Address: East Capitol Street, NE and 1st Street, NE
Pricing: Free
Phone: 202-226-8000 (visitors center)
Hours: Mon-Sat, 8:45 a.m.-4:30 p.m. (visitors center)
How To Get There:
From Washington National Airport, take the ramp onto George Washington Memorial Pkwy. Take the exit onto I-395 N toward Washington into D.C. Take exit 6 for I-395 N/C St SW toward D St NW/U.S. Senate/U.S. Capitol the House. Keep left at the fork, follow signs for U S Capitol/C St SW. Turn left at Washington Ave SW. Turn right at Independence Ave SW. Turn left at 1st St SE.
Parking:Very limited at local lots or meters to the west
Visit Website
U.S. Capitol Building: Where the law of the land finds life
Dec 17, 2009
Home to the U.S. Congress – and once even home to the Supreme Court -- the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C., is an emblem of the American populace and their government, the gathering place of the nation's elected representatives. It also houses an important compilation of American art and it is an architectural accomplishment in its own right. It is a working office and a sightseeing attraction visited by millions annually.
Development of the Capitol began in 1793 when George Washington first laid the cornerstone, but it wasn’t until the U.S. Civil War in 1861 that the primary building was complete, with the completion of the Capitol Dome.
The heart of today’s Capitol is the Rotunda, a 96-foot-diameter spherical lobby surmounted by the Capitol’s inner dome. Evident 180 feet above is a massive fresco painted by Italian artist Constantino Brumidi. Around the perimeter, on the ground below, six groups of figures depict War, Science, Marine, Commerce, Mechanics, and Agriculture.
National Statuary Hall, the Old Supreme Court Chamber and the Crypt, directly below the Rotunda, which holds statues donated by the original 13 states, are among highlights that shouldn’t be missed.
With 540 rooms divided among five levels, the U.S. Capitol is a massive building. The ground floor is allocated to congressional offices. The second floor holds the chambers of the House of Representatives in the south wing and the Senate in the north wing. The third floor is where visitors can watch the proceedings of Congress when in session. Additional offices and machinery rooms occupy the fourth floor and the basement.
Opened in 2008, the Capitol Visitor Center fulfills the need as a place for visitors to gather and view exhibitions and films, participate in guided tours and special events, greet their members of Congress, and see up close their government at work.
Tours are free, but require tickets distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. Visitors can book tours in advance at the Capitol Visitors Center web site or through your representative’s office. Prepare for long security lines, and avoid driving to the Capitol. Instead, take a tour bus or walk from the Metro's Red Line at Union Station.
- by Jim Brown , Washington Reporter for HelloMetro
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Jim Brown Jim Brown is a longtime freelance aviation, travel and destination writer and communications professional. A former reporter for Aviation Daily, Air Safety Week and World Airline News, Jim served for more than 15 years as a senior public relations executive for American Airlines, TWA and AirTran Airways.
