A Look at the US Capitol Rotunda

As a student at American University in Washington, DC, Alec Christopher Schemmel developed both print and multimedia content at numerous on-campus, and off-campus publications. Alec Schemmel also served as a congressional intern in the US House of Representatives, where he managed constituent correspondence, undertook legislative research tasks, and aggregated daily news and other data.

Among his many duties while working in congress, Schemmel was tasked with providing Capitol tours for a select number of constituents and other individuals. The US Capitol has served as the meeting place of Congress for more than two centuries. Over the years, the building has undergone expansions and renovations to accommodate senators and representatives from across the country. As the US Capitol has grown, however, one iconic sight has remained unchanged: the Rotunda.

In the 1790s, the US government held a competition to find a design for its new Capitol building. Dr. William Thornton won with his unique idea of incorporating a central rotunda into this design. Construction ultimately began in 1818 under architect Charles Bulfinch, who applied a neoclassicist style to create a structure that emulated the Roman Pantheon. Today, visitors to the Capitol Rotunda can see this influence in the sandstone walls, Doric pilasters, and relief panels.

The US Capitol Rotunda is also home to a collection of historical paintings that John Trumbull commissioned in 1817. These canvases depict important moments from the American Revolution. Decades later, the Rotunda supplemented this collection with additional paintings showing the early exploration of the United States. Statues and busts of past US presidents and other notable figures also line the Rotunda’s walls.