A manual on the origin and development of Washington

by H. Paul Caemmerer

Due to mild climatic conditions in Washington, at the gateway of the South, where there is neither the extreme cold of the North nor the extreme heat of the South, many varieties of trees and plants of both North and South will grow, making it one of the most favorable localities in the United States for the establishment of a National Arboretum. Many countries which have established an arboretum in their capital cities have provided not only an attractive place of public interest but also the source of millions of dollars in revenue.

THE CAPITOL UPON ITS RESTORATION, 1827

Chapter XX
ARCHITECTURE OF EARLY DAYS

THE CAPITOL

DESIGN OF THE CAPITOL, BY THORNTON, 1800

When the seat of government was moved from Philadelphia to Washington in the year 1800 there had been erected for the purposes of the Government a small rectangular building, familiarly known to-day as the Supreme Court section of the Capitol, and in this building were housed the Senate, the House of Representatives, the Supreme Court, the courts of the District of Columbia, and the library, now known as the Library of Congress. South of this building was a large vacant space, practically the extension of East Capitol Street. Through this area people from the western and eastern parts of the city passed to and fro. Conveniently located in that section now occupied by the central portion were two wells, which for many years furnished water to citizens residing in that vicinity, for the Capitol Grounds were then occupied by residences. South of this vacant space were the foundations of another building, equal in area and intended to compare in cubic contents with the portion already erected and occupied. For some time after the inauguration of President Jefferson but little was done toward the erection of the southern building, now known as the Statuary Hall section, except that the foundation walls progressed slowly, and within the area of these walls there was built a 1-story elliptical-shaped building of brick construction, known to the people of that period as “The Oven,” designed for the accommodation of the House of Representatives and occupied until 1807, when the Hall of the House of Representatives was completed. In 1800 there were 32 Senators and 106 Members of the House.

THE CAPITOL, FROM PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE, 1830