Delve deeper into the stories behind the people, art, history and grounds.
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Programs & Events
The U.S. Botanic Garden is committed to welcoming every visitor by providing accessible facilities and inclusive programming. Several efforts ensure that all can explore the USBG, including accessible routes, hand rails, all-terrain wheelchairs for loan, guides available in Braille and more.
The U.S. Capitol Visitor Center provides many accessibility services from shuttles, ramps and escalators to touchable objects and open captioning. We work closely with the Office of Congressional Accessibility Services on several fronts. Visitors may request wheelchairs at the North Coat Check.
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.
The AOC cares for the benches in the United States Capitol Rotunda whose cast-iron supports and arms were based on a design sketched by Constantino Brumidi in 1859. These benches have also called a few other locations home over the years, including Saint Elizabeths Hospital in Washington, D.C.
As volunteers, the time commitment for AOC employees who mentor is not huge, but the impact they have on the students' lives certainly is.
The Senate Office Buildings Painting and Refinishing Branch gives hands-on attention to help blend vintage and new into a cohesive collection.
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.
To commemorate the 150th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's death, AOC Curator Barbara Wolanin details the days he lay in state at the U.S. Capitol.
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.
Searching for the Perfect U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree
During beautiful summer days, AOC's Superintendent of the Capitol Grounds traveled around Chippewa National Forest in Cass Lake, Minnesota, to search for and select the perfect 2014 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree. Capitol Christmas Tree. The criteria includes height, shape and other characteristics.
This doing good story is of an AOC engineering technician who volunteers within his Davidsonville, Maryland, community. As a member of Riva Trace Baptist Church and volunteer for their community projects, including their food pantry, he has helped hundreds of families.
While the Architect of the Capitol's (AOC) core mission is to preserve the buildings in our care, we realize that to be successful, preserving knowledge is just as important as preserving the buildings.