Sitting before the pool of water - gazing at the reflected lights dancing across the surface - my thoughts wandered off, skipping across the pond towards the darkness that rested upon the city. It was a little past midnight and the throng of people that had tread and lingered the pavements earlier in the day had retired either to sleep or other nightly activities.
Before me was Capitol Hill. I found it somewhat poetic that a few weeks ago I had been living in a different Capitol Hill, the neighborhood in Seattle and now here I was before the building where the government was (supposedly) run.
The majestic rise of the Capitol dome does catch one's eye but it is, in more ways than one, illusory. What one might not know is the dome that graces the Capitol building is in fact two domes: one that we see, and another hidden one beneath the outer shell.
The original was designed to be in the style of the Roman Pantheon and subsequent alterations added greater height and distinction to it. It is this dome's interior, embellished with the Apotheosis of Washington at it's oculus that one sees while strolling through the halls of the building.
Over time as the republic grew larger and more states were incorporated so did the size of Congress. The need for more capacity led to the addition of new wings to the building. This elongation however stirred up debate over the aesthetics of the dome. Eventually the fourth architect, Thomas U. Walter, who had overseen the extension of the Capitol was commissioned to design the new dome. It is this dome that we see from the outside today.
Bisection of the Capitol Dome
That, however, is only part of the illusion. The second dome seems to be made of the same material as the building, marble and stone. But sometimes paint can go a long way to resemble the texture and hue of certain materials. In reality the Capitol dome is made of cast-iron. Being a versatile material that could be molded into specific shapes, having the strength to withstand large loads while still being lighter than stone, and on top of that being fireproof made cast-iron the material of choice to build taller and safer structures back then.
This of course was not on my mind as I looked upon the building. Surprisingly neither was politics. With the House of Cards theme song ringing in my ears I was carried away into the illusory world of Frank Underwood's Washington D.C.
Related Posts
What I had come to discover was the influence Muslims had left in Spain.