House Chamber, 1812

when Congress moved to Washington in ##### #### ### ##### (senate) wing had been finished. the House of Representatives had to meet in temporary c hambers. work on the south (house) wing finally began in 1807. the centerpiece of the wing would be the House chamber, topped by a dome held up by Corinthian columns. Thomas Jefferson, president at the time, had been inspired by a market he visited which had rows of skylights. he loved the skylights so much that he wanted them in the new house chamber. architect Benjamin Latrobe did not like the idea, as he said the glass would leak. Jeff erson and Latrobe compromised on having alternating skylights, and the chamber was completed in 1811. the room was the most beautiful room in the country, but sadly in 1814, during the war of 1812, British troops set fire to the Capitol. it burned so hot it melted the skylights and the room was destroyed. the rebuilt chamber omitted the skylights but is equally beautiful and is now Statuary Hall.