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Show mtm ifH S. Cdpitol h N i I s i 1 1 si vXlx, Hj -f 'vi - 1 f - I 1 J , V ' s " i i " ? r & ?' i A ' i t - . - -v f - .1-" " .... . - . v F1 " I By ELMO SCOTT WATSON I m-mi HE" Capitol at Washing- l.'j tun, symbol as it is of K. the nation's growth, Is t J soon to have an addi- id tion, according to prcs- f cnt l'':lns- Although the Wf Capitol has p:is.-ed 7 through three major stages of expansion. It J Is not yet completed, f To relieve the congest ed state of the quarters In which the government Is called upon to transact tran-sact its business at the present time nnd to give the Capitol better architectural archi-tectural balance with the present senate and house wings, a new wing Is to be added to the central part of the east front. 'The history of the Capitol goes back to the first administration of George Washington. In July, 179(1, Washington signed a bill passed by the senate, definitely locating the Capitol on the Potomac river In the District of Columbia, which had hovn established und.T the eighth section und first art Irk: of the Constitution. The bill provided (or the appointment appoint-ment by the President of three commissioners, com-missioners, who, under his direction, were to make a survey of a required territory und were empowered to purchase pur-chase or receive by pivsent such land as the President thought necessary for the use of (he government. The tlirre commissioners selected by Washington were David Stuart of Virginia und Daniel Carroll and Thomas Johnson of Maryland. In or-I or-I der to give every cn-hltect In the country opportunity to o.Ter a plan for the Cnpllol, Washington and the three commissioners wrote the following follow-ing advertisement: A premium of n lot In 1 1 1 1 m 1 1 y to be (li-Klsnaleil l.y Imisirllal JiiiIi;cs, 11 nil five lniliilrisl (lollniM, 'if n inriinl of Hint value nt the option of the parly, will be r.lven 1 1 y the coinnilsslonci'M of H10 l-'ellcl'.i 1 lillilillliK to the pclHon who Pc-fore Pc-fore the IMll (lay of July, 1 7 !' 2. Hlisll produce til tin-in Hie most npploveil plan fur n. ('npltnl to he (Mccteil 111 tills city; ami two li 11 nil red unci lll'ly ilolhii-fi, or a mrdiil, to Hie plan deemed next In merit (e the cme (hey shall nilnpl. The 1 .11 1 1 .1 1 11 it I" 1"' nf lirldi, und to contain (he following iipail- meiilH to wit: a ('"ill nee mom and a room for the re presen I n 1 1 ve.s, mi 111 - cient to accommodate three hundred persons each; a lohby or anteroom to the latter; a Fenate room of 1200 souare feet area: nn ante-chamber; 12 moms of 600 square fret each for committee rooms nnd clerks' calces. It will be a recommendation of any plan If the central part of It may be detached and erected for the present with the appearance of a complete whole, and he capable of ndmtttlne: the additional parrs In future, if they shall be wanted. Drawings will tie expected of the pround plots, elevations eleva-tions of each front, nnd sections throuph the building In such directions direc-tions as may he necessary to explain the Internal structure: and an estimate esti-mate of the cubic feet of brick work composing the whole mass of walls. A fee of S.-.00 for designing a national na-tional cnpitol would be looked upon as a joke by architects of today, but In l he early days of the Republic that sunt was a munificent one. Indeed. At any rate. 10 plans were submitted ns a result of the advertisement In the newspapers and they were sent In by a few real architects, a few draftsmen and by n number of other persons who were neither architects or draftsmen, but to whom that ?."i00 and the glory of being the designer of the government building were very attractive. The architect whose plan was accepted was Stophen Ilallet of Philadelphia, a Frenchman. Rut he was deprived of the honor by a curious cu-rious accident. Jonathan Trumbull, the celebrated artist, had a friend. Dr. William Thorntont of Philadelphia, Philadel-phia, whose hobby was that of amateur ama-teur drafting and who had won some renown as a designer of the Philadelphia Phila-delphia library. Trumbull suggested to Thornton that he submit a design for the Capitol and send It to the President. Pres-ident. Washington picfcrretl Thornton's Thorn-ton's plan to Mallet's, and although the latter and bis friends stirred up considerable of a row over the matter, the doctor's plan was finally accepted. ac-cepted. The design by Mooter Thornton called for a domed rotunda, a portico and two wings, l'.ut funds were so scarce when the young government eel out to build the Cnpllol, It was decided to civet only the north wing ill first. It was this wing which was completed In 1NM and Into which congress, the Supreme court and the library were moved. "The Oven," a temporary round brick structure, was put up the next year on the site of the house wing, but the permanent structure of this was not finished until 1S11. Then came the great calamity, one of the most disheartening which the infant republic had ever suffered. During the War of 1S12 the British captured Washington, burned the new Capitol, the White House and other public buildings. It seemed an almost al-most impossible task to President Madison and bis subordinates to rebuild re-build the charred remnants of the government buildings. But a few weeks later, Madisou called congress in special session, and as a result of its action the rebuilding of the Capitol Cap-itol began. By 1S43, however, It was discovered that the Capitol was already too small for the needs of the government, govern-ment, and congress passed a resolution resolu-tion providing for the enlargement of the building by the addition of a wing on the south side. Nothing was done about the matter until lSoO, wheo Jefferson Pavls, thcu a senator from Mississippi, requested an architect named Robert Mills to submit plans for the enlargement of the Capitol. Mills' specifications called for new wings on the north nnd south and a dome In the center of the original building. Mavis succeeded In getting through the senate an appropriation of $100,000 for each wing, but the house reduced It to $,"0,000 for each nnd arranged for competitive bidding In the planning. The plans submitted by T. U, Walter of Philadelphia, which were especially favored by President Millard Fillmore, were finally final-ly selected. It took more than six years for the completion of the work, and during that time It was discovered that the original appropriation of $."0,000 for each wing would be decidedly Insufficient, Insuf-ficient, In fact, the total cost was something over $S,000,0(0. The now bouse wing was occupied for the first lime Mccemlier 10, 1 s."7. but the senate sen-ate did not move Into Its wing until January -1, ISoO. Now, after seventy years', a new wing Is to be added to the Capitol to give Brother Johnat ban. the lusty young giant among nations, plenty of room In which to carry on bis affairs of state. |