D.C. Series Part One: U.S. Capitol
I recently took a weekend trip to D.C. to visit The Gorgeous Hubster while he was there on business. As it turns out, he needed to work during the day so that Saturday, I put on my walking shoes, armed myself with a map and toured the town. This was my third trip to D.C. and there is always something new to explore — it’s a town where great monuments and museums are on every block. Literally. My friend, Jeff Huckaby, had suggested I take in the Brumidi Corridors in the U.S. Capitol and that’s where I headed first.
The U.S. Capitol is an easy enough building to find — you will see the rotunda on the skyline. The Statue of Freedom sits atop of the dome facing east, so that freedom will always be there when the sun rises. (Everything is symbolic in D.C.) On the lower right, you will see the guards that told me I would have to walk all the way around to the other side to enter the building. Let’s boo them shall we? Booooooooooooooooooo…
The Capitol is where Congress (Senate and House of Representatives) meets. At the info desk, I was informed that the Brumidi Corridors and other choice areas were only open Monday – Friday. After recovering from that disaster (seriously, they should put that on their website!), I decided to take the Capitol tour. NOT disappointing. First we enter the famous rotunda with the Constantino Brumidi fresco in the center, The Apotheosis of Washington. The architecture is American Neoclassical and has a height of 180 feet. George Washington is depicted in the fresco surrounded by symbolic figures (i.e., Commerce, Science, Agriculture). The fresco is 4,664 square feet and some figures measure up to 15′ long.
In the following images, you will see a closeup of the Frieze of American History and its position in the room. It is a trompe l’oeil panorama depicting some of America’s history. The frieze is the work of three artisans: Brumidi, Filippo Costaggini and Allyn Cox. You can click on the Frieze link above, but also this PDF link Death of “The Genius of the Capitol” is a fascinating read. Artist Allyn Cox also has his own corridors complimenting the Brumidi Corridors. In the third pic, you can see the view from the floor. You are surrounded by extraordinary paintings depicting various scenes of American history.
We then went through a maze (left, random ceiling) to get to the National Statuary Hall (right, ceiling). It is where the House of Representatives used to meet and the very cool thing is that it was made to have optimum acoustics. When you stand and speak in specific spots, all those in the room can hear you clearly because of the sound bouncing between the ceiling and floor. Not a place where you would whisper gossip.
I also spied this corridor entrance — it was roped off, one of those Monday – Friday tantalizers. Here’s a closeup of the shell and flowers.
At the end of the tour, I stood amongst others consulting my map to decide where to go next. A young child turned to me and said, “You should go to the Library of Congress. You’ll love it” and with that he walked off with his family. So, I did — and I kid you not, I think he was an angel. Because the Library of Congress is…well, you’ll see tomorrow.
Ann
597 days ago
I’ve never been in there.
Cool tour!
Dana Tucker
597 days ago
I know this post took a lot of research time. Thanks for delivering on the fresh educational content. I want to go see this for myself! Amazing art!
Jennifer Carrasco
596 days ago
This is so informative and fun to read, Regina….I love your slant on life/art! Jennifer
Regina
596 days ago
@Ann – Oh, you must! See the Library of Congress, too…an underground tunnel connects both of them.
@Dana – It does take a bit of research but I enjoy it so, so much. I think a DC trip is in order…
@Jennifer – I’m glad you enjoyed this small tour…and the musings!
Suzanne
595 days ago
GOR-GEOUS!!!!!! I went to DC one time and worked the whole time, I was too nervous to venture out on my own during the day off (knowing me, I’d get lost, so power to you!) I didn’t get to experience anything of DC.
Am loving this series of posts! Great job!