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History & Discoveries

Article

Capitol Reflections: ADA and the Visitor Experience

By Laura Condeluci
| July 29, 2015
The Architect of the Capitol (AOC) works to continually improve physical access across the Capitol campus, using creative solutions to ensure the grounds and buildings provide access to all, while maintaining and preserving the historic fabric and character of Capitol Hill. While we have made great
History & Discoveries

Article

Capitol Reflections: ADA and Historic Buildings

By Laura Condeluci
| July 28, 2015
The Architect of the Capitol (AOC) works to continually improve physical access across the U.S. Capitol campus, using creative solutions to ensure the grounds and buildings provide access to all, while maintaining and preserving the historic fabric and character of Capitol Hill. While we have made
History & Discoveries

Article

Capitol Reflections: ADA and Life Safety

By Laura Condeluci
| July 26, 2015
The Architect of the Capitol (AOC) works to continually improve physical access across the U.S. Capitol campus, using creative solutions to ensure the grounds and buildings provide access to all, while maintaining and preserving the historic fabric and character of Capitol Hill. While we have made
History & Discoveries

Article

Designing with ADA in Mind

By Nancy Skinkle
| July 22, 2015
An accessible ramp at Senate Parks near the Senate Underground Garage. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law on July 26, 1990, and represents one of the country's most comprehensive pieces of civil rights legislation as it prohibits discrimination and guarantees people with
Programs & Events

Article

Mobility Assistance: There When You Need It!

By Sharon Gang
| July 13, 2015
Two years ago when I needed the accessibility operations provided by the Architect of the Capitol (AOC) on the Capitol campus, they were there for me. Functioning escalators and elevators were invaluable to me as I recovered from knee replacement surgery. Thanks to modern science, I have a new
From the Architect

Article

Architect's Notebook: Inspiration by Detail

By Stephen T. Ayers
| March 22, 2016
The beautiful buildings on the Capitol campus are full of thousands of decorative details. So many details in fact, that visitors and workers alike will often see something new each time they are here. This richness and depth inspire me every day. I've always wanted to be an architect. So naturally
AOC employees exemplify One Team, One Mission.
From the Architect

Article

Architect's Notebook: One of My Favorite Things

By Stephen T. Ayers
| November 16, 2018
While I often use this space to write about some of my favorite architectural features found on Capitol Hill, I want to use this Architect's Notebook to write about my favorite and most important part of this organization: AOC employees! More specifically, their spirit and their giving and generous
The Main Reading Room of the Library of Congress Thomas Jefferson Building.
From the Architect

Article

Architect's Notebook: Finding Comfort In Balance

By Stephen T. Ayers
| June 12, 2018
It is human nature to try to find order and balance in our surroundings. One of the ways I do this in my own life is to be as organized as possible. My desk is proof of this as it is always arranged neatly with nothing out of place. This gives me a sense of ease so I can focus on other tasks at hand
A small bust of George Washington carved into the Car of History marble chariot.
From the Architect

Article

Architect's Notebook: A Washington Connection

By Stephen T. Ayers
| March 13, 2018
Even after working with this agency for more than 20 years, I continue to discover little surprises in the buildings, grounds and art cared for by our employees. I was recently walking in National Statuary Hall's upper gallery and stopped at the "Car of History" clock by Carlo Franzoni where I saw a
Capitol Visitor Center architecture that borrows from historic Capitol Building architecture.
From the Architect

Article

Architect's Notebook: Signs of Respect

By Stephen T. Ayers
| October 11, 2017
Many of our monumental buildings on Capitol Hill were designed and constructed using classical orders of architecture. When designing and constructing the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center (CVC), we were challenged to design and construct a building using modern materials and technology that is a
The gilded Torch of Knowledge above the Library of Congress Thomas Jefferson Building.
From the Architect

Article

Architect's Notebook: What We Hold Precious

By Stephen T. Ayers
| July 12, 2017
Walking through the Capitol campus, I frequently come across ornamentation in our buildings made from various metals. I was recently taking in the splendor of the gilded Torch of Knowledge above the Thomas Jefferson Building when my mind began wandering through the many additional decorative
A portico of tall Corinthian columns gives the Supreme Court Building a monumental entrance.
From the Architect

Article

Architect's Notebook: A Progression of the Imagination

By Stephen T. Ayers
| December 5, 2016
I long for the days when we can experience all of the magnificent national treasures on Capitol Hill as they were originally imagined. The entry sequence and progression through spaces are carefully thought out by architects as buildings are designed. These experiences are very powerful and
AOC's LaTisha Williams, custodial worker supervisor in the House Office Buildings Day Cleaning division.
Doing Good

Article

Serving with Encouragement

By Laura Condeluci
| May 16, 2018
Although the sign on LaTisha Williams' desk reads, "Solutions Please," it could just as easily say, "Find Encouragement Here." With a ready smile that radiates warmth, Williams is always quick to serve and to praise others, with a personality that draws colleagues, employees and friends toward her
Behind the Scenes

Article

A Legacy of Service

By Sharon Gang
| December 17, 2012
You never forget your first real job. A good one, with a good mentor, can ingrain work habits that will be carried with you throughout your career. My first job after college was on Capitol Hill working as a staff assistant for then-Rep. Daniel K. Akaka. At the end of the 112th Congress, now-Senator
Bill Burns, an Architect of the Capitol Woodcrafter Supervisor in the Planning and Project Management's Construction Division.
Doing Good

Article

A Series of Compassionate Events

By Justin Kieffer
| August 16, 2017
One person's small act of compassion can start a chain reaction of kindness. Such is the story of a 16-year-old girl named Brittney James, who saw a commercial on TV and decided to sponsor a three-year-old Kenyan named Newton. Brittney hoped to one day meet Newton, but three years later she was
Doing Good

Article

A Veteran Helping Veterans

By Sharon Gang
| March 29, 2016
Paddle. Fish. Heal. "I like helping people, and veterans are at the top of the list of people I want to help." Before Electrician Martin Blanchet joined the Architect of the Capitol (AOC) in 2003, he had served in the Army twice, first from 1984 to 1988 and then from 1997 to 2003. His service
America the Beautiful poem written on a wall in the Cox Corridors of the U.S. Capitol.
History & Discoveries

Article

Capitol Lyrics: "America the Beautiful"

By Sarah Davis
| July 3, 2018
"America the Beautiful" began as a poem by Katharine Lee Bates in 1893. It was later combined with music by Samuel Augustus Ward to form the patriotic song many of us know today. I've been thinking of this song often with the July Fourth holiday coming up, and interpretations of its lyrics are
The lunette "Telegraph" by Brumidi in the now Lyndon B. Johnson Room, S-211.
History & Discoveries

Article

Plenty to Be Thankful For

By Sarah Davis
| November 20, 2017
The fall season is known for cooler weather, leaves changing colors, football, apple picking and pumpkins. With Thanksgiving upon us this week, I also can't help but think of family, turkey and pie. Another traditional symbol of the upcoming holiday is the cornucopia. A cornucopia is often used to
Capitol Dome out of focus, branch in foreground.
History & Discoveries

Article

Who or What Goes There?

By Erin Courtney
| October 31, 2017
On Friday, October 13, I took a stairwell down two levels below the U.S. Capitol basement, entered a locked storage area, climbed a ladder into the air shaft below the House Extension and carefully shimmied through the dark and dusty bowels of the building. Rounding a corner, Architect of the
History & Discoveries

Article

Capitol Discovery

By Erin Courtney
| October 7, 2016
It's been more than 500 years since Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue in search of a direct water route from Europe to Asia. He never did discover that passage, but he did stumble upon the Americas and kicked off centuries of exploration, and exploitation, of the western hemisphere
History & Discoveries

Article

Mothers in Marble (and Bronze)

By Erin Courtney
| May 6, 2016
In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson signed a measure officially establishing the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day. From historical figures to allegorical representations, images of women are found throughout the U.S. Capitol Building in the art and architecture. While not the only mother in the
History & Discoveries

Article

Celebrating Irish-American Heritage Month

By Erin Courtney
| March 17, 2016
According to the U.S. Census, about 33 million Americans claim Irish ancestry – that's about five times the population of the entire Emerald Isle. March is Irish-American Heritage Month and the President issues a proclamation commemorating the occasion each year. For Americans of Irish heritage
History & Discoveries

Article

Honoring Black History Month

By Andrew Dentamaro
| February 10, 2016
Initiated by Historian Carter G. Woodson in 1915, National African American History Month, also known as Black History Month, marks a time to celebrate and reflect upon the role that African Americans have played in shaping the course of our country's history. The compelling account of physical
History & Discoveries

Article

Cool Tools: A Tuning Fork?

By Franklin Bradley
| March 10, 2016
As the temperature cooled down this winter, we asked Architect of the Capitol (AOC) employees to join a hot (and friendly) competition – AOC Cool Tools – and share the cool tools they use to get their jobs done. Every employee, in every job we do, uses tools, from a crane that lifts heavy loads to
History & Discoveries

Article

Nature at the Capitol - The Statue of Freedom

By AOC Curator Office
| September 24, 2013
This is the first in a series of articles, written by the Architect of the Capitol's Curator Office, about the use of nature in the art and architecture of the U.S. Capitol. The architecture of ancient Greece and Rome that inspired the United States Capitol’s early architects and builders is noted
History & Discoveries

Article

Anne Frank Tree at the Capitol

By Sharon Gang
| July 21, 2014
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
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 AOC Curator Office
| May 6, 2019
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
History & Discoveries

Article

Beyond the Dome – Fort Meade

By Erin Nelson
| July 17, 2013
The Architect of the Capitol is responsible for managing all of the buildings and grounds on Capitol Hill, but we also maintain several facilities across the National Capital Region, including several off-site facilities in Fort Meade, Maryland. I recently had the chance to visit Fort Meade and view
History & Discoveries

Article

Rising High – AOC's Elevator Mechanics

By Lori Taylor
| July 9, 2013
"We deal with a lot of history." No, those aren't the words of the Architect of the Capitol's (AOC) Curator office. It's Ron Bailey, shop supervisor of the Library Buildings and Grounds Elevator Division, who runs some of the oldest elevator systems on Capitol Hill, the oldest of which date back to
History & Discoveries

Article

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

By Sharon Gang
| June 25, 2013
Sharon Gang, Communications & Marketing Manager for the Capitol Visitor Center (CVC) lists some lesser known highlights not to miss when you visit the United States Capitol. Most visitors are drawn to admire the obvious “big ticket” items at the U.S. Capitol Building – the Rotunda paintings, the