tty著名景区英文介绍美国国会大厦

2021年1月24日发(作者：metaphor)
著名景区英文介绍：美国国会大厦

The United States Capitol is among the most symbolically important
and architecturally impressive buildings in the nation. It has housed
the meeting chambers of the House of Representatives and the Senate
for two centuries. The Capitol, which was started in 1793, has been
through many construction phases. It stands today as a monument to
the American people and their government.

An
example
of
19th-century
neoclassical
architecture,
the
Capitol
evokes the ideals that guided the Founding Fathers as they developed
the new republic. Pierre Charles L'Enfant was expected to design the
Capitol, but his dismissal in 1792 due to his refusal to cooperate with
the Commissioners of the Federal Buildings, resulted in other plans.
A competition was suggested by Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson
and President George Washington that would award $$500 and a city
lot to whomever produced the winning plan by mid-July. None of the
17
plans
submitted
were
satisfactory.
In
October
,
a
letter
arrived
from Dr
. William Thornton, a Scottish-trained physician living in the
British
West
Indies,
requesting
an
opportunity
to
submit
his
plan
after
the
competition
was
closed.
The
Commissioners
granted
his
request
and
President
Washington
commended
the
plan
that
was
soon accepted by the Commissioners.

The cornerstone was laid by President Washington on September 18,
1793. Because of Thornton's inexperience, the initial work progressed
under
the
direction
of
three
architects
in
succession.
Stephen
H.
Hallet and George Hadfield were dismissed because of inappropriate
design
changes
they
tried
to
impose;
James
Hoban,
winner
of
the
competition for the President's House, was placed in charge and saw
to the completion of the north wing for the first session of Congress
on
November
17,
1800.
In
1803,
construction
resumed
under
Benjamin Henry Latrobe who completed the south and north wings.
By
1813,
Latrobe,
with
his
job
done,
departed
with
the
wings
connected by a temporary wooden passageway.

On August 24, 1814, British troops set fire to the building during the
War
of
1812.
A
rainstorm
prevented
its
complete
destruction
and
Latrobe
returned
to
Washington
in
1815
to
make
repairs.
He
took
this
opportunity
to
make
changes
to
the
building's
interior
design
and
to
introduce
new
materials, such
as
marble.
Latrobe,
however
,
resigned his post in November of 1817 because of construction delays
and
increasing
costs.
Charles
Bulfinch,
a
Boston
architect,
was
appointed
Latrobe's
successor
in
January
of
1818.
Continuing
the
restoration,
he
was
able
to
make
the
chambers
of
the
Senate
and
House, as well as the Supreme Court, ready for use by 1819. Bulfinch
redesigned
the
central
section,
making
the
dome
that
topped
the
section higher
. Bulfinch spent his last couple of years on the Capitol's
landscaping and decoration until his position was terminated in 1829.

By
1850,
the
Capitol
could
no
longer
accommodate
the
increasing
numbers
of senators
and
representatives.
Another competition
was
held offering $$500 for the best plan to extend the Capitol. Unable to
decide between the plans, Congress divided the money between five
architects and
Thomas
U.
Walter
was chosen
to complete
the
task.
Walter
supervised
the
construction
of
the
extensions,
making
sure
they were compatible with the existing style of the building, but using
marble
for
the
exterior
instead
of
sandstone,
which
deteriorates
quickly. As the wings progressed, they more than doubled the length
of the Capitol making the dome too small for the new proportions. In
1856, the old dome was removed and work began on a replacement
with a new, fireproof cast-iron dome. Construction was suspended in
1861
so
that
the
Capitol
could
be
used
as
a
military
barracks,
hospital and bakery for the Civil War
. However
, in 1862, construction
resumed, because Lincoln believed that the Capitol must go on, just
as the Union must go on.