What You Don't Know About the Capitol Building

The Capitol Building. It’s probably one of the most important and consequential buildings in the world. Naturally, it’s loaded with secrets.

Here are a few facts you may not have known about the historic landmark.
A Work in Progress
It’s hard to say when the Capitol was built because, well, they never really stop building the thing!

Construction began in 1793 and additions have been added ever since.

The most recent addition was in 2008 when the Capitol Visitor Center was constructed.

In 2003, a rough estimate of the building’s historical costs came up to $133 million.
A Final Resting Place?
The circular room below the building’s Rotunda is often referred to as the Crypt. So who is buried there?

The answer is, no one!

President George Washington and his wife’s remains were SUPPOSED to be interred a floor below the Crypt. A statue was then going to be erected in the Crypt to designate the spot but Washington wanted to be buried at Mount Vernon, so the plan was scrapped.

Fun fact -- Even though he wasn’t ultimately buried there George Washington laid the first stone of the building
Who’s That Lady?
The statue that’s placed on top of the rotunda is the Statue of Freedom. She stands at 19 feet 6 inches tall and weighs approximately 15,000 pounds!

She faces east, away from the National Mall which is totally symbolic right?

Nope.

She faces east simply because that’s where the Capitol Building’s entrance is. The entrance was placed away from the mall because it’s the only front on level ground.
The Famous Dome
The most prominent feature of the Capitol Building is its enormous dome, which was added relatively late in the building’s history in 1868.

8,909,200 pounds of ironwork went into constructing the dome that sits over the building’s beautiful rotunda which houses priceless art and sculptures.

It’s also the room where historic American figures lie in state at the time of their deaths.
Subways System
Below this enormous building is an actual subway system.

Three lines connect the Capitol to various buildings so congress people can move quickly from one building to the next.

Along the line tracks are flags to all 50 states.

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What surprises you most about the Capitol Building? Let us know below!