Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-02-09

When the walls Of the old capitol building
were but partly up there were many wise peo-
pie who smiled incredulously, suggesting that
the nation would never see the building COM
pleted. George Warrington had q way Of start
ing gigantic schemes that few wise men"
thought could be carried out When he under
took to whip the British at memorable period
of our history many good people were incredu-
lous. When he started great capital city on
the west bank of the Potomac IL excited a great
lack of faith. So il was with the capitol build
ing, which was the corner stone Of the capital
city. When, on the 18th Of September, 1873,
.'Grand Master J. p. George Washington. wor-
shipful master" of Lodge %. Of Virginia"
laid the corner stone of the capitol building,
few people, perhaps. were credulous enough
TO expect the building to be completed
upon the gigantic" plan proposed
Some years afterward when the two square
wings of the building stood staring at each
other across chasm where the grand central
dome should have stood-when a row of posts
had TO be erected to keep the gap from being
used as a driveway-WashingtO Irving could
md no better simile for the slow progress of
his history of New York than to say that at
times he feared il had as little chance of COM
pletion las the capitol at Washington"
But Irving was a better romancer than
prophet The capitol now is several times
larger than the plan then contemplated, and
yet it is SO much overcrowded that as many as
three committees Of Congress often occupy the
same room. The building which in 1909
seemed to Irving too gigantic to ever be COM
pleted would not now hold one end of Con-
gress. 1t forms but a roomy passageway be-
tween the two great marble halls occupied by
Congress. A few stone images Of departed
statesmen. a few musty records of their doings,
and the echoes are enough to fill the great
hall of Representatives" of Irving's time, and
the Justices of the Supreme Court have little
more than breathing room in the old Senate
chamber.
THE GROWTH OF THE CAPITOL BUILDING
has gone along with that of the nation It is
interesting to mark its development The plan
of the capitol originally was for two short
wings and central dome. The wings, which
were to be the useful part of the building-one
to be occupied by each branch Of Congress
were first built and a space was left between
them for the dome, which was to be the orna-
mental part. It was DESTROYED" BY the
British before 1t was completed. This
destruction consisted however, merely
in burning out the interior and blackening up
the walls. The great stone-work remained as
IL was and still stands. When the seat of gov
eminent was removed to Washington only one
OF the wings was mp. and there was very little
to promise the grand building of to-day with
Its great marble terraces and staircases. 1t wa
with great difficulty that even a part 'of the
building was got ready for Congress in 1900.
After exhausting the 500. 900 given by Virginia
and $4,000 by Maryland. Washington had I,
make personal appeal TO the state of Mary
land for the loan OF 500 900 to continue tn
work. for which sum the commissioners had I,
assume personal liability.
SURROUNDINGS.
The building was surrounded by a grove o.
oaks. and presented forlorn appearance for
number of years. The style of architectur,
may be seen in the old parts of the building a.
it is-the square projections, that hug close II,
TO the immense iron dome, but no idea is givel
of how those two fragments of building
looked standing apart on the crown of the hill
with a space between them wide enough for
wagons and carts to drive through. The &C.
cOmp1nying cut shows the east front as il then
looked.
stephen Hallett was the original architect of
the capitol, to be as it appears in the second
cut but he succeeded by others who fin
ished the buildings according to the plans
adopted. The skill of yet other archi-
tects was called upon for the various
extensions, so that no one man can claim the
building. The north (old) wing was the first
completed Beginning in 1898 it was finished
IN seven years. Then, in 1903. the south wing
was begun, and in 1908 it was finished. A wear
later the work on the old dome was begun, and
eighteen years were required for its compile
ton Meanwhile the burning had occurred
in 1914. By this, as has been said, the walls
were not injured. and the work of repairing
the damage and completing the work was
begun the next year. This rebuilding" of
the capitol was in charge Of Henry C. Latrobe.
Al u