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This 1873 photograph shows how the USBG's first Conservatory had grown from a single Victorian greenhouse to this large, five-part Conservatory with 14 support greenhouses.
History & Discoveries

Article

U.S. Botanic Garden at 200: Deeply Rooted, Branching Outward

By Devin Dotson
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For 200 years, the U.S. Botanic Garden has been showcasing plants to visitors from around the globe. Originally proposed by George Washington to establish a place for Americans to learn about useful and engaging plants.
The AOC team at the American College of the Building Arts (ACBA): Mike Miller, John McPhaul and Marvin Cortez.
Behind the Scenes

Article

Beyond the Dome – A Visit to the American College of the Building Arts

By Kate Holder
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Last fall, hopes were raised for establishing a new, long-term source of skilled labor when AOC staff members spent a day touring the American College of the Building Arts in Charleston, South Carolina.
The finished SR-253 hearing room, with the ceiling and plaster reliefs repainted to appear like carved stone, which is truer to the architects' original intention.
Behind the Scenes

Article

Before and After: Senate Hearing Room Renovation

By Elizabeth Yoder
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The Senate Office Buildings jurisdiction recently completed a project to restore the hearing room for the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation (SR-253) in the Russell Senate Office Building.
AOC employees discussing permit requirements during a self-inspection at the U.S. Capitol.
Behind the Scenes

Article

Capitol Building Self-Inspections

By Erin Nelson
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The Architect of the Capitol continues to evaluate how best to keep our employees safe. One of the important ways we're advancing our safety efforts is through self-inspections, which are part of the agency's Strategic Plan.
CVC employee sewing face masks during the novel coronavirus.
Doing Good

Article

Capitol Visitor Center Employees Find Ways To Give

By Laura Trivers
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The coronavirus inspired many of us to wonder what, if anything, we could do to help when it seemed the needs around us were overwhelming.
Graphic for Architect of the Capitol Family Resources: Home Activities, Virtual Tours, Videos.
Public Notice

Article

AOC Offers Family Resources for Distance Learning and Virtual Visits

By AOC Staff
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The Architect of the Capitol is delivering virtual Capitol experiences to those unable to visit because of the coronavirus (COVID-19). Resources for students and families learning from home are grouped into elementary, middle school and high school levels. There are also virtual field trips and
Conditions of the U.S. Capitol's copper roof before replacement.
Projects

Article

Continuous Care of the U.S. Capitol Roof

By Laura Condeluci
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Like most beloved national treasures from the Golden Gate Bridge to the Statue of Liberty, the U.S. Capitol Building roof requires continuous care.
A five-pointed star was cut within seconds by the Architect of the Capitol Sheet Metal Shop.
Behind the Scenes

Article

Cool Tools: Plasma Cutting Machine, a Matter of Precision

By Kate Holder
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It generates temperatures of 35,000 degrees Fahrenheit or more and accelerates to nearly the speed of sound.
View of the Carson National Forest in New Mexico.
Programs & Events

Article

A Christmas Spruce from the Land of Enchantment

By Jim Kaufmann
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The Architect of the Capitol selects the annual U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree in consultation with the United States Forest Service.
Close look at a door hinge in the Library of Congress Thomas Jefferson Building, patented Nov. 22, 1887.
Projects

Article

Fire Egress at the Library of Congress

By Erin Nelson
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The Architect of the Capitol's Construction Division with the support of the AOC Library Buildings and Grounds jurisdiction worked together to complete the Fire Door Improvements project.
This donated orchid adds to the rich heritage and importance of the U.S. Botanic Garden's collection.
Programs & Events

Article

U.S. Botanic Garden Orchids Gain 600 New Siblings

By Devin Dotson
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This newly donated collection — the second largest single donation in U.S. Botanic Garden (USBG) history — adds to the rich heritage and importance of the USBG's orchid collection.
The tombstone of Colonel Charles De Witt. Born 1727 - Died Aug. 27, 1787. Patriot, statesman and leader in the revolution. Voting to ratify the Declaration of Independence.
History & Discoveries

Article

Charles De Witt: Founding Farmer, A Life of Service

By Franklin Bradley
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Colonel Charles De Witt's career extended far beyond his home county, including being named as delegate to the Continental Congress.
History & Discoveries

Article

Six Special Rooms by Brumidi

By Sarah Davis
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Beginning in 1855, Constantino Brumidi decorated many walls and ceilings in the U.S. Capitol, most prominently in the Capitol Rotunda and the corridors of the Senate wing.
Drawing and design for the Grant Memorial replica lamp posts.
Public Notice

Article

Lamp Posts Installed at Grant Memorial

By AOC Staff
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Eight bronze lamp posts were recently installed by the Architect of the Capitol on the marble pedestal of the Ulysses S. Grant Memorial in Washington, D.C. These posts are replicas of fixtures first designed and installed by Edward Pearce Casey, the architect for the memorial's pedestal.
The Capitol Materials Cart being shown to visitors in Emancipation Hall.
Programs & Events

Article

Cool Tools: Capitol Materials Cart

By Erin Courtney
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The new U.S. Capitol Materials Cart Program showcases a variety of AOC trades, including masonry, sheet metal, paint and wood-crafting.
Section, Revised Dome Design for U.S. Capitol. Pen, Ink and watercolor by Thomas U. Walter, 1859.
History & Discoveries

Article

Dancing by Dawn's Early Light

By Franklin Bradley
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Did you know that the 15,000-pound bronze Statue of Freedom, standing atop the 9 million pounds of cast iron of the U.S. Capitol Dome, dances every day?
The Blackjack painting discovered in the U.S. Capitol.
History & Discoveries

Article

Rediscovering Black Jack

By Erin Courtney
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During a recent renovation, members of the Architect of the Capitol uncovered a long-forgotten painting of the famous horse, Black Jack.
The artifacts in this photograph were passed down through the family of Brumidi's third wife and given to the Architect of the Capitol.
History & Discoveries

Article

Personal Artifacts of a Capitol Artist

By Curator Division
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Constantino Brumidi, born in Rome in 1805, was fully trained in classical and Renaissance painting techniques, including true fresco. He painted murals for Popes and princes and was considered one of the city's best artists. In 1852 he emigrated to the United States. In 1855, after painting a trial
Paul Miller (left) and Anderson Alleyne (right) are two AOC employees that embody its mission to serve, preserve and inspire.
Behind the Scenes

Article

Preparing for the Moment Opportunity Knocks

By Erin Nelson
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After 12 years of service with the Virginia Army National Guard and two tours in Iraq, Anderson Alleyne began his career with the Architect of the Capitol (AOC) in 2013. He was hired as a night shift laborer in the Capitol Building jurisdiction and was responsible for maintaining the building's
AOC employees test an underground utility locator on the West Front lawn of the U.S. Capitol.
Behind the Scenes

Article

We Dig Technology

By Erin Courtney
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There's a cool tool that enables the Architect of the Capitol (AOC) to quickly respond to requests to dig on the U.S. Capitol grounds. It has eight receiving antennas making it easier for the person operating the locator to get a signal from buried utility lines as deep as 15 feet.
Restoring the windows of the Cannon House Office Building in Washington, D.C.
Projects

Article

Preserving Historic Windows and Doors

By Kristen Frederick
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The preservation of the Cannon House Office Building's historic windows and doors allows the building to retain much of its original character and charm, while increasing the building's functionality for those who work and visit within its walls. Learn more about the process.
Close-up view of bronze door handle in the shape of a snake. Once part of the entrance to the U.S. Capitol's House chamber.
History & Discoveries

Article

Cast in a New Light: The Capitol Bronze Shop (1855-1859)

By Kate Holder
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At a critical time in the U.S. Capitol's evolution, there was a Capitol Bronze Shop established by Montgomery Meigs. From 1855 to 1859, the shop helped serve the needs of the Capitol Extension, a major expansion project to accommodate a growing Congress in Washington, D.C.
Senate Move Coordinator Bonnie Holod, who is also the supervisory architect in the Senate Office Buildings jurisdiction, works with Michael Gass and Paul Bosch, wood crafters with the Senate Wood Crafting Branch, to hang artwork in a senator's office.
Behind the Scenes

Article

Senate Office Moves

By Elizabeth Yoder
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Every two years, the Senate Office Buildings jurisdiction takes on one of its biggest responsibilities, the Senate election-year office moves.
AOC House Office Buildings employees work together to shrink wrap boxes, ensuring a safe move.
Behind the Scenes

Article

House Office Moves

By AOC Staff
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The Architect of the Capitol's (AOC) House Office Buildings jurisdiction is heavily involved in the corresponding work — this includes overseeing the lottery process for suite selections to moving all of the affected offices.
A bowler hat discovered during the renewal of the Cannon House Office Building.
History & Discoveries

Article

Cool Cannon Construction Finds

By Kristen Frederick
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During the process of renewing the Cannon House Office Building, workers have found hidden treasures that had been lost or discarded by the laborers who constructed the building more than 100 years ago. Here's a small sampling of what has been discovered since the start of the project.
The Cannon Building rotunda has been returned to its original appearance when the building opened in 1908.
Public Notice

Article

The Cannon Building's Refreshed Rotunda

By AOC Staff
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Phase 1 of the Cannon Renewal was recently completed and as members, staff and the public enter the Cannon House Office Building's historic rotunda, they will encounter something new — but it is actually something old. The rotunda has been returned to its original appearance when the building opened
Person working on a ceiling.
History & Discoveries

Article

Revealing a Tiled Treasure

By Kristen Frederick
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How a successful immigrant family left their mark on the U.S. Capitol campus, and Architect of the Capitol's work to clean and preserve a historic treasure: the Cannon House Office Building basement rotunda with a Guastavino tile vaulted ceiling intact as it was originally constructed in 1907.
Members of Capitol Grounds and Arboretum inspect a vehicle operating on the U.S. Capitol campus.
Behind the Scenes

Article

Reclaiming an Ordinary Day

By Erin Courtney
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It is easy to take for granted an ordinary day strolling across the beautiful landscaped grounds of the U.S. Capitol. Chirping birds, chittering squirrels, humming lawnmowers and the excited voices of children on their first visit to Washington, D.C., make up the soundtrack of the Capitol campus. In
AOC employees exemplify One Team, One Mission.
From the Architect

Article

Architect's Notebook: One of My Favorite Things

By Stephen T. Ayers
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While Architect's Notebook is often used to write about architectural features found on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., this time it's about Stephen Ayers' favorite and most important part of this organization: AOC employees! More specifically, their giving and generous spirit.
Participants and instructors after lunch at Eco City Farm.
Doing Good

Article

U.S. Botanic Garden Helps Veterans with Urban Farming

By Devin Dotson
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Armed to Urban Farm is a new program presented by the U.S. Botanic Garden and the National Center for Appropriate Technology to teach veterans about urban farming careers.