Special Exhibit Highlight: Presidential Inaugurations

This video features Architect of the Capitol Thomas E. Austin describing how the platform was built for the 2025 inaugural and the ceremony commemorating the first nail to mark this historic event at the U.S. Capitol.

You can see this piece of history in the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center's special exhibit, "The Nation's Stage," from now until January 2026.

Transcript

Hi, my name is Tom Austin. I'm the 13th Architect of the Capitol. I'm standing here in Exhibition Hall as part of the Capitol Visitor Center here at the United States Capitol.

What I'm holding in my hand is the hammer that I used during the First Nail Ceremony as part of our 60th presidential inauguration.

The First Nail Ceremony is the ceremonial beginning of the construction for the inauguration platform. The inauguration platform takes a little over a year in design. It takes about six months to build.

Overall, just a few statistics about the inauguration platform itself, it uses 110,000 linear feet of dimensional lumber. So, if you were to line all that up end to end, that would stretch from here at the United States Capitol, all the way to Fort Meade in Maryland.

Over half a million nails, 160,000 pounds of scaffolding and bleachers, and over 1200 gallons of paint.

The First Nail Ceremony, which was done September 18th, 2024, included both myself as the Architect of the Capitol, as well as Senator Amy Klobuchar, who is the chairperson of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies.

Joining her was the ranking member on that same committee, Senator Fischer, as well as the Majority Leader of the Senate, Senator Charles Schumer. From the House side, we had Speaker of the House Johnson as well as Majority Leader Scalise and Minority Leader Jeffries.

So, I'm the 13th Architect of the Capitol, and the Architect the Capitol goes back to 1793, so having only being 13 of them obviously is quite an honor.

By the time the First Nail Ceremony came around, I'd only been in the position for less than three months, and knowing that I'd be out there as part of the process to the beginning of the 60th presidential inauguration was certainly an honor, but also certainly made somewhat anxious and really kind of put in perspective where I'd be as this small piece of history.

If you'd like to come here and see this hammer in person or any of other exhibits, you can come here to the Capitol Visitor Center. It will be on display as part of our exhibit, "The Nation's Stage," from now until January 2026.