U.S. Capitol Gatehouses and Gateposts
- Architect
- Charles Bulfinch
- Year
- 1828
- City
- Washington, DC
These gatehouses and gateposts were designed around 1827 by Charles Bulfinch as part of his original design for the U.S. Capitol, originally standing at a carriage entrance at the base of Capitol Hill. Landscaping renovations led by Frederick Law Olmsted brought about their removal from the Capitol grounds in 1874, and two relocated gatehouses are today individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
the building
Relocated to flank the Mall axis. In 1880 the west gatehouse was moved to Constitution Avenue and 17th Street NW and the east gatehouse to Constitution and 15th Street, positions chosen to flank the axis running between the White House and the Washington Monument. Four additional gateposts were relocated to the main entrance of the National Arboretum on New York Avenue NE.
the architect
Charles Bulfinch designed the gatehouses and gateposts around 1827 as part of his original design work for the U.S. Capitol grounds.
significance
Two of the relocated gatehouses are individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places, preserving structures original to the Capitol grounds even after their 19th-century removal from the building they once guarded.
nearby
- National Museum of African American History and Culture
- Herbert C. Hoover Building
- Department of Labor Building
- Washington Monument
- Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium
- District Building (John A. Wilson Bldg.)