BULFINCH Gatehouses (formerly U.S. Capitol gatehouses) on Constitution Ave in Washington, D.C. by Charles Bulfinch located in James M. Goode's The Ellipse area

Charles Bulfinch(click name for more of that artist's work)
located in James M. Goode's The Ellipse area(click link for more in that area)Scroll down for 7 pictures
Click herefor more info

See also the Lockkeeper's house.

Bulfinch Gatehouses: Built in 1828, these sandstone guardians silently watched over the U.S. Capitol grounds until 1874. In 1889 these gatehouses located on Constitution Avenue were reconstructed in their present locations. They have weathered several floods, water, and the effects of acid rain. On the southeast side are markers indicating the high-water marks during floods. Source: NPS.gov(as a work of the federal gov't it is in the public domain)

Charles Bulfinch(August 8, 1763 – April 15, 1844) was an early American architect, and regarded by many as the first native-born American to practice architecture as a profession. That distinction is also claimed for Robert Mills. Bulfinch split his career between his native Boston and Washington, D.C., where he served as Commissioner of Public Building and built the original rotunda and dome of the U.S. Capitol. His works are notable for their simplicity, balance, and good taste, and were the origin of a distinctive Federal style of classical domes, columns, and ornament that dominated early 19th-century American architecture. Source: Wikipedia

Two of the four piers (or gate posts) are shown, one on each side of Constitution Ave.

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0001000/01010_0000014300 (added ca. 2006)

One of the 4 nearby piers (or gateposts).

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0001000/01010_0000014330 (added ca. 2006)

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0001000/01010_0000014320 (added ca. 2006)

Bulfinch Gate House
Erected about 1828 under direction of Charles Bulfinch, Architect of the Capitol. This gate house stood until 1874 with another (now at 17th and Constitution Avenue) at the west entrance to the Capitol Grounds.
National Capital Sesquicentennial Commission 1950

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0001000/01010_0000014340 (added ca. 2006)

High Water Mark
[Feb] 12, 1881
(this is the higher of the two)

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0001000/01010_0000014350 (added ca. 2006)

High Water Mark
[??] 26, 1877

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0001000/01010_0000014360 (added ca. 2006)

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0001000/01010_0000014370 (added ca. 2006)

More Info
See James M. Goode's
'Washington Sculpture'(hardcover p 117 Item #3.08; The Ellipse area);
'Outdoor Sculpture'(paperback p138 Item #C-8)
Medium: Sandstone
Artist: Charles Bulfinch(click name for more of that artist's work)
Related subjects: History, American
Location: Constitution Ave & 15th & another & 17th (3 posts at corners of Const & 15th & 1 at Const & 7th) Washington, D.C.
See The Ellipse areain James Goode's Washington Sculpture
Nearest Metro: Federal Triangle(Orange - Blue - Silver) (click station name for all sculptures nearby) (dcMem ID #1010 )

Links & other sources
Wikipedia article on Bulfinch
Wikipedia article on the Washington City Canal / Tiber Creek
NPS.gov on the Canal
USGS.gov on the Gatehouse
NPS.gov List of Classified Structures on gatehouse east
NPS.gov List of Classified Structures on gatehouse west
NPS.gov List of Classified Structures on gatepost
NPS.gov List of Classified Structures on US Capitol gatepost (east)
NPS.gov List of Classified Structures on US Capitol gatepost (west)

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