The U.S. Capitol Building is located in Washington, D.C., at the opposite end of the National Mall. To its west are the Capitol Reflecting Pool and the Washington Monument. The building covers a ground area of 4 acres and its length of roughly 750 feet. The Capitol is a majestic building with a height of 87.8 meters (288 ft), catering to its five floors and approximately 540 rooms. It also has a dome with a diameter of 75 feet that has a 15 feet tall statue called the Statue of Freedom. Situated under the dome is a vast circular room, referred to as the Rotunda, which serves as a gallery for works of art of Americas’ important people and events in the country’s history. Construction of the Capitol begun in 1793 after the United States Congress passed the Residence Act which paved way for Washington D.C. to be the permanent capital. In 1792, US Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson and President George Washington had commissioned a design competition that would award $500 and a lot in the city to anyone who would produce the most approved plan for the building. A Scottish trained physician won the competition although he had submitted a late entry. The word capitol has its roots in Latin, which means city on a hill. Throughout its 200 year history, the Capitol has housed the Senate, the House of Representatives, the Supreme Court and the Library of Congress. The Senate and the House wings were completed in the years 1800 and 1811 respectively. While still in construction, the building was partially burned by British troops in 1814 during a war that lasted till 1815. Repairs and reconstruction of the building begun in the following year and were completed four years later, under Benjamin Henry Latrobe, a British-born American architect. The building was finished in 1826 under Charles Bulfinch, a Bostonian architect. (Reed, 45) The architecture of the building portrays Greco-Roman influence as the Capitol was meant to symbolize the idea of democracy, which is connected with Greece, and the idea of power, which is associated with the Roman Empire. The front of the Capitol is supported by six Corinthian columns, a major component of Roman architecture. Columns were originally used by the Greek but Romans adopted and modified them to commemorate their civilization and military success. A typical Roman Corinthian column is tall, straight and slim, topped with acanthus leaves and several scrolls. The scrolls were symbolic of civilization, and together with the acanthus leaves, were features cherished by Greco-Roman artists. The other entrances also used the Greek Parthenon and the Roman Pantheon for inspiration for its design. The facades are made of marble and features figures of prominent people in the ancient world and the writings on both the eastern and western facade. Writings and sculptures were dominant features in Roman Pantheons. The dome of the Capitol also resembles the Pantheon dome. The architects of the dome, paid close attention to St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, the Pantheon in Paris and St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. The interior of the dome, the Rotunda, features murals (artwork painted directly on walls and ceilings) done by Constantino Brumidi, a