THE BUILDIKG FOE THE LIBRAEY OP CONGRESS. 



By Bernard R. Green. 



The Library of Oongress was founded by tlie act of April 24, 1800, 

 entitled, " An act to make further provision for the removal of the 

 Government of the United States." The sum of $5,000 was ai^propri- 

 ated ^' for the purchase of such books as may be necessary for the use 

 of Congress at the said city of Washington and for fitting up a suit- 

 able apartment for containing them and placing them therein." 



The act also provided " that the said books shall be placed in one 

 suitable apartment in the Capitol in the said city, for the use of both 

 Houses of Congress, and the members thereof." " An act concerning 

 the library for the use of both Houses of Congress," approved Jauuary 

 "26, 1802, has continued to the present time as the fundamental law of 

 " The Library of Congress." 



The Library, comprising not more than 3,000 volumes, occupied a 

 room in the Capitol until August 25, 1814, when it shared the fate of 

 the building by being burned on that day by the English in the war of 

 1812. A month later Ex-President Jefferson offered his private library 

 of about 6,700 volumes on such terms as the peoj)le might accept, and 

 Congress, after much debate, purchased it for $23,950. It was placed 

 in a room in the building used by the Post-OfQce Department, but tem- 

 porarily taken for the occupation of Congress. In 1816 Congress 

 removed to a brick building erected on Capitol Hill for its use pending 

 the restoration of the Capitol. The Library was transferi ed to the same 

 building, where it remained until 1824, when it was finally returned to 

 the Capitol and placed in the west hall, which later became the central 

 of the three halls occupied by the Library until it was transferred to 

 the new special building in 1897. Por seventy-three years, therefore, 

 it occupied the same accommodations in the Capitol. 



In 1851 the number of volumes had increased to 55,000, but on 

 December 24 of that year some 35,000 of them were destroyed by fire 

 communicated by a defective flue, to which the woodwork then com- 

 prising the fitting and shelving of the library was exposed. The 

 interior of the three halls referred to was then reshelved on the alcove 

 plan in three and four tiers, with galleries wholly cast in iron, by the 

 Architect of the Capitol, Thomas U. Walter. 



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