National Historic Landmark · District of Columbia

U.S. Capitol

Meeting place of the United States Congress in District of Columbia. Built 1793 by William Thornton. A National Historic Landmark. The Register record carries no listing date for it.

Open to visit National Historic Landmark Built 1793 Neoclassical architecture William Thornton

Photos via Wikimedia Commons · 6 in the Commons category

What it is

The United States Capitol, often called the Capitol or the Capitol Building, is the seat of the United States Congress, the legislative branch of the federal government. It is located on Capitol Hill at the eastern end of the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Although no longer at the geographic center of the national capital, the U.S. Capitol forms the origin point for the street-numbering system of the district as well as its four quadrants. Like the principal buildings of the executive and judicial branches, the Capitol is built in a neoclassical style and has a white exterior.

Text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

The record

Property type	Building
Address	DC
Reference number	19600002
Built	1793 · more from the 1790s
Architect	William Thornton, Étienne Sulpice Hallet, Benjamin Henry Latrobe, Charles Bulfinch, Thomas Ustick Walter, August Schoenborn, James Hoban, George Hadfield, Robert Mills, Montgomery C. Meigs, Edward Clark, Elliott Woods, David Lynn, J. George Stewart, George M. White, Alan Hantman, Stephen T. Ayers, Brett Blanton
Type of place	capitol building
Style	Neoclassical architecture
Designations	National Historic Landmark, Historic Civil Engineering Landmark, District of Columbia Inventory of Historic Sites
Standing	Yes

Visiting

Coordinates	38.8898° N, 77.0092° W · Directions ↗
Nearest national park unit	Belmont-Paul Women's Equality National Monument · under a mile · on Park Atlas
Federal campgrounds nearby	Fort Dupont Park Picnic Areas 3 miles · Rock Creek Park Group Picnic Areas (Dc) 5 miles · Greenbelt Park Ranger Station 9 miles

This one you can go inside. Hours and admission change with the season; the website above has the current schedule.

Explore

Drawings & photographs

VIEW OF TRACK APPROACH TO WEST PORTAL SHOWING ASHLAR GRANITE WALL ON N

2. VIEW OF THE CAPITOL GROUNDS AND EAST CAPITOL STREET LOOKING EAST F

50. View from U.S. Capitol showing U.S. Supreme Court

51. View from U.S. Capitol showing U.S. Supreme Court

1. VIEW EAST ON EAST CAPITOL STREET FROM THE DOME OF THE U.S. CAPITOL

1. Historic American Buildings Survey Copy of old photograph East Fro

2. Historic American Buildings Survey Copy of old photograph West Fro

Measured drawings and photographs from the Library of Congress. Public domain. All 7 records ↗

Map

Guidebooks to historic places in Washington, D.C.

We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.

Walking Washington, DC
Barbara Noe Kennedy and Lisa Walker, 2017
Find at Bookshop.org
DC by Metro
Michelle Goldchain, 2019
Find at Bookshop.org
Black Men Built the Capitol
Jesse Holland, 2017
Find at Bookshop.org
Walking Tour of the Georgetown
Richard Massimo and Missy Janes, 2016
Find at Bookshop.org

Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.

Reference

Questions people ask

When was U.S. Capitol built?

1793, designed by William Thornton, Étienne Sulpice Hallet, Benjamin Henry Latrobe, Charles Bulfinch, Thomas Ustick Walter, August Schoenborn, James Hoban, George Hadfield, Robert Mills, Montgomery C. Meigs, Edward Clark, Elliott Woods, David Lynn, J. George Stewart, George M. White, Alan Hantman, Stephen T. Ayers, and Brett Blanton, in the Neoclassical architecture style.

Source: Wikidata

Can I visit U.S. Capitol?

Yes. U.S. Capitol is recorded as open to the public.

Source: Wikidata

Where is U.S. Capitol?

District of Columbia. The nearest national park unit is Belmont-Paul Women's Equality National Monument, under a mile away.

Source: Belmont-Paul Women's Equality National Monument

Are there historic photographs or drawings of U.S. Capitol?

Yes. The Historic American Buildings Survey at the Library of Congress has drawings or photographs of it.

Source: Library of Congress

Are there campgrounds near U.S. Capitol?

Three federal campgrounds are within reach. The closest is Fort Dupont Park Picnic Areas, 3 miles away. Rock Creek Park Group Picnic Areas (Dc) is 5 miles away, and Greenbelt Park Ranger Station is 9 miles away.

Source: Campsite Atlas

Sources

Location, type and contributing counts come from the National Park Service's National Register spatial data. Listing dates come from the National Register office's spreadsheet where it carries the listing. Construction date, architect, style, photograph and encyclopedia link come from Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons, matched on reference number 19600002. Nothing here is transcribed by hand. The nomination form and photographs ↗ at NPGallery are the original nomination as filed with the National Park Service, and the form is often the best description of the place. The description under "What it is" is the opening of the Wikipedia article, CC BY-SA. Drawings and photographs are Historic American Buildings Survey records at the Library of Congress, public domain.