BGuthrie Photos: DC -- U.S. Natl Arboretum -- National Capitol Columns

DC -- U.S. Natl Arboretum -- National Capitol Columns:

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[4] ARBOCC_131110_005.JPG	[5] ARBOCC_131110_014.JPG	[6] ARBOCC_131110_017.JPG
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Specific picture descriptions: Photos above with "i" icons next to the bracketed sequence numbers (e.g. "[1] ") are described as follows:
1. ARBOCC_131110_005.JPG: Capitol Columns These 22 Corinthian sandstone columns were among 24 that were part of the east central portico of the United States Capitol. Architect Charles Bullfinch oversaw construction of the portico using a design handed down by his predecessors, William Thornton and Benjamin Harry Latrobe. Completed in 1826, these columns provided the backdrop for presidential inaugurations from 1829 (Andrew Jackson) to 1957 (Dwight Eisenhower), and were the site of many speeches, protests, and rallies. In 1958, the columns were dismantled to make way for the east front extension of the Capitol, which is adorned with marble reproductions. Restoration of the columns was made possible through the efforts of Ethel Shields Garrett and support from the Friends of the National Arboretum. Garden designer Russell Page selected and designed the new site which was completed and dedicated in 1990.
2. ARBOCC_131110_017.JPG: These twenty-two sandstone columns were originally part of the east central portico of the United States Capitol, finished in 1826. The portico was the last part of the original capital to be built. The stone quarried in
3. ARBOCC_131110_020.JPG: Aquia Creek, Virginia, was brought to the capitol by boat where scores of cutters and carvers transformed the rough blocks into stately Corinthian columns. Workmen dismantled the portico in 1958 to make way for a large addition to the capitol.
4. ARBOCC_131110_024.JPG: The marble paving and steps were removed from the Senate wing of the Capitol. The columns and steps remained in storage until 1984 when they were transferred to the Department of Agriculture for display at the United States National Arboretum.
5. ARBOCC_131110_026.JPG: Construction was made possible by the generosity of the American citizens whose names are here inscribed and by the Friends of the National Arboretum.
6. ARBOCC_131110_039.JPG: This plaque was given by the friends of Ethel Shields Garrett in honor of her efforts The presence of the National Capitol columns on the knoll in this meadow was the inspiration of Ethel Shields Garrett, patron and friends of the National Arboretum. It is through her vision, courage and determination for thirty years that these historic columns were saved and then transferred to this site and that the design and funding for their permanent installation was secured in 1986. These columns designed for the United States Capitol continue to reaffirm our nation's commitment to fulfilling the dreams of a flourishing land and people.
7. ARBOCC_131110_042.JPG: In memory of her parents, Agnes and Eugene Meyer by Katharine Graham Eugene Meyer (financier) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Eugene Isaac Meyer (October 31, 1875 – July 17, 1959) was an American financier, public official, and newspaper publisher. He published The Washington Post from 1933 to 1946, and the paper stayed in his family throughout the rest of the 20th century. He served as Chairman of the Federal Reserve from 1930 to 1933 and was the first President of the World Bank Group. Katharine Graham From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Katharine Meyer Graham (June 16, 1917 – July 17, 2001) was an American publisher. She led her family's newspaper, The Washington Post, from 1963 to 1991. Graham presided over the paper as it reported on the Watergate scandal, which eventually led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon. She was the first twentieth century female publisher of a major American newspaper. Graham's memoir, Personal History, won the Pulitzer Prize in 1998.
8. ARBOCC_131110_052.JPG: Through the generosity of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon
9. ARBOCC_131110_080.JPG: In thanksgiving for the freedoms and opportunities of our great nation the United States of America. Joseph and Holland Coors
Wikipedia Description: National Capitol Columns
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The National Capitol Columns is a monument in Washington, D.C.'s National Arboretum. It is an arrangement of twenty-two Corinthian columns which were a part of the United States Capitol from 1828 to 1958, placed amid 20 acres (8.1 ha) of open meadow, known as the Ellipse Meadow.

Original use

The columns were quarried from sandstone near Aquia Creek in Virginia and transported to Washington on a barge. Old identification marks from the quarry are still visible on some of the stones.

They were originally built as part of the east portico of the Capitol in 1828, long before the familiar Capitol dome was completed. However, when the dome was completed in 1866, it appeared inadequately supported by the columns, because the iron dome was significantly larger than the dome that the designer envisioned. To correct this visual illusion, an addition to the east side of the Capitol was constructed in 1958 and the columns were removed.

Transfer to Arboretum

During the 1980s, Arboretum benefactor Ethel Garrett took up the cause of establishing a permanent home for the columns. Russell Page, a landscape designer and close friend of Garrett's, visited the Arboretum in September 1984, only months before his death. He determined that the east side of the Ellipse Meadow would be an ideal location, as the columns would be in scale with the more than 20 acres (8.1 ha) of open meadow available at the site.

The columns were relocated to this site, and set on a foundation of stones from the steps that were originally on the east side of the Capitol. A reflecting pool, fed by a small rivulet of water running down a channel in the steps, reflects the columns and provides sound and movement.

A capital, or top portion, of one of the columns is located elsewhere in the meadow, so that visitors can see the detail that the stone carver incorporated into the design. Acanthus leaves are clearly visible, and the many layers of paint applied while the column was in place at the Capitol are visible on portions of the stone.

The two missing columns

Only 22 of the original 24 columns stand in the Ellipse Meadow. The remaining two columns are damaged, and rest at the summit of Mount Hamilton, inside the Arboretum's Azalea Collection. Both are cracked in half and neither has a base nor capital.
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