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Capitol Building

The United States Capitol has stood at the center of Washington since the 1790s, and GoDC has spent years digging into its history. These posts cover everything from the Capitol’s construction and the British burning of 1814 to the dome’s completion during the Civil War and the debates, ceremonies, and controversies that have played out inside ever since.

56 stories
1952 Washington UFO Sightings: Jets Scrambled Over the CapitolUpdated Oct 27EpisodePrince Jonah Kuhio Kalanianaole in Harris and Ewing studio portrait, Washington, DCPrince Kūhiō in Washington: Hawaiʻi’s Delegate, 1903-1922Updated Oct 11July 4, 1926: How Washington Celebrated America’s 150th BirthdayUpdated Jul 3

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Looking toward the west side of the United States Capitol building, a panoramic view of the city of Washington, D.C. shows the Mall area in the foreground before the railroad tracks were removed. A train is visible on the tracks. The domed structure in front of the Capitol is the Botanic Garden original octagonal greenhouse of 1859 and behind it the central pavilion added after the Civil War. The buildings were razed in 1932. The Botanic Garden was on a site previously occupied by the Columbian Institute for the Promotion of Arts and Sciences in Washington, D.C.The Capitol in 1900, Seen From the Smithsonian CastleUpdated May 30The 1915 Capitol Bombing and the Shooting of J.P. MorganUpdated May 25Capito Dome under construction in 1860sThe U.S. Capitol During the Civil WarUpdated May 22In late 1959 through 1960, the Capitol Dome underwent a significant repair and restoration effort and at the end of 1959 the exterior of the Dome was surrounded by scaffold.The Red Capitol Dome: Photos from the 1950s RestorationUpdated May 22The White House ruins after the conflagration of August 24, 1814. Watercolor by George Munger (WIkipedia)When Congress Almost Moved the Capital Out of WashingtonUpdated May 18A stereograph image showcasing the inauguration ceremony of Rutherford B. Hayes, marking the beginning of his presidency in the United States.Blood on the Marble: The Taulbee-Kincaid Capitol ShootingUpdated May 12
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