Capital City Drywall, Inc. history

In 1803, Congress allocated funds to resume construction.

In 1808, as work on the south wing progressed, Latrobe began the rebuilding of the north wing, which had fallen into disrepair.

Benjamin Henry Latrobe was appointed architect to oversee the construction effort and the House wing was completed in 1811.

By 1813, Latrobe had no further work in Washington and so he departed, leaving the north and south wings of the United States Capitol connected only by a temporary wooden passageway.

Latrobe returned to Washington in 1815, when he was rehired to restore the United States Capitol Building.

On January 8, 1818, Charles Bulfinch, was appointed Latrobe's successor as architect.

Continuing the restoration of the north and south wings, he was able to make the chambers for the Supreme Court, the House, and the Senate ready for use by 1819.

After completing the last part of the building in 1826, Bulfinch spent the next few years on the Capitol's decoration and landscaping.

Records show the up to the year 1827 the project cost was $2,432,851.34.

On July 4, 1851, in a ceremony whose principal oration was delivered by Secretary of State Daniel Webster, the President laid the cornerstone for the northeast corner of the House wing in accordance with Walter's plans.

His location of the legislative chambers was changed in 1853 at the direction of President Franklin Pierce, based on the suggestions of the newly appointed supervising engineer, Captain Montgomery C. Meigs.

In 1855 Congress voted for its replacement based on Walter's design for a new, fireproof cast-iron dome.

The old dome was removed in 1856, and 5,000,000 pounds of new masonry was placed on the existing Rotunda walls.

In 1859 Thomas Crawford's plaster model for the Statue of Freedom, designed for the top of the dome, arrived from the sculptor's studio in Rome.

The statue was lifted into place atop the dome in 1863, its final section being installed on December 2 to the accompaniment of gun salutes from the forts around the city.

A new fireproof 8,909,200 pound cast-iron dome was completed in 1865 at a total cost of $1,047,291.

The interior of the dome was completed in 1866 with the fresco, "Apotheosis of Washington," hanging 180 feet (or 18 stories) above the Rotunda floor.

On November 6, 1898, a gas explosion and fire in the original north wing dramatically illustrated the need for fireproofing.

Clark continued to hold the post of Architect of the Capitol until his death in 1902.

Begun in 1958, it involved the construction of a new East Front 32 feet 6 inches east of the old front, faithfully reproducing the sandstone structure in marble.

The Old Senate Chamber, National Statuary Hall, and the Old Supreme Court Chamber, on the other hand, were restored to their mid-19th-century appearance for the nation's 1976 Bicentennial celebration.

In 1983, work began on the strengthening, renovation and preservation of the West Front of the United States Capitol.

A related project, completed in January 1993, effected the repair of the Olmsted terraces, which had been subject to damage from settling, and converted the terrace courtyards into several thousand square feet of meeting space.

Since it opened, the Legislative Building has withstood three major earthquakes, the most recent being the February 28, 2001 'Nisqually' earthquake, thanks in large part to the excellent structural design by Wilder and White, and the superior craftsmanship of the original builders.

Current construction to the grounds is the United States Capitol Visitor Center scheduled to be completed late 2007.