Rare surviving copy of a Photographically illustrated specification for a bid specification to provide Heating, Lighting and Power Plant to the Congressional Buildings, Washington, D.C. dated July 27th, 1905. Bid specification submitted at the request of Elliott Woods, Superintendent U.S. Capitol Buildings and Grounds, for a complete Heating, Lighting and Power Plant for the Capitol, machinery, boilers, piping, electrical transmission, cables, and conduits, appliances, and all other equipment.
Authorized in 1904 by Congress, Woods, and an advisory board including MIT Professor S. H. Woodbridge traveled to cities all over the country to gather information, and engaged Nathan Wyeth as the architect. This photo-illustrated bid incorporates boilers, damper regulators, stokers, boiler feed pumps, coal and ash handling apparatus, steam and piping, four engines for driving the four 2000 Kilowatt generators, station wiring, transformers, converters, switchboards and instruments. The original plant was completed by Westinghouse and placed in operation in 1910, and continued to supply electricity until 1951. It now only retains the heating and cooling functions for the Capitol. Specification B Heating, Lighting and Power Plant, Westinghouse contains 79 pages of specification including 44 gelatin silver photographs of machinery and blueprints, each with labeled tissue guards. A Fine copy with recent dark brown goatskin covers, gilt lettering stamped on front cover. 10.5 x 8.125 in.