Bulfinch Gateposts and Gatehouses
Though they have left the grounds, these gateposts and gatehouses were originally designed as part of the Capitol.
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Originally designed by Charles Bulfinch, who succeeded Benjamin Henry Latrobe as the Architect of the Capitol, as part of the grounds for the restored Capitol, these gateposts and gatehouses have since been moved from their original locations. Until 1874, they stood on the west Capitol grounds.
The design of the sandstone gateposts is classical. Horizontal bands, around the top of the pillars, are carved out of the posts and they are topped with a frieze relief matching the one atop the gatehouses. The design atop the posts is again a classical motif, volutes using the stylized acanthus leaf form.
The two gatehouses differ in that the columns surrounding the doorway of the structure at 15th Street and Constitution Avenue rise directly out of the pavement whereas the columns on the other structure are set on cement block supports.
DC Inventory: November 8, 1964 (Joint Committee on Landmarks)
National Register: November 30, 1973 (additional documentation on December 13, 2021)
Within National Mall Historic District
