The U.S. Capitol is the home of the legislative branch of the federal government. Pierre Charles L’Enfant in his design for Washington D.C. located the Capitol building on Jenkins Hill and placed a boulevard in front of it to link to the White House. William Thornton’s design was selected in 1793, and in collaboration with Stephen Hallet and others, the buiding was finally completed in 1811.
The Senate and House of Representatives were moved into separate wings in 1850 under Thomas U. Walter. He built a larger dome for the Capitol in 1866, cast iron which was painted white to match the rest of the building’s exterior. The East Front and East Portico were expanded, completed in 1958.
The neo-classical building drew from St. Paul’s Cathedral in London and St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. The name Capitol was given by Thomas Jefferson and refers to Capitoline Hill, the political and religious center of Rome and symbol of Rome’s position as capital of the world.
