City hall
United States Capitol
Domed seat of Congress with an empty crypt built for a president who never rests there.
0:00≈ 2 min
Location
0:00≈ 2 min
About this audio guide
This guide to the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. starts with a burial chamber two floors below the rotunda, designed by architect William Thornton for one very specific occupant who never moved in. It follows George Washington's death and his wishes for a quiet grave at Mount Vernon, then a break-in at the family's vault in 1830 that shook his descendants. Congress, the guide notes, had hoped to move the body here in time for the hundredth anniversary of Washington's birth.
This audio guide was created using AI.