The U.S. Capitol dome is about to undergo a major restoration project and will shortly be covered in scaffolding. I wanted to capture a photo of the dome before then.
George Washington laid the cornerstone of the U.S. Capitol in 1793. At the time of President Lincoln's inauguration in 1861, the Capitol dome was only half complete. Construction continued during the Civil War and the Statue of Freedom that sits atop the dome was placed there in 1863, the same year the Emancipation Proclamation took effect.
This photo is taken from inside the Summer House, which is a building on the Capitol grounds designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and completed in 1881. It houses a natural spring. (Best viewed large)
Fabulous POV! And interesting to read about Olmsted's contribution as he is a significant landscape architect in Chicago as well, for the work from the exposition especially.
So nice to see the Capitol building from such a unique vantage point....it's so beautifully framed by the arch. I find it so interesting to read all the historical details that go with your photos....I would LOVE to visit DC and take in all the sites and history!
Great picture! I've been in the summer house, finding a "virtual" geocache. Most people I've mentioned it to have no idea there's a structure on the Capitol grounds. Love the little grotto inside. A cool place to rest in the heat of mid-summer. Thanks for the memory. I look forward to seeing more of DC through your eyes.
@taffy Thanks, Taffy. I am an Olmsted fan and love that he was so involved with the Chicago exposition. I've read a bio about Olmsted and it wasn't enough. I've picked up a second one.
@bluemoon Thanks, Paula! I'm certain you would love D.C. I've lived here now for over 20 years and I never tire of the historic sites. I'm discovering new places with the help of this photo project too. :)
@margonaut Thank you! I need to learn more about the geocache hobby. This little Summer House, which I call a spring house because of the natural spring there, is such a quirky little building. You're right, so few people know it's there. I've learned there were supposed to be two of them, but Congress stopped the second one from being built, because they know so much more about landscape design than Frederick Law Olmsted! Travesty!
