U.S. Capitol Gatehouses and Gateposts
Encyclopedia
The U.S. Capitol Gatehouses and Gateposts — designed circa 1827 by celebrated architect Charles Bulfinch
— originally stood on the grounds of the United States Capitol
in Washington, D.C.
. Two of the gatehouses are listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in their new locations.
One gatehouse and three of the gateposts now stand at 15th Street and Constitution Avenue
within the President's Park South historic district. The other gatehouse is at 17th and Constitution, also within the PPS. Four other gateposts have been relocated to the main entrance of the National Arboretum
at New York Avenue NE
and Springhouse Road NE.
Bulfinch designed the structures as part of the original Capitol design. The gatehouses stood at the base of Capitol Hill on the west side at a carriage entrance to the grounds.
The gatehouses were removed from the Capitol grounds in 1874 as part of landscaping renovations designed by Frederick Law Olmsted
. In 1880, the west gatehouse was relocated at Constitution Avenue
and 17th Street NW, and the east gatehouse at Constitution and 15th. They are placed to flank the White House
- Washington Monument
axis, which runs roughly along the axis of 16th Street
, just south of The Ellipse in President's Park
.
The deterioration of the gatehouse sandstone required complete reconstructions in 1938. These restorations were completed under the direction of National Park Service
architect Thomas T. Waterman.
Four of the original Bullfinch gateposts from the former fence around the Capitol grounds were moved to Constitution Avenue at the same time as the gatehouses. The posts are twelve feet high and five feet square.
) on the sides and rear and a small Tuscan order
porch on the front. The material is Aquia Creek sandstone
of a rather poor grade. The east gatehouse bears two high water marks carved into the stone to commemorate flooding in 1877 and 1881.
Charles Bulfinch
Charles Bulfinch was an early American architect, and has been regarded by many as the first native-born American to practice architecture as a profession....
— originally stood on the grounds of the United States Capitol
United States Capitol
The United States Capitol is the meeting place of the United States Congress, the legislature of the federal government of the United States. Located in Washington, D.C., it sits atop Capitol Hill at the eastern end of the National Mall...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
. Two of the gatehouses are listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in their new locations.
One gatehouse and three of the gateposts now stand at 15th Street and Constitution Avenue
Constitution Avenue
In Washington, D.C., Constitution Avenue is a major east-west street running just north of the United States Capitol in the city's Northwest and Northeast quadrants...
within the President's Park South historic district. The other gatehouse is at 17th and Constitution, also within the PPS. Four other gateposts have been relocated to the main entrance of the National Arboretum
United States National Arboretum
The United States National Arboretum is an arboretum in Washington, D.C., operated by the United States Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service as a division of the Henry A. Wallace Beltsville Agricultural Research Center...
at New York Avenue NE
New York Avenue (Washington, D.C.)
New York Avenue is one of the diagonal avenues radiating from the White House in Washington, D.C. It is a major east-west route in the city's Northwest and Northeast quadrants and connects downtown with points east and north of the city via Cheverly, Maryland, the John Hanson Highway and the...
and Springhouse Road NE.
History
The gatehouses were removed from the Capitol grounds in 1874 as part of landscaping renovations designed by Frederick Law Olmsted
Frederick Law Olmsted
Frederick Law Olmsted was an American journalist, social critic, public administrator, and landscape designer. He is popularly considered to be the father of American landscape architecture, although many scholars have bestowed that title upon Andrew Jackson Downing...
. In 1880, the west gatehouse was relocated at Constitution Avenue
Constitution Avenue
In Washington, D.C., Constitution Avenue is a major east-west street running just north of the United States Capitol in the city's Northwest and Northeast quadrants...
and 17th Street NW, and the east gatehouse at Constitution and 15th. They are placed to flank the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
- Washington Monument
Washington Monument
The Washington Monument is an obelisk near the west end of the National Mall in Washington, D.C., built to commemorate the first U.S. president, General George Washington...
axis, which runs roughly along the axis of 16th Street
16th Street Northwest (Washington, D.C.)
16th Street Northwest is a prominent north-south thoroughfare in the northwest quadrant of Washington, D.C.Part of Pierre L'Enfant's design for the city, 16th Street begins just north of the White House across Lafayette Park at H Street and continues due north in a straight line passing K Street,...
, just south of The Ellipse in President's Park
President's Park
President's Park, located in Washington, D.C., encompasses the White House, a visitor center, Lafayette Square, and The Ellipse. President's Park was the original name of Lafayette Square. The current President's Park is administered by the National Park Service.-White House:Washington, D.C...
.
The deterioration of the gatehouse sandstone required complete reconstructions in 1938. These restorations were completed under the direction of National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
architect Thomas T. Waterman.
Four of the original Bullfinch gateposts from the former fence around the Capitol grounds were moved to Constitution Avenue at the same time as the gatehouses. The posts are twelve feet high and five feet square.
Architecture
The gatehouses are small temple-like stone structures, with rough-coursed masonry (rusticationRustication (architecture)
thumb|upright|Two different styles of rustication in the [[Palazzo Medici-Riccardi]] in [[Florence]].In classical architecture rustication is an architectural feature that contrasts in texture with the smoothly finished, squared block masonry surfaces called ashlar...
) on the sides and rear and a small Tuscan order
Tuscan order
Among canon of classical orders of classical architecture, the Tuscan order's place is due to the influence of the Italian Sebastiano Serlio, who meticulously described the five orders including a "Tuscan order", "the solidest and least ornate", in his fourth book of Regole generalii di...
porch on the front. The material is Aquia Creek sandstone
Aquia Creek sandstone
Aquia Creek sandstone is a type of brown to light-gray freestone used extensively in building construction in Washington, D.C. in the late 18th and early 19th centuries...
of a rather poor grade. The east gatehouse bears two high water marks carved into the stone to commemorate flooding in 1877 and 1881.
See also
- History of Washington, D.C.History of Washington, D.C.The history of Washington, D.C. is tied to its role as the capital of the United States. Originally inhabited by an Algonquian-speaking people known as the Nacotchtank, the site of the District of Columbia along the Potomac River was originally selected by President George Washington. The city came...
- National Register of Historic Places listings in the District of Columbia
External links
- Bulfinch Capitol Gatepost, Constitution Avenue & Seventh Street, Northwest (S, Washington, District of Columbia, DC: 1 drawing, 1 data page, at Historic American Building Survey
- U.S. Capitol Gatehouses, Fifteenth & Seventeenth Streets at Constitution Av, Washington, District of Columbia, DC: 12 drawings, 12 photographs, 15 data pages, 1 photo data page, at Historic American Building Survey
- U.S. Capitol, Gateposts, Nineteenth Street & Constitution (moved from Capit, Washington, District of Columbia, DC: 11 photographs, 1 data page, 1 photo data page, at Historic American Building Survey