Atop the U.S. Capitol Dome

[EddMarkStarr]

Way back in 2009 I stumbled across a YouTube video of Senator Alan Simpson (Wyoming), on a 1997 walking tour inside the U.S. Capitol Dome, going all the way to the lighthouse at the base of the Statute of Freedom. Senator Simpson wanted to celebrate his retirement from congress in 1997 by taking one last look at Washington DC through the glass panels of the Tholos, beneath the pedestal of the Statute of Liberty. Personally, I've visited the U.S. Capitol Building at least ten times while I lived on the east coast, but I didn't know it was possible to tour the Capitol Dome from the inside and climb all the way to the uppermost outside balcony.

The Dome itself is a facade of cast iron, made up of an inner dome and an outer dome, painted to look like marble.
A winding stairway between the two domes allows access by maintenance staff, and occasional visitors, to the uppermost reaches of the Capitol Dome's interior and exterior.

The pedestal of the Statute of Freedom rests atop the "Tholos" (Tholus), or lighthouse, at the apex of the Dome. It is illuminated whenever congress is in session after dark.

That old YouTube video is long gone, but I did find CBS reporter Scott Pelley's video tour from 2013, the Capitol Building and the Washington Monument were both undergoing restorations.

 

[unloadonme]

A similar thing is possible at St Paul's Cathedral in London.

 

[EddMarkStarr]

There's something very exciting about being able to climb to the balcony of such a historic building as St. Paul's in London.
You're moving in the space once occupied by people from another century, only time separates you!

St. Paul's reveals the same "dome within a dome" technique that probably goes back to the Romans.

 

[fabulouslyghetto]

Not that my voice matters, but the romanticism surrounding things created by men who owned people like me is decreasing at an exponential rate, as is having to explain to wypipo why i dont get the same mega-boner they get during nostalgia masturbation. All i see is a big building i probably wouldnt have been allowed in 100 years ago, and wouldve been murdered just for being around it 200 years ago. But dont let human decency or compassion or understanding ruin the historical and architectural fandom.

 

[EddMarkStarr]

Imagine what our world would be like if we put as much effort into loving each other as we spend destroying people who are "different".

A cathedral of the human spirit.

 

[fabulouslyghetto]

Imagine what our world would be like if we put as much effort into loving each other as we spend destroying people who are "different".

A cathedral of the human spirit.

That will be reality 1000 years from now when we advance from barbarism to civilization, one thats actually civilized this time.

 

[Harke the Boeotarch]

There's something very exciting about being able to climb to the balcony of such a historic building as St. Paul's in London.
You're moving in the space once occupied by people from another century, only time separates you!

St. Paul's reveals the same "dome within a dome" technique that probably goes back to the Romans.

It's not structurally a dome, it's a false dome supported by a cone.

 

[Harke the Boeotarch]

Not that my voice matters, but the romanticism surrounding things created by men who owned people like me is decreasing at an exponential rate, as is having to explain to wypipo why i dont get the same mega-boner they get during nostalgia masturbation. All i see is a big building i probably wouldnt have been allowed in 100 years ago, and wouldve been murdered just for being around it 200 years ago. But dont let human decency or compassion or understanding ruin the historical and architectural fandom.

The very worst thing about the United States is the slaveowner presidents who were praising work... and most white American people not seeing the irony.

 

[unloadonme]

There's something very exciting about being able to climb to the balcony of such a historic building as St. Paul's in London.
You're moving in the space once occupied by people from another century, only time separates you!

St. Paul's reveals the same "dome within a dome" technique that probably goes back to the Romans.

Whilst I've visited St Paul's Cathedral, I've never climbed the dome. I used to live in York though, and have been up to the roof of the central tower of York Minster. That's quite a climb up narrow spiral staircases. The tower at York is about 300 years older than St Paul's.

 

[rareboy]

Thank you brunelleschi for inventing the modern dome.

I have climbed the dome in Florence 4 times now with classmates and friends.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filippo_Brunelleschi

 

[Harke the Boeotarch]

Thank you brunelleschi for inventing the modern dome.

I have climbed the dome in Florence 4 times now with classmates and friends.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filippo_Brunelleschi

And he wasn´t even an architect.

 

[PrinceCory]

Imagine what our world would be like if we put as much effort into loving each other as we spend destroying people who are "different".

A cathedral of the human spirit.

Thanks. I found this interesting.