FEATURE: 

FALLING INTO SPRING

THEN & NOW:

MADISON BUILDING

HISTORIC FIRSTS:

CAPITOL HILL 

ELEVATORS VOLUME 4 SPRING 2017
4

THEN & NOW:

 A look back at the founding 

of the Madison Building.

HISTORIC FIRSTS:

A celebration of the passenger 

elevator’s birthday leads to a 

search for our own historic 

first elevator. 

YEAR IN REVIEW:

Highlights of the 

important restoration 

work concluded in 2016.

10

the U.S. Capitol Grounds. 

Feature: Cherry blossoms usher in spring on 

Photo by Chuck Badal12

6

In This Issue

1 ARCHITECT’S NOTEBOOK 

 2 YEAR IN REVIEW

 2016 projects

 6 HISTORIC FIRSTS

 Capitol Hill Elevators

 10 THEN & NOW

 Madison Building 

12 FEATURE

 Capitol Grounds: 

Falling into Spring 

 18 DOING GOOD

 A Supreme Choice for

 Developing Area Youth

 20 BY THE NUMBERS

 Senate Fountain

COVER: The newly restored Dome at dawn. 

Photo by James Rosenthal

2
THOLOS • SPRING 2017 1

A

s many of you know, I love birds. I made the 

mistake of announcing at a meeting some time 

ago that I occasionally listen to CDs of bird 

calls and songs as I drive to and from work. 

Most of you have made fun of me since then, while a few 

other bird enthusiasts have secretly come forward. 

I live near the Chesapeake Bay, which is a magnificent 

place if you are a birder. About a million swans, geese and 

ducks spend their winters on the Bay, while several others 

use it as a place to refuel as they migrate in the spring 

and fall. 

One of the grandest birds on the Bay, and also one of 

my favorites, is the great blue heron. I love their beautiful 

steel blue color with hints of white, yellow and gray. Their 

ability to stand quietly and motionless is amazing. It also 

allows them to remain stealthy hunters and one of the 

Bay’s top predators. 

At up to four feet tall, they are big birds, and when 

they fly it’s hard to believe they can get airborne. They are 

both beautiful and majestic creatures. 

Our grand U.S. Capitol Building is both beautiful and 

majestic as well. To me it’s only fitting that Frederick Law 

Olmsted, landscape architect of the U.S. Capitol Grounds, 

ARCHITECT’S NOTEBOOK 

Design with Purpose 

had a heron carved in stone at the focal point, the central 

fountain, in the perimeter wall surrounding Capitol 

Square. As one approaches the fountain, it’s easy to sense 

that this is both a great place and a place of greats. 

I can imagine weary travelers approaching the U.S. 

Capitol from the west, eager for a refreshing drink of 

water from the fountain. Then as they look up, seeing 

the stately heron carved in stone before looking up a bit 

further to see our splendid U.S. Capitol Building.

To me, Olmsted’s selection of what image to carve 

was purposeful, and when images reinforce one another 

a sense of order and purpose are present. This sense of 

order and balance are comforting to me. 

I hope you’re able to take in some of the finer details 

around our beautiful campus this spring as the flowers 

and fountains burst to life. t

Stephen T. Ayers, FAIA, LEED AP

Architect of the Capitol

Photos by Chuck Badal
2 THOLOS • SPRING 2017

PROJECTS

2016

Photo by Chuck Badal
THOLOS • SPRING 2017 3

HVAC employees climb this 

spiral staircase to access the 

mechanical space for the 

Coolidge Auditorium. 

DOME

The U.S. Capitol Dome, symbol of American democracy and world-renowned architectural icon, was constructed of 

cast iron more than 150 years ago. The Architect of the Capitol recently completed a multi-year project to completely 

restore the Dome for the first time since 1959-1960. The project consisted of repairing more than 1,000 cracks and 

included the restoration and replacement of cast iron and ornamentation. The exterior paint was removed and 1,215 

gallons of new paint were applied to the Dome from the top down to protect it from corrosion and effects from 

the elements. The project required installing 52 miles of scaffold pipe and two miles of decking, providing access to 

the entire surface of the Dome. As removal of the scaffold commenced, the Dome emerged revealing a return to its 

inspiring splendor. 

Photos by Chuck Badal

YEAR IN REVIEW
4 THOLOS • SPRING 2017

ROTUNDA

The Rotunda is among the most recognizable and hallowed spaces within all of America’s public buildings. Due to the 

extensive exterior damage on the U.S. Capitol Dome, which covers the Rotunda, water had leaked through more than 

1,000 cracks, damaging paint, cast iron, stone and decorative elements. In conjunction with the U.S. Capitol Dome 

Restoration Project, the Architect of the Capitol also began the Rotunda restoration, which focused on removing 

hazardous materials, restoring ironwork, upgrading electrical and mechanical systems, installing new lighting, and 

repainting it to historically appropriate colors. The successful restoration effort concluded in the fall of 2016. 

YEAR IN REVIEW

Photos by Chuck Badal
THOLOS • SPRING 2017 5

GRANT

The Ulysses S. Grant Memorial, by Henry Merwin Shrady, honors the Civil War Commander of the Union Armies 

and two-term President. It sits in Union Square, just west of the U.S. Capitol Building, near the Capitol Reflecting 

Pool. Care of the memorial was transferred to the Architect of the Capitol from the National Park Service in late 

2011. Weather and time had caused significant deterioration to the monument’s surfaces. Architect of the Capitol 

staff developed a preservation strategy, and efforts to restore the Grant Memorial to its original condition began in 

2015. Restoration work included removing disfiguring corrosion, recasting over 150 missing or broken pieces, and 

refurbishing the marble plinths. Completed in 2016, the work on the bronze components and marble pedestals allows 

visitors to once again see the delicate details of the captivating sculpture. This spring, additional work on the memorial 

will include stone restoration, replacing missing lamp posts, waterproofing and utility upgrades. t

YEAR IN REVIEW

Photos by Susanne Bledsoe
6 THOLOS • SPRING 2017

One of 330 Capitol Hill 

elevators maintained 

by the AOC. 

Capitol 

Hill 

Elevators

WRITTEN BY ERIN NELSON • PHOTOS BY CHUCK BADAL
THOLOS • SPRING 2017 7

Given our current detailed record keeping of 

projects, it’s hard to imagine a time when such 

a historic moment passed with so little fanfare. 

Today, preservation consumes the work days of many 

Architect of the Capitol (AOC) employees. Projects large 

and small are carefully documented in detail to ensure the 

historic integrity of the Capitol campus is not lost. Future 

generations will be able to learn all about our modern-day 

projects, but unfortunately, as I learned, detailed record 

keeping was not high on one’s priority list in the 1800s. 

Where to begin when searching for historic facts? In 

2017 the answer is Google. It led to our own website, 

www.AOC.gov, and my first clue: “In 1873 the first 

elevator was installed...”

I had a year, but not much else. I skimmed a few 

books about the history of the U.S. Capitol and learned 

that the first elevator was installed in the Senate Wing, 

but nothing detailed its exact location. I would have 

to leave Google and modern research to return to a 

time when paper was king, and no one has more paper 

than the Records Management and Archives Branch. I 

spent hours carefully sifting through letters, newspaper 

clippings and vouchers from the 1800s. 

Correspondence dating back to 1871-1873 revealed 

obvious interest from several companies hoping to be 

chosen to install the prominent building’s first elevator. 

Before I started my research for this article, I had already outlined it in my head. 

An introduction highlighting the 160th birthday of the passenger elevator followed 

by a short summary of our own first passenger elevator. As I explored the history 

of the first Capitol Hill elevator, I soon discovered its location was a mystery. 

In the end, Leonard Atwood was awarded the contract. 

Records show the total cost of installation was $8,259.21. 

While records related to the elevator’s expenses were 

meticulously kept, its exact position remained a mystery. 

I read Glenn Brown’s “History of the United States 

Capitol” and found my next clue: “For a discussion of the 

historical development of elevator service in the Capitol, 

see... Annual Report of the Architect of the Capitol 

for the Fiscal year Ended June 30, 1934.” That seemed 

promising, but where would one find these reports? 

Perhaps the Curator would know. 

Standing in the Curator’s Office, Vicky Villano, 

Curatorial Assistant, pointed to the books behind her desk. 

The annual reports lined several shelves, starting with the 

HISTORIC FIRSTS

TOP RIGHT: Correspondence from the 1800s revealed several 

companies were eager to be selected to install the prominent 

building’s first elevator.

LEFT: Erin Nelson (left) and Vicky Villano search the Architect’s 

Annual Reports for clues to the location of the U.S. Capitol’s first 

elevator.
8 THOLOS • SPRING 2017

with a hydraulic elevator. It’s location: “Senate Wing.” 

Another dead end. 

I know very little about elevators, but thought it might 

be possible for a remnant of a screw elevator to still 

exist. I turned to the Capitol Building’s 

Elevator Division. 

Scott Luketich, Supervisor of the 

Capitol’s Elevator Division, informed me 

that any elements of past elevators would 

not have survived, but he had a guess for 

the first elevator’s location. “I believe it 

would have been elevator S1. I will do a 

little more research and let you know if I 

find more information,” he said. 

The Elevator Division’s records 

only went back to 1957 — a long way 

from 1873. Luketich and I returned to 

the Curator’s Office to see if we could 

narrow down the U.S. Capitol’s footprint 

in 1873. With the building’s extensions 

completed in the 1860s, we weren’t able 

to narrow down our search area by much. 

Curator Michele Cohen took another look at the 1934 

annual report as Luketich unrolled his map of elevators. 

The report gave enough details to guess the location of 

elevators installed in the 1880s, but the location of that 

first elevator remained out of reach. 

“What about floor plans?” Cohen asked. I had not seen 

many floor plans in the archived files, and the ones I had 

seen did not include elevators. She pulled a black binder 

of historic floor plans from a shelf directly under the 

annual reports. 

1871, 1872. There was no floor plan for 1873. At this 

point, I felt like my search might be nearing its end. 1874, 

1875, 1876. No elevator reference. I decided to keep 

going until I found the first one. Perhaps I could then 

narrow down the list — but I wouldn’t have to. 

1877. There it was. The only one. The first one.

“31. Elevator.”

Luketich and I searched for 31 on the map of rooms. 

At first glance and after an even harder second look, it 

appeared to be missing. And then I saw it. The number, 

far smaller than the other room numbers, was almost 

hidden away in a hallway corner. 

“The location of 31 is S1,” Luketich said. His 

HISTORIC FIRSTS

very first one published in 1850. She had already pulled 

the 1934 report and marked the section on elevators, 

which stated that previous reports had not covered elevator 

service in great detail. In an attempt to capture the history 

of elevators, the 1934 report had included a summary of 

elevator references and their history. 

The first elevator reference did not appear until 1876, 

which details the unbearable noise the screw elevator 

caused when running and, due to the noise, was replaced 

Correspondence and a 

voucher from Leonard 

Atwood, who was selected 

to install the U.S. Capitol’s 

first elevator. 

Scott Luketich searches records from the Elevator Division. 
THOLOS • SPRING 2017 9

assumption had been right from the start. 

It’s hard to imagine the U.S. Capitol Building without 

lights, heat, air conditioning and elevators, but plans for 

the building were made without those items in mind. 

Adding them in required a disruption of the spaces they 

would occupy, though one would never notice today. S1 

begins at the basement level near the Senate Carry Out. 

As it climbs up to the third floor, it occupies space that 

once included hallways, a Minton tile floor and a window 

overlooking the National Mall. 

History may have relegated our first elevator to a 

simple “31” on an old floor plan, but elevators are now a 

central component of U.S. Capitol Hill buildings. Today, 

the Architect of the Capitol maintains 330 elevators 

across the campus, and it’s hard to imagine our buildings 

— and work days — without them. 

The U.S. Capitol Building has continued to expand 

and evolve over the decades, allowing for the installation 

of modern conveniences while remaining one of the 

world’s most iconic structures. Working on Capitol Hill 

often provides AOC employees with a front row seat to 

the history unfolding around us. It’s easy to forget there 

is so much more history tucked away — in long forgotten 

reports, walls and even an elevator shaft — just waiting to 

be rediscovered. t

HISTORIC FIRSTS

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Erin Nelson, Michele Cohen 

and Scott Luketich review old floor plans. 

This 1877 floor plan shows the location of the first elevator on 

the Capitol campus marked with a “31.”

31, or S1 as it’s known today, was added after the U.S. Capitol 

Building was built, covering the window that still exists at 

what was once the end of a hallway. 
10 THOLOS • SPRING 2017

A

t that time, you would find 

cobbler shops, doctors’ offices 

and restaurants, like the Little 

Tavern, famous for its five-cent 

hamburgers. Recalling that time, a 

cobbler’s granddaughter remembered 

looking down on the staging area for 

inauguration parades from the iron 

balcony outside her grandparents’ 

house above their store.

For 25 cents a week, you could 

Madison Building

WRITTEN BY FRANKLIN BRADLEY

For $75 a month, you could rent a Capitol Hill apartment across the 

street from the magnificent Thomas Jefferson Building in a quiet neighborhood 

with tree-lined brick sidewalks, broad alleys and neighbors who could be laborers, 

lawyers or congressmen. At least, you could 60 years ago.

have a paperboy deliver the TimesHerald twice daily — Times 

in the evening, Herald in the 

morning. As the years passed and 

the neighborhood developed, your 

paperboy, Jerre Ness, would grow 

up to work for the Architect of 

the Capitol as a supervisor during 

construction of the new Library 

of Congress building on the block 

across from the Jefferson Building 

that once held apartments, shops and 

restaurants.

That building is the James 

Madison Memorial Building, the 

largest library structure in the world, 

containing 1.5 million square feet 

of space. In addition, the Madison 

Building is the nation’s memorial to 

the father of the U.S. Constitution 

and the Bill of Rights and the fourth 

president of the United States.

Photo by Susanne Bledsoe
THOLOS • SPRING 2017 11

Original plans were for a separate 

memorial to occupy the block 

the building now sits on. The 

library building, housing the everexpanding collection of newspapers, 

magazines and books, would be 

located farther east, on a block 

containing the historic St. Mark’s 

Episcopal Church. Initial drawings 

show that the church would be 

preserved, with the library building 

wrapped around it. The memorial is 

shown as a simple classical building 

with Corinthian porticoes on each of 

its sides surrounded by a large park. 

The final design, however, placed 

a memorial hall with a monumental 

statue of Madison within the 

Madison that resides just behind the 

colonnade in a memorial alcove.

Madison considered the 

preservation of knowledge essential 

to democracies and, in 1783, foresaw 

the founding of the library by 

proposing a list of books that would 

be useful to legislators. He wrote 

that, “A people who mean to be their 

own governors must arm themselves 

with the power which knowledge 

gives.” This is inscribed at the 

entrance to the Madison Building, 

which continues to honor his legacy 

by arming people with knowledge 

that empowers them to preserve the 

democracy he helped design. t

THEN & NOW

building, allowing construction to 

begin immediately, saving time and 

money and preserving more of the 

historic Capitol Hill neighborhood. 

The Madison Building opened its 

doors in 1980, enabling the Library 

of Congress to expand its work to 

protect and preserve our nation’s 

cultural treasures. Fitting, then, 

that the spacious new building was 

designed by the architecture firm 

of Roscoe DeWitt, who himself 

preserved the treasures of Europe 

while under enemy fire during 

World War II, as a Monuments 

Man. His comrade in arts, another 

Monuments Man, Walker K. 

Hancock, sculpted the statue of 

TOP ROW, LEFT: One original plan for the Madison Building had it in another location, wrapped around a historic church. RIGHT: Once 

envisioned as a simple building, the Madison Memorial was integrated into the library building, honoring the Founding Father who first 

listed books useful to legislators, a harbinger of the Library of Congress.

BOTTOM ROW, LEFT: A view of the block where the Madison Building now stands. Children would watch inauguration parade 

preparations from the iron balcony above the cobbler shop in the tallest building pictured. Photo by George Holmes MIDDLE & RIGHT: 

Scenes from construction. Photos by Harry Burnett, Jr. 
12 THOLOS • SPRING 2017

Photo by Chuck Badal
Spring WRITTEN BY ERIN COURTNEY 

FALLING

INTO

Spring is the season of new beginnings when the Earth 

seems to come to life again. But it is the year-round planning, 

preparation and hard work of the Capitol Grounds team 

that ensures buds bloom, vibrant colors delight and fragrant 

flowers excite the senses on Capitol Hill. 

THOLOS • SPRING 2017 13
14 THOLOS • SPRING 2017

FEATURE

T

ed Bechtol, Capitol Grounds Superintendent, 

says fall preparations for the spring make autumn 

one of the busiest times of the year for his team. 

The work that Capitol Grounds does during the 

fall helps to create a beautiful campus in the spring that 

is popping with color and bursting with a healthy, robust 

glow. “Our gardeners pull, till and amend more than 160 

flower beds and plant springtime bulbs. Our maintenance 

shop is busy hauling materials for the gardeners, cleaning 

and making repairs to fountains, and servicing the Capitol 

Reflecting Pool. And our tree care specialists are preparing 

recently planted campus trees to not only survive cold 

weather but thrive in the warmer months,” said Bechtol.

Ralph LoJacono, Supervisor of the Gardening Division, 

is constantly watching the weather, the calendar and the 

clock during the late summer and fall months. “Timing is 

essential for us. I begin ordering approximately 110,000 

bulbs in August for fall planting. Our team is trying to 

clear thousands of leaves from flower beds while also 

planting bulbs and doing turf work. At the same time, 

Photo by Susanne Bledsoe

Photo by Chuck Badal
THOLOS • SPRING 2017 15

we’re busy aerating the turf lawns, seeding, sodding and 

doing light organic fertilization and mulching throughout 

the campus,” said LoJacono. 

The flower bed color palettes are themed, blooms in 

2017 will be patriotic colors — reds, blues and accents of 

white — in a nod to the 58th Presidential Inauguration. 

“We get comments on the colors, and we take those into 

account for future color palettes,” said LoJacono. Tourists, 

congressional staff and even members of Congress notice 

the floral displays and share their likes — and dislikes — 

with the Capitol Grounds team. To time a peak bloom 

period, the Gardening Division also considers types of 

bulbs that bloom earlier, watering needs and warmer 

locations on campus (the House-side of the U.S. Capitol 

Building gets more sun). 

Milton Lee Dennis, Supervisor of the Maintenance 

Division, coordinates with his colleagues to haul old 

organic materials off campus and truck in new materials 

and support supplies in preparation for the spring. His 

team, which consists of masons, plumbers and heavy 

equipment operators, is also busy preparing the fountains 

and the Capitol Reflecting Pool. “The fountains are highmaintenance. We clean the smaller fountains twice a 

week in the spring, summer and fall to remove particulate 

matter, maintain water flows and clean stains. But our 

biggest challenge is the Capitol Reflecting Pool,” said 

Dennis.

The Maintenance Division drains and cleans the 

Reflecting Pool in the fall with heavy equipment to 

remove the sludge that collects throughout the year. 

This annual rite of passage ensures that the water in the 

Reflecting Pool will sparkle and delight visitors — and 

ducks — in the spring. Capitol irrigation systems are 

flushed and winterized and catch basins are cleaned 

— repeatedly — to ensure proper drainage on the 

campus. The division also ensures leaf piles are removed 

and stored for future fertilizing needs; oversees snow 

preparations, including purchasing salt, ice melt and 

repairing snow removal equipment; and coordinating the 

winter fuel supply, all of which happen in the fall. This 

preparatory work creates a safe campus for employees and 

congressional staff, as well as visitors, the heaviest volume 

of whom, come to the U.S. Capitol in the spring. 

A central part of the U.S. Capitol’s landscape plan, 

designed by famed Landscape Architect Frederick Law 

FEATURE

The dedicated efforts of the Capitol Grounds team is evident to 

all who visit the Capitol campus.

Photo by Chuck Badal

Photo by Chuck Badal

Photo by Erin Courtney Photo by Chuck Badal

Photo by Susanne Bledsoe
16 THOLOS • SPRING 2017

Olmsted, are trees. The delicate swaying of tree tops 

throughout Capitol Hill offer a picturesque counterpoint 

to the U.S. Capitol Building’s formal architecture. Many 

of the trees on the grounds bear special plaques that 

identify their species and their historic significance.

Throughout the year, trees lose vital nutrients in 

the soil. Capitol Grounds applies fertilizer to the soil 

across campus that helps the trees replace nutrients and 

improves resistance to disease, insects and weather. They 

also make sure that trees are well hydrated and trimmed. 

Members of the Tree Care Branch monitor the trees 

carefully year-round. As autumn approaches, the team 

pays special attention to any potential issues that limit a 

tree’s success in surviving the winter. 

Regular pruning of existing trees, for example, helps 

them withstand the added weight of snow and ice during 

the winter and thrive in the spring and summer months. 

This drawing shows the arrangement of drives, paths, trees, 

fountains and terraces that Frederick Law Olmsted created at 

the U.S. Capitol beginning in 1874.

On the 274-acre U.S. Capitol Grounds, there are more than 4,300 trees cared for by the Capitol Grounds team. Photo by Lanvi Nguyen
THOLOS • SPRING 2017 17

“Throughout the year, we regularly prune campus trees 

to keep them healthy,” said Rick Prince, Supervisor of the 

Tree Care Branch. Pruning of the Osage Orange trees 

are particularly important. The curious-looking oranges 

are heavy, hard and can be a safety concern. “We actually 

remove them from the tree on the South West Drive 

because they are a hazard. This usually takes about two 

days for one tree. It is very tedious work. The oranges are 

very heavy and harder than you might expect. We try to 

remove them before they start to fall from that particular 

tree because it’s over a very busy sidewalk,” said Prince. 

Autumn is also an opportune time to plant new trees. 

Temperatures are cooler and the trees are able to build 

root mass before the winter dormancy season. Soon, the 

trees planted in the fall will sprout new life and herald 

the arrival of spring on the Capitol campus. 

The diligent efforts of the Capitol Grounds team is 

evident to all who work and visit the Capitol campus. 

The team’s hard work was recently recognized as the 

U.S. Capitol Grounds became an accredited arboretum. 

The grounds are now listed in the Morton Register of 

Arboreta, a comprehensive list of arboreta and public 

gardens that have a substantial focus on woody plants for 

the benefit of the public, science and conservation.

As warmer temperatures return to the Washington, 

D.C. region, get outside to enjoy and appreciate the 

amazing work of the Capitol Grounds team! t

WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT 

THE U.S. CAPITOL GROUNDS? 

Download the U.S. Capitol Grounds App to your phone and 

explore photos, audio clips and historic details about the trees, 

hardscapes, fountains, special events and more on the Capitol 

campus. Use the map options to study specific features or 

narrow your search for information on a favorite pediment, 

monument or other outdoor detail.

Visit the Apple Store or Google Play to download the app today!

FEATURE

The Osage Orange trees on campus pose a safety concern with 

their heavy, hard oranges. As a result, Capitol Grounds carefully 

prunes them each year. Photo by Lanvi Nguyen
18 THOLOS • SPRING 2017
THOLOS • SPRING 2017 19

“My son came home one 

day and said, ‘Dad, I 

think I’d like to raise 

pigs,’” Evans said. They talked over 

the details and “it turned out to be a 

really good thing.”

Together they joined the 

local chapter of 4-H, a youth 

development organization that 

aims to provide young people with 

hands-on learning experiences. The 

programs themselves are designed 

for children ages 8-18, but there are 

also plenty of opportunities at 4-H 

for adults, and that’s what has kept 

Evans engaged long after his son 

graduated. “We do a lot of public 

service activities,” he said.

Evans spends a week each August 

volunteering with his local 4-H 

chapter at Maryland’s Howard 

County Fair. He reviews livestock 

entries for competitions, making 

sure they are classified correctly, 

and works directly with the kids in 

the 4-H program to weigh in their 

animals and answer any questions 

they may have.

“It’s a great benefit to the kids. It 

teaches them a lot of responsibility 

and is kind of like sports in that they 

learn the good and bad of it, both 

winning and losing. It builds their 

character,” Evans said.

There’s more to 4-H than 

livestock and farm-related projects. 

“There is a whole array of subjects 

that kids can get into,” he said, “from 

sewing projects to public speaking, 

even rocketry and computer science. 

A Supreme Choice for 

Developing Area Youth

WRITTEN BY SARAH BUBLITZ • PHOTO BY DEWITT ROSEBOROUGH 

DOING GOOD

You name it, it’s probably a part of 

4-H.”

The skills and lessons learned 

through 4-H extend far beyond the 

projects completed. The students 

are better prepared for their future 

careers and some eventually get their 

first jobs as a result of their 4-H 

experience. Evans is motivated by 

these rewards of mentorship, “It’s 

nice to see the kids evolve. It’s all 

about their personal growth.” t

What started as a boy’s after-school project request has turned into a man’s mission. 

Joel Evans, Electrician Supervisor for the Architect of the Capitol’s Supreme Court 

jurisdiction, has spent more than 16 years mentoring children with the help of animals. 

“ It’s a great benefit to the kids. It teaches 

them a lot of responsibility and is kind 

of like sports in that they learn the good 

and bad of it, both winning and losing. 

It builds their character.” 

Photo courtesy of Joel Evans
20 THOLOS • SPRING 2017

Senate Fountain 

WRITTEN BY ANDREW DENTAMARO 

One of the overlooked gems on Capitol Hill, the Senate fountain, is nestled between 

Union Station and the U.S. Capitol, atop the Senate upper park. A hexagonal granite 

monolith with high jets of water spouting from its center, the Architect of the Capitol 

received authorization for its construction on March 4, 1929. The fountain was built 

under the direction of Architect of the Capitol David Lynn. It operated for the first time on July 

16, 1932. Designed with many unique features, the main fountain is fabricated of Minnesota Pink 

granite, with a basin of Minnesota Green granite. 

Photo by Susanne Bledsoe
THOLOS • SPRING 2017 21

Number of underwater light fixtures controlled by a computer 

program that repeats every 20 minutes. Safety features include an 

automatic shutoff activated by the water level dropping below the 

surface of any light fixture or by a ground current rising above 5 

milliamps; thus, any danger of shock is removed. 

114

Number of lion-head spouts on the faces of the 

hexagon main basin. Water streams into a large 

circular basin with a scalloped stone rim, over which 

the water spills into a larger oval basin.

6

The fountain’s water is circulated by pumps, 

passing by gravity through a 24-inch cast-iron 

pipe to the lower fountains, before flowing 

to a concrete 30,000-gallon surge tank under 

the section of the terrace containing the 

bubbler fountains. Recirculating pumps ensure 

water conservation, and fresh water is added 

occasionally to replace any losses. 

30,000

The fountain consists of three separate components: the main 

basin, lower level basins and the reflecting pool. From the basin, 

the water is piped underground to three sculpted stone bubbler 

fountains in the north wall of the terrace. From there the water is 

again piped underground to the lower level of the reflecting pool.

3

BY THE NUMBERS

Photo by James Rosenthal 

Photo by Susanne Bledsoe

Photo by Susanne Bledsoe

Photo by Susanne Bledsoe
Communications and Congressional Relations

U.S. Capitol, Room SB-16

Washington, DC 20515

The Architect of the Capitol strives 

to meet its mission 24 hours a day, 

365 days a year to serve Congress 

and the Supreme Court, preserve

America’s Capitol, and inspire

memorable experiences for all who 

visit the buildings and grounds.

Tholos is distributed by the Architect 

of the Capitol primarily for AOC 

employees. Questions regarding 

content and publication should be 

directed to AOC Communications 

and Congressional Relations at 

communications@aoc.gov, 

202.228.1793, or U.S. Capitol, Room 

SB-16, Washington, DC 20515.

JOIN AOC ONLINE:

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www.aoc.gov

Where is this?

Photo by Devin Dotson

Narcissus Answer: Daffodils (

spp.) in bloom at the U.S. Botanic 

Garden’s Bartholdi Park.