I hear in my mind, all of these words
I hear in my mind, all of this music
(And it doesn't break my heart!)
Spring is in the air, Regina Spektor is [stuck] on my tongue, and I'm getting ready to say goodbye to Washington! But not without lots of last minute sightseeing, event attending, Capitol tour giving, and working! Last night I volunteered with Asia Society at an Indian Classical Concert (Dagar Ensemble) that they organized in partnership with GWU's Sigur Center and the Indian Embassy. Tomorrow there's a performance by Tabla maestro Zakir Hussain, on Friday there's a Korean Film Festival, and on Saturday I'm going to the National Symphony Orchestra at Kennedy Center.
At work, things are busy as ever, with no signs of a new Staff Assistant and very strong signs that I may be filling two roles till my last day on the job. But I must confess it does makes me feel important, more needed, more wanted, more appreciated [and more exhausted] ;)
Over the past week we've had so many constituents visiting DC and all the tours I did for them have kept me on my toes (literally!). Since architectural trivia is just flowing out of my ears at this point, why don't I give you guys a virtual tour of the Capitol?! Here goes...
We descend to the basement of my office building (Longworth) and take the tunnel to the Capitol. Here I mention how networks of tunnels and a mini subway train connect all the House and Senate office buildings to the Capitol and in turn, to each other. Also, visitors find it interesting to observe that we have every service under the sun available right inside our office buildings – bank, post office, cafeteria, barber shop, supply store, dry cleaning etc. Next we stand on line from anywhere between 5 and 55 minutes depending on the season (this is high high season), and once security is cleared we proceed through another long tunnel (this one adorned with art made by high school students from around the country – winners of a competition aptly titled Artistic Discovery) and arrive at the Columbus Doors.
These doors were originally installed as doors for the House chamber in 1863 and were then moved to the front of the Capitol in 1871. They are 17 feet tall and weigh about 20 tonnes – a product of German craftsmanship (Munich) from 1860 depicting events in the life of Christopher Columbus.
Next we proceed into the crypt, which lies directly beneath the Rotunda and the big dome of the Capitol. The Crypt was intended to be the final resting place of George and Martha Washington but both of them passed away before the Capitol was completed and hence were buried at Mount Vernon. The significance of the crypt doesn't end here though – the star at its center is also the geographic center of Washington, DC from where the lines that demarcate its four quadrants (NE, NE, SE, SW) shoot out.
The next stop on the tour is the Old Supreme Court Chamber, which was the meeting place of the Senate from 1800 to 1808 and then the Supreme Court from 1810 until 1860. It was also the site of the first presidential inauguration (Thomas Jefferson) in 1801. It is important to note that seven of the Justices' desks and five of their chairs are originals from about 1850-1860. The Willard Clock on the back wall was installed on the instruction of Chief Justice Taney, a stickler for punctuality, who had the clock set five minutes fast to ensure the proceedings took place in a timely manner. It still functions today and will definitely be five minutes ahead of your wristwatch!
We take a flight of stairs up while gawking at a beautiful crystal chandelier (14,000 cut crystals), which is originally from Czechoslovakia but was purchased by the Architect of the Capitol at an auction in 1965 for a mere $1500. The gasps continue as we enter The Rotunda, by far the most impressive room in the building. The dome above your head is approximately 180 feet (18 stories) tall. The painting on the inside, done by Constantino Brumuidi, is called The Apotheosis of George Washington and as the name suggests, depicts his ascension to the rank of a god. The thirteen maidens surrounding him are believed to represent the original 13 states. The Brumidi Frieze that wraps around the wall of the Rotunda is another awe-inspring painting that looks like sculpture.
It traces America's history from the landing of Columbus to the discovery of gold in California. Of the paintings that adorn the walls of the Rotunda, four are done by John Trumbull, who when told he couldn't sign them, found an interesting way to be identified in each. He actually painted himself into each of them, always placing himself fourth from the frame or fourth from the American flag and looking in a direction opposite to that of the main subject/source of action. Trumbull spotting is certainly my favorite Rotunda pastime ;)
Right next to the Rotunda is Statuary Hall, which, true to its name holds lots and lots of statues arranged against its walls. Each state is required to send two statues to the Capitol and many of these are displayed in this room. However, this was also the former meeting place of the House of Representatives (1800-1857) and was sometimes known as "The Oven" because it would get really warm in the days before air-conditioning was installed (or existed even!) There's a curious acoustic quality to this room that is better demonstrated than explained, so I won't ruin that surprise here!
The last stop is usually the House Gallery, where we sit for a few minutes and if we're lucky enough, catch the House in session. It's always great (after all that history!) to see where the action actually takes place today. I suggest if you're planning to tour the Capitol, try and be sure to select a date and time when the House is in session.
Ladies and Gentlemen, this brings me to the end of my virtual tour. Your compliments and gratitude are being telepathically transmitted to me! Even though I did such a fabulous job, please contact your Representative's office for the real deal!
Till next week,
DC Diaries
No comments:
Post a Comment