Architecture: United States Patent and Trademark Office Headquarters
Over in the Carlyle neighborhood of Alexandria sits the newish headquarters of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). On Friday night, I headed over there to take some evening shots of this postmodern structure.
US Capitol – The Rotunda
On my tour of the US Capitol, we were able to view the interior of the Rotunda — the huge dome that sits atop the building.
Since it was a weekday morning, the tours were pretty small, thus we were able to spread out a little. As our tour guide yammered on about the commissioned paintings, the fresco featured at the top of the canopy, and the statues that lined the walls, I slowly ventured to the center to grab a shot of the Rotunda’s ceiling.
National Stauary Hall or, The Old Hall of the House
Formerly the meeting hall for the US House of Representatives, this two-story hall now houses the main collection of the US Capitol’s National Statuary Collection. The acoustics of this hall cause it to have two “whispering spots.” When strategically standing in the right places, two people could talk to each other from across the room without raising their voices. The kids in my tour group weren’t very impressed by this at all.
Eric Spiegel Photography 