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Projects

Article

Bringing Cannon Back to the Future

By Sarah Davis
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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 AOC's renewal project to improve and preserve the building, making it more efficient, comfortable and safer, while retaining its historic grandeur.
Drawing.
History & Discoveries

Article

The Lincoln Catafalque in the U.S. Capitol

By Curator Division
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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.
Projects

Article

Expert Metalwork Revealed in Restoration of the U.S. Capitol Dome

By AOC Staff
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Restoring the U.S. Capitol Dome is a massive project. It's exciting to uncover the artistry of a long-gone era and to see elements of the Dome that have not been seen for decades. More than 1,300 cracks in the nearly nine million pound cast iron Dome are being repaired by experts working day and
Behind the Scenes

Article

Searching for the Perfect U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree

By Ted Bechtol
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By Ted Bechtol, Superintendent of the Capitol Grounds For two beautiful summer days in late July, I traveled around Chippewa National Forest in Cass Lake, Minnesota, to search for the perfect U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree. It is my job, as Superintendent of the Capitol Grounds, to evaluate and select
Programs & Events

Article

2014 Christmas Tree Selection

By Ted Bechtol
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For two beautiful summer days in late July, I traveled around Chippewa National Forest in Cass Lake, Minnesota, to search for the perfect U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree. It is my job, as Superintendent of the Capitol Grounds, to evaluate and select the Capitol Christmas Tree from a different national
Doing Good

Article

Doing Good: Richard Edmonds

By Erin Nelson
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In today's world there is no shortage of articles, news segments and seminars on couponing, but few, if any, offer the return and success that Richard Edmonds and his church have found through their food pantry. As a member of Riva Trace Baptist Church and volunteer for their community projects
Crowd in a room.
Behind the Scenes

Article

AOC Employees ExCEL in New Programs

By Erin Nelson
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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.
Sculpture with a clock.
History & Discoveries

Article

Bells, Buzzers, Clicks and Clocks

By Sharon Gang
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On a weekly basis, Library Buildings and Grounds Electrician Eugene (Geno) Blowe winds the magnificent clock above the west door in the Main Reading Room of the Library of Congress Thomas Jefferson Building, known as Mr. Flanagan's clock for the man who created it. First thing on Monday mornings, he
Behind the Scenes

Article

AOC Bike Commuters: In Their Own Words

By Kristen Frederick
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While commuting to work in Washington, D.C., will always be a challenge, few modes of transportation leave the commuter with this feeling: invigoration. In fact, that's how Shaun Abell, Horticulturist with the U.S. Botanic Garden, describes his daily commute by bike every morning. And he's in good
Two people working with stone.
Projects

Article

Crumbling Down and Building Up

By Matt Guilfoyle
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Addressing the stone pandemic across the Capitol campus takes a team of historic preservationists, structural engineers and stonemasons, among others.
History & Discoveries

Article

Anne Frank Tree at the Capitol

By Sharon Gang
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Although I read Anne Frank's diary years ago, it wasn't until May of this year that I had the opportunity to visit the secret annex in Amsterdam where Anne, along with family members and friends, hid from the Nazis for two years. While I was in Holland, a tree was planted in Anne's honor on the
Behind the Scenes

Article

What's Hiding in National Statuary Hall?

By Sharon Gang
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Historic preservation tricks using "windows" and "columns" in the U.S. Capitol.
Behind the Scenes

Article

National Garden Highlights Regional Plants and Sustainable Practices

By Matt Guilfoyle
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As Congress meets in the halls of the U.S. Capitol, a small group of AOC employees toil in the heat a few hundred yards away to help a living national treasure thrive in an urban center. This is the National Garden at the U.S. Botanic Garden. Conceived as an outdoor laboratory for gardening in
Programs & Events

Article

Meet the Carillonneur of the Capitol

By Erin Nelson
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Capitol Hill, with its rich history and iconic buildings, allows for an eclectic mix of professions. Jim Saenger, the Capitol's Carillonneur, has perhaps one of the most unique and least visible jobs on the Hill. His contractual agreement with the Architect of the Capitol, directed by the 1963
Doing Good

Article

AOC Employee Gives Back to the Community

By Erin Nelson
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Buddy Paddy spends his days caring for the trees on Capitol Hill as a Tree Surgeon with the AOC Capitol Grounds. His job involves examining approximately 4,500 trees throughout the year to ensure that they are healthy and continue growing to maturity. His evenings are spent in much the same way, as
Behind the Scenes

Article

Saving Energy, Preserving History

By AOC Staff
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Here at the Architect of the Capitol (AOC), our challenge is unique – we must maintain aging, iconic buildings while adapting to state-of-the-art technology and increasing responsiveness to environmental, security and safety considerations in a rich historical setting. A building’s lifetime
Face of a statue.
History & Discoveries

Article

Inspiration from History

By Sharon Gang
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When I point out the Car of History clock in National Statuary Hall to friends and family I inevitably get the same question: "Where's the car?" This marble sculpture, created in 1819, is among the oldest works of art in the Capitol. It depicts Clio, the muse of History, holding a book in which she
History & Discoveries

Article

Monuments Man Creates Monumental Statue

By Franklin Bradley
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Not every fine art sculptor inspires a character in a WWII action blockbuster starring George Clooney, but not every sculptor is Walker K. Hancock, one of the Monuments Men, whose work resides in the U.S. Capitol, Library of Congress and the Supreme Court of the United States, and who is a true
History & Discoveries

Article

Grazing the Capitol Grounds

By Curator Division
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The U.S. Capitol Grounds have long been a haven for wildlife, with residents ranging from squirrels to red-tailed hawks to a red fox. But sheep? If it had been left up to one Virginia farmer more than 90 years ago, flocks of sheep might be spotted grazing on the grounds today.
History & Discoveries

Article

Celebrating 150 Years of Freedom

By Lori Taylor
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When tracing back through history, it’s hard to pinpoint the exact day when the construction of the U.S. Capitol Building was completed. The Capitol, like the nation it represents, has continued to grow and change over the years, all the way up until the most recent addition of the Capitol Visitor
History & Discoveries

Article

B.B. French – Blogger Extraordinaire

By Matt Guilfoyle
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Long before the advent of social media and blogs – there were journals. 150 years ago this month saw one of the most transformative periods in the construction of the U.S. Capitol. One individual captured these events both as a witness, and as participant, capturing first-hand details of moments
History & Discoveries

Article

Nature at the Capitol - The Statue of Freedom

By Curator Division
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The architecture of ancient Greece and Rome that inspired the United States Capitol’s early architects and builders is noted for the sense of solidity and permanence conveyed through its symmetrical, balanced arrangement of carefully proportioned columns, cornices, vaults, pediments and other
History & Discoveries

Article

From the Archives: Bike Racks on Capitol Hill

By Curator Division
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Architect of the Capitol archives reveal historical documents showing the purchase of the first bike racks on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. Back in 1896, the Lawn Cycle Stand Manufacturing Co. was hired by the AOC to provide bike stands for the United States Capitol Building. Parking in
History & Discoveries

Article

Keeping History in Perspective

By Stephen T. Ayers
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In 2013 as we celebrate the 150th anniversary of the placement of the Statue of Freedom atop the Capitol's current cast iron dome, I think it's also important to remember the Capitol's humble roots in the early years of the nation's budding democracy. The man behind the Capitol's original wood and
Behind the Scenes

Article

Rising High – AOC's Elevator Mechanics

By Lori Taylor
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The Library Buildings and Grounds Elevator Division of the Architect of the Capitol runs some of the oldest elevator systems on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. Adapting to new technologies, while still maintaining antique systems, is one of the AOC elevator mechanics' unique skills.
History & Discoveries

Article

Five Items Not to Miss at the U.S. Capitol

By CVC Staff
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Most visitors are drawn to admire the obvious "big ticket" items at the U.S. Capitol Building – the Rotunda paintings, the acoustics in National Statuary Hall, the Statue of Freedom. Here are a few U.S. Capitol details you might NOT have noticed.
History & Discoveries

Article

Constructing the Capitol: The Oven

By Matt Guilfoyle
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Too hot or too cold – there is no pleasing everyone when it comes to the right temperature in the office. While today the Architect of the Capitol provides a climate-controlled environment to the buildings of Capitol Hill, two centuries ago this wasn't the case.
Behind the Scenes

Article

Teaming Up for Accessibility

By Kristen Frederick
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See how a team of tradecrafts experts at the Architect of the Capitol transform an office in the Cannon House Office Building into a completely wheelchair-accessible suite in less than four weeks. The condensed timeframe required precise planning and coordination efforts.
Behind the Scenes

Article

The Many Hats of the AOC from A to Z

By Matt Guilfoyle
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The Architect of the Capitol (AOC) plays a leadership role in decisions from the policing of Capitol Hill; to national standards of historic preservation; to supporting development of industry standards in fire safety, capital project management and security infrastructure. AOC's involvement falls
Behind the Scenes

Article

Inspired by the Past, Preserving for the Future

By Lori Taylor
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Meet the AOC's decorative painters at the Library of Congress who work to preserve the ornate designs of one of the world's most beautiful buildings. Go behind the scenes and see the techniques used to keep the Thomas Jefferson Building looking as striking as it did when it first opened in 1897.