Capitol (United States)

Capitol (United States)
Name	United States Capitol
Location	Washington, D.C.
Coordinates	38°53′22″N 77°00′32″W
Architect	William Thornton; Benjamin Henry Latrobe; Charles Bulfinch; Thomas U. Walter; Edward Clark
Style	Neoclassical
Built	1793–1868; expansions 1850s–1860s; restorations 20th–21st centuries
Governing body	United States Congress

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Capitol (United States) The Capitol is the principal legislative building housing the United States Congress in Washington, D.C., serving as the meeting place for the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives and as a focal point for national ceremonies such as presidential inaugurations and state funerals. Designed and modified by architects including William Thornton, Benjamin Henry Latrobe, Charles Bulfinch, and Thomas U. Walter, the Capitol has been the site of landmark events like the certification of presidential elections and addresses by foreign leaders including Winston Churchill and Nelson Mandela. The building's function intersects with institutions such as the Supreme Court of the United States, the Library of Congress, and the Smithsonian Institution and is protected under statutes passed by the United States Congress and enforced by agencies including the United States Capitol Police.

Overview

The Capitol occupies a prominent site on Capitol Hill overlooking the National Mall, adjacent to the United States Botanic Garden and near the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial, and forms part of the National Register of Historic Places and the United States National Historic Landmark program. Constructed in phases from 1793 through the 19th century with ongoing conservation by the Architect of the Capitol, the structure embodies influences from Palladio and Andrea Palladio‑inspired neoclassicism adopted throughout federal projects like the Treasury Building and the United States Capitol Visitor Center. The Capitol's operations intersect with federal entities including the General Services Administration and the Congressional Research Service.

The Capitol's design blends elements executed by William Thornton, refined by Benjamin Henry Latrobe and Charles Bulfinch, and expanded under Thomas U. Walter with a cast‑iron dome inspired by St. Peter's Basilica and Panthéon, Paris. Exterior materials include sandstone and marble quarried in locations such as Lee, Massachusetts and Proctor, Vermont; interior features encompass the Rotunda, the Senate chamber, the House of Representatives chamber, the National Statuary Hall Collection, and frescoes and murals like those by Constantino Brumidi and works referencing George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and other founders. The building's axial planning aligns with plans by Pierre Charles L'Enfant and urban improvements by Daniel Burnham and the McMillan Plan, while structural systems have been adapted with metallurgy influenced by innovators such as Isambard Kingdom Brunel and techniques paralleling those used in Brooklyn Bridge construction.

Groundbreaking occurred in 1793 with cornerstone laid by George Washington; early construction involved contractors associated with Thomas Jefferson and design debates engaging figures like John Adams and James Madison. The Capitol was burned in 1814 during the War of 1812 by forces linked to British Army operations, prompting reconstruction overseen by Benjamin Henry Latrobe and Charles Bulfinch. Mid‑19th century expansion under Thomas U. Walter accommodated increasing membership after the Apportionment Acts and included the new dome completed during the American Civil War, a period involving leaders such as Abraham Lincoln. The 20th century saw additions of the Library of Congress growth, the establishment of the United States Capitol Visitor Center after debates in the United States Congress, and events including the 1963 joint session for John F. Kennedy's address and more recent occurrences like the 2021 breach coincident with the certification of the 2020 United States presidential election.

The Capitol provides chambers for floor sessions of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives, committee rooms for panels such as the Senate Judiciary Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee, and offices for leaders including the Speaker of the House and the Senate Majority Leader. It hosts constitutional procedures including the counting of electoral votes under the Twelfth Amendment and the convening of joint sessions for addresses by presidents like Franklin D. Roosevelt and foreign dignitaries such as Margaret Thatcher and Angela Merkel. The building accommodates ceremonial activities like the lying in state of figures including John F. Kennedy, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Abraham Lincoln (honorary displays), and provides archival interaction with the National Archives and Records Administration and research support from the Congressional Research Service.

The Capitol sits within the Capitol Complex, which includes the House of Representatives Office Buildings and the Senate Office Buildings, connected via the Capitol Reflecting Pool and the Capitol South Metro station transit access and integrated with sculptures from the National Statuary Hall Collection and monuments such as the Peace Monument. Landscaped grounds planned under the McMillan Plan feature plantings maintained in coordination with the United States Botanic Garden and policing by the United States Capitol Police. Ancillary facilities include the United States Capitol Police Garage, the Capitol Power Plant, and tunnels linking to the Library of Congress and the Capitol Visitor Center.

Security at the Capitol is primarily the responsibility of the United States Capitol Police, operating in cooperation with the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Department of Homeland Security. Access controls include screening at the United States Capitol Visitor Center, credentialing for members of the United States Congress and staff, and procedures codified by statutes such as those enforced after incidents like the 1954 shooting and the 1998 impeachment‑era security changes and the 2021 breach that prompted congressional hearings and reforms involving the United States Senate Sergeant at Arms and the House Sergeant at Arms.

The Capitol serves as an enduring symbol referenced in works by Frederick Douglass, depicted in paintings by John Trumbull and Winslow Homer, and featured in films such as those portraying the Watergate scandal and the Cold War era. Iconography including the Statue of Freedom atop the dome references sculptors like Thomas Crawford and echoes classical allegories found in Neoclassicism‑influenced civic architecture like the United States Supreme Court Building and the Jefferson Memorial. The Capitol appears in national rituals including inaugurations presided over by Chief Justice of the United Stateses and in public memory connected to events such as the Civil Rights Movement and speeches by leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. and Ronald Reagan.