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Photograph of Milton Lee Dennis.
Doing Good

Article

Surviving to Thriving

By Erin Courtney
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Having a purpose, even amid profound grief, often sustains people who have experienced unspeakable losses. One AOC employee has found such a purpose, and with it hope and a drive to help others struggling with mental health challenges.

Highlight

The Mayflower Compact, 1620

By Sarah Davis
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The Mayflower Compact, a document signed aboard the ship Mayflower in 1620, set forth principles of tolerance and liberty for the government of a new colony in the New World. Pilgrim leader William Brewster is shown signing the document; John Standish, the colony's military leader, stands at left
A balustrade at the Russell Senate Office Building.
Projects

Article

Covering the Home Team

By Justin Kieffer
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The amount of talent needed for all the projects around the Capitol campus is high, and fortunately the AOC boasts a deep bench of employees.
View of the U.S. Capitol from the West.
Public Notice

Article

U.S. Capitol Grounds Recognized as Level III Arboretum

By AOC Staff
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The U.S. Capitol Grounds has successfully "branched out" as a significant arboretum — its accreditation was recently increased from Level II to Level III by ArbNet.
View of a room inside a building.

Basic page

State of the Union Address

By Sarah Davis
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The Architect of the Capitol (AOC) works behind the scenes to ensure that everything is impeccable for this important event — even the smallest details, like monitoring the temperature to ensure it's comfortable for the hundreds of members, staff and visitors who fill the House Chamber.
The Summerhouse, obscured by the plants, vines and trees of Olmsted's original design, blends into the landscape.
History & Discoveries

Article

Olmsted's Never-Built Retreat

By Franklin Bradley
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Before it was cut from the budget, Olmsted had begun designing a south summerhouse; his sketches for it have been rediscovered.
An Architect of the Capitol street sweeper cleans up in Washington, D.C.
History & Discoveries

Article

The Architect of the Capitol Sweeps Up the Past

By Morgan Green
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When Jim Kaufmann, Capitol Grounds and Arboretum Director, happened across an 1891 street-sweeping map while going through cultural landscape reports, he had no idea how simple an old map could make caring for the U.S. Capitol Grounds.
The team found and collected seeds from the rare Glen Rose yucca (Yucca necopina), native only in a few counties in Texas.
Behind the Scenes

Article

Collecting and Growing Texas Native Plants for Conservation and Climate Change Adaptation

By Devin Dotson
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Throughout 2020 while the United States Botanic Garden was closed to the public, the Horticulture team continued stewarding its plant collection. Several Horticulture team members were paying special attention to a new batch of plants grown from seeds harvested during a plant-collecting trip to
Stone preservation on the U.S. Capitol.
Projects

Article

At the AOC, It's Always Home Improvement Time

By Justin Kieffer
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While most people have one structure to take care of, the Architect of the Capitol (AOC) is hard at work on multiple projects to care for the buildings across Capitol Hill.
Portrait.

Person

Joseph R. DiPietro, PE

By Sarah Davis
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Joseph R. DiPietro is the Chief of Operations and Acting Architect of the Capitol. As Acting Architect, he leads the agency's mission to preserve and maintain the historic buildings and grounds across the Capitol campus.
AGA Certificate of Excellence in Accountability Reporting
Public Notice

Article

A Decade of Excellence – AOC Receives Award for 10th Year in a Row

By AOC Staff
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For the tenth consecutive year, the Architect of the Capitol (AOC) received the Association of Government Accountants' (AGA) prestigious Certificate of Excellence in Accountability Reporting (CEAR) for its Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 Performance and Accountability Report (PAR).

Basic page

Quick Links

By Sarah Davis
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Recently mentioned links on Architect of the Capitol (AOC) social media posts.
Tholos Magazine, Volume 18, Special Edition.
Public Notice

Article

Special Issue of Tholos Magazine Now Available

By AOC Staff
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A new special edition of the Architect of the Capitol (AOC) employee magazine, Tholos, is now available.
A member of the Capitol Grounds and Arboretum team at work in the park above the House office buildings garage.
Behind the Scenes

Article

New Pesticide Recertification Program

By Kate Holder
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Recertifications during the COVID-19 pandemic required a new approach.
Detailed view of stone sculpture.

Project

Stone Preservation on the Capitol Campus

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Stone preservation is a top priority for the Architect of the Capitol (AOC) as nearly every building is enveloped in stone and all have problems.
Map illustration of John Adam's route: 1. Philadelphia 2. Downingtown 3. Lancaster 4. York 5. Frederick 6. Rockville 7. Georgetown *. Final Destination: Washington, D.C.
History & Discoveries

Article

John Adams' Carriage Ride to Washington, D.C., in 1800

By Franklin Bradley
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President John Adams issued a letter to all federal agencies on May 15, 1800, directing the "removal of the public offices, clerks and papers" from the capital city of Philadelphia. In that single sentence, Adams started the final move of the U.S. government to its permanent home, the newly created
Wide angle view of U.S. Capitol Building

Place

U.S. Capitol Building

By Sarah Simpson
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At the U.S. Capitol Building the Senate and the House of Representatives come together to discuss, debate and deliberate national policy; develop consensus; and craft the country's laws.
One of the four Olmsted lanterns on the west side of the U.S. Capitol Grounds, restored in 2020.
Projects

Article

Olmsted Lanterns Restoration

By Kate Holder
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The large bronze and glass lanterns are mounted on stately sandstone piers with intricately carved sandstone caps.
Interior of a building.

Place

Small Senate Rotunda

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In the pre-fire period this elliptical space housed the Senate wing’s main staircase. Benjamin Henry Latrobe remarked to Thomas Jefferson that "it was one of the most remarkable parts of the Capitol."
Crowd in stands.

Place

Senate Chamber

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The nation's 100 senators sit at individual desks arranged on a tiered semicircular platform facing a raised rostrum. A visitor's gallery overlooks the chamber on four sides.
View of the Old Senate Chamber of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.

Place

Old Senate Chamber

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Located north of the Capitol Rotunda is the richly decorated Old Senate Chamber. Designed by Benjamin Henry Latrobe, this room was home to the U.S. Senate from 1819 until 1859 and later to the U.S. Supreme Court from 1860-1935.
Looking straight up in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda.

Place

Capitol Rotunda

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Conceived in the age of neoclassicism, the Rotunda was intended to recall the Pantheon, the ancient Roman temple. Bulfinch created in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda an ambitious orchestration of architecture, sculpture and painting.
View of the Old Supreme Court Chamber in the U.S. Capitol.

Place

Old Supreme Court Chamber

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Built by Benjamin Henry Latrobe, it was a significant architectural achievement, for the size and structure of its vaulted, semicircular ceiling were virtually unprecedented in the United States. In addition to housing the Supreme Court, this space later served as a committee room, a law library, a
Interior of a building.

Place

National Statuary Hall

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National Statuary Hall is one of the most popular rooms in the U.S. Capitol Building. It, and its collection of statuary from individual states, is visited by thousands of tourists each day and continues to be used for ceremonial occasions.
Interior of a building.

Place

Small House Rotunda

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In the south wing, Latrobe created a progression of spaces from the entrance door on the first floor up a grand staircase to the small rotunda in front of the principal doorway leading into the Hall of the House (now called National Statuary Hall).
Crowd in stands.

Place

House Chamber

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The House Chamber, also known as the "Hall of the House of Representatives," is a large assembly room located in the center of the U.S. Capitol's south wing.
Columns in a room with statues.

Place

Hall of Columns

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The hall was constructed in the mid-19th century as part of architect Thomas U. Walter's extension of the Capitol, which added the present House and Senate wings and the dome.
Mural.

Place

Cox Corridors

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The murals and decorations complement those in the Brumidi Corridors in the Senate wing of the U.S. Capitol.
View of the Crypt in the U.S. Capitol.

Place

Capitol Crypt

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This center section of the building was completed in 1827 under the direction of the third Architect of the Capitol, Charles Bulfinch.
Crowd in a room.

Place

U.S. Capitol Visitor Center

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The U.S. Capitol Visitor Center is the newest addition to the historic Capitol Complex. At nearly 580,000 square feet, the Visitor Center is the largest project in the Capitol's more than two-century history and is approximately three-quarters the size of the Capitol itself.