Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1900-03-08
A GREATER CAPITOL NEEDED
Proposed Addition to the Nations
Legislative Home
The Outlook Favorable for the Early
Completion of the Work-A Middle
Portico to Be Built on the East
Face and Another on the West
Front-Addition OF Ninety-
Three Rooms.

Front-Addition OF Ninety
ihree Rooms
- -
According to tho w,ehing4o,, corosnop
dent of the Roston T,aur.rrot ninotv-tbrrs
rootns win In, ,,dcd fu ,hn ,,,,,, ,,,,.t.,
tions avniIohIc far Jtous. and CONT Iv
the contemnIated add,tions to tho f,,nit,i
The plans arc drawn and n onIv rsmn,rs
for Congress to nuthorize tho nocesenr,
expenditure That an anIargn,n,nt az Tho
quarters provided nv tho bietoric odin,o
is needed thor ca,, ~ a., 1,,,, i 4,
out the inurovr,n.rt rn,nt,ars ~ 90,
body being much dissnti.Gcd Nth tbe
committee rooms in the Noltbv fiuildinr
which they are cornpelled to ocrnov for
lack Of adequate space M nome Nitiin
the last few DAYS the subject has I,cu
seriously discuss.d in the u,.na,, ttn,,se
and the expectation is that iurortnr, ali
tcratIons in the architecture az Tho mild
ing will soon be begun
The change involved in tn, mans. how
oyer. vii be in the nature of u completion
rather than a mere alter1ti. n of the STR p
turc as 1t now stands inasnuch ms tnc
Capitol to-day, beautiful as if is * NOT a
finished odnce from an architectural yi,w
point. On the contrary. in a technical
scnse. 1t lacks symmetry in one very inn
portant respect As everybody knows. il
docs not represent any single original
plan. but was nut together piecan,l,f
first one part being added and then an
other. 1t is. as a whole one of tho most
superb buildings in tho world blu, IL is
not perfect and one of its faults l. ,hot
the dome is set over close to one edge If
1t. Instead of being ulacrd in the n,iddln
10 give q proper balance.
1t is proposed to do away with this lack
OF symmetry by throwing out a great por-
tico, with aprons" in the middle of the
east front, to match ana CORRESPOND with
tho porticos of the two great wings This
arrangement, while satisfying the artistic
requirement, would furnish a LARGO
amount of additional and much-neoded
space for committee rooms and similar
purposes. According to the plans II alone
would provide 90 extra rooms
| The front of this mdd Q portico as we'll
as the aprons" on either side. will be of
white marble-qui,e an addition in itself
in point Of decorative effect inasmuch as
the central portion of the Cauitol to-day
is merely of sandstone painted white. At
a casual glance one might suppose that
the entire building was of marble hut as
a matter of fact, only the wings and the
massive terrace on the west front are ~
that material OF course. the rortico WI
have a magnificent fiz.it of stems having
assembled which, the visitor will pass
through a pillared pvlon into n great
n
famous marble room of the senate
i But this is not all. by any means. In
the middle of the west front also = nev-
portico OF marble is TO he added and two
extensions or aprons" will be corstruct-
ed on that side bet veen the old or central
rortion of the building and the wings
These aprons" will furnish "A additional
rooms, and like those in the extensions
on the east front they will open into a
long corridor or passageway running
north and south and lighted from interior
courts. the latter being left as omen spaccs
in making the alterations
These corridors, running lengthwise OF
the building on both of Its TANKS. will add
greatly to the convenience of getting
about in the Caritol, where now there is
practically only one passagevav through
which to go to any place. The corridor
on the east side will open at its south and
into Statuary Hal and at its north nd
iIto the corridor of the supreme Court
This applies. however, only to the main
floor. on the same floor the west side
corridor will open at its south end into
Statulry Hall and at its north end into
tho conference room of the eunrame
Court ARRANGEMENTS on the ground floor
correspond
Now, in addition to the improvements
already described il is rroposed TO lake
the space formerly OCCUPIED bv the Lii
brary of Congress and chop II up into
rooms for, use. by committees In mis- wa,
~ more rooms Will be obtained MAKING a
total of " In all. AZ shown by the rlIns
every ono OF thes. g2 rooms VIII be light
ID BY exterior vindows-,u Obvious adj
vantage An alternatives pl,n ext.liiiut,
The middle nortico out farther on the cas-.
front. would provide co rooms in he
aprons" on that side alone. So il would
appear that CONGRESS y not likely ia npJ
Itself seriously hampered for lack of space
i'm he near future. if /, is WILLING to *
pend the millions required. Senator'S urSa
that 1t IS nigh time that the Suurcm
Court was expelled from the Capitol and
apartme ntS 1t occupies being required for
'NlsialiNc puipOS'S
gerted alterations will be can hardly he
esf lmatcd with accuracy, though T. is
dollfrS, or even more. Inc capitol mas
and a,,a,,. ca,,,c., ,,,,jo ~, g., a,.bi,,,,,,,,,,
Ms invojvCd nm ovTnnditure Win Ia,of,.
non u,as ,,iriraIit. cnnt.n,,I,.cd -
o,an,nIa u,ha, ,i,c two ,,ii,,. ,,oro mr..
dorod 80 va bnil ~, s,,r, of 60 80 noo ,.,,
,n,,ron,iotod ord a., w. ,',l.,.'d tra+
,his u.o,,Id ~ suoicfo,,, b,,t g., 10 .',,d 49,,