The Library of Congress: Its Construction, Architecture and Decoration

Considered by many to be the most beautifully decorated building in the USA, the Library of Congress building (recently renamed the Jefferson Building), celebrated its centenary in 1997 after an expensive restoration project. Designed by John L. Smithmeyer and completed at a cost of seven million dollars, the building is enhanced by the art of over 40 sculptors and painters. This volume details the design and construction of the building and its decorations, with discussions of the paintings and sculptures, a study of the restoration and a biographical dictionary of all those who worked on the building.