US Capitol

Where: Washington, DC
When: November 13, 2010
With: Dave & Ashley

My little sister used to have a fascinating job: as a staffer for NJ Senator Bob Menendez. Her days were filled with policy, red tape and angry constituents, complaining about everything under the sun, from taxes to the price of postage stamps. She also was occasionally in charge of tours of the US Capitol building, and on one visit to her in DC, she gave us an impromptu tour of the building and her office.

The US Capitol sits at the eastern end of the Mall on Capitol Hill. It was one of the first buildings to be conceived in the layout of Washington DC, and as such, all of the city's street numbering begins here. There aren't many iconic views in the US that top this one, of the building sitting at the end of the grassy Mall.

The building was begun in 1793, with George Washington himself laying its cornerstone. It underwent several updates, including the addition of the dome, and to add on chambers for the legislative branch of government: the House of Representatives to the south and the Senate to the North. 

The not-as-iconic eastern entrance to the Capitol building, where we would be entering through lots of metal detectors. 

The first thing that struck me upon entering the building was how accessible it was. It feels like it should be reserved for dignitaries, but anyone can walk right in and potentially rub shoulders with members of Congress. And here we were on a casual Sunday, heading on in. 

The bottom floor of the building is called the Crypt. Originally, it was designed to be where George Washington was laid to rest before he requested to be buried at Mount Vernon. Now it contains statues of famous individuals from each of the thirteen original colonies. Each state determines who they are represented by and donates the statue.

The first major room we saw was the Old Supreme Court chamber, used from 1810-1860. As it is no longer used, it has been restored to show what it looked like towards the end of its time as the headquarters of the judicial branch of government. In 1844, the first Morse code message was sent from this room, and over its years in use, several groundbreaking cases were heard within these walls.  

Obviously, the grandest room in the building sits under the Rotunda right in the middle. Filled with statues and artwork, and topped with the 180 foot dome, this room takes your breath away as you step in. At the top of the dome is a fresco painting called the Apotheosis of Washington by Constantino Brumidi. It shows Washington effectively becoming a god as he sits in the heavens among the gods and goddesses representing various pillar stones of  American culture. The painting is so high that the figures are actually 15 feet tall to ensure they are visible from the ground. 

The Rotunda is filled with famous paintings, but this one is quite interesting as I was just in the room that this scene took place a month ago: in the Maryland State Capitol in Annapolis on the day that Washington resigned his post as leader of the Continental Army. It was painted in 1824 by John Trumbull and has been here since 1826. 

Various statues also line the edges of the Rotunda, and similar to the Crypt, represent different US states. One of the more familiar statues was donated by California in 2009 of Ronald Reagan. On the pedestal he stands upon is a thin strip of stone that was part of the Berlin Wall, where Reagan dramatically asked Mr. Gorbachev to "tear down this wall". 

To the south of the Rotunda is the National Statuary Hall. Originally built for the House of Representatives, it now contains statues of famous contributors to the country. 

On the northern side of the Rotunda, we entered the Small Senate Rotunda towards the Senate wing of the Capitol building. It has a large chandelier hanging from its dome, and is beautiful, but much smaller than its friend down the hall. It actually was original designed as an ornamental air shaft after the fire of 1814. 

And now we leave the frilly portion of our tour and descend into the basement that connects the south of the Capitol building (the House) with the north (the Senate). Long hallways that felt more like a warehouse than a 200 year old building guided the way, with only the state flags and seals of the country lining the way for decor. Alongside the walkway was a rail for a tram used to speed people between the two branches. 

Emerging from the bowels of the hallways, we came out into an open space surrounded by glass offices going many stories up. It felt like a hotel but was actually the offices of the US Senators lining the various floors. 

Entering the offices of Bob Menendez. 

Inside was a surprisingly small and accessible space where the front desk employees will filter through visitors before allowing them into the back where the Senator sits. I was again surprised to see how much it looked like a typical office setting. 

And finally, the big finale, the desk of Senator Menendez. While we were too nervous to sit in his chair, we happily used his personal bathroom. I actually couldn't believe it was so easy for us to just walk on in, but I guess you have to know the right people!

While I would love to go back to the Capitol to get a more robust tour of all the rooms and statues and paintings, it can't be beat that we hung out in a US Senator's office. This building is beautiful and iconic from the inside out.