The United States Capitol crypt is the large circular room filled with forty neoclassical Doric columns directly beneath the United States Capitol rotunda. It was built originally to support the rotunda as well as offer an entrance to Washington's Tomb. It currently serves as a museum and a repository for thirteen statues of the National Statuary Hall Collection.
The United States Capitol crypt, image taken looking east.
The crypt originated with the initial designs drawn up for the United States Capitol by William Thornton, which called for a rotunda to be placed between the two wings of the building.[1] The room beneath the rotunda was therefore required to support the large space above it. However, construction did not begin on the central part of the Capitol, where the rotunda and the room beneath it were located, until after the War of 1812.
Construction on the Capitol itself began in 1793, when the first American President, George Washington, laid down the cornerstone to the north wing of the building.[1] Upon the death of Washington in 1799, the designers of the Capitol went to Martha Washington and requested permission to build a tomb for her husband in the Capitol. She acquiesced to this request and plans were made to construct the tomb underneath the floor that supported the rotunda. This area was designated the crypt, as it would serve as the entry to the tomb.[citation needed]
The crypt in 2007, looking southwest from south entrance.Capitol crypt
Delays wracked the construction efforts of the Capitol's builders, notably the interruption by the War of 1812, when all construction came to a halt. In August 1814, the British captured the city of Washington and set fire to the Capitol, nearly destroying the entire building. Thus, when construction recommenced after the war ended in 1815, it was initially to rebuild what had been lost to the fire.[1]
The central section of the Capitol comprising the rotunda and the crypt was not completed until 1827 under the oversight of Architect of the CapitolCharles Bulfinch.[1] However, plans to re-inter Washington in the Capitol fell apart when attempts were made to retrieve his body from Mount Vernon, the President's home, due to restrictions of Washington's will and refusal of the plantation's then owner, John Washington.[2]
In the late 1800s and early 1900s the crypt was used for bicycle parking.[4]
Today, the crypt serves as the main thoroughfare of the ground floor of the Capitol and is a stop for all Capitol Tours provided through the Capitol Visitor Center. The crypt also contains the Magna Carta Case, a gold case which held one of the copies of the Magna Carta when it was on loan to the United States for the Bicentennial celebration.
There are 12 (previously 13) statues from the National Statuary Hall Collection, representing the 13 original states, located in the crypt. They are:
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The United States Capitol crypt is the large circular room filled with forty neoclassical Doric columns directly beneath the United States Capitol rotunda It was built originally to support the rotunda as well as offer an entrance to Washington s Tomb It currently serves as a museum and a repository for thirteen statues of the National Statuary Hall Collection The United States Capitol crypt image taken looking east Contents 1 Origin and construction 2 Usage 3 References 4 External linksOrigin and construction editThe crypt originated with the initial designs drawn up for the United States Capitol by William Thornton which called for a rotunda to be placed between the two wings of the building 1 The room beneath the rotunda was therefore required to support the large space above it However construction did not begin on the central part of the Capitol where the rotunda and the room beneath it were located until after the War of 1812 Construction on the Capitol itself began in 1793 when the first American President George Washington laid down the cornerstone to the north wing of the building 1 Upon the death of Washington in 1799 the designers of the Capitol went to Martha Washington and requested permission to build a tomb for her husband in the Capitol She acquiesced to this request and plans were made to construct the tomb underneath the floor that supported the rotunda This area was designated the crypt as it would serve as the entry to the tomb citation needed nbsp The crypt in 2007 looking southwest from south entrance nbsp Capitol cryptDelays wracked the construction efforts of the Capitol s builders notably the interruption by the War of 1812 when all construction came to a halt In August 1814 the British captured the city of Washington and set fire to the Capitol nearly destroying the entire building Thus when construction recommenced after the war ended in 1815 it was initially to rebuild what had been lost to the fire 1 The central section of the Capitol comprising the rotunda and the crypt was not completed until 1827 under the oversight of Architect of the Capitol Charles Bulfinch 1 However plans to re inter Washington in the Capitol fell apart when attempts were made to retrieve his body from Mount Vernon the President s home due to restrictions of Washington s will and refusal of the plantation s then owner John Washington 2 A marble compass was set into the floor of the chamber to mark the point where the four quadrants of the District of Columbia meet 3 Usage editIn the late 1800s and early 1900s the crypt was used for bicycle parking 4 Today the crypt serves as the main thoroughfare of the ground floor of the Capitol and is a stop for all Capitol Tours provided through the Capitol Visitor Center The crypt also contains the Magna Carta Case a gold case which held one of the copies of the Magna Carta when it was on loan to the United States for the Bicentennial celebration There are 12 previously 13 statues from the National Statuary Hall Collection representing the 13 original states located in the crypt They are Samuel Adams from Massachusetts marble by Anne Whitney in 1876 Charles Brantley Aycock from North Carolina bronze by Charles Keck in 1932 John C Calhoun from South Carolina marble by Frederick Ruckstull in 1910 Charles Carroll from Maryland bronze by Richard E Brooks in 1903 Nathanael Greene from Rhode Island marble by Henry Kirke Brown in 1870 Robert R Livingston from New York bronze by Erastus Dow Palmer in 1875 Crawford W Long from Georgia marble by J Massey Rhind in 1926 Peter Muhlenberg from Pennsylvania marble by Blanche Nevin in 1889 Caesar Rodney from Delaware marble by Bryant Baker in 1934 Roger Sherman from Connecticut marble by Chauncey Ives in 1872 John Stark from New Hampshire marble by Carl Conrads in 1894 Richard Stockton from New Jersey marble by Henry Kirke Brown in 1888 The bronze statue of Confederate general Robert E Lee from Virginia by Edward V Valentine 1934 was removed on 21 December 2020 It is planned to be replaced by a statue of civil rights activist Barbara Johns 5 References edit a b c d History of the U S Capitol Building Architect of the Capitol Savage Kirk 2009 Monument Wars Washington D C the National Mall and the Transformation of the Memorial Landscape p 49 ISBN 9780520271333 Crypt Architect of the Capitol Leo Andrea From the Archives Bike Racks on Capitol Hill aoc gov Retrieved 20 May 2016 Forgey Quint 21 December 2020 Robert E Lee statue removed from Capitol Politico Retrieved 8 January 2021 External links editaoc gov 38 53 24 N 77 00 32 W 38 89000 N 77 00889 W 38 89000 77 00889 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title United States Capitol crypt amp oldid 1086674154, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
