You may have heard of “Real Fake Doors” on interdimensional cable, but how about tiny doors in the Capitol? Olivia Reingold, a journalist for Bari Weiss’s new outlet, the Free Press, tweeted a picture enquiring about knee-high doors she spotted throughout the Capitol building:
ok who are the capitol or architecture nerds who can tell me what on earth these tiny doors are all about pic.twitter.com/d9uejoKPDM
— Olivia Reingold (@Olivia_Reingold) January 5, 2023
At first, I thought they might be ratting doors so that the unionized felines of Capitol Hill might have equal access to the Rodentia in the corridors and walls. Or, as is the case at my house, the miniature portals could be for the pets of representatives to pad the halls and access their food and outhouses without the subservient humans having to open or close the doors upon the cats’ whims.
Neither was the intended purpose, however. The official account of the Architect of the Capitol shared that the doors exist for access to the plumbing system, allowing for ease of use should a fire break out or the floors need mopping. This addition was made after a fire broke out in the Library of Congress, which was connected to the Capitol at the time.
Erin Nelson writes for the Architect’s site:
The fire devastated the Library’s collection: thirty-five thousand volumes were destroyed. Approximately two-thirds of the books purchased from Thomas Jefferson were gone. Manuscripts, maps and other artwork had been consumed by the fire, which was later determined to have been caused by a spark from the fireplace in the room below the Library.
During the investigation, Jones testified that the fire could have been easily extinguished had there been water nearby. The fear of future fires motivated Congress to fund a critically needed reliable water supply for Washington, D.C.
Captain Montgomery C. Meigs of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was assigned by the War Department to manage the project. Meigs had a remarkable career. He helped build many D.C. landmarks, including Arlington National Cemetery, the Capitol Building extension and the modern Dome of the Capitol Building. Arguably his most significant engineering achievement was the Washington Aqueduct. The elaborate system brought fresh water from the Potomac River at Great Falls into the federal city and into the pipes hidden behind the Capitol’s small doors.
A factoid for your Friday, and an adorable solution which would be mighty convenient most anywhere.