Capitol Dome Tour:
The sights were jaw dropping
One of the great things about my internship is the ability to take part in behind the scenes activities. This week I received an email saying that one of the tours of the Capitol Dome had canceled and our team had first dibs on the open spots. I of course pounced on the opportunity to take a tour that is closed off to the normal visitors to the capitol. The tour began where the every-day tours ended, in the round gallery that was below the dome. From there we went up several staircases marked “no tours past this point” and ended up outside the rotunda. There we were presented with a brief history of the capitol and were shown what remained of the roof of the original capitol building.
A brief climb brought us to the first level of viewing the rotunda before we reached the fresco on the dome of the rotunda. From here we were able to view the “Frieze of American History” a beautiful painting that rims the lower part of the rotunda. As you view it in a circle you begin with the personification of America and end with the birth of aviation.
After climbing more stairs we arrived at the Apotheosis of George Washington. The viewing circle allowed us to be surrounded by this beautiful fresco, it almost felt like you were a physical part of the painting.
Our tour guide was extremely knowledgeable about the rotunda, and the capitol itself. He described each portion of the fresco and detailed how each part related to America and the events of the time when the painting was made. He also made jokes about how the “whisper spot” of the Capitol is really nothing special, since in any room with a dome voices can be heard at full volume from any point in the circle. He even made us walk around the dome while he stood in the same spot and continued telling us the story of the fresco’s restoration and the discovery of the rainbow.