The Small Rotunda in the Old Senate Wing of the U.S. Capitol
The small rotunda in the old Senate wing of the U.S. Capitol was designed by Benjamin Henry Latrobe as an ornamental air shaft. It was constructed after the fire of 1814 as a means of lighting the corridors and circulating air into rooms that open onto the space. In the pre-fire period this elliptical space housed the Senate wing’s main staircase. Benjamin Henry Latrobe remarked to Thomas Jefferson that "it was one of the most remarkable parts of the Capitol." In rebuilding the wing’s interior after the fire, Latrobe moved the staircase to the east and in its place erected a circular arcade holding 16 columns, which, in turn, support a dome.
The Small Rotunda in the Old Senate Wing of the U.S. Capitol
The small rotunda in the old Senate wing of the U.S. Capitol was designed by Benjamin Henry Latrobe as an ornamental air shaft. It was constructed after the fire of 1814 as a means of lighting the corridors and circulating air into rooms that open onto the space. In the pre-fire period this elliptical space housed the Senate wing’s main staircase. Benjamin Henry Latrobe remarked to Thomas Jefferson that "it was one of the most remarkable parts of the Capitol." In rebuilding the wing’s interior after the fire, Latrobe moved the staircase to the east and in its place erected a circular arcade holding 16 columns, which, in turn, support a dome.