Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-11-01
A FAMOUS CHAMBER
Restoration of the Old House
of Representatives.
NOW STATUARY HALL
HISTORIC SCENES THAT HAVE oC-
CURED THERE.
Twenty-Seven Statues There Have
Come From Sixteen
States.
NOW STATUARY HALL
Written for The Evening Star.

Written for The Evening Star.
The American people will doubtless be
pleased to know that the historic old cham
Der formerly used the House of Repre-
sentatives, and now known as Statuary
Hall has been overhauled, INTELLECTUALLY
and artstically, and restored to its pris-
tine condition. good idea of It's present
improved appearance is conveyed by the ac-
companying photograph. Competent critics
who have viewed the restored chamoer
unite in declaring that in beauty, dignity
and impressiveness it offers attractions ex-
ceeding those possessed by any other
chamber in the Capitol.
This is the famous chamber with the
unaccountabe acoustic properties, the
chamber where Madison was inaugurated
President in 1909 and again in 1918, where
Monroe was inaugurated for his second
term In 1921 and where Fillmore took the
oath of office as President on July 10, 1850,
following the death of President 1aylor.
This is the hall in which Henry Gay pre-
sided with such distinction as speaker OF
the House in the old days. Here occurred
the stormy debates incident to the war OF
1912 and the war with Mexico, and the pre-
liminary struggles over the VeXed question
of slavery. Here Daniel Webster, and later
Abraham Lincoln. sat in turn as OBSCURE
representatives, each before the day OF MS
meridian fame. Here John Quincy Adams
was chosen President over Andrew jackson
in 1925 when the election was thrown into
the House of Representatives, and mere as
an aged and veteran member IN harness ne
was stricken with his mortal illness IN ls4S
Charles Dickens who sat in the little gal
lery at the side of the chamber nearly every
dav during his visit to Washington in 1S42
gathering material for his American
Notes." has left us this characteristic pen
picture of it as it then looked to his eyes:
TT is a beautiful and spacious hall OF
semi-circular shape, supported by hano-
some pillars. One part of the gallery Is
appropriated to the ladies, and there they
sit in front rows and come in and go out
as at a play or concert. The chair is can
opied and raised considerably above the
floor of the House; and every member mas
an easy chair and a writing desk TO MINI
self which is denounced by some people
out of doors as a most unfortunate and in
judicious arrangement, tending to long sit
tings and prosaic speeches. 1t is an elegant
chamber to look at. but singularly bad
one for all purposes of hearing.
An old oil sketch of the chamber painted
in 1922 by Samuel F. B. Morse, and now
hanging in the Corcoran Art Gallery in
Washington, corroborates Dickens descrip-
ton to the very letter. 1t was TO make
good the description and painting that the
recent restorative work has been done.
A Big House Cleaning.
The Present restoration of the hall is in
cidental to the radical house cleaning begun
in the Capitol under the supervision of SUI
perintendent Elliott Woods last year, when
the greater portion of the venerable build
ing was overhauled. During the past five
years visitors to Washington who have
gone through the Capitol sightseeing after
having first inspected the magnificent in
terror of the new Library of Congress have
been unfavorably impressed with the Capt.
tol, which in comparison with the library
has seemed dingy and unattractive. But
the architecture of the Capitol possesses in
descructible merits that will always COM
mand admiration and that need only q
trifiing matter of surface painting or other
superficial decoration to be brought out and
accentuated. To do this and to remedy the
defect Superintendent Woods has had the
present Hall of Representatives and all the
corridors and passa geways leading to it re-
newed as to paint in lighter and more cheer
full tints. and has ornamented the side sur
faces and ceilings afresh, in accordance
with the requirements and peculiar style
Of the building and at the same time in
conformity with the demands of modern
artistic taste.
The work on Statuary Hall was begun
Immediately after the adjournment of Con-
gress in July last, and has progressed with
out interruption until now, employing the
skiu Of fifty artists, under the direction of