===
In 1904, the East Front of the Capitol building was rebuilt, following a design of the architects [[Carrère and Hastings]], who designed the [[Russell Senate Office Building|Russell Senate]] and [[Cannon House Office Building|Cannon House]] office buildings earlier that year.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cannon House Office Building {{!}} Architect of the Capitol |url=https://www.aoc.gov/explore-capitol-campus/buildings-grounds/house-office-buildings/cannon |access-date=May 23, 2023 |website=www.aoc.gov}}</ref>

In 1958, the next major expansion to the Capitol started, with a {{convert|33.5|ft|adj=on}} extension of the East Portico.{{citation needed| date=October 2012}} In 1960, two years into the project, the dome underwent a restoration.<ref name=Steinhauer/> A marble duplicate of the [[sandstone]] East Front was built {{convert|33.5|ft}} 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 sandstone [[Corinthian order|Corinthian]] [[column]]s were removed and replaced with marble. It was not until 1984 that landscape designer [[Russell Page]] created a suitable setting for them in a large meadow at the [[United States National Arboretum|U.S. National Arboretum]] in northeast Washington as the [[National Capitol Columns]], where they were combined with a reflecting pool into an ensemble that reminds some visitors of the ruins of [[Persepolis]], in [[Persia]].

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 the [[Capitol Power Plant]] until 1975.<ref name=":0"/> 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.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Capitol Stones in Rock Creek Park |url=https://architectofthecapital.org/posts/2016/5/30/capitol-stones |access-date=September 28, 2022 |website=Architect of the Capital |date=September 5, 2016 |language=en-US |archive-date=October 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221001123903/https://architectofthecapital.org/posts/2016/5/30/capitol-stones |url-status=dead }}</ref> As this body was long defunct, responsibility for the material passed to the House and Senate office building commissions.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Berger |first=Leslie |date=June 26, 1982 |title=Echoes of the Capitol's Past Lie in Ruins |language=en-US |newspaper=Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1982/06/26/echoes-of-the-capitols-past-lie-in-ruins/0d7f1a43-bcde-41f3-b6ee-b88ee3badd68/ |access-date=September 28, 2022 |issn=0190-8286}}</ref> These commissions then arranged for the [[National Park Service]] to store the debris at the back of a NPS maintenance yard in [[Rock Creek Park]].<ref>Jule Banville, [http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/articles/37113/stone-cold-whodunit "Stone-Cold Whodunit"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140116212225/http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/articles/37113/stone-cold-whodunit |date=January 16, 2014 }} (April 24, 2009), ''Washington City Paper''</ref><ref>[http://www.rockcreekrunner.com/2011/07/25/stones-from-us-capitol-in-rock-creek-park/ "Stones from US Capitol in Rock Creek Park"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210114214717/https://www.rockcreekrunner.com/2011/07/25/stones-from-us-capitol-in-rock-creek-park/ |date=January 14, 2021 }} (July 25, 2011), ''Rock Creek Runner''</ref>

With the permission of the [[Speaker of the United States House of Representatives|speaker 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 and paperweights, which are still sold to support the Capitol Historical Society.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sandstone Bookends |url=https://www.uschscatalog.org/prod-122-1-40-111/sandstone-bookends.htm |access-date=September 28, 2022 |website=USCHS Gift Shop}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Sandstone Bookends Without Base |url=https://www.uschscatalog.org/prod-122-1-39-111/sandstone-bookends-without-base.htm |access-date=September 28, 2022 |website=USCHS Gift Shop}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Sandstone Paperweights |url=https://shop.capitolhistory.org/products/sandstone-paperweight-with-base |access-date=April 7, 2025 |website=USCHS Gift Shop}}</ref> By 1982, more than $20,000 (nearly $60,000 [[Adjusted-for-inflation|adjusted]]) had been raised through such sales.<ref name=":0" /> Unpursued uses for the stones proposed by the Capitol Historical Society have included their sale as cornerstones in new housing developments.<ref name=":0" />

On December 19, 1960, the Capitol was declared a [[National Historic Landmark]] by the National Park Service.<ref name=inventory>{{cite web | url= http://www.planning.dc.gov/planning/frames.asp?doc=/planning/lib/planning/preservation/hp_inventory/inventory_narrative_sep_2004.pdf | title= District of Columbia – Inventory of Historic Sites | date= September 1, 2004 | work= District of Columbia: Office of Planning | publisher= Government of the District of Columbia | access-date= August 9, 2009 | url-status= dead | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090717032933/http://planning.dc.gov/planning/frames.asp?doc=%2Fplanning%2Flib%2Fplanning%2Fpreservation%2Fhp_inventory%2Finventory_narrative_sep_2004.pdf | archive-date= July 17, 2009 | df= mdy-all }}</ref> The building was ranked No. 6 in a 2007 survey conducted for the [[American Institute of Architects]]' "[[America's Favorite Architecture]]" list.<ref name=AIAfavorite>{{cite web | url= http://favoritearchitecture.org/afa150.php | title= America's Favorite Architecture | year= 2007 | work= Harris Interactive | publisher= American Institute of Architects | access-date= August 9, 2009 | archive-date= May 18, 2007 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070518053904/http://favoritearchitecture.org/afa150.php | url-status= dead }}</ref>

The Capitol draws heavily from other notable buildings, especially churches and landmarks in Europe, including the dome of [[St. Peter's Basilica]] in the [[Vatican City|Vatican]] and [[St. Paul's Cathedral]] in London.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.american-architecture.info/USA/USA-Washington/DC-004.htm | title=World Architecture Images- U.S. Capitol | publisher=American-architecture.info | access-date=November 5, 2010 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101026032757/http://www.american-architecture.info/USA/USA-Washington/DC-004.htm | archive-date=October 26, 2010 | url-status=usurped | df=mdy-all }}</ref> On the roofs of the Senate and House Chambers are flagpoles that fly the [[Flag of the United States|U.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. senator [[Strom Thurmond]] was one of the Freemason politicians who took part in the ceremony.{{citation needed|date=May 2022}}

===21st century===
[[File:US Capitol dome Jan 2006.jpg|thumb|The Capitol dome in 2006, topped by the ''[[Statue of Freedom]]'']]
[[File:US Capitol and visitor centre.jpg|thumb|The Capitol's visitor center in March 2024]]

On June 20, 2000, ground was broken for the [[Capitol Visitor Center]], which opened on December 2, 2008.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.visitthecapitol.gov/Visit/Frequently%20Asked%20Questions/#q1 | title=Capitol Visitors Center FAQ | publisher=Architect Of the Capitol | access-date=December 4, 2008 | archive-date=January 14, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210114214615/https://www.visitthecapitol.gov/frequently-asked-questions#q1 | url-status=dead }}</ref> From 2001 through 2008, the East Front of the Capitol (site of most [[United States presidential inauguration|presidential inaugurations]] until [[Ronald 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 a [[utility tunnel|service tunnel]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=U.S. Capitol Visitor Center {{!}} Architect of the Capitol |url=https://www.aoc.gov/explore-capitol-campus/buildings-grounds/capitol-building/capitol-visitor-center |access-date=July 14, 2024 |website=www.aoc.gov}}</ref>

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.<ref name=AoC2014Restoration>{{cite web |title=Capitol Dome Restoration Project Overview |url=http://www.aoc.gov/dome/project-overview |website=[[Architect of the Capitol]] |access-date=November 12, 2014 }}</ref> As of 2012, $20&nbsp;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, the [[United States Senate Committee on Appropriations|Senate Appropriations Committee]] voted to spend $61&nbsp;million to repair the exterior of the dome. The House wanted to spend less on government operations,<ref name=Steinhauer>{{cite news | url= https://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/25/us/politics/capitol-dome-is-imperiled-by-cracks-and-a-partisan-divide.html?_r=0Capitol | title= Dome Is Imperiled by 1,300 Cracks and Partisan Rift | last= Steinhauer | first= Jennifer | date= August 24, 2012 | work= [[The New York Times]] | access-date= October 4, 2012 }}</ref> but in late 2013, it was announced that renovations would take place over two years, starting in spring 2014.<ref name=Renovation>{{cite news | url=http://www.journalnow.com/news/nation_world/article_10cd6438-6dd8-11e3-b195-001a4bcf6878.html | title=Capitol's historic dome set for 2-year renovation | work=[[Winston-Salem Journal]] | agency=[[Associated Press]] | date=December 26, 2013 | access-date=December 26, 2013}}</ref>

In 2014, extensive scaffolding was erected, enclosing and obscuring the dome.<ref name=AoC2014Restoration/><ref>{{cite AV media |author=Architect of the Capitol |title=In Celebration of the U.S. Capitol Dome |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azMdEHP-FL0 | archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211029/azMdEHP-FL0| archive-date=October 29, 2021|date=December 15, 2016 |website=YouTube |access-date=August 26, 2021}}{{cbignore}}</ref> All exterior scaffolding was removed by mid-September 2016.<ref name=AoCProjectUpdates>{{cite web |title=Dome Restoration Project Updates |url=http://www.aoc.gov/dome/project-updates |website=Architect of the Capitol |access-date=October 19, 2016 }}</ref>

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 for [[Wi-Fi]] and mobile-phone within the Capitol Building and annexes, followed by the new Capitol Visitor Center. The winning bidder was an [[Silicon Wadi|Israeli company]] called Foxcom which has since changed its name and been acquired by [[Corning Inc.|Corning Incorporated]].<ref>{{cite web |first=John |last=Bresnahan |title=House Ends Cell Phone Licensing Deal |url=https://www.politico.com/story/2007/02/house-ends-cell-phone-licensing-deal-002910 |work=[[Politico]] |date=February 26, 2007 |access-date=January 11, 2019 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |first=Jackie |last=Kucinich |title=Hastert rebuffs Pelosi on investigation request |url=https://thehill.com/homenews/news/8386-hastert-rebuffs-pelosi-on-investigation-request/ |work=[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]] |date=October 26, 2005 |access-date=January 11, 2019}}</ref>

==Interior==
{{Further|United States Capitol rotunda|United States Capitol subway system}}

The Capitol building is marked by its central [[United States Capitol dome|dome]] above a [[United States Capitol rotunda|rotunda]] 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 smaller [[debate chamber|meeting 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 of [[neoclassical architecture]].

Tunnels and internal [[United States Capitol Subway System|subways]] connect the Capitol building with the [[Congressional office buildings]] in the [[United States Capitol Complex|Capitol 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.

===Art===
{{Main|List of artwork at the United States Capitol complex}}
[[File:Declaration of Independence (1819), by John Trumbull.jpg|thumb|[[John Trumbull]]'s 1819 portrait, ''[[Declaration of Independence (Trumbull)|Declaration of Independence]]'', depicting the [[Committee of Five]] submitting its draft of the [[United States Declaration of Independence|Declaration of Independence]] to the [[Second Continental Congress]] in [[Philadelphia]], one of the largest paintings on display in the rotunda]]
[[File:Apotheosis of G. Washington.jpg|thumb|''[[The Apotheosis of Washington]]'', the 1865 [[fresco]] by [[Constantino Brumidi]] on the interior of the Capitol's dome]]

Since 1856, the Capitol has featured some the most prominent [[Visual arts of the United States|art in the United States]], including [[Italian American]]  artist [[Constantino Brumidi]], whose [[mural]]s are located in the hallways of the first floor of the Senate side of the Capitol. The murals, known as the [[Brumidi Corridors]],<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.aoc.gov/cc/art/brumidi/index.cfm | title=AOC.gov | publisher=AOC.gov | access-date=November 5, 2010 }}</ref> reflect great moments and people in [[History of the United States|United States history]]. Among the original works are those depicting [[Benjamin Franklin]], [[John Fitch (inventor)|John Fitch]], [[Robert Fulton]], and events such as the [[Louisiana Purchase|Cession of Louisiana]]. Also decorating the walls are animals, insects and natural [[Flora of the United States|flora]] indigenous to the United States. Brumidi's design left many spaces open so future events in United States history could be added. Among those added are the ''[[Spirit of St. Louis]]'', the [[Apollo 11|Moon landing]], and the [[Space Shuttle Challenger disaster|Space Shuttle ''Challenger'' crew]].

Brumidi also worked within the Rotunda. He painted ''[[The Apotheosis of Washington]]'' beneath the top of the dome, and also the ''[[United States Capitol rotunda#Frieze of American History|Frieze of American History]]''.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.aoc.gov/cc/art/rotunda/frieze/index.cfm | title=Frieze of American History | publisher=Aoc.gov | access-date=November 5, 2010 }}</ref> ''The Apotheosis of Washington'' was completed in 11 months and painted by Brumidi while suspended nearly {{convert|180|ft}} in the air. It is said to be the first attempt by the United States to deify a [[Founding Fathers of the United States|founding father]]. Washington is depicted surrounded by 13 [[Virginity|maidens]] in an inner ring with many [[Greek mythology|Greek]] and [[Roman mythology|Roman gods and goddesses]] below him in a second ring. The [[frieze]] is located around the inside of the base of the dome and is a chronological, pictorial history of the United States from the landing of [[Christopher Columbus]] to the [[Wright Brothers]]'s flight in [[Kitty Hawk, North Carolina|Kitty 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, and [[Allyn Cox]]. The final scenes depicted in the fresco had not yet occurred when Brumidi began his ''Frieze of the United States History''.

Within the Rotunda there are eight large paintings about the development of the United States as a nation. On the east side are four paintings depicting major events in the discovery of America. On the west are four paintings depicting the founding of the United States. The east side paintings include ''The Baptism of [[Pocahontas]]'' by [[John Gadsby Chapman]], ''The Embarkation of the [[Pilgrim Fathers|Pilgrims]]'' by [[Robert Walter Weir]], ''The Discovery of the [[Mississippi River|Mississippi]]'' by [[William Henry Powell (artist)|William Henry Powell]], and ''The Landing of Columbus'' by [[John Vanderlyn]]. The paintings on the west side are by [[John Trumbull]]: ''[[Declaration of Independence (Trumbull)|Declaration of Independence]]'', ''[[Surrender of General Burgoyne]]'', ''[[Surrender of Lord Cornwallis]]'', and ''[[General George Washington Resigning His Commission]]''. Trumbull was a contemporary of the United States' founding fathers and a participant in the [[American Revolutionary War]]; he painted a self-portrait into ''Surrender of Lord Cornwallis''.

''[[First Reading of the Emancipation Proclamation of President Lincoln]]'', an 1864 painting by [[Francis Bicknell Carpenter]], hangs over the west staircase in the Senate wing.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/art/artifact/Painting_33_00005.htm | title=U.S. Senate: Art & History Home, First Reading of the Emancipation Proclamation of Presid | publisher=Senate.gov | access-date=February 19, 2012 }}</ref>

The Capitol also houses the [[National Statuary Hall Collection]], comprising two statues donated by each of the [[U.S. state|fifty states]] to honor persons notable in their histories. One of the most notable statues in the [[National Statuary Hall]] is a [[Kamehameha Statue|bronze statue of King Kamehameha]] donated by the state of Hawaii upon its accession to the union in 1959. The statue's extraordinary weight of {{convert|15000|lb|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 of [[Popé|Po'pay]] from the state of [[New Mexico]], was added on September 22, 2005. It was the first statue moved into the Emancipation Hall.

===Crypt===
{{Main|United States Capitol crypt}}
[[File:USA-US Capitol2.JPG|thumb|The [[United States Capitol crypt|Capitol crypt]]]]
On the ground floor is an area known as [[United States Capitol crypt|the Crypt]]. It was intended to be the burial place of [[George Washington]], with a ringed [[balustrade]] at the center of the Rotunda above looking down to his tomb. However, under the stipulations of his last [[Will (law)|will]], Washington was buried at [[Mount Vernon]]. The Crypt houses exhibits on the history of the Capitol. A [[Compass rose|compass star]] inlaid in the floor marks the point at which Washington, D.C. is divided into its four quadrants and is the basis for how [[Streets and highways of Washington, D.C.|addresses in Washington, D.C.]], are designated ([[Northeast, Washington, D.C.|NE]], [[Northwest, Washington, D.C.|NW]], [[Southeast, Washington, D.C.|SE]], or [[Southwest, Washington, D.C.|SW]]).

[[Gutzon Borglum]]'s massive ''[[Bust of Abraham Lincoln (Borglum)|Abraham 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 of [[marble]]. Borglum carved the bust in 1908; it was donated to the Congress by [[Eugene Meyer (financier)|Eugene Meyer Jr.]] and accepted by the [[Joint 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.<ref name="Abraham Lincoln Bust">{{cite web|title=Abraham Lincoln Bust|url=https://www.aoc.gov/art/busts/abraham-lincoln-bust|publisher=Architect of the Capitol|access-date=May 2, 2017}}</ref> 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|date=November 2018}} Borglum's depiction of Lincoln was so accurate that [[Robert Todd Lincoln]], the president's son, praised the bust as "the most extraordinarily good portrait of my father I have ever seen".<ref name="Abraham Lincoln Bust"/> Supposedly, according to legend, the marble head remains unfinished (missing the left ear) to symbolize Lincoln's [[Assassination of Abraham Lincoln|unfinished life]].

===Features===
A statue of [[John C. Calhoun]] is located at one end of the room near the [[Old Supreme Court Chamber]]. On the right leg of the statue, a mark from a bullet fired during the [[1998 United States Capitol shooting|1998 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 have [[Lying in state|lain in state]] in the Rotunda for public viewing, most recently [[Jimmy Carter]]. The tomb meant for Washington stored the [[catafalque]] which is used to support [[coffin]]s 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.

The [[Hall 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 a [[spa]]-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 a [[massage parlor]].

A steep metal staircase, totaling 365 steps, leads from the basement to an outdoor walkway on top of the Capitol's dome.<ref name=365steps>{{cite news | url= https://www.nytimes.com/1997/08/10/us/365-steps-to-the-top-of-capitol-hill.html | title= 365 Steps to the Top of Capitol Hill | date= August 10, 1997 | work= The New York Times | at= Section 1, Page 22 | access-date= August 9, 2009 }}</ref> The number of steps represents each day of the year.<ref name=thirtyyears>{{cite book | last= Logan | first= Mrs. John A. (Mary Simmerson) | title= Thirty Years in Washington; or, Life and Scenes in Our National Capital | publisher=A. D. Worthington & Co | location= Hartford, Connecticut | year= 1901 | page= [https://archive.org/details/thirtyyearsinwa00logauoft/page/78 78] | oclc= 29540458 | url= https://archive.org/details/thirtyyearsinwa00logauoft | access-date=August 9, 2009 }}</ref> Also in the basement, the weekly [[Jumu'ah|Jummah]] prayer is held on Fridays by Muslim staffers.<ref>{{cite news |last=Bowman |first=Bridget |title=Muslim on Capitol Hill: Staffers Look to Rebuild |url=http://www.rollcall.com/news/home/congressional-muslim-staff-association |date=July 21, 2014 |newspaper=[[Roll Call]] |access-date=January 17, 2017 |archive-date=January 14, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210114214626/https://www.rollcall.com/2014/07/21/muslim-on-capitol-hill-staffers-look-to-rebuild-2/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

=== Height ===
{{Further|Heights of Buildings Act of 1910|List of tallest buildings in Washington, D.C.|The Height of Buildings Act of 1899|}}
Contrary to a popular myth, [[Height of Buildings Act of 1899|building height laws]] have never referred to the height of the Capitol building, which rises to {{convert|289|ft|m|0}}.<ref>{{cite web | author=Matthew Gilmore | url=http://www.h-net.org/~dclist/building_height | title=H-DC Discussion Network | publisher=H-net.org | access-date=November 5, 2010}}</ref> The Capitol is only the [[List of tallest buildings in Washington, D.C.|fourth-tallest structure in Washington]].

=== House Chamber ===<!-- This section is linked from [[Hammurabi]] -->
[[File:2019 State of the Union (47006679041).jpg|thumb|President [[Donald Trump]] delivering the [[2019 State of the Union Address]] in the House chamber]]

The [[United States House of Representatives|House of Representatives]] Chamber has 448 permanent seats. Unlike senators, representatives do not have assigned seats.<ref>{{cite web |title=The House Chamber |url=http://clerk.house.gov/art_history/art_artifacts/virtual_tours/house_chamber/index.html |date= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090905185132/http://clerk.house.gov/art_history/art_artifacts/virtual_tours/house_chamber/index.html |archive-date=September 5, 2009 |website=Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives |access-date=December 31, 2022}}</ref> The chamber is large enough to accommodate members of all three branches of the federal government and invited guests for [[Joint session of the United States Congress|joint sessions]] of Congress such as the [[State of the Union]] speech and other events.

The Chamber is adorned with [[Relief|relief portraits]] of famous lawmakers and lawgivers throughout Western and Near Eastern history. The [[United 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.

In order, clockwise around the chamber:
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!No.
!Individual
!Years
!Country
!Legal work
|-
|1
|[[George Mason]]
|1725–1792
|[[United States]]
|[[Virginia Declaration of Rights]]
|-
|2
|[[Robert Joseph Pothier]]
|1699–1772
|[[Kingdom of France|France]]
|''Pandectae Justinianae in novum ordinem digestae''
|-
|3
|[[Jean-Baptiste Colbert]]
|1619–1683
|France
|
|-
|4
|[[Edward I of England|Edward I]]
|1239–1307
|[[Kingdom of England|England]]
|[[Statute of Westminster 1275]] and [[Statute of Westminster 1285]]
|-
|5
|[[Alfonso X of Castile|Alfonso X]]
|1221–1284
|[[Kingdom of Castile|Castile]]
|''Fuero Real'' and ''Siete Partidas''
|-
|6
|[[Pope Gregory IX]]
|data-sort-value="1145"|{{circa}} 1145–1241
|[[pope|Papacy]]
|''[[Decretales Gregorii IX|Decretales]]''
|-
|7
|[[Louis IX of France|Louis IX]]
|1214–1270
|France
|
|-
|8
|[[Justinian I]]
|data-sort-value="482"|{{circa}} 482–565
|[[Byzantine Empire]]
|{{Lang|la|[[Corpus Juris Civilis]]}}
|-
|9
|[[Tribonian]]
|data-sort-value="485"|{{circa}} 485–542
|[[Byzantine Empire]]
|''[[Codex Justinianus]]''
|-
|10
|[[Lycurgus of Sparta|Lycurgus]]
|data-sort-value="0"|{{fl.}} {{circa}} 820 BC
|[[Sparta]]
|[[Spartan Constitution]]
|-
|11
|[[Hammurabi]]
|data-sort-value="-1810"|{{circa}} 1810 – 1750 BC
|[[First Babylonian dynasty|Babylonian Empire]]
|[[Code of Hammurabi]]
|-
|12
|[[Moses]]
|data-sort-value="-1570"|{{circa}} 14th – 13th century BC
|[[Israelites|Tribes of Israel]]
|[[Law of Moses]]
|-
|13
|[[Solon]]
|data-sort-value="-638"|{{circa}} 638 – {{circa}} 558 BC
|[[Classical Athens|Athens]]
|[[Solonian Constitution]]
|-
|14
|[[Papinian]]
|142–212
|[[Roman Empire|Rome]]
|''Quaestiones'', ''Responsa'', ''Definitiones'', ''De adulteriis''
|-
|15
|[[Gaius (jurist)|Gaius]]
|data-sort-value="130"|{{fl.}} 130–180
|Rome
|Institutes
|-
|16
|[[Maimonides]]
|1135/38–1204
|[[Almoravid dynasty|Almoravid Empire]]
|[[Mishneh Torah]]
|-
|17
|[[Suleiman the Magnificent]]
|1494–1566
|[[Ottoman Empire]]
|[[Suleiman the Magnificent#Legal and political reforms|''Kanune Raya'']]
|-
|18
|[[Pope Innocent III]]
|1160/61–1216
|Papacy
|
|-
|19
|[[Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester|Simon de Montfort]]
|data-sort-value="1208"|{{circa}} 1208–1265
|England
|[[Simon de Montfort's Parliament]]
|-
|20
|[[Hugo Grotius]]
|1583–1645
|[[Dutch Republic]]
|''[[Mare Liberum]]'', ''[[De jure belli ac pacis]]'' and others
|-
|21
|[[William Blackstone]]
|1723–1780
|[[Kingdom of Great Britain|Great Britain]]
|''[[Commentaries on the Laws of England]]''
|-
|22
|[[Napoleon]]
|1769–1821
|[[First French Empire|France]]
|[[Napoleonic Code]]
|-
|23
|[[Thomas Jefferson]]
|1743–1826
|United States
|[[United States Declaration of Independence]] and [[Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom]]
|}

There is a quote by statesman [[Daniel 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."<ref name=danielwebster>{{cite book | last= Carrier | first= Thomas J. | title= The White House, the Capitol, and the Supreme Court: historic self-guided tours | publisher= Arcadia Publishing | location= Charleston, South Carolina | year= 2000 | series= Images of America | page= 84 | isbn= 0-7385-0557-9 | oclc= 44503337 | url= https://books.google.com/books?id=vU4stRA8OUQC&q=%22United+States+Capitol%22+%22Let+us+develop+the+resources+of+our+land%22&pg=PA84 | access-date= August 9, 2009 | archive-date= January 14, 2021 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210114214624/https://books.google.com/books?id=vU4stRA8OUQC&q=%22United+States+Capitol%22+%22Let+us+develop+the+resources+of+our+land%22&pg=PA84 | url-status= live }}</ref>

===Senate Chamber===
{{Main|United States Senate chamber}}
The current [[United States Senate|Senate]] Chamber opened in 1859<ref>{{cite web | url= https://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/history/h_multi_sections_and_teasers/Senate_Chamber.htm | title= The Senate Chamber 1859–2009 | access-date= January 26, 2009}}</ref> and is adorned with [[United States Senate Vice Presidential Bust Collection|white marble busts]] of the former [[List of the Presidents of the United States Senate|Presidents of the Senate]] (Vice presidents).<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.senate.gov/vtour/vpbust.htm | title=The Senate Chamber: Senate Vice Presidential Bust Collection | publisher=United States Senate | access-date=December 6, 2007}}</ref>

===Old Chambers===
====Statuary Hall====
{{Main|Statuary Hall}}
[[File:Flickr_-_USCapitol_-_National_Statuary_Hall_-_U.S._Capitol.jpg|thumb|[[National Statuary Hall Collection]] viewed from the south]]

The 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. 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.

====Old Senate and Supreme Court Chambers====
{{Main|Old Senate Chamber}}
[[File:Flickr - USCapitol - Old Senate Chamber (1).jpg|thumb|The [[Old Senate Chamber]] in 2012]]
[[File:OldSupremeCourt.jpg|thumb|The [[Old Supreme Court Chamber]] in 2007]]

The [[Old 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 the [[Old 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, the [[Supreme Court of the United States|Supreme Court]] began using the newly vacated Old Senate Chamber. In 1935, the Supreme Court vacated the Capitol Building and began meeting in the newly constructed [[United States Supreme Court Building]] across the street.

===Floor plans===
{{multiple image
| perrow            = 2
| caption_align     = center
| align             = center
| direction         = horizontal
| width1            = 334
| image1            = US Capitol basement floor plan 1997 105th-congress.gif
| alt1              = 
| caption1          = Basement, Terrace, and Courtyard Floor
| width2            = 342
| image2            = US Capitol first floor plan 1997 105th-congress.gif
| alt2              = 
| caption2          = First (Ground) Floor
| width3            = 295
| image3            = US Capitol second floor plan 1997 105th-congress.gif
| alt3              = 
| caption3          = Second (Primary) Floor
| width4            = 344
| image4            = US Capitol third floor plan 1997 105th-congress.gif
| alt4              = 
| caption4          = Third (Gallery) Floor
| width5            = 392
| image5            = US Capitol fourth floor plan 1997 105th-congress.gif
| alt5              = 
| caption5          = Fourth (Attic) Floor
| header            = Floor plans of the United States Capitol
| footer            = Layout and room numbers as of 1997
| footer_align      = center
}}

== Exterior ==
=== Landscaping ===
{{See also|United States Capitol Complex}}
[[File:2020.09.19_Grieving_for_Ruth_Bader_Ginsburg,_Washington,_DC_USA263_66239_(50360217701).jpg|thumb|Some of the oldest trees planted by [[Frederick Law Olmsted]] on the [[United States Capitol Complex|Capitol Grounds]], in 2020]]
The [[United States Capitol Complex|Capitol Grounds]] cover approximately 274 acres (1.11&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>), 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 including ''[[The Rescue (statue)|The Rescue]]'' and ''[[George Washington (Greenough)|George Washington]]''. The current grounds were designed by noted American [[landscape architect]] [[Frederick 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 the [[marble]] [[Terrace garden|terraces]] 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. Three [[arch]]es open into the [[hexagon]]al structure, which encloses a fountain and twenty-two brick chairs. A fourth wall holds a small window which looks onto an artificial [[grotto]]. 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. Modern [[drinking fountain]]s 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.<ref>{{cite web
|url=https://www.aoc.gov/capitol-grounds/summerhouse
|title=Summerhouse
|website=Architect of the Capitol
|access-date=August 20, 2019
}}</ref>[[File:Facade of Senate chamber.jpg|thumb|Facade of Senate chamber]]

===Flag ===
Up to four [[Flag of the United States|U.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 since [[World 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 by [[United States House of Representatives Page|House 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 the [[Sergeant at Arms of the United States Senate|Senate 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 | date=September 2010 | reason=these auxiliary flagpoles do not seem to appear in aerial photos...}} [[Electoral district|Constituents]] pay for U.S. flags flown over the Capitol to commemorate a variety of events such as the death of a [[veteran]] family member.

==Major events==
{{See also|State funerals in the United States|United States presidential inauguration}}
[[File:Biden delivering inaugural address on Capitol Hill 2021-01-20 (50912592147).jpg|thumb|The Capitol's west front during the [[Inauguration of Joe Biden]], January 20, 2021]]
[[File:Bush_Rotunda.jpg|thumb|President [[George H. W. Bush]] lying in state in the United States Capitol rotunda on December 3, 2018]]

The Capitol and the grounds of [[Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C.|Capitol Hill]] have played host to major events, including [[United States presidential inauguration|presidential 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 include [[Independence Day (United States)|Independence Day]] celebrations, and the [[National Memorial Day Concert]].

The general public has paid respect to a number of individuals [[lying in state]] at the Capitol, including numerous former presidents, senators, and other officials. Other Americans lying in honor include [[United States Capitol Police|Officers]] [[Jacob Chestnut]] and [[John Gibson (police officer)|John Gibson]], the two officers killed in the [[1998 United States Capitol shooting incident|1998 shooting incident]]. Chestnut was the first African American ever to lie in honor in the Capitol. The public also paid respect to [[Rosa Parks]], an icon of the [[civil 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.<ref>{{cite magazine|access-date=March 8, 2018|title=Billy Graham Will Be the Fourth Private Citizen Ever to Lie in Honor at the U.S. Capitol|url=https://time.com/5172998/billy-graham-capitol-rotunda/|magazine=Time}}</ref>

On September 24, 2015, [[Pope Francis]] gave a joint address to Congress, the first Pope to do so.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2015/september/documents/papa-francesco_20150924_usa-us-congress.html|title=Apostolic Journey – United States of America: Visit to the Congress of the United States of America (Washington D.C., 24 September 2015) {{!}} Francis|website=w2.vatican.va|access-date=March 19, 2016}}</ref>

== Security ==
The U.S. Capitol is believed to have been the intended target of [[United Airlines Flight 93]], one of the four planes that were hijacked in the [[September 11 attacks]]. The plane crashed near [[Shanksville, Pennsylvania]] after passengers tried to regain control of the plane from the hijackers.<ref>{{cite web|title=Al-Jazeera offers accounts of 9/11 planning|url=http://archives.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/meast/09/12/alqaeda.911.claim/index.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060220124318/http://archives.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/meast/09/12/alqaeda.911.claim/index.html|archive-date=February 20, 2006|access-date=June 3, 2008}}</ref><ref>[http://www.gpoaccess.gov/911/pdf/sec1.pdf Report of the 9/11 Commission] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061206003448/http://www.gpoaccess.gov/911/pdf/sec1.pdf|date=December 6, 2006}}, US Govt Printing Office</ref>

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,<ref>{{cite press release|title=Increased Security on Capitol Grounds|publisher=United States Capitol Police|date=August 2, 2004|url=http://www.uscapitolpolice.gov/pressreleases/2004/pr_08-02-04.html|access-date=September 26, 2006|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061101074343/http://www.uscapitolpolice.gov/pressreleases/2004/pr_08-02-04.html|archive-date=November 1, 2006}}</ref><ref name="street closing">{{cite news|author=Lyndsey Layton and Manny Fernandez|date=August 3, 2004|title=Street Closing Irks D.C. Leaders: Checkpoints Set Up Near World Bank, IMF and Capitol|newspaper=The Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A33730-2004Aug2.html|access-date=September 26, 2006}}</ref> and have closed a section of one street indefinitely.<ref name="street closing" /> The level of screening employed varies. On the main east–west thoroughfares of [[Constitution Avenue|Constitution]] and [[Independence Avenue (Washington D.C.)|Independence Avenue]]s, [[barricade]]s are implanted in the roads that can be raised in the event of an emergency. Trucks larger than [[Pickup truck|pickups]] 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 a [[magnetometer]], and all items that visitors may bring inside the building are screened by an [[X-ray generator|x-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 of [[Jersey barrier]]s to hundreds of ornamental [[Bollard (traffic)|bollard]]s have been erected to obstruct the path of any vehicles that might stray from the designated roadways.<ref>{{cite news |date=January 29, 2006|title=Ubiquitous Security Barriers Get a Fashionable Flourish |first1=Petula |last1=Dvorak |newspaper=The Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/28/AR2006012801056.html|access-date=November 5, 2010}}</ref>

After the [[January 6 United States Capitol attack]], security increased again. Additional security fences were installed around the perimeter, and [[United States National Guard|National Guard]] troops were deployed to bolster security.

=== List of security incidents ===
{{main|Timeline of violent incidents at the United States Capitol}}
[[File:2021 storming of the United States Capitol DSC09254-2 (50820534063) (retouched).jpg|alt=Storming of the Capitol|thumb|The [[January 6 United States Capitol attack|Storming of the Capitol]] on January 6, 2021]]

* 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 President [[Andrew Jackson]] was leaving the Capitol out of the East Portico after the funeral of [[South Carolina]] Representative [[Warren R. Davis]], [[Richard Lawrence (failed assassin)|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.<ref name="AmericanHeritage.com">{{cite web | title=Trying to Assassinate Andrew Jackson | author=Jon Grinspan | url=http://www.americanheritage.com/people/articles/web/20070130-richard-lawrence-andrew-jackson-assassination-warren-r-davis.shtml |date=January 30, 2007 |website=American Heritage | access-date=November 11, 2008 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081024234731/http://www.americanheritage.com/people/articles/web/20070130-richard-lawrence-andrew-jackson-assassination-warren-r-davis.shtml | archive-date=October 24, 2008 | df=mdy-all }}</ref> Lawrence was then restrained, with legend saying that Jackson attacked Lawrence with his cane, prompting his aides to restrain him. Others present, including [[Davy Crockett]], restrained and disarmed Lawrence.

* On April 23, 1844, then House-Speaker [[John White (Kentucky politician)|John White]] was involved in a physical confrontation on the House floor with Democratic Congressman [[George O. Rathbun]] of New York. White was delivering a speech in defense of Senator [[Henry Clay]], the [[Whig Party (United States)|Whig]] 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.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=2sNp1l1pNroC&pg=PT81 Long, Kim. "''The Almanac of Political Corruption, Scandals & Dirty Politics'', (2008).] {{ISBN|0307481344}}.</ref>
* On July 2, 1915, prior to the United States' entry into [[World War I]], [[Eric Muenter]], also known as Frank Holt, a [[Germans|German]] professor who wanted to stop American support of the [[Allies of World War I]], exploded a bomb in the reception room of the U.S. Senate. The next morning he tried to assassinate [[J. P. Morgan Jr.]], son of [[J. P. Morgan|the financier]], at his home on [[Long Island]], New York. [[J.P. Morgan & Co.|J.P. Morgan's company]] served as Great Britain's principal U.S. purchasing agent for [[Ammunition|munitions]] and other war supplies. In a letter to the ''[[Washington Star|Washington 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 the [[1954 United States Capitol shooting]], Puerto Rican nationalists opened fire on members of Congress from the visitors' gallery, injuring five representatives.
* On March 1, 1971, a bomb exploded on the ground floor of the Capitol, placed by the [[far-left]] [[Domestic terrorism in the United States|domestic terrorist]] group the [[Weather Underground Organization|Weather Underground]]. They [[List of Weatherman actions|placed the bomb]] as a demonstration against U.S. involvement in [[Laos]].
* On November 7, 1983, in the [[1983 United States Senate bombing]], a group called the Armed Resistance Unit claimed responsibility for a bomb that detonated in the lobby outside the office of [[Party leaders of the United States Senate|Senate Minority Leader]] [[Robert Byrd]].<ref>{{cite news | title=Capitol Bombing: Group Hit Other Targets, FBI Believes | author=Kessler, Ronald | newspaper=The Washington Post | date=November 9, 1983}}</ref> Six people associated with the [[John Brown Anti-Klan Committee]] were later found in [[contempt of court]] for refusing to testify about the bombing.<ref>{{cite news | title=Judge Finds Four in Contempt in Bombing Probe | author=Seppy, Tom | agency=Associated Press | date=February 12, 1985}}</ref> In 1990, three members of the Armed Resistance Unit were convicted of the bombing, which they claimed was in response to the [[invasion of Grenada]].<ref>{{cite news | title=Three Leftists Plead Guilty to Bombing the U.S. Capitol | author=Rowley, James | agency=Associated Press | date=September 7, 1990}}</ref>
* In the [[1998 United States Capitol shooting]], Russell Eugene Weston Jr. burst into the Capitol and opened fire, killing two [[United States Capitol Police|Capitol Police]] officers, Officer Jacob Chestnut and Det. John Gibson.
* 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 2013, Miriam Carey, 34, a dental hygienist from [[Stamford, Connecticut]], attempted to drive through a [[White House]] security checkpoint in her black [[Infiniti G37]] coupe, struck a [[United States Secret Service|U.S. Secret Service]] officer, and was chased by the Secret Service to the United States Capitol where she was [[Killing of Miriam Carey|fatally shot by law enforcement officers]].
* In 2015, [[Doug Hughes (activist)|Doug Hughes]], a US postal worker, landed a [[Autogyro|Gyrocopter]] on the West lawn of the Capitol building.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jaffe |first=Alexandra |date=April 15, 2015 |title=Man taken into custody after landing single-person aircraft on Capitol grounds {{!}} CNN Politics |url=https://www.cnn.com/2015/04/15/politics/aircraft-lands-on-capitol-grounds/index.html |access-date=April 16, 2024 |website=CNN |language=en}}</ref> 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.<ref name="NYTMar16">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/29/us/politics/us-capitol-lockdown.html|title=U.S. Capitol on Lockdown After Reports of Gunshots|author=Michael S. Schmidt|date=March 28, 2016|work=The New York Times|access-date=March 28, 2016}}</ref> The city police of Washington D.C. described the shooting incident as "isolated".<ref name="BBCMar16">{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-35911754|title=US Capitol shooting: Gunman wounds Capitol police officer|date=March 28, 2016|work=BBC News Online|access-date=March 28, 2016}}</ref>
* On January 6, 2021, during the [[2021 United States Electoral College vote count|counting of Electoral College votes]] for the [[2020 United States presidential election]], a pro-[[Donald Trump|Trump]] rally resulted in a mob that [[January 6 United States Capitol attack|entered the Capitol]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Dozier |first1=Kimberly |last2=Bergengruen |first2=Vera |title=Incited by the President, Trump Supporters Storm the Capitol |url=https://time.com/5926883/trump-supporters-storm-capitol/ |publisher=TIME |date=January 7, 2021 |quote='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. |access-date=January 8, 2021 |archive-date=January 8, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210108020624/https://time.com/5926883/trump-supporters-storm-capitol/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> The rioters unlawfully entered the Capitol during the [[Joint session of the United States Congress|joint session of Congress]] certifying the election of President-elect [[Joe Biden]] and Vice President-elect [[Kamala Harris]], temporarily disrupting the proceedings and triggering a lockdown in the building.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/06/buildings-in-us-capitol-complex-evacuated-amid-pro-trump-protests.html|title=Rioters storm Capitol after Trump urges action, halting declaration of Biden victory|author=Amanda Macias|publisher=CNBC|website=cnbc.com|date=January 6, 2021|access-date=January 6, 2021}}</ref> Vice President [[Mike Pence]], Speaker of the House [[Nancy Pelosi]], and other staff members were evacuated, while others were instructed to barricade themselves inside offices and closets.<ref>{{Cite web|last1=Khalil|first1=Ashraf|last2=Balsamo|first2=Michael|last3=Press|first3=Associated|date=January 6, 2021|title=1 reportedly shot as angry pro-Trump protesters swarm Capitol, lawmakers put on gas masks {{!}} WATCH LIVE|url=https://abc7.com/9405310/|access-date=January 6, 2021|website=ABC7 Los Angeles|language=en|archive-date=January 14, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210114214718/https://abc7.com/politics/congress-validates-bidens-presidential-victory/9428366/|url-status=dead}}</ref> The rioters breached the Senate Chamber and multiple staff offices, including the office of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/man-who-posed-at-pelosi-desk-said-in-facebook-post-that-he-is-prepared-for-violent-death/2021/01/07/cf5b0714-509a-11eb-83e3-322644d82356_story.html|title=Man who posed at Pelosi desk said in Facebook post that he is prepared for violent death|first=Jon|last=Swaine|via=www.washingtonpost.com|access-date=January 8, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://thehill.com/homenews/house/532969-pelosis-office-vandalized-after-pro-trump-rioters-storm-capitol/ |title=Pelosi's office vandalized after pro-Trump rioters storm Capitol |date=January 6, 2021 |access-date=January 6, 2021}}</ref> One person was shot by law enforcement, and later succumbed to the injury.<ref>{{Cite web|title=1 shot dead, Congress evacuated, National Guard activated after pro-Trump rioters storm Capitol|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/live-blog/electoral-college-certification-updates-n1252864|access-date=January 6, 2021|website=www.nbcnews.com}}</ref> President-elect [[Joe Biden]] criticized the violence as "insurrection" and said democracy was "under unprecedented assault" as a result of the attack.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-55568621 |title=Capitol riots: Congress certifies Joe Biden's victory after chaotic scenes |work=BBC News |date=January 7, 2021 |access-date=January 7, 2021 }}</ref> The attack resulted in the death of four rioters, including a woman who was shot as she attempted to breach the Capitol.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Authorities Identify Woman Killed By Police During U.S. Capitol Rioting|url=https://www.npr.org/sections/insurrection-at-the-capitol/2021/01/07/954446008/authorities-identify-woman-killed-by-police-during-u-s-capitol-rioting|access-date=January 22, 2021|website=NPR.org|language=en}}</ref> The events ultimately led to the [[Second impeachment of Donald Trump|second impeachment]] of Donald Trump.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Baker |first1=Tim |title=Donald Trump impeached for historic second time over deadly riots at US Capitol |url=https://news.sky.com/story/donald-trump-impeached-for-historic-second-time-over-deadly-riots-at-us-capitol-12186948 |website=Sky News |publisher=Sky UK |access-date=January 13, 2021 }}</ref> It was the first time the Capitol had been violently seized since the [[Burning of Washington]], during the [[War of 1812]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/06/politics/donald-trump-electoral-college-riot-us-capitol/index.html |title=Analysis: Why it's too late for Republicans to say sorry |website=[[CNN]] |date=January 7, 2021 |access-date=January 7, 2021 }}</ref>
* On April 2, 2021, a black nationalist [[United States Capitol car attack|rammed 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.<ref>{{Cite web|last1=Cohen|first1=Zachary|date=April 2, 2021|title=Capitol Police officer killed, another injured after suspect rams car into police barrier outside building|url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/02/politics/us-capitol-incident/index.html|access-date=April 2, 2021|website=CNN|first2=Lauren|last2=Fox|first3=Jessica|last3=Dean|first4=David|last4=Shortell}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Suspect in deadly US Capitol attack was Farrakhan follower, raged against gov't  |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/suspect-in-us-capitol-attack-was-follower-of-farrakhan-raged-against-government/amp/ |access-date=April 19, 2022 |website=The Times of Israel |date=April 3, 2021}}</ref>

* On June 13, 2025, a group of protestors broke through barriers blocking the stairway to the capitol rotunda in an effort to hold a [[sit-in]] at the capitol building as part of the ongoing [[2025 United States protests against mass deportation|protests against the Trump administration’s mass deportation efforts]], which rapidly escalated following the [[June 2025 Los Angeles protests|events in Los Angeles]]. Police arrested around 60 people, including United States Military veterans.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lybrand |first=Holmes |date=2025-06-14 |title=Police arrest roughly 60 protesters outside US Capitol {{!}} CNN Politics |url=https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/13/politics/protesters-arrested-us-capitol |access-date=2025-06-14 |website=CNN |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Bensen |first=Jackie |date=2025-06-13 |title=Capitol Police arrest 60 parade protesters, including vet using a walker |url=https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/president-trump-politics/capitol-police-arrest-parade-protesters-vet/3936147/ |access-date=2025-06-14 |website=NBC4 Washington |language=en-US}}</ref>

== Capitol Visitor Center ==
{{Main|United States Capitol Visitor Center}}
[[File:Capitol Visitor Center opening ceremonies 2.jpg|thumb|The opening ceremony of the [[United States Capitol Visitor Center|Capitol Visitor Center]] with a plaster cast model of the ''[[Statue of Freedom]]'' in the foreground in December 2008]]
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{{clarify|date=March 2017}} for the US Congress.<ref>{{cite web |title= U.S. Capitol Visitor Center |url=https://www.aoc.gov/capitol-buildings/us-capitol-visitor-center |publisher=Architect of the Capitol |access-date=March 4, 2017}}</ref><ref name="test">[http://www.americanheritage.com/content/capitol-attraction Philip Kopper] "A Capitol Attraction", ''American Heritage'', Spring 2009.</ref>

The complex contains {{convert|580000|sqft|m2}} of space below ground on three floors,<ref>{{cite web|title=Capitol Visitor Center: Project Information |publisher=Architect of the Capitol |url=http://www.aoc.gov/cvc/project_info/index.cfm |access-date=November 10, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081101021342/http://www.aoc.gov/cvc/project_info/index.cfm |archive-date=November 1, 2008 }}</ref> and offers visitors a food court, restrooms, and educational exhibits, including an 11-foot scale model of the Capitol dome.<ref>{{cite web | title=Congress' Newest Member: The US Capitol Visitor Center | work=Washingtonian magazine | url=https://www.washingtonian.com/2008/11/18/congress-newest-member-the-us-capitol-visitor-center/ | date=November 8, 2008}}</ref> It also features [[Daylighting (architecture)|skylights]] 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 [[US Dollar|$]]621&nbsp;million.<ref name="FactSheet">{{cite web|title=Capitol Visitor Center Fact Sheet |date=Spring 2008 |publisher=Architect of the Capitol |url=http://www.aoc.gov/cvc/project_info/upload/CVC%20Fact%20Sheet%20Spring%202008_1.pdf |access-date=November 14, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081031050211/http://www.aoc.gov/cvc/project_info/upload/CVC%20Fact%20Sheet%20Spring%202008_1.pdf |archive-date=October 31, 2008 }}</ref>

== Gallery ==
<gallery>
File:Capitol design by james diamond.jpg|Design for the U.S. Capitol by James Diamond
File:Service-pnp-cph-3b50000-3b52000-3b52700-3b52761r.jpg|Stephen Hallet's design for the U.S. Capitol
File:StephenHalletCapitolFloorPlan.jpg|Stephen Hallet's design for the U.S. Capitol might have been inspired by L'Enfant's vision
File:U.S. Capitol and Pennsylvania Avenue before 1814 LCCN00522050.jpg|The Capitol from [[Pennsylvania Avenue]] drawn in 1814 from memory by an unknown artist after the [[Burning of Washington|burning of the city]]
File:Flickr_-_USCapitol_-_Corn_Capital_-_U.S._Capitol_Building.jpg|The corncob columns of the Capitol, designed by Benjamin Henry Latrobe and carved by Giuseppe Franzoni from Aquia Creek sandstone
File:Car of history.jpg|Carlo Franzoni's 1819 sculptural [[chariot clock]], the ''Car of History'', depicting [[Clio]], the Greek muse of history, in the National Statuary Hall
File:Samuel Finley Breese Morse - The House of Representatives (1822).jpg|[[Samuel Morse]]'s 1822 painting ''[[The House of Representatives]]'' features the [[United States House of Representatives|U.S. House]] in session showing the interior design of the original House chamber, now the [[National Statuary Hall]]
File:Vault ag1982 0119x 085 1 opt.jpg|The Washington Depot with the U.S. Capitol in the distance in 1872
File:US Senate Chamber c1873.jpg|[[United States Senate|U.S. Senate]] chamber, {{Circa|1873}}
File:US Capitol 1922.jpg|The Capitol on a 1922 U.S. postage stamp
File:50 USD Series 2004 Note Back.jpg|The west front of the Capitol depicted on the reverse of the current [[United States fifty-dollar bill|$50 bill]]
File:A Republican-Democratic snow battle at the Capitol. Page boys LCCN2012647123.jpg|A snowball fight on the Capitol lawn, 1923
File:Capitol pediment Washington DC 2007.jpg|House of Representatives pediment, ''[[Apotheosis of Democracy]]'', by [[Paul Wayland Bartlett]], 1916
File:Capitol Dome on a beautiful Friday afternoon in -dc. (8475962375).jpg|''The Genius of America'' pediment, East Portico, carved by [[Bruno Mankowski]] 1959–60 (after [[Luigi Persico]]'s 1825–1828 original)
File:USCapitolRotunda.JPG|The [[United States Capitol rotunda|Capitol rotunda]] in 2005
File:Flickr - USCapitol - U.S. Capitol Building in Snow - February 2010 Blizzard.jpg|The Capitol following a blizzard in 2010
File:US Capitol west side (cropped).JPG|The west front of the United States Capitol in 2013
File:United States Capitol and reflecting pool.jpg|The Capitol and reflecting pool
File:Discovery-statue (cropped).JPG|The ''[[Discovery of America (statue)|Discovery of America]]'' statue, by [[Luigi Persico]], which was on the left side of the East facade of the Capitol
File:George Washington Greenough statue.jpg|[[Horatio Greenough]]'s ''[[George Washington (Greenough)|George Washington]]'' statue which was in the Capitol rotunda and then on the East lawn
File:GreenoughRescue.jpg|''[[The Rescue (sculpture)|The Rescue]]'' statue, by Horation Greenough, which was on the right side of the East facade of the Capitol
</gallery>

== See also ==
{{Portal|United States}}
* ''[[Apotheosis of Democracy]]'' by [[Paul Wayland Bartlett]], a pediment on the east front of the House of Representatives Portico
* [[Architecture of Washington, D.C.]]
* [[Congressional Prayer Room]]
* [[Hideaway (U.S. Senate)|Hideaways]], secret offices used by members of the Senate
* [[History of modern period domes]]
* [[List of capitols in the United States]]
* [[List of legislative buildings]]
* [[List of the oldest buildings in Washington, D.C.]]
* [[President's Room]], an ornate office sometimes used by the President
* [[United States fifty-dollar bill]], which pictures the Capitol on the back
* [[Vice President's Room]]
* [[Washington's Tomb (United States Capitol)|Washington's Tomb]]

== Citations ==
{{Reflist}}

== References ==
* {{cite book | author=Allen, William C. | title=History of the United States Capitol – A Chronicle of Design, Construction, and Politics | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020423183447/http://www.access.gpo.gov/congress/senate/capitol/|archive-date=April 23, 2002|url=https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/GPO-CDOC-106sdoc29?null | publisher=Government Printing Office|year=2001|isbn=0160508304|oclc=46420177|access-date=October 29, 2016}}
* {{cite book | author=Brown, Glenn | title=History of the United States Capitol | url=http://www.gpoaccess.gov/serialset/cdocuments/hd108-240/index.html | edition=Annotated Edition in Commemoration of The Bicentennial of the United States Capitol | publisher=Government Printing Office | editor=Architect of the Capitol for The United States Capitol Preservation Commission | year=1998 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081207211829/http://www.gpoaccess.gov/serialset/cdocuments/hd108-240/index.html | archive-date=December 7, 2008 | df=mdy-all }}
* {{cite book | author=Frary, Ihna Thayer | title=They Built the Capitol | year=1969 | publisher=Ayer Publishing | isbn=0-8369-5089-5 | url-access=registration | url=https://archive.org/details/theybuiltcapitol0000frar }}
* {{cite book|author=Guy Gugliotta|title=Freedom's Cap: The United States Capitol and the Coming of the Civil War|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wFvG8YXg_XkC|year=2012|publisher=Farrar, Straus and Giroux|isbn=978-0-8090-4681-2}}
* {{cite book | author=Hazelton, George Cochrane | title=The National Capitol | url=https://archive.org/details/nationalcapitol00hazegoog | publisher=J. F. Taylor & Co | year=1907}}
* Fryd, Vivien Green (1987). ''[[doi:10.2307/1594479|Two Sculptures for the Capitol: Horatio Greenough's "Rescue" and Luigi Persico's "Discovery of America."]]'' In American Art Journal (Vol. 19, pp.&nbsp;16–39).

== Further reading ==
* 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.
* {{cite magazine |last=Bordewich |first=Fergus M. |title=A Capitol Vision From a Self-Taught Architect |url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/a-capitol-vision-from-a-self-taught-architect-91773428/ |date=December 2008 |magazine=[[Smithsonian (magazine)|Smithsonian Magazine]]}} 
* Ovason, David, [https://books.google.com/books?id=HJNqynmJtF0C ''The Secret Architecture of our Nation's Capital: the Masons and the building of Washington, D.C.''], New York City: HarperCollins, 2000. {{ISBN|0-06-019537-1}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|United States Capitol}}
* {{osmway|66418809}}
* {{Official website}}
* [http://www.visitthecapitol.gov/ Capitol Visitors Center]
* [http://www.uschs.org/ United States Capitol Historical Society]
* [http://www.aoc.gov/ Architect of the Capitol]
* ''[http://www.c-span.org/capitolhistory Capitol History Project] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070417192358/http://www.c-span.org/capitolhistory/ |date=April 17, 2007 }}''
* [https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/us.capitol/s0.html Temple of Liberty: Building the Capitol for a New Nation], [[Library of Congress]]
* [http://www.uscapitolpolice.gov/home.php U.S. Capitol Police] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090903101156/http://www.uscapitolpolice.gov/home.php |date=September 3, 2009 }}
* [http://www.c-span.org/video/?305444-1/book-discussion-freedoms-cap "Book Discussion on ''Freedom's Cap''{{-"}}], C-SPAN, March 20, 2012
* [https://clio.columbia.edu/catalog/11904570/ Committee for the Preservation of the National Capitol Records, 1949–1958]. [http://library.columbia.edu/locations/avery/da.html/ Held by the Department of Drawings & Archives] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190623062924/http://library.columbia.edu/locations/avery/da.html/ |date=June 23, 2019 }}, [http://library.columbia.edu/locations/avery.html/ Avery Architectural & Fine Arts Library, Columbia University].

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{{USCongress}}
{{United States Capitol Complex}}
{{National Statuary Hall Collection}}
{{Washington DC landmarks}}
{{National Register of Historic Places}}
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