The House Chamber

Before getting started with my final blog post, I would like to thank the Gould Center for Humanistic Studies one last time for creating and sponsoring the Gould Passion Project Program. I have enjoyed every second of creating this blog, and I am sad to finish my work. In this post, I will talk about the current House Chamber by discussing its history of construction, unique architectural features, use, and some famous events that occurred in the space. 

Thomas U. Walter designed the House Chamber in the 1850s. He also renovated the Capitol Rotunda and added the Capitol Dome, and the House of Representatives used the new House Chamber for the first time in December of 1857. Walter designed the room, so there were no windows in the space. Walter did this with the goal of separating members of Congress from the outside world. The House Chamber originally had a Victorian style that included a stained-glass skylight. A 1938 report, however, found that the space needed significant renovations. Specifically, the report said that the roof was “far short of present day safety requirements.” They installed an interior scaffolding to hold up the roof until the House of Representatives was ready to fix the roof completely. Renovations started in July of 1949, and the House of Representatives returned to the space on January first of 1951. In addition to fixing the roof, the renovations got rid of the room’s Victorian style and replaced it with the Federal style exemplified in the Supreme Court and Statuary Hall. The renovations also added modern lighting, air conditioning, and acoustic improvements. 

One unique feature of the House Chamber is the twenty-three relief portraits. The relief portraits form a line above the gallery doors, and they look down on the functioning of the House of Representatives. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania and the Columbia Historical Society of Washington D.C. helped the Library of Congress choose the people for the relief portraits. They selected the twenty-three individuals portrayed due to their contributions to American law’s fundamental underpinnings. They installed the relief portraits during the renovations of the House Chamber from 1949 through 1950. Seven sculptors contributed to the collection of relief portraits, and each relief portrait has a diameter of twenty-eight inches. The people portrayed in the relief portraits are the following individuals: Alfonso X, Edward I, Gaius, George Mason, Gregory IX, Hammurabi, Hugo Grotius, Innocent III, Jean Baptiste Colbert, Justinian I, Lycurgus, Maimonides, Moses, Napoleon I, Papinian, Robert Joseph Pothier, Saint Louis, Simon de Montfort, Solon, Suleiman, Thomas Jefferson, Tribonian, and Sir William Blackstone.

Another unique feature of the House Chamber is the gallery. Above the chamber, there is a gallery where citizens can watch the functioning of the House of Representatives firsthand. The ability to watch one’s government operate is an incredibly unique experience, and I encourage everyone to see it for themselves once the Capitol Building is open following the COVID-19 Pandemic. 


The House Chamber serves as the heart of the House of Representatives’ functioning. The room is where the House of Representatives debates and votes on pieces of legislation. Due to the room’s size, the House Chamber also holds Joint Sessions and Joint Meetings of Congress, including the State of the Union. The House Chamber also serves as the space where both sides of Congress count the electoral votes of the presidential election, which became well-known after the events on January Sixth. 


Since the House of Representatives has used this space since 1857, the House has debated and passed countless pieces of consequential legislation. Additionally, the House has passed some constitutional amendments and a few declarations of war in the House Chamber. The House Chamber has also served as the venue for countless State of the Union addresses by presidents, which are always important speeches that receive significant media coverage. Finally, the most famous recent event in the House Chamber was the horrible events of January Sixth. While both sides of Congress were counting and certifying the electoral votes from the 2020 presidential election, a violent mob of protestors stormed the Capitol and tried to stop the certification of President Biden’s win in the election. Five people died during the events that day, including one Capitol Police Officer. The United States House Select Committee on the January Sixth Attack is currently investigating the events of that day and who played a role in the lead up to January Sixth. 


Works Cited

“1857–1950 | US House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives.” Accessed January 17, 2022. https://history.house.gov/Exhibitions-and-Publications/Capitol/1857-1950/.

“1951–Present | US House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives.” Accessed January 17, 2022. https://history.house.gov/Exhibitions-and-Publications/Capitol/1951-Present/.

“House Chamber | Architect of the Capitol.” Accessed January 17, 2022. https://www.aoc.gov/explore-capitol-campus/buildings-grounds/capitol-building/house-wing/house-chamber.

“Relief Portrait Plaques of Lawgivers | Architect of the Capitol.” Accessed January 17, 2022. https://www.aoc.gov/explore-capitol-campus/art/relief-portrait-plaques-lawgivers.

“The Jan. 6 Attack on the Capitol: A Guide to What We Now Know - The Washington Post.” Accessed January 17, 2022. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/01/06/january-6-attack-capitol-guide-what-we-now-know/.

“Tour the House Chamber | US House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives.” Accessed January 17, 2022. https://history.house.gov/Education/Capitol-Tour/House-Chamber-Tour/.

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