Page:Republican Court by Rufus Griswold.djvu/148

deed, had been the centre of all important business, in legislation, administration, and politics; it was also the principal resort of the lovers of literature, as it contained the public library; and it served the purposes of the Athenian stoæ, for gossips, newsmongers, and speculators. Anxious for the proper accommodation of the various branches of the federal government, and not without expectations that a liberal course on her part might cause New York to be made the permanent capital of the nation, several wealthy citizens contributed thirty-two thousand dollars for the purpose of remodeling, repairing and renovating this building, which, when completed, received the new name of Federal Hall, and was placed by the City Council at the disposal of Congress.

The appearance of Federal Hall was for that period very imposing, and its front, toward Broad street, was particularly admired. The basement story was in the Tuscan style, with seven openings, and four massive pillars in the centre supported heavy arches, above which rose four Doric columns. The cornice was ingeniously divided to admit thirteen stars in the metopes, which with the eagle and other insignia in the pediment, and the sculptures of thirteen arrows surrounded by olive branches over each window, marked it as a building set apart for national purposes. The entrance on Broad street opened into a large and plainly furnished room, to which every one had free access, and beyond this was the vestibule, which led, in front, to the Hall of the Representatives, and through arches on each side, by a public stairway on the right, and a private one on the left, to the Senate chamber and the galleries. The vestibule was paved with marble, and was very lofty, and elegantly finished. The lower part was of a light rough stone, which supported a handsome iron gallery, and the upper part, which was in a less massive style, was lighted from a richly ornamented dome. The Hall of the Representatives was sixty-one feet long, fifty-eight feet