Join us as we uncover the little-known history of the stone with which our Capitol was built. We will be joined by author and researcher Paul Kreingold.
The destruction of Washington in 1814 by the invading British challenged President Monroe & Benjamin Latrobe with the task of rebuilding the edifices that had been destroyed. As did Washington and Jefferson earlier, they understood that the principal buildings of the government were not mere offices but symbols of the aspirations of the Republic. They had to be more than functional, they had to be beautiful. As classicists, their notions of beauty were derived from the ancient Greek and Roman Republics. Like the Greeks and Romans, the preferred building material was marble. The question was, where was such building material to be found?
The building material discovered and used was Potomac Marble, which exists in abundance on both sides of the Potomac River, extending from Leesburg to Montgomery County. It is not actually marble, but a limestone conglomerate. Architect of the Capitol Benjamin Latrobe and President Monroe rode all up and down Loudoun and Montgomery Counties opening up quarries, and despite many problems and political opposition, Latrobe was able to build the beautiful columns in the Capitol from this marble.
Like all USCHS programs, this webinar is free and open to the public; registration is required.
