After facing the enormous and daunting task of establishing our fledgling nation's government, a permanent site to house this new government needed to be determined. After much thoughtful and at times heated deliberation, the Secretary of State, Thomas Jefferson, drafted a compromise that would place the federal city on the southern portion of the Potomac River. In order to effect a smooth transition from Philadelphia, the nation's most cosmopolitan city, to the new federal city, Washington needed to be grand, with beautifully designed residences and commercial buildings, most importantly the President's home and the Capitol.

Following an architectural competition that did not produce a suitable plan, Dr. William Thornton submitted a design for the Capitol that was formally adopted in January 1793.

"The Granduer, Simplicity, and Beauty of the exterior - the propriety with which the apartments are distributed - and the economy in the mass of the whole structure, which I doubt not, give it a preference in your eyes as it has done in mine" President Washington, January 1793

On September 18, 1793, a few days after the foundation was dug, President Washington laid the cornerstone. Housing Congress since 1800, the Capitol was completed in 1826.

As the home of the legislative branch of the federal government, the Capitol over the years, like our nation, has modified its shape and size beginning with its expansion in the 1850's, the second dome begun in 1855, and the east front extension begun in 1958. Presently, the Capitol covers an area of 175,170 square feet. It is 725 feet long and 350 feet wide (in its largest dimensions).

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