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Art
Meeting in New York at Federal Hall, the first federal Congress initiated the committee system, levied taxes and imposts, and enacted a judicial system. The Senate exercised its powers of advice and consent. Most important, the Congress passed the first ten amendments to the Constitution, which
Art
In June 1776 five delegates to the Second Continental Congress drafted the Declaration of Independence. The mural depicts (from left to right) Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, Thomas Jefferson, Robert Livingston, and John Adams. On the wall in the background is a portrait of English philosopher
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Following the Revolutionary War, the new American government was first organized under the Articles of Confederation, but that document gave the federal government too little authority to be effective. Convened to amend the Articles of Confederation, this convention wrote a new Constitution that
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Delegates from all thirteen colonies met in 1774 in Philadelphia to discuss responses to increased British oppression. This convention, the First Continental Congress, formally declared that colonists should have the same rights as Englishmen; they also agreed to form the Continental Association
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In 1754 the British government asked colonial representatives to meet in Albany, New York, to develop a treaty with Native Americans and plan the defense of the colonies against France. Exceeding these limited objectives, the assembly adopted a plan developed by Benjamin Franklin for government of
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The Mayflower Compact, a document signed aboard the ship Mayflower in 1620, set forth principles of tolerance and liberty for the government of a new colony in the New World. Pilgrim leader William Brewster is shown signing the document; John Standish, the colony's military leader, stands at left
Person
Joseph R. DiPietro is the Chief of Operations and Acting Architect of the Capitol. As Acting Architect, he leads the agency's mission to preserve and maintain the historic buildings and grounds across the Capitol campus.
Building
At the U.S. Capitol Building the Senate and the House of Representatives come together to discuss, debate and deliberate national policy; develop consensus; and craft the country's laws.
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In the pre-fire period this elliptical space housed the Senate wing’s main staircase. Benjamin Henry Latrobe remarked to Thomas Jefferson that "it was one of the most remarkable parts of the Capitol."
Building
The nation's 100 senators sit at individual desks arranged on a tiered semicircular platform facing a raised rostrum. A visitor's gallery overlooks the chamber on four sides.
Building
Located north of the Capitol Rotunda is the richly decorated Old Senate Chamber. Designed by Benjamin Henry Latrobe, this room was home to the U.S. Senate from 1819 until 1859 and later to the U.S. Supreme Court from 1860-1935.
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Conceived in the age of neoclassicism, the Rotunda was intended to recall the Pantheon, the ancient Roman temple. Bulfinch created in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda an ambitious orchestration of architecture, sculpture and painting.
Building
Built by Benjamin Henry Latrobe, it was a significant architectural achievement, for the size and structure of its vaulted, semicircular ceiling were virtually unprecedented in the United States. In addition to housing the Supreme Court, this space later served as a committee room, a law library, a
Building
National Statuary Hall is one of the most popular rooms in the U.S. Capitol Building. It, and its collection of statuary from individual states, is visited by thousands of tourists each day and continues to be used for ceremonial occasions.
Building
In the south wing, Latrobe created a progression of spaces from the entrance door on the first floor up a grand staircase to the small rotunda in front of the principal doorway leading into the Hall of the House (now called National Statuary Hall).
Building
The House Chamber, also known as the "Hall of the House of Representatives," is a large assembly room located in the center of the U.S. Capitol's south wing.
Building
The hall was constructed in the mid-19th century as part of architect Thomas U. Walter's extension of the Capitol, which added the present House and Senate wings and the dome.
Building
The murals and decorations complement those in the Brumidi Corridors in the Senate wing of the U.S. Capitol.
Building
This center section of the building was completed in 1827 under the direction of the third Architect of the Capitol, Charles Bulfinch.
Building
The U.S. Capitol Visitor Center is the newest addition to the historic Capitol Complex. At nearly 580,000 square feet, the Visitor Center is the largest project in the Capitol's more than two-century history and is approximately three-quarters the size of the Capitol itself.
Building
The U.S. Capitol subway consists of three lines: two on the Senate (north) side of the Capitol, and one on the House (south) side of the Capitol.
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Construction on the Summerhouse began in 1879 and was completed in late 1880 or early 1881 by landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted.
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The Capitol Reflecting Pool was included in master plans for the Washington Mall area prepared by the architectural firm of Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill in the 1960s and 1970s to reduce vehicular traffic on the Mall and facilitate pedestrian and recreational use.
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In 1874, Frederick Law Olmsted was charged with devising a comprehensive landscape scheme for the U.S. Capitol. Olmsted's major concern was the visual presentation of the Capitol Building and the support of its daily functions.
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The grounds immediately surrounding the U.S. Capitol are bordered by a stone wall and cover an area of 58.8 acres. Its boundaries are Independence Avenue on the south, Constitution Avenue on the north, First Street NE/SE on the east, and First Street NW/SW on the west.
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The U.S. Capitol’s dome made of cast iron was designed by Thomas U. Walter and constructed from 1856-1866 at the total cost of $1,047,291.
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Adjacent to the U.S. Botanic Garden Conservatory with entrances from Independence Avenue, Maryland Avenue (at 3rd street) and from the Conservatory Terrace.
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This historic Lord & Burnham greenhouse contains two courtyard gardens and 10 garden rooms under glass, totaling 28,944 square feet of exhibition space.
Building
Bartholdi Gardens serves as a home landscape demonstration garden and showcases innovative plant combinations in a variety of styles and design themes.
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The offices of the United States Botanic Garden's (USBG) executive director are located in a residential building at the south end of Bartholdi Park.