VOICE ONE:
Historians have described the United States Capitol building as”the most recognized sign of democratic government in the world.” Bytaking a walk though this historic building, visitors can understandwhy. I’m Sarah Long.
VOICE TWO:
And I’m Steve Ember. The United States Capitol building inWashington, D-C is our report today on the VOA Special Englishprogram, THIS IS AMERICA.
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American lawmakers have held their meetings in the United StatesCapitol building since Eighteen-Hundred. The two houses of Congressgather in this building to write and pass laws for the nation.American presidents are sworn into office on the steps of theCapitol. And they give their yearly “State of the Union” speech inthe Capitol.
For more than two-hundred years, the Capitol has grown as thecountry has grown. New parts of the building have been added toprovide space for lawmakers representing new states in the Union.
Several million people from aroundthe world visit the Capitol each year. The building is open to thepublic every day except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day.Recently, however, the building was closed to the public twoseparate times because of security concerns. The closures werelinked to the September eleventh terrorist attacks and the anthraxcrisis.
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Since the attacks on New York City and the Pentagon nearWashington, officials have taken great steps to increase securityaround the Capitol. Many roads around the building have been closedto traffic. In addition, visitors are now required to walk throughspecial devices before entering the building. The devices detectmetal weapons.
Guided visits of the Capitol are free. However, visitors musthave tickets to enter the building. Tours are offered Monday throughFriday. Groups of twenty-five people are led through the buildingevery thirty minutes. To get a ticket, visitors must wait in lineseveral hours before the first tour begins.
The Capitol is a popular and interesting place for visitors toWashington. For example, Mike and Joan Rolles (RAWL-ess) fromHershey, Pennsylvania, visited the Capitol last month. Theydescribed the building as a national treasure. They said they werehappy to see the increased security measures because of theimportance of the building. They said they believe additionalsecurity steps should be taken at other important federal buildingsin the Washington area.
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After visitors have passed through the security area, they arewelcomed into the Capitol building through the historic ColumbusDoors. These doors are made of bronze metal. They are about fivemeters tall and weigh about nine-thousand kilograms.
American artist Randolph Rogers designed the doors. They wereplaced at the main entrance of the Capitol in Eighteen-Seventy-One.They are considered a lasting memorial to Christopher Columbus whoarrived in America in Fourteen-Ninety-Two. Mister Rogers designedeight squares on the doors representing events in the life ofColumbus.
Visitors then walk straight into the heart of the Capitolbuilding – the Rotunda. This is a large, round room that connectsthe north and south parts of the building where the Senate and theHouse of Representatives meet. Visitors can always tell if the Houseor Senate is meeting if a flag flies over the north or south part ofthe Capitol.
VOICE TWO:
The Rotunda is the ceremonial center of the Capitol. Statefunerals have been held there for presidents, members of Congress,military heroes and important citizens. This honor is called “Lyingin State.” Nine presidents have lain in state in the CapitolRotunda. They include Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy. Only oneforeigner has received this honor – Major Pierre Charles L’Enfant.He planned the city of Washington, D-C.
The Capitol building is filled with beautiful, historic works ofart. One of the greatest pieces was painted fifty-four meters abovethe Rotunda on the top of the rounded ceiling. An Italian-Americanartist named Constantino Brumidi completed the ceiling painting inEighteen-Sixty-Five.
The painting is called “The Apotheosis of Washington” in honor ofAmerica’s first president. It shows George Washington rising toheaven. He is surrounded by historical people representing freedom,victory, knowledge and technological progress. The painting coversan area of about four-hundred-thirty square meters. Visitors arepermitted to take pictures of the painting. However, because of itssize, the whole painting usually does not fit into one picture.
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From the Rotunda, visitors walk into Statuary Hall. This room wasonce the meeting place for the House of Representatives. However, itbecame Statuary Hall in Eighteen-Sixty-Four after the number oflawmakers grew too large to continue meeting there. Another name forStatuary Hall is the “Whisper Chamber.” This is because when avisitor stands at one end of the room, he or she can hear whatpeople at the other end are saying. The shape of the room with itshigh ceiling creates this unusual movement of sound waves.
Many years ago, Congress invited each state in the United Statesto send two statues of its most famous citizens to the Capitol.Today, these statues are shown in Statuary Hall and throughout thebuilding. North Dakota, New Mexico and Nevada are the only statesthat have sent just one statue. Most of the statues are made ofmarble stone or bronze metal.
VOICE TWO:
From Statuary Hall, visitors walk to the Capitol crypt directlybelow the Rotunda. Capitol designers built the crypt to be amemorial over the burial place of President Washington. It was to beseen through an opening in the Rotunda floor.
However, when President Washington died, he was buried instead athis farm in Mount Vernon, Virginia. The Capitol crypt was leftunused.There are forty sandstone structures, or columns, surroundingthe crypt. These columns also support the floor of the Rotunda.There is a star in the center of the crypt floor that marks thepoint from which all streets in Washington are laid out andnumbered. Visitors like to stand on the star because it isconsidered the very center of the nation’s capitol.
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From the center of the crypt to the very top of the Capitolbuilding requires a big jump. However, the Statue of Freedom hasmade the top of the Capitol her home since Eighteen-Sixty-Three. Thestatue is made of bronze metal. It was designed by artist ThomasCrawford. Freedom weighs almost seven-thousand kilograms. The statuestands almost six meters high. She is the tallest statue in theDistrict of Columbia. No statue is permitted to be taller. Thestatue faces the east overlooking the city of Washington. Historianssay this position was chosen so that the sun would never set on theface of Freedom.
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The United States Capitol was first built on wetlands. InEighteen-Seventy-Four, a Senate committee asked garden expertFrederick Law Olmsted to design the grounds around the Capitol.Mister Olmsted was a leader in the development of public parks inAmerica. He came to Washington from New York City, where he haddesigned the famous Central Park.
Today, more then one-hundred different kinds of trees grow on theCapitol grounds. Many have signs identifying their historicimportance. For example, more than thirty states have given trees tothe Capitol grounds. Visitors often spend time walking around thearea looking for their state’s tree.
They also look for the historic “Cameron Elm” near the entranceto the House of Representatives. This tree is one of the oldest onthe Capitol grounds. It was named in honor of a senator fromPennsylvania. He protected the tree from being cut down while thearea around the Capitol was being designed.
The Cameron Elm remains part of America’s treasure — the UnitedStates Capitol — the most recognized sign of democratic governmentin the world.
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VOICE ONE:
This program was written by Jill Moss. It was produced by GeorgeGrow. I’m Sarah Long.
VOICE TWO:
And I’m Steve Ember. Join us again next week for another reportabout life in the United States on the VOA Special English program,THIS IS AMERICA.