In the process of building the CVC, the East Grounds of the Capitol will be substantially improved. The asphalt parking lot will be replaced by a gracious granite plaza offering places to sit and reflecting pools; more trees will be planted than are removed as part of the project; pedestrians will no longer be forced to compete with cars and trucks to enter the Capitol; and many of the views of the Capitol will be restored to the 1874 vision of Frederick Law Olmsted. Although some trees must be removed for the project, only 14 East Front memorial trees are directly affected by construction. Six of these will be removed and replaced in February and March 2002, and the other eight memorial trees were successfully transplanted in December 2001. The last and largest of the transplanted trees was the Liberty Tree Seedling, planted by Senator Charles Mathias in 1978. The Liberty Tree Seedling is the offspring of the original Liberty Tree in Annapolis, Md. That 400-year-old tree was cut down in 1999 after it suffered severe damage from a storm. The move of the Liberty Tree Seedling on the East Grounds of the Capitol generated significant attention in the press, including stories in the Washington Times, the Baltimore Sun, and a front page story in the Sunday edition of the Washington Post on Dec. 16, 2001. Arborists have obtained cuttings from all 14 trees in order to replant those that are lost in other locations on the Capitol grounds. If these efforts fail, the usual procedure to replace a memorial tree that dies a natural death will be followed – an excellent, robust specimen, usually of the same species, will become the replacement memorial tree. In regard to non-memorial trees, most of those affected are tulip poplars along East Capitol Street, and many of these are near the end of their natural lifespan. These trees will be replaced with 15-to-20-foot tulip poplars in a manner that restores the original intention of landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted. Overall, there will be more trees replaced on the Capitol Grounds than are lost during construction. Most of the 99 memorial trees on the Capitol Grounds will not be directly affected by the project. Those not affected include the Lady Bird Johnson Kousa dogwood tree, a pair of oaks planted in honor of two former Speakers, and five crab apple trees planted to honor the Sullivan brothers. Others will be among the eight moved, including the Pat Nixon magnolia, the Liberty Elm, the Speaker Albert redbud, and the Martin Luther King Jr. "elm." (Actually, this elm died of natural causes and was replaced in 1993 by a zelkova, and the Speaker Albert redbud is a replacement for the original memorial tree that also died, which highlights the fact that all these trees have finite life spans).
Capitol Visitor Center Tree Facts
Overall Tree Numbers
Total Trees on Capitol Square: | 920 | Total Trees on East Front: | 346 | Total Trees to be Cut: | 68 | Total Trees to be Transplanted: | 8 | Total New Trees to be Planted: | 85 |
Memorial Tree Numbers Total Memorial Trees on Capitol Square: | 99 | Total Memorial Trees on East Front: | 85 | Total Memorial Trees Affected: | 14 | Memorial Trees to be Transplanted: | 8 | Memorial Trees to be Cut (maximum): | 6 |
Eight Memorial Trees to be Transplanted
- Southern Magnolia - Magnolia grandiflora - planted April 10, 1973 - gift from the Ladies of the Senate to Mrs. Richard Nixon
- Tulip Poplar - Liriodendron tulipifera - planted March 27, 1978 - Liberty Tree seedling - sponsor Sen. Charles Mathias)
- Tulip Poplar - Liriodendron tulipifera - planted May 26, 1981 - South Carolina Forestry Assoc. - sponsor Sen. Strom Thurmond)
- Japanese Zelkova - Zelkova serrata - originally was an American Elm Planted January 9, 1984 – died/transplanted Zelkova as replacement 1993 - in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
- Tulip Poplar - Liriodendron tulipifera - planted May 29, 1986 - in honor of Rep. Barber B. Conable, Jr.
- Little Leaf Linden - Tilia cordata - planted July 14, 1987 - in memory of Sen. Edward Zorinsky - Planted by Mrs. Edward Zorinsky
- Liberty Elm - Ulmus americana `Libertas' - planted October 22, 1993 - State of Massachusetts - sponsor Sen. Edward Kennedy
- Redbud - Cercis canadensis - originally planted December 9, 1976 – died/ replanted October 14, 1992 - in honor of Speaker Carl Albert
Memorial Trees to be Removed and Replaced - Red Oak - Quercus rubra - planted November 18, 1963 - in honor of Rep. James C. Auchincloss (New Jersey) - in fair condition but is in decline and has a lot of dieback
- Sugar Maple - Acer saccharum - planted April 2, 1973 - State of Wisconsin - sponsor Sen. Gaylord Nelson) - in very good condition, and we are looking into the possibility of moving it
- Hybrid "Autumn Gold" Elm - Ulmus sapporo 'Autumn Gold' - planted April 29, 1977 - National Arbor Day - sponsors Rep. Hamilton Fish, Sen. Jacob K. Javits and Rep. Frederick W. Richmond - in good condition; although it is likely to be immovable due to location and size, we are looking into the possibility of moving it
- Sugar Maple - Acer saccharum - planted December 4, 1980 - in honor of retirement of Rep. Harley O. Staggers - sponsor Rep. John Dingell - in fair condition and has basal decay (trunk damage and decay at base of tree)
- Pin Oak - Quercus palustris - Planted 1917 - Rep. Joseph Taggart - in poor condition and in decline
- Hickory - Carya tomentosa - Planted 1918 - Vice President Thomas Marshall - in poor condition and in decline, marked by an acute lean
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