Cannon House Office Building: A Congressional First

• A Congressional First
• Cannon Rotunda
• Cannon Caucus Room
• Furnishing the Building
  
• Cannon Room 311
• Peace (The White Squadron in Boston Harbor)
• Speaker Cannon

Cannon Rotunda

The exterior of the Cannon building was purposely restrained so as not to outdo the Capitol’s splendor. The interior, however, has its share of grand spaces. Of special architectural interest is the rotunda. Eighteen Corinthian columns support an entablature and a coffered dome whose round skylight floods the rotunda with natural light. Twin marble staircases lead to the imposing Caucus Room.

Several marble busts of prominent Representatives were commissioned by the House in the decades after the Cannon building opened. Originally displayed in the House Chamber, the sculptures were moved to the Cannon rotunda in 1949, when renovations to the chamber eliminated the niches in which they were displayed. Each bust was sculpted by a well-known artist of the day: Claude Kitchin was created by Italian-born Edgardo Simone, Martin Madden by Czech-born Albin Polasek, James Mann by Herbert Adams, and Oscar Underwood by Chester Beach.

Rotunda, Cannon House Office BuildingImage courtesy of the Architect of the Capitol