Corinthian Column Capital, National Arboretum, Washington, DC - Philatelic Photographs on Waymarking.com

Anyone familiar with the U.S. National Capitol in Washington, DC, knows that it has undergone numerous renovations, expansions and modernizations over the years. In the 1850s, a major expansion to the Capitol took place which added large wings to the north and to the south. Because new states and territories were being added at a rapid pace, the number of new senators and representatives quickly outgrew the existing building. Architect Thomas Ustick Walter was appointed to oversee this expansion.

In order to maintain design compatibility with the current structure, Walter created drawings of existing details to be reproduced in the new additions. One of these drawings, showing the Corinthian Order of the columns of the east portico, was reproduced on this postal card released in 2008 to meet a postage rate increase. (The year 2008 also marked the opening of the new Capitol Visitor’s Center which itself was a major renovation and modernization to the U.S. Capitol although largely unseen as it’s mostly underground.)

With the addition of the new wings, the dome of the U.S. Capitol seemed too small and out of place. So, it was removed and a new, much taller dome was constructed in its place. But this created another illusion, namely that the dome was too large for its underlying support structure. It wasn’t until the 1950s that this unsightliness was corrected by expanding the east front outward some 32 feet. The original sandstone columns were removed during this expansion but because they were showing signs of deterioration, they were not reinstalled but rather were replaced with marble replicas.

Fortunately, someone had the good sense not to destroy those original columns, but where are they now? In the 1980s, landscape architect Russell Page used most of these columns to create a striking display atop a small knoll in the National Arboretum in Washington, DC. In addition, one of the Corinthian column capitals is displayed nearby affording an up-close view of the carved details (and an opportunity for a philatelic photograph).

Stamp Issuing Country: United States Date of Issue: 12-May-2008 Denomination: 27c Color: multicolored Stamp Type: Single Stamp Relevant Web Site: [Web Link]

Visit Instructions:
To post a visit log for this category, you must visit the actual site of the waymark. Post at least one photo that you personally took of the site if at all possible. If you cannot provide a photo for some reason, your visit will still be welcome.

You do NOT need to be a stamp collector to visit the waymark site, nor do you have to provide a photo of the stamp. Just having a copy of the stamp in question, however, is not sufficient; you must personally visit the site.

Recent Visits/Logs:

There are no logs for this waymark yet.