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Building
In December 1910, the plant started operations, generating steam and electricity for the U.S. Capitol Building. In 1951 it ceased generating electricity. The plant has been enlarged many times to keep up with expansion of congressional offices and corresponding increase in heating and cooling demands of the U.S. Capitol. The Capitol Power Plant was authorized in 1904 to support new office buildings which were then in the early planning stages. These new facilities, now known as the Cannon House Office Building and the Russell Senate Office Building , required substantial heating and …
The Capitol Power Plant provides steam and chilled water used to heat and cool buildings throughout the U.S. Capitol campus.
Art
Pursuing the study of tropical diseases, Gorrie moved to Apalachicola, Florida, a large cotton market on the Gulf coast. With remarkable foresight and without knowledge of microbiology, he urged draining the swamps and sleeping under mosquito netting to prevent disease. He also advocated the cooling of sickrooms to reduce fever and to make the patient more comfortable. For this he cooled rooms with ice in a basin suspended from the ceiling. Cool air, being heavier, flowed down across the patient and though an opening near the floor. Since ice had to be brought by boat from the northern lakes, …
This statue of John Gorrie was given to the National Statuary Hall Collection by Florida in 1914. A physician, scientist, inventor and humanitarian, Gorrie is considered the father of refrigeration and air-conditioning.
Art
Tree Details The sequoia is the largest living tree species. This tree is one of three growing on the Capitol grounds and is well dislocated from its natural range in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California. It prefers cool summers and moist, but well drained, soil conditions that do not exist in the Washington region. …
Common Name: Giant Sequoia Botanical Name: Sequoia gigantea Planted: May 25, 1966 Sponsor: Cherokee Indian Nation (Ga.) Honoree Details Cherokee Chief Sequoyah is credited with taking the traditional spoken word and developing a written language. The chief is rendered in a bronze plaque in the
Art
On Tuesday, February 28, 2012, Congress unveiled a marker to commemorate the important role played by laborers, including enslaved African Americans, in building the United States Capitol. Their contributions were essential for the constructing what would later become known as the Temple of Liberty.
Art
Gathered around them are the men, women, and children going on the voyage. Some are dressed in traditional puritan attire while others wear more fanciful and bright garments. The armor, helmet, and musket in the foreground represent the tools that the Pilgrims will use for protection in the new and unfamiliar land. In the background on the right are the city and people the Pilgrims leave, and on the left a rainbow represents the hope and promise of what lies ahead. Embarkation of the Pilgrims is Robert Weir's most famous work. Initially, …
This painting depicts the Pilgrims on the deck of the ship Speedwell on July 22, 1620, before they departed from Delfs Haven, Holland, for North America, where they sought religious freedom.
Art
Raoul Wallenberg was a Swedish humanitarian who worked at his country's legation in Budapest during World War II and used his diplomatic status to save the lives of tens of thousands of Jews threatened by the occupying Nazi forces and their Hungarian collaborators. His determination and
Art
It was discovered that that firm was a successor company to the Minton Tile Co. and had even retained many of the original hand tools and forms in a private museum at the company's manufacturing site. Contact was then made with Mr. James Ellis, the Directing Architect of Ancient Monuments and Historic Buildings for the Crown. He had been trying for many years to establish a program for the replacement of the worn Minton tiles at the …
The richly patterned and colored Minton tile floors are one of the most striking features of the extensions of the United States Capitol. They were first installed in 1856, when Thomas U. Walter was engaged in the design and construction of vast additions to the Capitol (1851-1865). For the floors
Building
Additionally state-of-the-art high-efficiency fans and motors were used for mechanical systems and use outside air for cooling in place of chilled water when the outdoor temperature is 60 degrees and below. Light fixture occupancy sensors have been installed throughout office spaces and restrooms and compact fluorescent fixtures are used wherever possible. Other features include low-flow bathroom fixtures and automatic …
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
This structure contains shaded benches, a central ornamental fountain and three public drinking fountains. In a small grotto on the eastern side of the Summerhouse, a stream of water flows and splashes over rocks to create a pleasing sound and cool the summer breezes. History The location of the U.S. Capitol Building was selected by the designer of the federal city, Pierre L'Enfant, and approved by President George Washington during a visit to the site in 1791. L'Enfant famously wrote that he thought the elevated position selected for the building …
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.