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Lying in State of President George H. W. Bush


The public is invited to pay their respects to President George H. W. Bush from 7:30 p.m. Monday, December 3, to 7 a.m. Wednesday, December 5. Please enter through the Capitol Visitor Center.

On Monday, December 3, Tuesday, December 4, and Wednesday, December 5, the Capitol Visitor Center will be closed for normal operations, and all Capitol tours are cancelled.

If you have a tour reservation and would like to reschedule, please visit our website at www.visitthecapitol.gov or contact the Visitor Services Office at (202)226-8000.

On Thursday, December 6, the Capitol Visitor Center will reopen for normal operations 8:30 a.m.

The British Burn the Capitol, August 24, 1814

Two hundred years ago, British troops marched on Washington, D.C., intent on striking a blow against the capital city during the War of 1812. The first public building they encountered was the unfinished Capitol. This feature describes what the Capitol looked like at the time, how the British attempted to destroy it, and how their actions shaped the future of the building.

View on YouTube Segment 1: The British Arrive Historian William C. Allen describes the British advance on the Capitol.
View on YouTube Segment 2: The Corn Cob Columns Historian William C. Allen describes the creation of a famous feature of the Capitol.
View on YouTube Segment 3: The Senate and Supreme Court Chambers Historian William C. Allen describes the destruction of the Senate and Supreme Court Chambers.
View on YouTube Segment 4: The Library of Congress Historian William C. Allen describes how the destruction of the Library of Congress altered the Capitol’s design.
View on YouTube Segment 5: The South Wing Carol Beebe, Director of Exhibits and Education at the Capitol Visitor Center, describes what British troops saw when they entered the Capitol’s south wing.
View on YouTube Segment 6: The House Chamber Historian William C. Allen describes how British troops destroyed the historic House Chamber.
View on YouTube Segment 7: The House Chamber before the War Historian William C. Allen describes how architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe and President Thomas Jefferson collaborated on the design of the historic House Chamber.
View on YouTube Segment 8: Rebuilding the House Chamber Historian William C. Allen describes how the room known today as National Statuary Hall was rebuilt after the fire.