Art History Paper

Running Head: U.S. CAPITOL’S ARCHITECTURE

PAGE 7

U.S. CAPITOL’S ARCHITECTURE

United States Capitol: Washington DC

Dr. Moreno/Modern Art III

November 12, 2014

United States Capitol: Washington DC

Introduction

The building of the United States is located in Washington DC. It is normally found on the Eastern Section of National Mall. The capitol was designed using the classical plan, and it resembled the Roman Pantheon that has a round domed rotunda. The most critical feature of building is the cast-designed iron of Neoclassical dome (Khan, 2010).

Figure 1.0: The U.S. Capitol Building

Architectural Description

The capitol's building has a central dome found at the centre of the structure above the rotunda. This comprises of two small wings at the north and southern parts with meeting chambers for House of Representatives and Senate. The Capitol’s architects are in charge of development, preservation, operation and maintenance of the Capitol Complex.

Columns

Columns are the major iconic architectural elements throughout the Capitol Hill building. The Doric, Ionic and Corinthian columns are dominant from Supreme Court to the Capitol Hill building. The columns give the building the neoclassical look of the American Democracy.

Figure 2.0: Columns

Corinthian Columns

These columns were of the most sleek design, consisting of an elaborate bell shaped capital with volutes, also two rows of acanthus leaves and a decorative cornice. In most cases the columns are fluted.

· The outside of the Capitol Building, including the East and West Front portico contain these these columns. The dramatic “Hall of Columns” located in the Capitol’s House wing is named because of it’s 28 fluted, white marble columns that parallel the corridor.

Materials

The architects chose the construction materials with great caution to ensure that the Capitol remained a lasting landmark (Klepak & Patrice, 2000).

· Sandstone was used in building the Capital since it was readily available, particularly in the quarry that was owned by the government, and cutting it into various shapes was easy. Sandstone was used by the builders for the Capitol’s exteriors and interior wall, floors and other elements. Due to its softness, sandstone exteriors wore out easily hence needed to be replaced with harder stones. The interior features remained intact and visible.

· Marble was used extensively in building the capitol’s offices, government and commercial buildings since it is beautiful, durable and relatively easy to carve. The material was used to make the exterior surfaces like walls, floors, stairways and columns. Marble was also used for interior and exterior sculptures and statues.

· Cast Iron was used for the dome and made of extensions for roof trusses, gas lines, door trim, decorative window and plumbing lines. The dome was made up of 8,909,200 pounds cast-iron columns, girders, plates and ornaments.

Style

The buildings in US capital reflect diverse architectural styles. These include the iconic neoclassical style art deco styles for the capital and Jefferson library. The major responsibility centers on ensuring the buildings are taken care of in the awe-inspiring way in which they were constructed and conceived. The major styles used in US capital include Art Deco, Beaux Arts, contemporary and definitive architectures (Eckardt, 1978).

· The Art Deco style in US capitol began in 1920s and was inspired by the Aztec and Egyptian forms characterized by geometric forms that were highly stylized.

· The Beaux Arts style was mostly used for the library of Jefferson. The style considers the space function strongly. It is theatrical and ornamented in nature, and was first taught in Ecole des Beaux-Arts in France.

· The contemporary architecture was used in building the capital. This comprises the major defining aspects of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. The prominent contemporary architecture used in building the capital in 21st century was that of sustainable design. The philosophy of the contemporary design limits the environmental impacts and maximizes energy efficiency and usage of other natural resources.

· The definitive architectural style used on U.S. capital was neoclassical and was inspired by ancient Roman and Greek styles during design of the public buildings. The style is recognizable in US capital through use of symmetrical shapes, tall columns, domed roofs and triangular pediments.

More History

The actual north and south extensions of the capitol’s dome was originally designed by a man named Thomas Walter in 1863. He designed every ornament of cast iron to look like stone because of it’s weight. The ceiling of the inner dome was of a painting an apotheosis. In the painting you will see a George Washington ascending into heaven, and the outer dome ascending into the sky.

· The Apotheosis of Washington Fresco was created by Constantino Bernini. Bernini actually painted George Walters in the painting.

Corinthian Columns

These columns were of the most sleek design, consisting of an elaborate bell shaped capital with volutes, also two rows of acanthus leaves and a decorative cornice. In most cases the columns are fluted.

· The outside of the Capitol Building, including the East and West Front portico contain these these columns. The dramatic “Hall of Columns” located in the Capitol’s House wing is named because of it’s 28 fluted, white marble columns that parallel the corridor.

References

Eckardt, W. The Architecture of Washington, D. C. Bates Lowry. Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians 37(3) , (1978).

"http://www.aoc.gov/capitol-hill/architecture-styles/neoclassical-architecture-capitol-hill"

Khan, Y. Enlightening the World: The Creation of the Statue of Liberty. Ithaca, N.Y: Cornell University Press. (2010).

Klepak, H., & Patrice, M. F. Toward a New Security Architecture in the Americas: The Strategic Implications of the FTAA (Washington, DC: Center for Strategic and International Studies. Journal of Latin American Studies , (2000).