The Architecture of the Library of Congress Essay -- Architectural Str

The Architecture of the library of coitionConstructed between 1888 and 1897, the Library of sexual relation is located in Washington, D.C. at the intersection of 1st St. and Independance Avenue. Its beautiful, large building is comprised mainly of marble, granite, iron, and bronze. The Librarys architectural style is reminiscent of that of ancient Greece. Its characteristic Greek characteristics include columns of the Ionic order, relief sculpture, and statues of Greek god figures, such as Poseidon, god of the sea. These attributes are significantly comparable to those of the communion table of Pergamon located in present day Turkey. Housing thousands of books, music, and art collections, the Library of Congress contains numerous reading rooms used by the public people. It is non restricted to use by special officials, but welcomes everybody as it was constructed specifically to serve as the American national library. The present Library of Congress had a difficult time getti ng started in its early stages. in the beginning located in the unify States Capitol building between 1806 and 1814(U.S. Government, 1), a rout out caused the Library to be relocated to a temporary hotel location. Soon it was replaced into the northeastward wing of the Capitol, and then into the center of the west front (U.S. Government, 2). Unfortunately, another black-market fire burned the Library and yet again it had to be repaired. The bibliothec of Congress at this time in 1865, Ainsworth Rand Spofford, realized the Library was expanding to the bloom where it would soon need its own separate building from the Capitol. He move up an architectural plan in 1872 and presented it to Congress who authorized it.The in the buff structure, named the Jefferson Building, was elaborately deco... ...nce is that the Library of Congress celebrates mental values while the altar of Pergamon celebrates physical values.The architecture of the Library of Congress expresses a modern figu rehead of the past. Its similarities to the altar of Pergamon lie in physical appearances and in deeper meanings. Both smooth the beauty of Greek architecture and the values of the people who designed them.BibliographySchwartz, Nancy B. regularise of Columbia Catalog. Charlottesville University Press of Virginia, 1974.Stokstad, Marilyn. Art History. New York Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1995.United States Government. Jeffersons legacy A Brief History of the Library of Congress. http//lcweb.loc.gov/loc/legacy/bldgs.html. (1996) 1-12.Allen, William C. The Dome of the United States Capitol An Architectural History. Washington U.S. Government Printing Office, 1992.