Evening star., 1926-06-20
EVENTS OF PAST
80 YEARS SOUGHT FOR FRIEZE
Two Unoccupied Spaces i'm Rotunda Soon May Be
Filled, But Choice of Subjects Out of Happen
ings Since 1848 Proves Difficult.

pause to gaze upward tney see OH ono
side the bare space which MARKS the
incomplete condition of the rrleze.
The Joint committee on library re-
CARDS the completion Of this artistic
adornment of the structure as one OF
its most important tasks.
Frieze Done in Paint.
The present art work on the fr1eze
was done on paint on wet piaster'
depending upon shadows TO give IL the
appearance of standing out IN rehe1:
And. while the pending estimate OF
S40,0O contemplates restoration ana
completion of the frieze by the SAM
process. consideration has been given
from time to time TO proposals to re-
store the frieZe in plaster RELIEF, mar
BILE. limestone or some other more per
manent material that would cause the
historic incidents to stand out III
actual relief instead of in paint win
shadow effects.
Within the past year the architect
office has obtained rough estimates
of what II would cost TO apply THESE
various treatments. but all lnulcatioIs
are that for some time to come IL VIII
not be possible TO do more tnan com
plete the work by the process already
begun. For example, TO do 1t over In
marble would cost $23j.000, In lime
stone $195 900, in marble composition
$3.50 900, in high relief plaster $llO,-
900. The architect also obtained ng-
ure of $3.50 900 as the cost or an even
more elaborate restoration.
The fact that an estimate or S4O,0OO
has been presented indicates that for
the time being it has been decided TO
adhere to the plan of finishing the
work as 1t was started.
SculpturaI Frieze Planned.
That a scuIptural frieze was in the
minds of the early planners OF the
Capitol Building is deduced from the
present bit OF history. contained in the
last annual report OF the architect or
the Capitol:
with the completion of the old
Capitol by Charles Bulfinch, the ro-
tunda of the Capitol was surmounted
BY low dome. At the extensions or
the Capitol under Thomas u. Walter
d85l-1S60 by the addition OF the
present Senate wing and House wing
| the low dome was replaced Dy tne
present dome. The Office correspond
ence shows that before the low dome
was removed to give place to present
dome the drawings contemplated a
scuIptured frieze, and that CORE
Capt. Montgomery c. Melgs ana
Thomas Crawford and Randolph
Rogers upon that subject. and that
Thomas Crawford submitted an esti
mate of the cost for a frieze in actual
relief in plaster, which he stated had
been used for such purposes in Eu
rope and had existed in satisfactory
condition for hundreds of years.
Following this correspondence on
November %. 1855, Capt. Meigs
makes the statement that the Secre
tary has informed him that he did not
wish any more money expended upon
the decoration of the new dome untlI
Congress. by further appropriation
authorized it, and that this would
suspend any present action.
The frieze is located 5S feet above
the floor of the rotunda. and is 3oo
feet in circumference. The historic
panels comprising the circle are ap
proximately eight feet in height. and
each incident depicted covers between
IA and rs feet of the circle. As has
heen stated. about 26 feet remains
undecorated.