National Cathedral
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The outside of the National CathedralA picture of some of the National Cathedrals vaults.    The National Cathedral located in Washington D. C. is also known as the Cathedral of Saint Peter and Saint Paul. This building was inspired by Pierre Charles L'Enfant's plan for a building which would be located in the heart of the
city on the block bounded by F and G and 7th and 9th streets NW. He wanted the church to be "for national purpose, such as public prayer, thanksgivings, funeral Orations, &c. and assigned to the special use of no particular Sect or denomination, but equally open to all." The National Cathedral is in no way affiliated with the federal government nor does it have a congregation of its own.

A picture of a part of the National Cathedral's roof.     A New York architect by the name of Ernest Flagg was commissioned to submit a design in the Gothic and Renaissance styles in 1895. He decided that the cathedral should be made of white marble with a 208-foot-high central dome and a capacity of 3,500 people was intent in 1896. Flagg's design was controversial and was thought to be the most monumental Neo-Renaissance structure in America. Unfortunately, Flagg's design was abandoned.

Some of the National Cathedral's stained glass windows     Sufficient funds had finally been collected to commence the cathedral in 1907.Between 1989 and 1903, Henry Satterlee, the first bishop, purchased 57 acres on Mount Alban above Georgetown with a commanding view of the city.

    Architects Frederick Bodley and Henry Vaughan were hired to design the cathedral, which was finished in the spring of 1907. The design was a Latin-cross church with an octagonal baptistery attached to the south nave and a vestry was placed between the north transept and polygonal choir. The central tower was designed to rise 220 feet, with two lower towers with almost solid mass of masonry at the west end. Also, the two decided that the design was based on typical fourteenth-century English models. There would be stained glass, as in French Gothic cathedrals, but a more solid structure would be put into use.

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Bibliography:

1. Scott, Pamela, Lee, Antoinette J., Society of Architectural Historians: Buildings of the United States: Buildings of the District of Columbia, New York, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1993