The Story of the Capitol Building Being Built Destoryed Then Rebuilt Again

May 17, 2022 Post a Comment

On August 24, 1814, British forces marched into Washington, D.C. and set up fire to the White House, the Capitol, and other government buildings. After the British left the metropolis, the government hired James Hoban, designer of the original President's House, to supervise the rebuilding of the mansion and executive office buildings, while Benjamin H. Latrobe returned as Architect of the Capitol. Hoban and his coiffure had taken nearly x years to build the first President'south House; the post-burn down restoration took virtually three years to brand the mansion habitable once again. They rebuilt the damaged walls and restored the intricately carved rock ornaments. Only they besides fabricated a few changes. Hoban used timber framing instead of brick to reconstruct the interior walls and substructure in order to terminate the work quickly. Over the next century, the timber framing deteriorated equally the White House required major structural work in 1902 and 1927. In 1948, the Trumans moved out of the White House and then it could be completed gutting. Over the three and a half years, construction crews congenital a skeleton of steel structural beams on a new concrete foundation, before rebuilding the decorative interiors.

Rebuilding the White House and U.S. Capitol - Photo 1 — The 1818 Robert King Jr.'s map of Washington, D.C. depicted the appearance of the White House and Capitol, as they would be restored. Hoban's south portico was not completed until 1824 and the map reproduced Thornton'south design for the Capitol without the modifications by Latrobe.

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Scorch marks

Despite the many rounds of renovations, the scorch marks of the fire are nevertheless visible today on the White House. The marks were discovered as the exterior of the White House underwent meaning cleaning and restoration, a project that spanned from the Jimmy Carter administration to the Bill Clinton administration. They were left uncovered to share an important affiliate of White House history. Legend suggests that the White House acquired its proper noun when the house was painted white to cover the stone walls blackened by fire in 1814. In reality, the building was first painted with a lime-based whitewash in 1798, but as a means of protecting the porous Aquia rock from freezing and spalling. The house acquired its nickname early and can be found in the correspondence of congressmen years before 1814. The official proper noun in the nineteenth century was the President'south House, just during the Victorian era "The Executive Mansion" was used on official letterhead. President Theodore Roosevelt made the White House the official name in 1901.

Scars from the Fire of 1814 on Stonework — The scorch marks of the fire are still visible today on the White House as two areas have been left unpainted.

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In 1815, workers and craftsmen began work to repair the burnt Capitol edifice. They carved out and replaced night, begrimed rock around windows and doors, scrubbed fume impairment from interior walls, and hauled away droppings. Latrobe chafed under the supervision of Samuel Lane, the Commissioner of Public Buildings, and President James Monroe, who valued speed over pattern considerations. In November 1817, Latrobe resigned due to continued interference by his superiors. Before leaving Washington, Latrobe restored the erstwhile House and Senate Chambers, considered today to exist some of the finest neoclassical spaces in America. He also produced drawings for the central rotunda, which were completed by his successor Charles Bulfinch.

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