Annotated Edition in Commemoration of The Bicentennial of the United States Capitol
Prepared by the Architect of the Capitol for The United States Capitol Preservation Commission
H. Doc. 108-240, Glenn Brown's History of the United States Capitol
Document
Section |
File Size
and File Format |
Print Copy
Pages |
Front Matter |
PDF 376 KB |
i-iv |
Preface by President Pro Tempore, U.S. Senate and Speaker,
U.S. House of Representatives |
PDF 36 KB |
v |
Foreword by Alan M. Hantman |
PDF 40 KB |
vii |
List of Figures and Plates |
PDF 51 KB |
xiii |
Acknowledgments by William B. Bushong |
PDF 38 KB |
xxi |
List of Abbreviations |
PDF 26 KB |
xxiii |
"Glenn Brown and the United States Capitol" by William B. Bushong |
PDF 1.1 MB |
1-21 |
VOLUME I: THE OLD CAPITOL-1792-1850 |
Brown's Dedication |
PDF 194 KB |
23-25 |
Author's Preface |
PDF 22 KB |
27 |
Introduction |
PDF 52 KB |
29-35 |
Chapter I - The selection of sites for Federal buildings; the first map of the city of Washington; the location of building sites, with reference to extended vistas; the site for the
Capitol |
PDF 360 KB |
37-42 |
Chapter II - The competition for a design; the first and second
competition; the selection of the design by William Thornton;
the employment of Hallet as superintendent; the
modification of Thornton’s design |
PDF 1.7 MB |
43-67 |
Chapter III - The work of Dr. William Thornton, Architect; laying
the corner stone; change of exterior from brick to freestone;
Hoban, principal superintendent; resignation of Hallet;
appointment of Thornton commissioner; appointment of
George Hadfield superintendent; the Capitol when occupied
by Congress in 1800 |
PDF 2.1 MB |
68-104 |
Chapter IV - The work of Benjamin Henry Latrobe, Architect;
appointment of Latrobe; changes in original design; defense
by Thornton of his design; appearance of old Hall of Representatives;
condition of woodwork, Senate wing; burning
of interior of Capitol by the British, 1814; measures for
reconstructing the Capitol; resignation of Latrobe |
PDF 2.9 MB |
105-155 |
Chapter V - The work of Charles Bulfinch, Architect; appointment;
model made of Capitol; report on defective vaulting;
acoustic properties of Hall; completion of the building;
personal interest of the President in the work; the Architects
and superintendents of the building |
PDF 3.0 MB |
156-182 |
Chapter VI - The old Capitol as completed; the grounds and terraces;
the arrangement of the rooms on each story; descriptions
of the House and Senate, the Library, and committee
rooms; the acoustic properties of the House; appointment
of Robert Mills; heating and lighting of the Capitol |
PDF 3.0 MB |
183-213 |
Chapter VII - Statuary and paintings in the old Capitol; statuary
by Franzoni, Andrei, Iardella, Causici, Capellano, Gevelot,
Valaperti, Persico, and Greenough; the Tripoli naval
monument; historical paintings by Trumbull, Chapman,
Vanderlyn, Wier, Scheffer, and Peale |
PDF 4.9 MB |
214-251 |
Chapter VIII - History of the Architects of the old Capitol,
Thornton, Latrobe, Bulfinch |
PDF 353 KB |
252-265 |
Chapter IX - History of the principal superintendents, Hoban,
Hallet, Hadfield, Lenthal, Lenox, Blagden, Mills |
PDF 411 KB |
266-273 |
Chapter X - Data concerning men and material connected with
the old Capitol; departments in charge of the Capitol;
table of men, salaries, and duties of those in charge of the
Capitol; table of wages; dimensions of the Capitol; appropriations
and expenditures on the old Capitol |
PDF 345 KB |
274-299 |
VOLUME II: HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES CAPITOL |
Chapter XI - The competition for the extension of the Capitol;
conditions of the competition; four plans selected; Robert
Mills directed to make a plan from the four selected; plan
approved by committee |
PDF 1.1 MB |
300-316 |
Chapter XII - The work of Thomas U. Walter; his selection by
President Fillmore; drawings as finally approved; laying of
the corner stone of the extension; the Senate and House not
consulted in the adoption of the plans; testing stone; letting
of contracts; appointment of M. C. Meigs as Superintendent;
report of committee on memorial of C. F. Anderson;
design for new Dome; progress of the work on the extension
and the Dome; the House occupies the south wing—
1857—and the Senate the north wing—1859; question of
authority between the Architect and the Superintendent;
W. B. Franklin appointed Superintendent; suspension of
work during the civil war; placing the figure of Freedom;
resignation of Thomas U. Walter |
PDF 4.8 MB
PDF 2.5 MB |
317-370
371-410 |
Chapter XIII - The work on the Capitol under the supervision
of Edward Clark, Architect; appointment of Edward Clark;
completion of the exterior of the Capitol extension; treatment
of the grounds; the introduction of elevators and electric
lighting and drainage system; the centennial anniversary
of the laying of the corner stone of the Capitol |
PDF 57 KB |
411-418 |
Chapter XIV - The heating and ventilation of the Capitol; report
of committee on defective heating and ventilation with
proposed methods of rectifying the defects; new heating
apparatus; heating and ventilating apparatus again renewed
and altered; description of the latest scheme for heating
and ventilation |
PDF 48 KB |
419-425 |
Chapter XV - Elevators and lighting; the first elevators installed;
gas lighting; electric gas lighting; experiments with electric
lights; installation of electric lighting machinery; contract to
light the grounds by electric lights |
PDF 1.0 MB |
426-434 |
Chapter XVI - The building as completed from Walter’s designs;
the basement, principal and attic floor plans; the exterior of
the building; description of the various rooms; the Senate
Chamber and the Hall of Representatives; the Library; the
old portions of the building |
PDF 4.9 MB |
435-472 |
Chapter XVII - The terraces and landscape work; Frederick Law
Olmsted, landscape architect; treatment of the grounds;
the marble terraces; planting; the progress and effectiveness
of this work |
PDF 2.6 MB |
473-492 |
Chapter XVIII - Recent alterations and proposed additions to
the Capitol; removal of the Congressional Library from the
Capitol; new committee rooms; Walter’s schemes for central
projections; additions suggested by Smithmeyer and Pelz;
the explosion of 1898 and repairs |
PDF 1.2 MB |
493-506 |
Chapter XIX - Decorations; appointment of an art commission
to report on the decoration of the Capitol; the recommendations
of this commission; their criticisms of the art work
already completed; the need of the most competent artists
being employed |
PDF 33 KB |
507-509 |
Chapter XX - Sculpture; the work of Greenough, Crawford,
Rogers, Powers, David d’Anvers, Houdon, Rinehart, French,
Story, Simmons, Ward, and other sculptors; table with list
of sculpture; table with list of sculptured busts; table with
list of medals formerly in the Capitol |
PDF 2.1 MB
PDF 47 KB |
510-535
536-541 |
Chapter XXI - Paintings and frescoes; paintings by Powell,
Walker, Leutze, Bierstadt, Gilbert Stuart, Chas. Wilson
Peale, Rembrandt Peale, Copley, Sully, Sargent; frescoes by
Brumidi; table giving a list of the paintings in the Capitol;
table giving a list of frescoes in the Capitol |
PDF 3.3 MB |
542-570 |
Chapter XXII - Architects of the Capitol extension; biographies
of Thomas U. Walter, Edward Clark, Frederick Law
Olmsted, Thomas Wisedell |
PDF 256 KB |
571-579 |
Chapter XXIII - Superintendents of the Capitol extension,
M. C. Meigs, W. B. Franklin; biography of frescoe painter
C. Brumidi |
PDF 263 KB |
580-585 |
Chapter XXIV - Miscellaneous data of the Capitol extension; the
jurisdiction of the work; day work; contract work; the price
of labor and material; the principal contractors; table giving
the names and salaries of the principal men connected with
the Capitol; table giving the general dimensions of the
building; table giving list of trees and shrubs in the Capitol
grounds; table giving appropriations for and expenditures
on the Capitol; table giving cost of the Capitol; bibliography
of the United States Capitol |
PDF 159 KB |
586-619 |
Bibliography |
PDF 88 KB |
620-632 |
Index to the Annotated Edition |
PDF 59 KB |
633-644 |