Civil War Veterans Visit the White House
In May 1865, at the close of hostilities, a Grand Review throughout Washington, D.C., exhibited parading Union troops from the...
Constructing the Capitol
Gallery
-
1 of 7
The first Architect of the Capitol, William Thornton, was raised in England and studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland.
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Catherine Walden Myer Fund
-
2 of 7
Keenly interested in art and architecture, William Thornton was skilled enough as a draftsman to create an innovative design for the Capitol that met with President Washington's ideas for the building.
-
3 of 7
After seven years of construction, only the Capitol's north wing was ready for occupancy. The wing accommodated the Senate, the House of Representatives, and the Library of Congress when the seat of government was moved to Washington, D.C., in 1800.
Library of Congress -
4 of 7
English-born Benjamin Henry Latrobe, one of the first professional architects to practice in the United States, was a brilliant designer and engineer.
White House Historical Association (White House Collection) -
5 of 7
Latrobe designed the Old Supreme Court Chamber with its dramatic lobed vault in 1807.
Franz Jantzen, Collection of the Supreme Court of the United States -
6 of 7
Benjamin Latrobe's Corn Cob capital and bundled corn stalk columns carved by sculptor Giuseppe Franzoni, installed in the east vestibule of the north wing in 1809 survived the 1814 fire.
-
7 of 7
Benjamin Latrobe's rendering of a completed Capitol.
Library of Congress
About this Gallery
Construction on the United States Capitol building began in 1793, and the first wing--housing the Senate, the House of Representatives, and the Library of Congress--was completed in 1800. It was designed by the first Architect of the Capitol, Dr. William Thornton. Benjamin Henry Latrobe became Architect of the Capitol in 1915 and was responsible for the Capitol's rebuilding after it was destroyed in the War of 1812. He resigned on November 1817 because of what he felt was continued interference by his superiors. Before leaving Washington Latrobe restored the old House and Senate Chambers, considered today to be some of the finest neoclassical spaces in America, and produced drawings for the central rotunda section, partially followed by his successor Charles Bulfinch.
You Might Also Like
-
-
Monuments to the American Revolution in Lafayette Park
In 1853, Clark Mills’ statue of President Andrew Jackson on horseback is in the center of Lafayette Park. The park’s four...
-
Hoover Easter Egg Rolls
The annual White House Easter egg roll was a well-established tradition when President Herbert Hoover took office, and the Hoovers...
-
April 6, 1917
At eight o’clock on the morning of April 2, 1917, President Woodrow Wilson and his wife Edith “threw responsibilities to the wind...
-
Picketing the White House
In the second half of the nineteenth century Americans headed west to seek greater opportunities for themselves and their families....
-
Rescue of the Papers of State During the Burning of Washington
In August 1814, British forces occupying the Chesapeake Bay began to sail up the Patuxent River in Maryland. Fearing an attack...
-
The American Protective League and White House Security During World War One
The United States remained neutral during the early years of World War I, from the outbreak of hostilities in August, 1914,...
-
Presidents' Day at the White House
Just how does the president celebrate Presidents’ Day? Throughout the more than 200-year history of the White House, presidents themselves ha...
-
Sicilian Salvador Catalano
Few people today know the story of a Sicilian-born sailor named Salvadore Catalano who became an early American naval hero....
-
Fourth of July Celebrations at the White House in the 19th Century
The People's House: Thomas Jefferson began the tradition of a public reception to celebrate the Fourth of July in 1801. The...
-
Reflections After the Fire
This shaving mirror, one of a pair, has a remarkable history. It not only reflected the face of President James...
-
Foreword; White House History (Number 35)
This number of White House History recalls the burning of the White House, which took place in 1814, two hundred years...