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1. How do I arrange a tour of the Capitol?
Since the staff of the CVC Project Office are responsible for the design and construction of the Capitol Visitor Center, we cannot arrange tours of the Capitol or of related facilities. If you are interested in visiting the Capitol, please see our Visiting the Capitol page or contact the Capitol Guide Service at 202-225-6827. BACK TO TOP
2. How many visitors come to take a tour of the Capitol every year?
The level of tourism to our nation’s Capitol has dramatically increased from one million in 1970 to more than three million in 2000. Although this amount slightly dropped after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, gains have been made every successive year and the amount is again nearly 3 million. BACK TO TOP
3. When did Congress ceremonially break ground for the CVC?
On June 20, 2000, members of the Capitol Preservation Commission—the guiding board of Congressional leaders who spearheaded the CVC initiative on behalf of the entire U.S. Congress—ceremonially broke ground to signal the beginning of a process that will culminate when the CVC opens its doors to the public. BACK TO TOP
4. What is the size of the CVC?
When completed, the CVC will contain 580,000 square feet on three levels, which required a 193,000-square-foot excavation, or “footprint”. For purposes of comparison, the Capitol itself encompasses 775,000 square feet. The CVC, therefore, is roughly three quarters the size of the Capitol building. It should be noted that the CVC project encompasses 170,000 square feet of new building space for the House and Senate. BACK TO TOP
5. When did excavation begin and when was it completed?
Major excavation of the East Front Plaza began in August of 2002. Over 60,000 truckloads of soil, or approximately 600,000 cubic yards of soil and rubble, were removed by the time excavation was complete in January 2004. BACK TO TOP
6. How is the historic Frederick Law Olmsted landscape being preserved?
To the largest extent possible, the CVC design sought to preserve the historic East Capitol Grounds designed in 1874 by the renowned landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted. More trees will be planted than were removed and the grand views of the Capitol Dome will be restored along gently sloping and curving pathways leading visitors graciously to the CVC entrances. All of the historic “hardscape” features, including lanterns, fountains and retaining walls were carefully removed before construction began. Each landscape element will be returned to its original location and all fountains and lanterns will become fully operational. In addition, a full-time tree preservation contractor has been hired to monitor and care for the trees throughout construction. A total of 85 trees will be planted to replace the 68 trees that were removed and to re-establish the tree-framed views of the Capitol created by the Olmsted plan. BACK TO TOP
7. How many workers are on site during the day?
The day-to-day total of construction workers varies due to the large nature of the project and the numerous trades on site at any given time. On an average day, however, there are roughly 200-250 workers scattered on all three levels of the facility and the roof deck. Most of the work takes place inside the CVC, although there are still visible workers on the plaza level, where masons continue to install granite pavers while a historic preservation contractor re-assembles the stones for the original Frederick Law Olmsted fountains and lanterns. BACK TO TOP
8. What is the total cost of the CVC?
The overall project budget is $621 million. That includes a base budget of $265 million for the core visitor center facility, which includes a new truck tunnel and other functional improvements inside the Capitol; $38.5 million for security enhancements (added after 9/11); $70 million added in November 2001 to complete the build-out and finishes in House and Senate expansion space, and $33 million added in April 2003 for other security improvements. In September 2003, Congress appropriated $48 million to accommodate all of the ancillary costs associated with executing the more than $140 million in new construction work added after 9/11, including additional management costs, increases in security requirements and additional contingencies. These funds also covered additional costs incurred during the pre-construction phase of the project and delays related to unforeseen conditions and utility relocation efforts. Congress appropriated additional funds to cover AOC administration and construction management fees, design and construction administration, CVC exhibits, additional contingency, technical security, equipment purchases, and anticipated delay costs for the Sequence 2 contract as a result of the 10-month delay in the Sequence 1 contract. BACK TO TOP
9. Was anything of historical significance discovered during excavation?
Nothing of a significant historical nature was discovered during excavation. The project architect, RTKL, hired an archaeological consultant to research the history of the grounds and to conduct surveys of Capitol Hill, formerly Jenkin’s Hill, prior to the start of construction. The research showed that Capitol Grounds were occupied to some extent by sub-tribes of the Algonquin Indians during colonial days, but research indicated that most of the tribal activities did not occur on the “hill” but closer to the Potomac River.
It should be noted that the grounds surrounding the Capitol were also heavily forested when construction began in 1793. In fact, when Frederick Law Olmsted submitted his landscape plan for the Capitol in 1874, he called for the removal of more than 400 trees in order to transform the grounds into a park-like setting and to establish grand views of the Capitol along tree-lined promenades.
The East Capitol Grounds were also used by the Union Army during the Civil War to stage materials and artillery and to tend to wounded soldiers. More than 3,000 cots were set up in the Capitol itself and the building was temporarily transformed into a hospital during the height of the war in 1862. It might have been expected that some remnants of the Civil War might be found on the Capitol Grounds during the construction process. However, when Olmsted began to implement his landscape plan 10 years later, nearly 300,000 cubic yards of soil was removed, probably taking with it any items left on the grounds by Union soldiers.
Finally, from 1958-1962, the East Front of the Capitol was extended 32 feet, requiring a 70-foot deep excavation along the entire east face of the Capitol between the House and Senate wings. Whatever historical items might have remained following the Olmsted work during the 1870s was probably lost for good during the work to extend the East Front. BACK TO TOP
10. Did the Capitol building move during construction?
The Capitol building structure was closely monitored during the excavation process and no movement was detected. To monitor the structure, small metal rods were inserted into the existing structure at more than 100 locations throughout the Capitol. Measurements were made between the rods and nearby locations to establish baseline relationships. Extremely precise measurements were then taken from the same locations throughout the excavation process to see if the relationship between the two points had changed in any way. The distance relationships at all 100 locations never changed.
It is important to note that before excavation began, the perimeter wall of the Visitor Center was constructed and built into the ground in a process known as slurry wall construction. To build the perimeter wall, a large “clam-shell” rig was used to excavate a trench that measured three feet wide, 15 feet long, and 70 feet deep. As soil was removed, a muddy, watery mixture called slurry was poured into the trench to maintain the stability of the trench walls. The slurry acted as a diaphragm and prevented the soil walls from collapsing as excavation reached the depth of 70-feet. With the trench excavated, crews placed a pre-assembled 22-ton steel rebar cage into the trench. In the final step, concrete was then pumped though the rebar cage and into the bottom of the trench. As the concrete rose to the top, the slurry was displaced and used again for the adjacent trench. A concrete wall in the ground was created. Crews then moved to the next 15-foot panel and repeated the process until approximately 2,000 linear feet of perimeter wall was established. With the perimeter wall in place, excavation began inside it. Once crews reached a depth of approximately 15 feet, 110-foot-long tie-backs were drilled through the wall anchoring it to the surrounding terrain. This was repeated when the depth reached 30 feet and then again at 45 feet. In all, 494 tie-backs were installed through the perimeter wall ensuring it’s stability against the tremendous pressure exerted on it by the weight of the Capitol and the surrounding earth. BACK TO TOP
11. How many people can fit in the CVC at one time?
Approximately 4,000 people can comfortably fit in the CVC at one time. Everyone who enters the CVC will be able to enjoy the many amenities that the facility will offer, including a 550 seat cafeteria, two gift shops, an Exhibition Hall and 26 restrooms in an atmosphere of free and open access. BACK TO TOP
12. When the CVC opens, can my company rent rooms in the new facility?
The CVC will not be available for rental by a private event planning company once it opens. Any event that will be held in the CVC will need to be sponsored by a Member of Congress. Ultimately, the same rules that apply to the Capitol building will apply to the CVC. BACK TO TOP
13. Why is the new Capitol Visitor Center being constructed underground below the East Front of the Capitol?
The Capitol Visitor Center is located underground, adjacent to and connected with the U.S. Capitol, for several key reasons. - Most of the U.S. Capitol dates back more than 140 years. It needs upgrading and modernization that would be impossible to perform in the structure itself without substantially altering its appearance and historic architectural integrity.
- Building underground allows the visitor center to be largely invisible from an exterior perspective, thereby complimenting and enhancing, but not competing with the existing Capitol building.
- Building adjacent to the U.S. Capitol allows the aesthetics, as well as the functioning, of the U.S. Capitol to be improved in the most appropriate manner. BACK TO TOP
14. Why do the Capitol Grounds have to be disturbed during construction of the Capitol Visitor Center?
The Capitol Visitor Center was carefully designed to minimize adverse effects on the U.S. Capitol and its historic grounds during construction, and to improve them both aesthetically and functionally upon completion. The project was designed to occupy the area beneath the existing asphalt parking lot without any major impact on areas of the grounds other than the areas flanking the East Capitol Street extension into the Capitol grounds. These areas will accommodate gently sloping entrance ramps, 34 newly planted trees, which will provide a canopy over two stepped walkways, and two new monumental stairs adjacent to the CVC entrances. Click here to read about the Historic Landscape and Tree Preservation associated with the building of the CVC. BACK TO TOP |
