The Washington critic., 1886-06-24

tOrlC len Mics square. vi tneSc
objects the most conspicuous are of
course the Government buildings.
Chief among those is, first
The Capitol.
This great building is the central point of the
original District, and Is the largest cditlce
In the country, Its centre marks the Me-
ridian of Washington. The middle portion,
Immediately under the dome, is the part
first built. II was partially destroyed by the
British in 1914. but was completely restored
by iSg7. it incloses the "orypt'Iwhere the
remains of Washington were intended to be
placed, the Library, the Rotunda, the old
Representative Hall, now the Gallery of
Statuary, and the old Senate Chamber. now
the supreme Courtroom. The old Supreme
Courtroom, In the first story is now occu-
pied by the Law Branch of the Library.
The cornerstone Of the Capitol extension
the north and south wings-was laid July 4,
1851, Daniel Webster delivering the oration
of the occasion from the balcony of the
Library. The south wing contains the
House of Representatives, and the north
wngth Senate Chamber. The rotunda is dis
tinguished for its historic paintings for the
famous bronze doors, with their alto
reliefs, and for Brumidis frescoings In the
Hall OF Statuary are the natural pictures In
Potomac marble, representing faces of Ger.
tain American statcsmeL-a picturesque
freak of nature. From the little rotunda,
Immediately north of the great rotunda, the
winding way. From the top of the dome, or
as far as the visitor can ascend, the view
Of the surrounding country Is magnificent.
The Capitol grounds. which formerly were
homely and formal in appearance, have
been transformed into q beautiful
park and are now most exquisitely beauti.
full. The east base of the Capitol is 500
feet above ordinary low tide in the Potomac,
The total height from east base to the top
of the temple covering the dome Is 2Ss feet;
the statue of the Goddess Of Liberty, 1915
III. L.. .
the statue 30tlG feet. This crest is 800 feet
higher than the west gate of the grounds,
and 800 feet above low tide in the Potomac,
or 2lS feet lower than the apex of the Wash
ington Monument, which Is immediately
west. The building Is ,5l feet long by 32I
wide, and covers 3h acres. lt is the finest
and largest public building in the world,
and In many respects the Gostlest and
less than a ccntury-a fact which adds to
lis beauty and interest. The original Capt.
iol, or centre building, is an imitation,
though not a slavish one, of the Maison
Carrco at Nismes. The view from the west
portico at night, when the lamps are lit in
the public grounds and the lights of the city
illuminate the darkness is one of the most
beautiful and picturesque in the world and
is well worth n journey of thousand miles
to see.
The White House.
From the west balcony OF the Capitol, looklns
down Pennsylvania avenue, the Whitg
House Is seen rearing its snOwy.hued walle
above the dense mass of opening that en-
bowers 1t, like gigantic Gala lily springlng
up amid its enfoding green blades We're
II not for the partly intervening Treasury
building the view of the White House from
the Capitol would be full and complete. The
White House is the center of Uptown" as
the Capitol is the center of Down town"
1t Is beautifully located, the view from the
south windows covering the whole southern
front ofthe city, as the view from the north
up sixteenth street west exhibits the best
part of the Northwest section to the gaze.
The White House is IA copy of the palace Of
the Duke of Leinster at Dublin. with the
addition of n large porch on the north front,
which was added during Andrew jackson S
administration. The reservation In which
1t stands embraces nearly 81 acres. The
main entrance Is on the north, reached by
the pennsylvania avenue cars. IL is two
stories high on the north, is built Of white
frce.stone, 40 feet long by SO wide. IL con-
tains on the first floor the famous Green,
Red, Blue and East rooms, the state Dining
Room and the great conseryatories. The
Blue Room Is the Presidents official recep-
tion room and the drawing.room of the ladies'
of his family. The East Room, originally
designed for banquet hal and so used as
late as 1887, and in the latter part of the
century used as drying-room for clothes
by Mrs. President Adams, Is the largest and
most noted room in the building. 1t Is :,
feet high. 50 feet long and 40 wide. II is
open to visitors every day except sundays
Upstairs are the Cabinet room, the private
offices, the Presidents office, the library
and the family apartments. All those
rooms except the latter are open to visitors
by special permission at suitable hours.
Lafayette Square.
Due north from the White House is Lafayette
Square, the first public reservation in Wash
ington that was improved. IL contains The
equestrian statue of Andrew jackson, by
Clark Mills. Many of its trees are old forest
monarchs, hundreds of years old 1t Is II
part a specimen of the old formal Landscape
MOI rln mi mn IN fD .lt n Enulnn1
hundred years ago, a style that was i'm
ported into this country. Lafayette Square
was; one hundred years ago, part If grave
yard that enclosed the square north, OF
which St. Johns Church is built, and tn,
square east, on which are situated tho At
torney Generals Office formerly the Freed
mans Bank, the Surgeon. Generals Office
| and Riggs Bank (both in the building for
merly used as the United States Bank
Commodore Decatur's house, corner Fif
teeenth ard a,half and Il n streStf and I'll,
Key was killed by Daniel Z. slciies, Mem
| ber of Congress from New York. The las
bodies from this graveyard were not re
moved until 1919.
| st. Johns II. IL. Church.
| ST. Johns p. T.. Church, which has been Otter
| called the State Church because more PIosi
dents have worshipped there than at an!
| other, stands at the corner of II and Six
| teenth streets. 1t was built in 1915 and EN-
| lnrged in 1870. In It have worshlppcd Pres
| idents Madison, Monroe, John Quinc
Adams (though the latter was Congregl
| tiuuulisD Martin Van Burcn, though he be
| lCngCd to the Dutch Reformed Church, llar
rison, Tyler, Polk, Taylor, Fillmore (thoug
| the latter was q Unitarian, Pierce, Buch
anau aud Arthur Presidents Lincoln
johnson and Grant have also attended d
vine services here although not steadily. II
interior reminds one very forcibly Of tn
old, dim English country Episcopal churches
The Treasury Department..