Capitol History

A stream of triva, factoids, stats and dates on one of the most impressive buildings in the world.

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The 365 steps that leads from the basement to an outdoor walkway on top of the Capitol's dome represent each day of the year.

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The Senate baths were a spa-like facility for members (before modern plumbing). The facility included a barbershop and massage parlor.

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In the basement of the Capitol building, in a utility room, are two marble bathtubs--all that remain of the once elaborate Senate baths.

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Constantino Brumidi was actually painting the frieze that rings the Rotunda when he died on February 19, 1880.

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180 feet above the Rotunda floor, the Italian-American artist Constantino Brumidi painted The Apotheosis of Washington. http://ow.ly/3wGvQ

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Hanging in the Rotunda are four giant canvases painted by John Trumbull, an aide-de-camp to General Washington.

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Between 1958 and 1962 the East Front of the Capitol was extended thirty-two feet and its original façade was replicated in marble.

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Famed landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted designed the terraces that run across the north, south, and west elevations of the Capitol.

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Following reconstruction, a center building was completed in 1826 and joined the two wings. A low wood and copper dome covered the Rotunda.

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The damage caused by the British resulted in reconstruction of the House and Senate wings. In 1819, the reconstructed wings were reopened.

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Before the dome, a wooden walkway linked the House & Senate wings. This was how the Capitol looked when British burned the Capitol in 1814.

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From its inception in 1789, the House has been open to the public and press. Live televised proceedings began in 1979. http://ow.ly/3wG7H

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The House Chamber’s present theater-style seating was installed in 1913, replacing individual desks that doubled as Members’ office space.

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The floor tiles used in the Capitol extensions were manufactured at Stoke-upon-Trent, England, by Minton, Hollins & Co. http://bit.ly/gmDFou

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The Rotunda in the U.S. Capitol was modeled after the Pantheon in Rome.

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The dome we know today wasn’t added to the building until the 1850s under the watch of Architect Thomas U. Walter.

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The Capitol is 751 ft, 4 inches long. Its height, to the top of the Statue of Freedom, is 288 ft; 365 steps from basement to top of dome.

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The Capitol and the statue on top face east because the east side of the Capitol is the only one with level ground for a proper entrance.

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As the Capitol was enlarged, the original dome looked out of place and disproportionate--so a new dome was constructed.

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The construction of the current dome took 11 years (Lincoln was sworn in under a half-finished dome).