Our Blog

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.

How do you pick a single tree from an area that stretches across all of south-central Alaska? AOC's Superintendent of the Capitol Grounds explores the Chugach National Forest for "the one."

This year's snow removal training exercise included a friendly competition between offices and jurisdictions on a new piece of equipment.

December 2 has been an important anniversary at the U.S. Capitol since 1863 when the final section of the Statue of Freedom was installed atop the dome. The date has signified another important anniversary since 2008 when the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center opened for business.

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.

Described during his lifetime as hardworking and humble, our sixth Architect of the Capitol can be considered an American success story.

We are all an assembly of parts, pieces and life experiences, and we bring those experiences to the things we do every day.

Energy Savings Performance Contracts have assisted the Architect of the Capitol in completing several conservation measures around the U.S. Capitol, House office buildings and Senate office buildings. These ESPCs were an important element in our strategy to reduce energy consumption by 30 percent.

Masons working at the Architect of the Capitol get the campus ready for another day before the rest of the employees on Capitol Hill even wake. They have a small window of time very early in the day to complete any tasks that may interfere with visitors or the work of staff.

One of the Architect of the Capitol's strategic goals is to foster an innovative and empowered workforce. Here are a few examples of what that looks like in day-to-day operations at the AOC from a team in the House Office Buildings and from the Capitol Grounds crew.

This doing good employee spotlight is of an Architect of the Capitol elevator mechanic supervisor who gives back by sharing their knowledge with students at Phelps Architecture, Construction and Engineering High School about his specific trade expertise and of broader career opportunities.

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.

As volunteers, the time commitment for AOC employees who mentor is not huge, but the impact they have on the students' lives certainly is.

Celebrating the men and women of the United States Capitol Police who put their lives on the line to protect America's beacon of democracy.

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.