Washington, D.C.
The United States Capitol is the home of Congress, on a hill at the end of the great lawn downtown. Its pale dome is one of the most famous symbols of the country.
A dome that was too small
The first dome, by the architect Charles Bulfinch, was finished in 1824. It was low and made of wood covered in copper. A round opening at the top let in the light. With the new wings the building became much bigger, and that dome looked tiny.
A drawing that won everyone over
In December 1854 Thomas Walter hung a drawing in his office. It showed a new dome, with columns, windows and a statue on top. Congress approved the work in less than three months. The dome was built from 1856 to 1866.
Lower because of a statue
The statue on top turned out bigger than planned: six meters tall. To hold it, Walter widened the base and lowered the design from 91 to 88 meters. Inside he designed two domes, one inside the other: from outside you see one, from inside another.
What to see from outside
From the east plaza you can see the main facade, enlarged between 1958 and 1962. In 2016 a long restoration of the dome was completed: it had more than a thousand cracks.
