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USA Knowledge The Capitol The United States Capitol, often called The Capitol or the Capitol Building, houses the meeting chambers of the Senate (in the north wing) and the House of Representatives (in the south wing) – the two bodies that compose the legislative branch of the American government. The Capitol was built after Thomas Jefferson, then US Secretary of State, held a design competition in spring 1792 to elicit entries from some of the finest architects in America. A late entry by William Thornton, which both Washington and Jefferson loved, was chosen. George Washington himself laid the cornerstone for the Capitol on September 18, 1793. The original building was completed in 1800. The Congress first met in the Capitol on November 17, 1800. It was partly destroyed in the 1814 burning of Washington, then was fully restored within five years. The building was later enlarged, with the addition of a massive dome in the 1850s, and extended wings with expanded chambers for the bicameral legislature, the House of Representatives in the south wing and the Senate in the north wing. The most recent, and largest ever, addition to the Capitol, the Capitol Visitor Center, was completed in 2008. Atop the U.S. Capitol dome is the Statue of Freedom, an allegorical female figure. There are 100 statues in the National Statuary Hall Collection. Each state may contribute two statues; all have done so. On January 6, 2021, the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C., was stormed during a riot and violent attack against the U.S. Congress.
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