[Photo by Paulo Ordoveza]
No, there's not a Greek ruin inexplicably standing in the middle of Northeast D.C. But for those who have visited the National Arboretum and wondered about the twenty-two columns standing in the open field by the reflecting pool, their story is pretty cool. In fact, the National Capitol Columns are called thusly because the sandstone columns were once a part of the Capitol Building. However, the columns were removed in 1958 when the base of the Capitol was renovated and expanded so as to keep the dome from looking too top-heavy. The columns were moved to the Ellipse Meadow in the Arboretum in the 1980s. Oddly enough, only twenty-two of the twenty-four original columns from the Capitol are standing in the open field. But head down to the Arboretum's Azalea collection and you'll find the other two.
· National Capitol Columns [Wikipedia]
· All Hidden Memorials [CDC]