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Sitting atop Capitol Hill, the United States Capitol Building houses the legislative chambers of the Senate and House of Representatives. Dressed in Masonic attire, President George Washington laid the cornerstone on September 18, 1793 during a groundbreaking ceremony. On March 4, 1801, Thomas Jefferson was administered the first presidential oath of office ever taken in Washington, D.C. in the new Senate Chamber of the partially built Capitol building. British troops set fire to the Capitol on August 24, 1814, during the War of 1812. A rainstorm prevented the “Temple of Liberty” from burning to the ground. The Statue of Freedom has crowned the dome of the U.S. Capitol since 1863. The Capitol building has been almost continuously under construction, added on to, rebuilt, refurbished, remodeled or updated since 1793 to the present. Flagpoles are above the Senate and House of Representatives wings of the Capitol and fly the American flag only when the chamber below is in session. Two other flagpoles located at the base of the dome have flown the American flag day and night since World War I.