United States Capitol

Following the extension of the Capitol in the 1850s-1860s, the grounds were enlarged in 1872. In 1874 Congress commissioned Frederick Law Olmstead to design landscape improvements, and he soon produced a plan intended to keep the grounds in perfect subordination to the Capitol’s architectural design while providing a dignified park-like setting with groupings of trees and expansive vistas that set Capitol Square apart as an oasis from the surrounding developing city. Over the next two decades the project added granite lamp piers and bronze fountains, with Bay of Fundy granite piers constructed in 1875 to hold bronze gas-burning light fixtures originally ignited by electric sparks from copper wires and a remote battery, and large granite basins with bronze fountains whose fine sprays created rainbows by day and continued the effect under gas lights at night; the bronze was cast in 1875 by Janes, Kirkland, and Company of New York, which also cast most of the ironwork for the Capitol dome. Constructed from 1884 to 1892 on the north, west, and south sides of the Capitol, the marble Olmstead Terrace created a strong visual platform, corrected the illusion that the building was about to slide down Capitol Hill, and provided badly needed space for storage, shops, and committee rooms. Built from 1879 to 1889, the Summerhouse gave visitors a shaded place to rest, admire views of the Capitol, and drink water; designed by Olmstead’s principal architectural assistant, Thomas Wisedell, it honored the bricklayer’s craft through carved and radial brickwork, and its hillside grotto with running water, together with the central fountains, added a cooling effect in summer. Today the grounds have evolved into an arboretum with hundreds of mature botanical specimens, many rarely seen elsewhere.

Washington, District of Columbia · United States