United States Capitol Building DC

Capitol Hill - Washington, DC

The United States Capitol, often called the Capitol Building, is the home of the United States Congress, and the seat of the legislative branch of the U.S. federal government. It is located on Capitol Hill at the eastern end of the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Though not at the geographic center of the Federal District, the Capitol forms the origin point for the District's street-numbering system and the District's four quadrants. The United States Capitol is among the most symbolically important and architecturally impressive buildings in the nation.

The National Mall is a landscaped park within the National Mall and Memorial Parks, an official unit of the United States National Park System. It is located near the downtown area of Washington, D.C., the capital city of the United States. The National Park Service (NPS) of the United States Department of the Interior administers the National Mall. 

The United States Capitol is a monument, a working office building, and one of the most recognizable symbols of representative democracy in the world. There is a guided tours of the building are free, but tickets are limited and there's often a long wait. It's best to reserve online in advance (there’s no fee).

United States Capitol Building - Washington DC Facts
Architectural style	Neoclassical Style
Architect	William Thornton
Construction started	September 18, 1793
Completed	1800

Capitol Building Fun Facts

Ø  The Capitol was built after Thomas Jefferson held a design competition to elicit entries from some of the finest architects in America.

Ø  The Capitol building has 540 rooms and has 658 windows (108 in the dome alone). The Dome is 8,909,200 pounds of cast-iron with 108 windows, and was constructed between 1855 and 1866. The statue at the top of dome is the Statue of Freedom. The Rotunda stands 180 feet, 3 inches tall and is 96 feet in diameter.

Ø  Today, the Capitol covers a ground area of 16,275 square meters or 1.6 hectares (175,170 square feet, or 4 acres), and has a floor area of 67,000 square meters or 6.7 hectares (721,200 square feet or 16.5 acres).

Ø  The original design for the Capitol Building was drawn by Dr. William Thornton and the current dome on the Capitol was designed by Thomas U. Walter, but there have been 11 Architects of the Capitol who have all made contributions to the building.

Ø  The statue that sits atop the dome is called the Statue of Freedom. The bronze Statue of Freedom is the crowning feature of the dome. It stands 6 meters (19 feet 6 inches) tall and weighs approximately 6,800 kilograms (15,000 pounds).

Ø  The Capitol Complex includes include the Capitol, Capitol Visitor Center, Senate Office Buildings, House Office Buildings, US Supreme Court, Library of Congress, US Botanic Garden and Capitol Campus grounds.

How to Reach : The United States Capitol is bordered by Constitution Avenue to the north, Independence Avenue to the south, and First Streets, to the east and west.  It is located at the far eastern end of the National Mall beyond the Capitol Reflecting Pool.

Address: East Capitol St NE & First St SE, Washington, DC 20004