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The House of Representatives
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The two chambers (Senate and House) occupy the east and west wings of the second floor. Following the traditional relationship of the two chambers in the Capitol, the House and Senate are at the opposite sides of the rotunda. When the main doors are open, the two presiding officers face one another.
The specially-designed members' desks are placed on red carpets, and the pyramidal roofs offer added volume to the chambers. The roof centers are 45 feet above the floor, and the structural ribs of the roof form a coffered ceiling. Inside the coffered pattern, geometric patterns are incised in gold.
The sides of each chamber open onto the mezzanines of the garden courts. The mezzanines provide access to the members' offices around the perimeter of the second floor. Here, too, a member may step out of a session, confer with a constituent or messenger, and return immediately to the deliberations.
The Senate and House Principal Clerks' offices are located conveniently behind each chamber for the processing of bills. Also within close proximity of each chamber are the offices of the presiding officers.
A small chapel is situated south of the rotunda, and the legislative library is north of the rotunda. The rotunda contains a large landscaped pool and is open to the third floor through a mezzanine.