Beginning February 25, 2013, construction work will occur in the U.S. Botanic Garden Conservatory front landscape. A monumental urn will be installed in the central bed of the Terrace gardens, and site work around the urn will connect this bed with previous terrace improvements. The urn will be made of cast aluminum, and is scheduled to arrive in April. The final project will be completed in May. Signage will direct visitors around the work to the main Conservatory entrance which will remain open during the work.

Beginning in February 2013, the murals in the Senate Reception Area of the Brumidi Corridors will be under restoration for at least eight months. Scaffolding will be in place for the work on the ceiling until late summer 2013, but the space will remain accessible. The ceiling and lunettes in this area will be restored through a combination of conservation and of replication in areas where it is not feasible to remove the overpaint without losing the original. The vertical wall panels will be conserved to reveal the original layer and the remaining walls will be...