Capitol Meridian
Pierre (Peter) Charles L'Enfant specified the first meridian in his 1791 "Plan of the city intended for the permanent seat of the government of the United States . . .". (Shortly after L'Enfant prepared this plan, its subject received the name "City of Washington".) His plan stated that the longitude of the Congress House, now called the Capitol, would be 0°0'. Longitude of the center of its dome (completed in 1863 during the Civil War) is now given by the National Geodetic Survey as 77°00'32.6"W (NAD 83).
Read more about this topic: Washington Meridian
Famous quotes containing the words capitol and/or meridian:
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