The Capitol Building

Before the Great War, the United States Capitol housed the legislative branch of the government of the United States. It is located in Washington, D.C., on top of Capitol Hill at the east end of the Capital Mall. The other side of the Capitol opens onto Seward Square.

Now, the Capitol serves as the battleground for a major conflict between the Super Mutants and the Talon Company. An Enclave Vertibird and strike group may be encountered on the steps of the Mall side of the building, while the dome of the building hosts a Super Mutant Behemoth.

The building is broken into a number of areas. The most common way to enter the building in Fallout 3 is from the West side of the building from the mall, and this takes you to the appropriately-named Capitol Building West Entrance. One can also explore the Capitol Building East Entrance, the Conference Room, and the Hall of Columns. The dome, although centrally located, is considered part of the Capitol Building West Entrance.

Notable Loot

 * A copy of U.S. Army: 30 Handy Flamethrower Recipes lies on a desk in the Capitol dome.
 * A copy of Nikola Tesla and You is on a desk behind a locked door, most easily reachable from the Mall entrance.
 * A copy of Lying, Congressional Style is appropriately stashed on a podium within the Conference Hall area of the building.
 * A copy of Tales of a Junktown Jerky Vendor is inside the Capitol Building East Entrance, on a desk in an office. Next to this desk is a fallen cabinet, on top of which a Pre-War Book can be found. A room over to the east, a Nuka-Cola Quantum is behind a coffee maker.
 * A copy of the D.C. Journal of Internal Medicine is located in the Hall of Columns, on the upper level. There is a Talon Company sniper stationed on a bridge, and the book is on a railing.
 * In the Hall of Columns, a copy of Chinese Army: Special Ops Training Manual can be found behind a (hard) locked door, accessed from a small hallway found near a turret and a locked computer in the middle of the hall.
 * A small number of Mini Nukes and a Fat Man can be found on opponents, and shelves, inside the dome.

Concept Art
On May 8, 2007, Bethesda Softworks released a piece of Fallout 3 concept art by Craig Mullins depicting the Capitol after the Great War, in a largely intact state.