Statuary Hall

Statuary Hall, the main exhibition space of the National Statuary Hall collection in the U.S. Capitol, Washington, D.C. The collection comprises statues of outstanding U.S. citizens chosen by each state.

History

The hall was originally constructed for the House of Representatives, which began using it as a meeting space in 1807. Except for the years between 1814 and 1819, when the Capitol was under repair for the damages sustained during the War of 1812, the House occupied the space until 1857. At that time the Capitol’s new south wing was completed, and the House moved into its new quarters, leaving its former space vacant.

Even before the completion of the new House wing, suggestions for the old chamber were made. In 1854 former congressman Gouverneur Kemble went to the Capitol to discuss the prospect of exhibiting historical paintings. The space between the columns, however, was too limited for that purpose.

In 1864 Congressman Justin S. Morrill of Vermont proposed to the House of Representatives that the hall be used for displaying busts and statues of distinguished Americans, delegated by each state. His proposal was enacted into law that same year. Each state was invited to contribute statues of two notable citizens. Rhode Island was the first to respond, and its statue of the Revolutionary War general Nathanael Greene was accepted in 1870.

By 1933 Statuary Hall had 65 statues, but the space was becoming crowded and, moreover, architects found that the space’s floor was being structurally weakened by its load of bronze and marble. Congress thus amended the 1864 law to allow one statue from each state to stand in Statuary Hall and one to be displayed elsewhere in the Capitol. By 1971 all the states had made at least one contribution to Statuary Hall.

Collection

Statues in the collection include depictions of educators Mary McLeod Bethune and Maria Louise Sanford, aviator Amelia Earhart, inventors Thomas Edison and Sequoyah, and activist Standing Bear. Statesmen, military leaders, jurists, journalists, religious leaders, scientists, and women’s suffrage leaders are also represented. A number of statues depict former leaders of the Confederate States of America, and although a few have been replaced, including that of Robert E. Lee, others, such as those of Jefferson Davis, Alexander H. Stephens, and Joseph Wheeler, remain on view. Since 2017 several calls have been made to remove all statues, paintings, and other artworks representing individuals associated with the Confederacy from the U.S. Capitol. Any proposed legislation, however, remained stalled in Congress in the early 2020s.