United States Capitol

1:2000 scale miniature paper model, about 4.5 inches wide

President George Washington laid the cornerstone for the home of the U.S. Congress in 1793. The building has been expanded numerous times to accommodate the increasingly larger Senate in the north wing and House of Representatives in the south wing. The 288-foot cast iron dome topped with the Statue of Freedom was completed in 1863.

A larger, more-complex 1:500 scale version of the Capitol model is published by Dover Publications

Read more:

• U.S. Capitol Visitors Center has tours and info about Congress
• The Architect of the Capitol oversees the building and grounds
• The Capitol dome restoration will be complete by the 2017 inauguration
• A timeline of the Capitol's construction and modifications since 1793
• C-Span tours the many rooms and stories of the Capitol's interior
• A tiny subway system connects the Capitol to Congressional office buildings
• Freedom's Cap: The United States Capitol and the Coming of the Civil War, by Guy Gugliotta, Hill & Wang (2012)

How to build the U.S. Capitol Order the card