TABLE OF CONTENTS Latrobe as Architect of the Capitol. Architectural History of the Space- Library Prototypes. Latrobe as a Library Architect____ Catalog of the Books, Maps, and Charts of the Libra Bibliography- FIGURE 1.-Principal Story of the Capitol in 1800. As occupied by Congress. From: Glenn B "History of the U.S. Capitol," vol. 1.-. FIGURE 2.-Section of the Senate Wing 1800. Benjami Latrobe. From: Glenn Brown, "History o FIGURE 3.-Plan of the Principal Story of the Capitol. (1806). Benjamin H. Latrobe. From: Li of Congress, Prints and Photographs Divis FIGURE 4.-Congressional library, plans and section, No ber 18, 1808. Benjamin H. Latrobe. F Library of Congress, Prints and Photogr FIGURE 5.-Congressional library-sections; plan of the N end 1807-1809. Benjamin H. Latrobe. F Library of Congress, Prints and Photog FIGURE 6.-Plan by William Thornton with the inscripti Benjamin Latrobe. Ante May, 4, 1803. F Library of Congress, Prints and Photog FIGURE 7.-Plan by Stephen Hallet with an inscriptio Benjamin Latrobe. Ante 1801. From: Lil of Congress, Prints and Photographs Divis FIGURE 8.-North wing, ground plan November Benjamin H. Latrobe. From: Office of FIGURE 9.-North wing, principal story-plan Nove (V) FIGURE 10.-North wing, plans, elevation, sections, Septemb 1807. Benjamin H. Latrobe. From: Library Congress, Prints and Photographs Division FIGURE 11.-Congressional library; plan and portion of elev tion, 1808. Benjamin H. Latrobe. From: Offi of the Architect of the Capitol. FIGURE 12.-Congressional library, details (ca. 1808). Be jamin H. Latrobe. From: Library of Congres Prints and Photographs Division FIGURE 13.-Principal floor, plan, March 18, 1817. Benjami H. Latrobe. From: Library of Congress, Print and Photographs Division__ INTRODUCTION "The surest test of the civilization of a people afforded by the mechanical art is to be found in architecture. which presents so noble a field for the play of the grand and the beautiful, and which, a same time, is so intimately connected with the esse comforts of life..." -William Hickling Prescott, 1796– The oldest, continuously occupied portion of the Un Capitol is the northwest corner of the original structure, th of the Capitol which now includes the rooms S-230, SS-233, and S-234. Thus these rooms date to the original construction of our nation's government. Originally one large space, th (currently assigned to the Senate Majority Leader) have tory. Over the past century and three quarters this part of tol has served as the Chamber for the House of Represen original location of the Library of Congress, the Supreme Senate, Congressional committee rooms, office of the Vice the Supreme Court Justices robing room, and office of th the Supreme Court. The contents of these rooms provided the fuel for the the Capitol by the British during the War of 1812; books ture were taken from the library and used to start a fire chamber. Although this portion of the Capitol had been standin structure was first erected, the area drew its real life and from the work of the second Architect of the Capitol, B Latrobe. Latrobe had elaborate plans for this section of t He envisioned and planned it as an elegant library to serv lative branch. The space was to have been the Congression with an adjoining private reading room for members. L very definite ideas about how such a space would have up," not only apparent in his drawings which remain, but in other work he performed in the early nineteenth cent English library architectural styles he inherited and ado Indeed, this area of the Capitol was designated as the the Congress from about 1802 until the fire of August 24, 1 (1) Although that Congressional Library was but a fledglin matter of great importance and a source of great and guarded pride to those it served. Of the need for a library Jefferson observed, "there is no subject to which a membe gress may not have occasion to refer." Jefferson's interest brary of Congress did not arise, of course, merely as a res fire of 1814. He had made numerous donations to the Library With recommendations by President Jefferson and using desiderata, the Congress stocked its new library with acquisiti New York, Philadelphia, Boston, and London. In 1802, th 964 volumes and 9 maps on the Library's shelves. Later in that decade, at the urgings of Senator Samuel Mitchill of New York, Senator John Quincy Adams of M setts, and Representative Joseph Clay of Pennsylvania (all r of the Joint Library Committee), the Congress expanded it tion. By 1812, at which time the books were last catalogued be fire, a total of 3,076 volumes and 53 maps, charts, and plans h acquired. The collection that Jefferson offered the governmen place that destroyed in 1814 was originally chosen by him w hope that it would become the library of the University of V Instead, realizing the wartime difficulty of contacting Europea sellers and recognizing the intellectual void which the dest had created for Congress, he offered it as the nucleus of the revi Library of Congress. The Congress did, indeed, purchase the tion in 1815. This report examines the history of the old library space as it to its position in the story of the Library of Congress and the tecture and development of the Capitol. It describes how La planned the space to be developed. Extensive original and secondary sources have been consult provide a necessary background for our conclusions. On-site in tions were made of Latrobe and related period buildings in V ington, Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York. A number of ou experts were also consulted who were able to confirm the conclu that we reached. Many of the original drawings of the Latrob riod are housed in the Collection of the Architect of the Capit recent conservation program has facilitated their cleaning, which in turn, yielded more details and information. This drawing colled has been supplemented by other works found primarily at the Lib of Congress (Prints and Photographs Division) and the Maryl Historical Society. Included with the report is a catalog of those books, maps, charts in the Library of Congress at the time the facility was loca in this portion of the Capitol. Also included with the report is a complete bibliography. |