Dome

View of the dome from the southwest, on the upper West Terrace (dome is by Thomas U. Walter, 1850's); The building was originally designed by William Thornton. This plan was subsequently modified by Stephen Hallet, Benjamin Latrobe and then Charles Bulfinch. The current dome and the House and Senate wings were designed by Thomas U. Walter and August Schoenborn, a German immigrant, and were completed under the supervision of Edward Clark. The building is marked by its central dome above a rotunda and two wings, one for each chamber of Congress: the north wing is the Senate chamber and the south wing is the House of Representatives chamber. Above these chambers are galleries where visitors can watch the Senate and House of Representatives. Source: Wikipedia; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page (accessed 2/10/2008)