Washington's Tomb is an empty burial chamber two stories directly below the Rotunda of the

United States Capitol The United States Capitol, often called the Capitol or the Capitol Building, is the Seat of government, seat of the United States Congress, the United States Congress, legislative branch of the Federal government of the United States, federal g ...

building in

Washington, DC Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and Federal district of the United States, federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from ...

. It was included in the original design of the building by

William Thornton William Thornton (May 20, 1759 – March 28, 1828) was an American physician, inventor, painter and architect who designed the United States Capitol. He also served as the first Architect of the Capitol and first Superintendent of the United Sta ...

and intended to entomb the body of

George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...

, the first

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...

. The original design of the

rotunda A rotunda () is any roofed building with a circular ground plan, and sometimes covered by a dome. It may also refer to a round room within a building (an example being the one below the dome of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C.). ...

, and the

Crypt A crypt (from Greek κρύπτη (kryptē) ''wikt:crypta#Latin, crypta'' "Burial vault (tomb), vault") is a stone chamber beneath the floor of a church or other building. It typically contains coffins, Sarcophagus, sarcophagi, or Relic, religiou ...

beneath it, included a central glass floor allowing the public to view Washington's Tomb two floors below, but this was never implemented. When Washington died on December 14, 1799, the Capitol was still under construction and nearing completion of its north wing for the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

chamber only in its first phase. The federal government was still then located further north in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, and wouldn't be moving until about November 1800 and following March 1801, for the opening of the new congressional term and presidential inauguration. Both houses of Congress later passed a resolution calling for the revered Washington to be entombed as originally planned by the architects in the Capitol upon its eventual construction completion and dedication. His wife,

Martha Washington Martha Dandridge Custis Washington (June 2, 1731 Old Style, O.S. – May 22, 1802) was the wife of George Washington, who was the first president of the United States. Although the title was not coined until after her death, she served as the ...

(1731-1802), agreed to the plan despite the presence in her husband's last will and testament, of a provision he wrote that he was to be buried at

Mount Vernon Mount Vernon is the former residence and plantation of George Washington, a Founding Father, commander of the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War, and the first president of the United States, and his wife, Martha. An American landmar ...

. However, the original congressional resolution was never carried out due to disputes over the specific design and cost of the underground tomb and the body was placed in a temporary tomb at his longtime beloved home at Mount Vernon, near the estate house, overlooking the

Potomac River The Potomac River () is in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and flows from the Potomac Highlands in West Virginia to Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. It is long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography D ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

(southeast of

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

). Congress again attempted to resolve these issues later in 1800, (when the Congress and President first moved from Philadelphia to the new Washington city), then subsequently in 1816, 1824, and 1829, when the then

Architect of the Capitol The Architect of the Capitol is the Federal government of the United States, federal Government agency, agency responsible for the maintenance, operation, development, and preservation of the United States Capitol Complex. It is an agency of t ...

finally prepared plans for the tomb in anticipation of the approaching centennial observances of Washington's birth in 1832. Congress renewed its call to transfer the body to the Capitol in 1830, after an attempt to steal Washington's head in which the original temporary Mount Vernon tomb was vandalized and several of Washington's relatives' corpses desecrated in 1830. The then current owner of the property, his descendent John Washington, decided to build a new, more secure tomb on the site instead. The Lincoln Catafalque, first used in April 1865 to support the casket of president

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...

and then used for other ceremonial state funerals at the Capitol and

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...

in the years since, was previously stored and exhibited in the proposed Washington's Tomb below the central Rotunda. It was later moved and is kept, at present, in a specially constructed display area in the Exhibition Hall of the underground

Capitol Visitor Center The United States Capitol Visitor Center (CVC) is a large underground addition to the United States Capitol complex which serves as a gathering point for up to 4,000 tourists and an expansion space for the U.S. Congress.United States Capitol crypt The United States Capitol crypt is the large circular room filled with forty neoclassical Doric columns directly beneath the United States Capitol rotunda. It was built originally to support the rotunda as well as offer an entrance to Washingto ...

List of burial places of presidents and vice presidents of the United States Burial places of presidents and vice presidents of the United States are located across 23 U.S. state, states and the Washington, D.C., District of Columbia. Since the office was established in 1789, 45 people have served as President of the Unit ...

References

United States Capitol rooms Monuments and memorials to George Washington in the United States Tombs of presidents of the United States Burial monuments and structures in Washington, D.C. {{WashingtonDC-struct-stub