A Digital Tour of the History and Significance of the U.S. Capitol

Before getting started, I would like to thank the Gould Center for Humanistic Studies for creating and sponsoring the Passion Project Program. I can create this blog because of the Passion Project Program, and I am extremely excited to share the US Capitol’s unique features and history. In this post, I will go through the Rotunda’s history of construction, the Rotunda’s unique features, and how Congress currently uses the Rotunda. The Capitol Rotunda has always been central to the US Capitol Building. When there was a contest in 1793 to decide who to hire to design the new US Capitol Building, Doctor William Thornton won the competition with no formal architectural training. His design’s centerpiece was a Rotunda that anchored both sides of Congress. While William Thornton won the competition in 1793, the construction of the Rotunda itself did not start until 1818 due to a lack of materials and funding, along with the burning of the Capitol during the War of 1812. The second person who...

First, I would like to thank the Gould Center for Humanistic Studies for sponsoring the Gould Passion Project Program and giving me the opportunity to explore the history and significance of the US Capitol. I am proud to be part of the Gould Passion Project Program, and I am so excited to share my findings with the world.  My Gould Passion project seeks to share the unique stories and significance of the US Capitol Building. As a government and history dual-major who interned in the House of Representatives during the fall semester, I have always had a passion for American government and history. I would love to explore my passion further and share it with a wider audience. I plan on researching the history and architecture of five of the most significant rooms of the Capitol: the Rotunda, Statuary Hall, the Old Supreme Court Chamber, the Old Senate Chamber, and the current House Chamber. For each of these rooms, I will research the history of construction, its unique architectural...