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Time has taken its toll on the United State Capitol's stone, but our preservation effort will restore even the finer details, hand-carved by artisans. The more complex items are being recreated by a stone carver on-site, who is carving from the same stone blocks the original craftsmen worked.
The Ulysses S. Grant Memorial in Washington, D.C., is undergoing a dramatic transformation. Curator for the Architect of the Capitol describes the restoration work on the bronze components and marble pedestals. When completed viewers will again see the subtle details of the original sculpture.
To answer this question, we travel to a brick building in Vienna, Virginia, where the hum of an industrial-sized machine is unmistakable. Littering the fenced-in courtyard of the building are massive slabs of stone of all shapes and colors.
A new technology now allows waterlines to remain filled while workers install a new valve. By deploying this construction best practice, the Cannon Renewal Project will save a tremendous amount of natural resources, require less manpower and result in savings to the American taxpayer.
New pieces for the Grant Memorial are being cast in a Philadelphia foundry under the watchful eye of the conservator and the Architect of the Capitol team. On a recent visit, AOC employees observed the casting process in action, including the dramatic moment when the molten bronze is poured.
The Cannon Renewal team explores a new way of viewing drawings in the field, bringing a 21st-century approach to field coordination and quality control as a model for the future of construction.
The Cannon Renewal team is using ground penetrating radar to help workers see what's inside the concrete of the Cannon Building.
The restoration of the U.S. Capitol Rotunda will ensure this hallowed space will be enjoyed by generations for years to come. Work includes removing hazardous materials, restoring ironwork, upgrading electrical and mechanical systems, installing new lighting and repainting.
Because weather and time have not been kind to the Grant Memorial, AOC staff developed a preservation strategy to restore the Grant Memorial to its original condition.
High in the sky, about 50 feet above the roof, a crane is peeking out of the Cannon House Office Building. This tower crane is part of the Architect of the Capitol's (AOC) renewal project to improve and preserve the building, making it more efficient, comfortable and safer, while retaining its historic grandeur.
Many ornamental and functional cast iron parts of the U.S. Capitol Dome are so broken and badly damaged that they cannot be repaired on site. For the restoration, we traveled to the Salt Lake City foundry to see firsthand how the work to re-create these pieces is done.
Addressing the stone pandemic across the Capitol campus takes a team of historic preservationists, structural engineers and stonemasons, among others.
The Russell Senate Office Building is looking really good for its age but, to keep it in tip-top condition, the Architect of the Capitol spent some time studying the building's exterior in preparation to clean, repair and restore the exterior envelope of this historic building.