United States Capitol
Washington, D.C., United States
The United States Capitol is a Neoclassical capitol building that houses the United States Congress and is part of the United States Capitol Complex. Commissioned by the Presidency of George Washington, construction began in 1793 with architects including William Thornton, Étienne Sulpice Hallet, August Schoenborn, and James Hoban. It is one of the most looked-up sights in the United States on English Wikipedia, ranking 30th among 120 country sights.
Planning a visit
The building is 2 km from Washington, D.C. and 5 km from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. It is open Monday to Saturday from 08:30 to 16:30 and is wheelchair accessible. The structure is 88 m high and 500 m long, and it is constructed using brick, marble, glass brick, and cast iron.
July is the warmest month with a high of 31 °C, while January is the coldest with a low of -2 °C. Rain occurs in all months; May has the highest rainfall at 107 mm, and July has the most rainy days, at about 16. Visitors can combine a visit with nearby sights like the Library of Congress (0.4 km), the National Air and Space Museum (1 km), or the National Gallery of Art (1 km). The National Mall is 1.2 km away, and the Washington Monument is 2.3 km away.
Weather by month
The warmest month is July, with an average high of 31 °C. Rain is spread fairly evenly through the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average high, °C | 6 | 8 | 13 | 19 | 24 | 29 | 31 | 30 | 26 | 20 | 14 | 8 |
| Average low, °C | -2 | -1 | 3 | 8 | 13 | 19 | 21 | 21 | 17 | 11 | 5 | 0 |
| Rainfall, mm | 72 | 68 | 85 | 87 | 107 | 100 | 104 | 89 | 86 | 88 | 70 | 80 |
| Rainy days | 8 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 13 | 13 | 16 | 15 | 10 | 6 | 7 | 9 |
Temperatures and rainfall: 1981–2010 averages for this spot (4 km grid), from CHELSA. Rainy days: 2015–2024, NASA POWER.
