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Preserving the Historic Buildings that Inspire Our Nation What We Do
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The Architect of the Capitol has a legacy and ancestry that is rooted in the very beginnings of the capital city of the United States, today known as Washington, D.C. In 1791, President George Washington appointed three commissioners to provide suitable buildings and accommodations for Congress. The
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The Architect of the Capitol is a Legislative Branch agency responsible to the U.S. Congress for the maintenance, operation, development and preservation of the United States Capitol complex.
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Our mission centers on our stewardship of the structures and grounds of the nation's Capitol. We ensure every visitor to the campus experiences the grandeur of these historic treasures at their very best.
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We support our prestigious occupants in their critical mission to govern our country. We fulfill the journey of visitors from across our nation and around the world to celebrate and discover the center and symbol of American democracy. Our internal and external services are equally essential in the
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Today, there are more than 2,000 AOC employees serving around the clock to maintain and preserve the buildings and grounds. Tracing its beginnings to the laying of the Capitol cornerstone in 1793, the AOC is responsible for the operations and care of more than 18.4 million square feet of facilities
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Aside from a modest addition at the rear of the building, the historic USBG Conservatory exterior remains unchanged from its 1933 appearance. It contains two courtyard gardens and 10 garden rooms under glass, totaling 28,944 square feet of growing space, and also has two exhibit galleries.
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The Children's Garden is a favorite exploration space for families from around the D.C., Maryland and Virginia area and visitors with children from across the globe. Improvements include a new platform climbing structure, a new vine tunnel, a new digging area, expanded seating areas and additional
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The stone was cleaned to remove general soil, black gypsum crusts, biological deposits and copper stains. The mortar and sealants in the joints of the marble were replaced and the non-functional bird deterrent system was replaced. General cleaning used low-pressure water and environmentally friendly
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Bartholdi Park, a two-acre historic park in the USBG jurisdiction was developed in 1932 and is located south of the USBG Conservatory. For the last 85 years, Bartholdi Park has served as a demonstration garden where visitors can learn the latest horticultural techniques translatable to their home
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The Architect of the Capitol's work to improve the accessible pathway for the Capitol campus and meet standards set by the Americans with Disabilities Act. Work around the House, Senate and Library buildings is complete.
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Mountains and Clouds, installed in the Hart Senate Office Building Atrium in 1986, was the last work of Alexander Calder (1898-1976), one of America's greatest twentieth-century sculptors. This sculpture, his only work with a separate mobile and stabile, consists of four organically shaped clouds
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In December 2014, the Architect of the Capitol (AOC) began replacing the roof and 180 skylights and upgrading the fall protection system on the Hart Senate Office Building. The roof and skylights, which were installed in 1982, had reached the end of their useful life and, over time, had allowed
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In 2017 the Architect of the Capitol completed a long-term conservation effort to restore the murals of the Brumidi Corridors on the first floor of the U.S. Capitol's Senate wing. The corridors designed and painted by Constantino Brumidi, and other artists, from 1857 to 1859, are intricately
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The AOC has identified areas throughout the Capitol that contain historic paint colors or decoration that need restoration. In many of these areas the plaster has cracked under the stress and weight of multiple paint layers, a result of decades of repainting wall and ceiling surfaces. These areas