The Historical Evolution of the American Capitol

Since 1793, the US Capitol has been built, burned, rebuilt, expanded and repaired. The Capitol we see today has been rebuilt several times, which commemorates the intelligence, determination and skills of the American people.

1790

1790 cooperated with the "Residence Action" and passed the Congress. 179 1 President Washington chose the land ceded by the District of Columbia from Maryland. He also selected the survey site, and three members supervised the design and construction of the capital and its government buildings. On the other hand, the Commissioner hired a Frenchman to design Pierre Charles to plan the L'Enfant New Town in Washington. He found the Parliament Building high in the east of the shopping center, so he called it Jenkins Hill. In L'Enfant's words, this place "the waiting mat will be a monument".

L'Enfant wants to design the Capitol and supervise its construction. However, he rejected all the pictures that would become architectural products, claiming that he designed them "in his mind"; He refused to acknowledge the fact that he belonged to the authorities of the 1792 Committee. From March 2000 to 2000, the Committee announced the competition and recommended that Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson award 500 dollars. The city was the "most popular project" of the Capitol before mid-July. However, it is not satisfactory to submit all the plans of 17. 10 years, the doctor's letter arrived. William Thornton, a Scottish-trained doctor living in tortora, West Indies, asked for a chance to come up with a plan, even after the game. The Committee agreed to this request. Thornton's plan describes that the building consists of three parts. The middle part, topped by a low dome, has two wings on the north and south sides (you will be the Senate and you will be the House of Representatives). President Washington praised the plan as "great, simple and convenient" and it was accepted by the Committee members on April 5,1793; Washington gave him an identity split bill on July 25th.

1793

The cornerstone was monopolized by President Washington in the southeast of the building on September 18 1793, in order to help the society. This work is ongoing. Yes, under the guidance of three architects. Stephen H. Hallet (new entrants in the early competition) and George hadfield were finally dismissed by the members because of inappropriate design changes, and they tried to impose them on you; White House architect James Hoban witnessed the first phase of the project through you.

1793 September 18, President George Washington laid the foundation stone, and the grand construction project of the Capitol began. 1800165438+1October 2 1, the Senate moved into the north wing of the building; 165438+1October 22nd, the whole generation will move into the building. The Senate and the House of Representatives held their first joint meeting in this building.

When Congress, the Supreme Court, the Library of Congress and the courts in the District of Columbia occupied the Capitol 1800, the addition of three-story rooms was not completed. 1803, the capital construction allocated to you by Congress. By the beginning of 2008, the Committee office was cancelled by the city manager and replaced by Washington. Benjamin Henry Latrobe was appointed as an architect to supervise the renovation of the building. Expert First Architect and Designer You work in the United States. Latrobe's revised Thornton plan will include the south wing of the office and committee room. He also introduced changes to simplify construction projects.

1804

1804, knowing that "the oval temporary building that will be the oven of the House of Representatives will be erected at 18 10", latrobe started the work of removing short stature. The building courtyard can occupy its new legislation room181year, and the wing 1807 can complete the full-scale promotion of the south wing. 1808, the work of the south wing improved, and latrobe began to rebuild the north wing, which was in disrepair. Instead of simply repairing the wing, he redesigned the interior of the building to increase its practicality and durability; One of his changes is to add rooms, which will be the Supreme Court. 18 1 1 years ago, he completed the eastern half of this wing, but he was increasingly constrained in the preparation of funds, and the second was to fight in Britain. Before 18 13, latrobe had further work in Washington, and only he left, leaving a temporary wooden passage that only connected the north and south wings of the Capitol. War 18 12 left the Parliament Building in latrobe and gave the latest word, "the most spectacular bad". 18 14 On August 24th, the invading British army set fire to the north and south wings of the building. Fortunately, there was a heavy rain that night, which did not completely turn the building into ruins. The British team was going to set fire to the building, but a sudden rainstorm prevented it from completing the destruction. Immediately after the fire, the Congress will hold a meeting at the blodgett Hotel on Qihe Street in the northwest ... From 18 15, you 18 19, the Congress will occupy the erected building, assuming that it is on the first street, the space occupied by the N.E. Supreme Court Building. This building is famous for the latest cam, the old brick parliament building.

18 15

18 15 latrobe returned to Washington. In addition, he took advantage of the opportunity of architectural interior design (further changes in his history will be an example, the expansion of the house) and introduced new materials (he will be an example, marble was found in the upper reaches of the Potomac River). However, the downward pressure of his cam is increasing because of the delay of working hours (which is beyond his control) and cost overruns; Finally, he resigned in June181711.

18 18

On June 8th,1818,65438+Charles Bulfinch, a famous Boston architect, was appointed as latrobe's successor. Continue to repair the north and south wings, and the rooms he can vacate will be the Supreme Court and the House of Representatives, and the Senate will be ready before 18 19.

18 19 12. The Senate and the House of Representatives moved back to the rebuilt Capitol. 1824 10, the central dome hall of parliament building was renovated and a grand welcoming ceremony was held to welcome French general Galeries Lafayette. 185 1 June, the north and south wings of the parliament building were expanded, and the arched dome was raised and expanded. 1863,1On the night of February 2, 863, with the bronze statue of the Statue of Liberty nearly 6 meters high installed on the vault of the Capitol, 35 salutes representing 35 States roared, and the expansion of the Capitol was declared complete. Since then, the appearance of the Capitol has been basically established and has remained so far. The exterior walls of the parliament building are all made of white marble, giving people a sense of sacredness and purity. Bulfinch also redesigned and supervised some buildings of the Central Parliament Building. This part of the crown of Bulfinch was made higher than the copper-plated wooden dome to consider the appropriate building size (in the direction of Secretary of State james monroe and President john quincy adams).

After finishing the last part of the building, Bulfinch spent several years decorating and beautifying the Capitol. 1829, his work was completed and his position and government were terminated. After following Bulfinch for 20 years, the Capitol was entrusted to members of public buildings. From this point of view, 1830-1868 parliament building is an impressive building. In the basement, its length is 35 1 foot inflatable 7- 1/2, and its width is 282 feet inflatable 10- 1/2. Up to1827-the record of the latest year is incomplete-the project cost is $2,432,851.34. But by 1850, its scale may accommodate more and more senators and representatives, which has been recognized for a long time. Therefore, the Senate voted to hold another competition and provide a prize of $500, which is the best plan to expand the Capitol. Several appropriate plans were submitted, and it was proposed to build an additional building and another building extending eastward to the north and south wings. However, Congress can't decide between these two methods, and the reward will be divided among the five architects. Therefore, the task of choosing planning and appointing architects falls to MillardFillmore, your president.

185 1 year

Millrd fillmore's choice is Thomas u. Walter, an architect in Philadelphia, who took part in the competition. On July 4th, 185 1, at the main formal speech ceremony provided by Secretary of State daniel webster, the President placed a corner in the northeast corner of the wing of the House of Representatives according to Walter's plan. After 14, Walter supervised the expanded building to ensure that it was compatible with the architectural style of the existing building. But because Aquia creek sandstone has been used for a long time and has deteriorated rapidly, he chose you to use marble for external use. He inlaid, and the marble that Walter chose was excavated in Lee, Massachusetts. The marble he used came from the column in Coxville, Maryland.

Among them, the dean is a steady tax, and other government jobs are unpaid. In addition to the expansion of the Capitol and the dome, Walter also designed the two wings of the Patent Office Building, the expansion of the Treasure and Post Office Building, and the Marine Barracks in Pensacola and Brooklyn. 185 1 Library of Congress: The west of the Central Parliament Building was destroyed by fire, and Walter was ordered to repair it. He also encountered obstacles in his work in the Capitol. At 1853, the position of his legislative office was changed to the direction of FranklinPierce's president, and at the suggestion of the designated supervisor, he went to see Captain Montgomery C. Meigs, an engineer. However, on the whole, the project is progressing rapidly: the House of Representatives can allow you to stay in its newly arrived room 1857, 12. The old house in the room is on the National Statue Hall that was later selected. Due to the civil war, 186 1 year, most of the buildings were temporarily suspended, and the barracks, hospitals and bakeries of the parliament building were briefly used. 1862, the whole building resumed work.

The new wing is twice as long as the Capitol, and its length has obviously been built. The dome erected in Bulfinch has long been suitable for the proportion of buildings. 1855 the parliamentary vote will be based on Walter's design, and its replacement will be a new refractory cast iron dome. Demolition of the old dome 1856, adding 5 million pounds of new masonry to the existing full wall. The total weight of iron used in the dome building is 8,909,200 pounds, and the derrick is lifted into place to provide steam power.

1859

ThomasesCrawford's plaster model in 1859 will be the Statue of Liberty, and the design will be at the top of the dome, so Walter was forced to modify it. His design will be a dome. When his Clark factory cast bronze in a foundry in the suburbs of Washington, it weighed 65,438+04,985 pounds. 1863, the statue was lifted in place on the dome. 12, with the tribute from the fortress near the city, its last part was installed. The dome and extension works have been completed. Under the guidance of Edward Clark, he worked for Walter's assistant and was appointed as the architect of the Capitol in 1865. After Walter resigned. 1866, Italian-born artist Constantino's Cool Brumidi finished the machine cover, which was deified by powerful painting. 1868, the expansion of the parliament building is completed.

1898

1October 6, 1898+065438, the original gas in the north wing exploded and caught fire, which clearly demonstrated the necessity of fire prevention. The roofs of the original hall wing and the north wing of the statue were rebuilt and fire-resistant, which was completed by Clark Elliot forest, the successor, in 1902. In the Library of Congress 190 1 space; The vacant west line rebuilt the central Committee room.

1902

1902 Clark continued his position as an architect until his death. During his administration, the capitol was quite modern. Steam heating system was gradually installed in the old parliament building. 1874 installed the elevator, 19 In the 1980s, electric lights were used and gas lamps were replaced. From 1884 to 189 1, marble balconies were built on the north, west and south sides of the parliament building. As part of the olmsted Plan conceived by the ground gardener Frederick, these large balconies are not only increased to 65,438+000 rooms in the Parliament Building, but also provided for a wider range of buildings.

David Lynn 1954 The architect of the Capitol continued these tasks from 1923 until his retirement. During the period from July of 1949 to June of 195 1, the corroded roofs and skylights of the two wings and the connected corridors were replaced with concrete and new steel roofs, and the roofs were covered with copper. The cast iron and glass ceilings in the Senate and House of Representatives rooms were replaced by stainless steel ceilings and plastered, and each room had carved glass and bronze chandeliers. The rooms of the Senate and the House of Representatives have been completely transformed, with modern air conditioning and lighting equipment added, and acoustic problems have been solved. In this transformation plan, the Senate and the House of Representatives are vacated several times, and only their rooms can be improved.

Revise and make the Capitol an extension of the Eastern Front. This project was implemented. Under the supervision of the architects of the Capitol, J George Stewart served from 1970 until his death. At first, in 1958, it intervened in six buildings in front of Xindong with marble, and expanded 32 feet in the east of the old front line, faithfully reappearing the sandstone structure. Undamaged old sandstone wall; Instead, they left it to the inner wall and plow as part of the additional support. The marble columns of the connected corridors have also been moved and reused. Other elements included in this project, such as restoring the dome, building a subway station under the steps of the Senate, rebuilding the steps, cleaning the wings, and providing furniture and furnishings, will be expanded and improved to create 90 new room lighting devices in the building. 1962 Project completed. Subsequently, in the 1960s, the work mainly focused on building the office building of rayburn Building and maintaining and restoring the Parliament Building.

White, FAIA, the architect of the modern parliament building, was restored. 1973, the house of representatives installed electronic voting equipment; The facilities have increased the TV coverage that allows debates between the Senate and the House of Representatives, namely 1979 and1986; The date of the Capitol has also been increased due to improved climate control, electronic monitoring system and new computer and communication equipment. For others, the restoration of19th century among them will be the country's bicentennial celebration of 1976, the national statue hall and the old Supreme Court room. 1983, the reinforcement and protection of the west front of the parliament building began. Structural problems are developed on the original basis. Over the years, due to defects, the deterioration of sandstone facing materials has changed the beginners' multi-purpose symbol instruction code building fabric (adding four floors and opening walls, you install internal utilities) and the damage from fire 18 14 and 185 1 and 1898 gas explosion.