Located at the eastern end of the National Mall in Washington, D.C., the United States Capitol Building houses the meeting chambers of the Senate and the House of Representatives. Since 1793, the Capitol has been progressively rebuilt and extended.
The cast-iron dome of the Capitol was designed and constructed between 1854 and 1866 by Philadelphia architect Thomas U. Walter (the fourth of the 11 Capitol architects) and Montgomery C. Meigs, an Army Corps of Engineers captain. Walter devised a double dome scheme for the interior/exterior based on the Pantheon in Paris, embellished with several windows, brackets, pilasters, and columns. Thomas Crawford's bronze Statue of Freedom (1862) completes the design.
The Capitol's 19th century neoclassical architecture evokes ancient Greece and Rome.
Under the dome, the central Rotunda room's ceiling features The Apotheosis of Washington canopy fresco by Italian artist Constantino Brumidi. Painted in 1865, the fresco depicts George Washington flanked by female figures representing Liberty, Victory/Fame and the thirteen original states. Select figures were inspired by Renaissance painter Raphael's images.
The Rotunda's frescoed frieze below the windows was painted between 1877 and 1953 by artists Brumidi (the designer), Filippo Costaggini and Allyn Cox. The frieze illustrates events in American history from the landing of Columbus to the discovery of gold in California.
The Capitol Visitor Center is open to visitors from 8:30am to 4:30pm Monday through Saturday; www.visitthecapitol.gov.
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