The relocation and restoration of the U.S. Capitol Gatehouses

Designed by Charles Bulfinch circa 1827, these gatehouses originally stood at the base of Capitol Hill on the west side at a carriage entrance to the U.S. Capitol grounds. They were part of the original Capitol design, constructed from Aquia Creek sandstone with rough-coursed masonry and a Tuscan order porch.

The gatehouses were removed from the Capitol grounds in 1874 as part of landscaping renovations designed by Frederick Law Olmsted. In 1880, the west gatehouse was relocated to Constitution Avenue and 17th Street NW, and the east gatehouse was relocated to Constitution and 15th. These locations flank the White House - Washington Monument axis in President's Park South. Four other gateposts from the former Capitol grounds fence were moved to the main entrance of the National Arboretum at New York Avenue NE and Springhouse Road NE.

The deterioration of the sandstone required complete reconstructions in 1938 under the direction of National Park Service architect Thomas T. Waterman. Today, two of the gatehouses are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The east gatehouse bears two high water marks carved into the stone to commemorate flooding in 1877 and 1881.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons