Tuesday, September 29, 2015

I am not sure either way.........



Of course, as everyone who tours the Capitol learns, this room was associated with a proposed interment even before it was built. After the death of President Washington in 1799, Congress resolved to honor him in the Capitol. A chamber for the remains of the first president and his wife was added to the plans for the center section of the building and constructed two stories below the Rotunda. Directly above the tomb (i.e., in the center of the Crypt) was to be placed a marble statue of Washington, and overhead a 10-foot circular opening was left in the center of the Rotunda floor so that visitors could view it from above. However, Washington's grave remained at Mount Vernon in accordance with his wishes, and no statue of him was ever placed in the Crypt. Because the 10-foot opening was allowing persistent drafts and dampness into the Rotunda, it was sealed in 1828. This was a source of great satisfaction to artist John Trumbull, for it relieved his concerns about further damage to his four monumental history paintings—two of which honor George Washington.

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