The History of the U.S. Capitol Building – the location of A Capitol Fourth since 1981
The U.S. Capitol is among the most architecturally impressive and symbolically significant buildings in the world. For more than two centuries, it has housed the meeting chambers of the Senate and the House of Representatives, serving as the seat of American democracy and a monument to the people and government it represents. It is made up of the Capitol Dome, Capitol Rotunda, Capitol Crypt and the stunning 58-acre park – including the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol.
Construction began in 1793 with a design selected by President George Washington. The building has been built, burned by the British in 1814, rebuilt, extended, and restored in the centuries since. At its center rises the iconic white dome, one of the most recognized symbols of American government anywhere on earth.
Today, the U.S. Capitol Building covers approximately four acres of ground and more than sixteen acres of total floor space. It stretches 751 feet from north to south and rises 288 feet from its base to the top of the Statue of Freedom. Inside, the building contains roughly 540 rooms, 658 windows, and 850 doorways.
Capitol Dome
The United States Capitol Dome is one of the most iconic landmarks in America.
The original dome, designed by Boston architect Charles Bulfinch, was completed in 1824 after more than 30 years of construction. By the 1850s, it was considered too small, a fire hazard, and in constant need of repair. Congress authorized a replacement, committing to a new cast-iron dome after reviewing a single drawing.
Philadelphia architect Thomas U. Walter designed the new dome, and Army Corps of Engineers Captain Montgomery C. Meigs oversaw construction. The project ran from 1856 to 1866 at a total cost of $1,047,291. Remarkably, construction continued throughout the Civil War, a deliberate symbol of the Union’s resolve to endure.
On December 2, 1863, the Statue of Freedom was placed atop the completed dome amid military salutes and national celebration. Construction concluded in January 1866 when scaffolding was removed to reveal Constantino Brumidi’s fresco, the Apotheosis of Washington, painted 180 feet above the Rotunda floor.
In 2016, the Architect of the Capitol completed a multi-year restoration project, repairing more than 1,000 cracks and deficiencies that had accumulated over more than a century of age and weather, returning the Dome to its full splendor.
Capitol Rotunda
The U.S. Capitol Rotunda is one of the most celebrated interior spaces in America, conceived by Dr. William Thornton in 1793 and completed in 1824 under architect Charles Bulfinch. It serves as the backdrop for the nation’s most solemn ceremonial events.
Eight large historical paintings line the walls, spanning Revolutionary War scenes and early American exploration. The Rotunda honors presidents and historic figures, including a celebrated likeness of George Washington and a marble statue of Abraham Lincoln by Vinnie Ream, the first woman to receive a government art commission. Also on display: a bust of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Portrait Monument honoring suffrage leaders Lucretia Mott, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Susan B. Anthony.
Capitol Crypt
Tucked beneath the Rotunda, the Crypt takes its name from similar vaulted spaces found in historic churches, traditionally used for chapels and tombs.
Forty Doric columns of Aquia Creek sandstone, installed in the 1820s under architect Charles Bulfinch, support the floor above. At the center of the room, a white marble star embedded in the floor marks the geographic center of the U.S. Capitol and the point from which Washington, D.C. is divided into its four quadrants.
The Crypt houses statues from the National Statuary Hall Collection representing the 13 original colonies, as well as a replica of the Magna Carta. Directly below lies a chamber Congress once intended as a final resting place for George and Martha Washington, their remains stayed at Mount Vernon.
The West Lawn of the United States Capitol
The West Lawn of the United States Capitol is one of the most iconic gathering spaces in America. Stretching from the Capitol Building toward the National Mall, it offers a sweeping view of the monuments and memorials that define the American landscape.
The Capitol grounds were designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, the legendary landscape architect behind Central Park, and were commissioned by Congress in 1874. Olmsted’s vision created a natural setting that complements the grandeur of the building itself, with the West Lawn’s open expanse becoming the natural gathering place for the American public on its most significant occasions.
Presidential Inaugurations
Beginning with Ronald Reagan’s first inauguration on January 20, 1981, the West Lawn of the Capitol became the permanent home of presidential inaugurations. Every president since has taken the oath of office here, facing the monuments of the National Mall and the American landscape beyond.
A Capitol Fourth
Since 1981, the West Lawn has been home to A Capitol Fourth, the annual national Independence Day celebration broadcast live on public television nationwide. For more than four decades, all-star performers have taken the stage here before hundreds of thousands gathered on the lawn and millions watching at home, making it one of the longest-running live music events in television history and one of the most enduring traditions of the American Fourth of July.
The National Memorial Day Concert
Each year on the Sunday before Memorial Day, the West Lawn becomes a place of tribute. The National Memorial Day Concert, broadcast live on PBS, honors the men and women of the United States Armed Forces, the fallen, the living, the veterans, and the families who carry their loss every day.