Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XVI.djvu/498

 478 WASHINGTON" (Guy) 10 coupled columns. The extension consists of two wings placed at the N. and S. ends of the central building, 44 ft. from it, with con- necting corridors 56 ft. 8 in. wide, inclusive of their outside colonnades. Each wing is 142 ft. 8 in. in front on the east by 288 ft. 10 in. in depth, exclusive of the porticoes and steps. The porticoes fronting the east have each 22 The Capitol. monolithic fluted columns, and extend the en- tire width of the front, having central pro- jections of 10 ft. 4 in. forming double porti- coes in the centre, the width of the gable. There is also a portico of 10 columns on the W. end of each wing, 105 ft. 8 in. wide, pro- jecting 10 ft. 6 in., and like porticoes on the N. side of the N. wing and 8. side of the S. wing, with a width of 121 ft. 4 in. The entire length of the capitol is 751 ft. 4 in., and the great- est depth, including porticoes and steps, is 348 ft. The ground covered by the build- ing, exclusive of courtyards, is 153,- 112 sq.ft., or a little over 3$ acres. The walls of the central building are of sand- stone painted white ; the extensions are of white marble slight- ly variegated with blue. Outwardly the capitol has various architectural adorn- ments, with several groups of sculptures ; with- in it is profusely decorated with frescoes, sculp- tures, and paintings. From the centre rises a oast- iron dome, 135i ft. in diameter, to a height of 287 ft. above the basement floor of the building. From the top of the dome, which is surmounted by a bronze statue of Liberty by Crawford, 19 $ ft. high, a magni- ficent view of the city and surrounding coun- try is obtained. The rotunda is a circular room 96 ft. in diameter, rising to the entire President's House. height of the interior of the dome, 1 80 ft. It contains a number of historical paintings by John Trumbull and others. The senate cham- ber, in the centre of the N. extension, is rec-