VOLUME 6 FALL 2017

FEATURE: 

SOWING THE SEEDS 

OF VICTORY

PROJECT UPDATES: 

CANNON RENEWAL PROJECT & 

BARTHOLDI PARK RENOVATION

BEHIND THE SCENES: 

SENATE OFFICE BUILDINGS 

MASONRY BRANCH
PROJECT UPDATE:

An in-depth summary 

of the recent Bartholdi 

Park renovation.

THEN & NOW:

A brief history of the 

O’Neill Building.

BEHIND THE SCENES:

Learn more about your 

AOC colleagues in the 

Senate Office Buildings 

Masonry Branch.

5

FEATURE: To mark the centennial of the U.S. entering World War I, 

Library Buildings and Grounds staff recreated period-appropriate “War Gardens.”

16

18

10

In This Issue

1 ARCHITECT’S NOTEBOOK 

2 PROJECT UPDATES

 Cannon Renewal Project and 

Bartholdi Park Renovation

10 FEATURE + DOING GOOD

Sowing the Seeds of Victory

16 THEN & NOW

 O’Neill House Office Building 

18 BEHIND THE SCENES

 Senate Office Buildings 

Masonry Branch 

20 BY THE NUMBERS

 Growth in Major Facilities 

Under AOC’s Care

COVER: A view of the U.S. Capitol from 

the grounds of the Thomas Jefferson 

Building. Photo by James Rosenthal
THOLOS • FALL 2017 1

Many of our monumental buildings on Capitol 

Hill were designed and constructed using 

classical orders of architecture. When designing 

and constructing the U.S. Capitol Visitor 

Center (CVC), we were challenged to design and construct 

a building using modern materials and technology that is a 

respectful addition to the historic U.S. Capitol.

One prevailing philosophy in architecture is that a 

building should reflect the time and values in which it is 

built. When making additions to historic buildings, we 

are not to copy or try to match the historic building, but 

rather we are to differentiate the new features so we don’t 

create a false sense of history. New should look new and 

old should remain old. When connecting to a historic 

building, an addition should have some subtle and 

respectful ties to that building.

The architectural palate of the CVC echoes design 

precedents found throughout the U.S. Capitol, with 

some modern elements to reflect a more contemporary 

building. The next time you head to the CVC:

• Take in the sandstone walls. That material isn’t 

normally used today, but mimics the Rotunda in the 

heart of the U.S. Capitol. The stone colors surrounding 

the doors in the Rotunda were replicated in many areas 

in the CVC to link it to the U.S. Capitol’s original 

construction materials. 

• Identify the inset grout lines in all the wall stone. 

Every third course of stone is marked by a thin band, 

which serves to emphasize a linear and more modern 

appearance of a steel frame and stone clad building.

• Examine the two Doric columns that visually support 

the entrance to Exhibition Hall. They were replicated 

from the Crypt.

• Look at the tall piers in Emancipation Hall, holding up 

the roof like classical columns, which have the slightest 

hint of a column capital on them made from a simple 

band of stone. 

• Notice the skylights, which allow natural light to bathe 

interior spaces. They frame dramatic views of the 

Capitol Dome, helping visitors maintain an orientation 

ARCHITECT’S NOTEBOOK 

Signs of Respect 

to the historic building, while reinforcing their 

connection to the U.S. Capitol. 

Even the exterior was designed to carefully integrate 

with the landscape of the historic U.S. Capitol Grounds, 

originally designed by Frederick Law Olmsted in 1874. 

The skylights are only slightly above ground level as not 

to intrude upon or compete with the U.S. Capitol façade.

The CVC was designed to be respectful to the 

architectural style and texture of the U.S. Capitol. A 

simple, yet powerful, sign of respect for the classical 

orders. Or better yet, the classics interpreted in a fully 

modern way. t

Stephen T. Ayers, FAIA, LEED AP

Architect of the Capitol

Photo by Chuck Badal
2 THOLOS • FALL 2017

Cannon Renewal Project

WRITTEN BY KRISTEN FREDERICK • PHOTOS BY CHUCK BADAL

Work continues around the clock on the Cannon Renewal Project, with the current 

phase scheduled for completion in November 2018. The entire west side of the building 

along New Jersey Avenue, from the basement to the fifth floor, is closed for renovation. 

Major construction activity includes demolishing and rebuilding the fifth floor, 

conserving the exterior stone façade and rehabilitating the individual office suites.

Photo by James Rosenthal

For the latest updates and photos, visit www.aoc.gov/cannon.

PROJECT UPDATES

The Cannon Building’s entire west 

wing, including the Rotunda, 

is under construction.
THOLOS • FALL 2017 3

A cleaning agent is sprayed on the Guastavino tile ceiling in the basement rotunda. Scaffolding installation in the Rotunda.

Paint removal from an office suite 

doorframe.

A circular grinder is used to remove grout from the building’s stone façade.

PROJECT UPDATES

Demolition debris removal.
4 THOLOS • FALL 2017

PROJECT UPDATES

The stone façade receives a thorough cleaning.

The protective roof covering system will surround the existing roof during the demolition of the fifth floor.

Installation of the truss system on the roof. 

A stone balustrade is prepped for 

installation on the southwest terrace.

Repointing the building’s stone façade.
THOLOS • FALL 2017 5

PROJECT UPDATES

Renovated Bartholdi Park 

is a SITE(S) to Behold

WRITTEN BY DEVIN DOTSON AND RAY MIMS • PHOTOS BY SUSANNE BLEDSOE

Bartholdi Park is a wonderful spot for eating lunch, finding a new favorite plant, 

enjoying a quiet moment and taking a break from a busy day. Originally created in 

1932, the U.S. Botanic Garden’s (USBG) Bartholdi Park had served as a changing 

home demonstration garden for more than 80 years, and until last year, had not 

undergone a renovation since its original construction.

A view of the renovated Bartholdi Park.
6 THOLOS • FALL 2017

With the National 

Park Service’s new 

American Veterans 

Disabled for Life 

Memorial next door, the park was 

designed and renovated to address 

aging infrastructure and to increase 

its sustainability and accessibility 

features. The pathways are now 

accessible, access to the memorial is 

improved and new lighting increases 

safety in the park. 

As planning of the Bartholdi 

Park renovation was underway, the 

USBG also worked to develop the 

Sustainable SITES Initiative® with 

the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower 

Center and the American Society 

of Landscape Architects. The 

USBG team is currently submitting 

Bartholdi Park for certification 

through the Sustainable SITES 

Initiative® (SITES), which is a 

program for certifying sustainable 

landscaping projects. To provide 

a showcase for SITES principles 

and the USBG’s commitment to 

sustainability, the Bartholdi Park 

renovation incorporated the five main 

focus areas of sustainable landscaping 

including: hydrology, soil, vegetation, 

materials and human health. 

WATER

D.C., like many older cities, has a 

combined sewer system — meaning 

that rainwater runs into storm drains 

that connect to the sewer system, 

and any overflow empties into the 

river instead of heading to a water 

treatment plant. SITES aims to 

reduce runoff into the sewer system, 

to capture rainwater on-site and, if 

not storing it for reuse, to get it to 

percolate into the ground. Plants 

PROJECT UPDATES

Salvaged stone was reused to 

build the kitchen garden walls.
THOLOS • FALL 2017 7

and soil filter the water and, in 

combination with the rain gardens, 

slow it down so that it stays on-site 

or moves more slowly into the storm 

sewer. This helps prevent overflows 

from occurring in the combined 

sewer system that would then be 

diverted into nearby rivers.

In the updated Bartholdi Park, 

10 newly created rain gardens 

capture the rain that falls within 

the park and allow it to soak into 

the ground. The rain gardens divert 

water from the combined sewer 

system and can accept up to 4,000 

cu. ft. of water in a 24-hour storm 

event — that’s equivalent to 256 

bathtubs of water. The total amount 

of impervious concrete surface 

was reduced to decrease runoff 

and impervious paths are slightly 

sloped to direct water into the rain 

gardens. 

PLANTS

Being a public garden and an 

accredited museum with living 

collections, the USBG has a strong 

focus on growing and displaying 

plants and educating visitors about 

them. The gardens in Bartholdi 

Park showcase native plants and a 

collection of edible plants through 

both permanent and seasonal 

plantings in a new kitchen garden. 

The rain gardens feature plants 

that can handle periodic water 

inundation and dry conditions, like 

the showy hibiscus, swamp rose and 

numerous native grasses.

PROJECT UPDATES

The salvaged 

flagstone path 

allows visitors a 

close view of rain 

gardens.

The kitchen garden features annuals 

like swiss chard as well as perennial 

plantings.
8 THOLOS • FALL 2017

AOC DOORWAYS

Throughout the project, the 

USBG saved multiple large trees and 

shrubs and other plants were reused 

in gardens on Capitol Hill and D.C. 

Public Schools. The majority of the 

new plantings are plants native to 

the Mid-Atlantic area, and nonnative plants that are regionally 

appropriate, not recognized as 

invasive, and are able to handle the 

area’s heat, humidity, rainfall and 

damp winters. 

SOIL

Soil is a living system. It is important 

to protect it during construction, and 

not allow it to become compacted. 

During the renovation, topsoil was 

removed and saved off-site, amended 

with organic compost and returned 

to the park for the new plantings. 

In areas where plants were saved, 

the soil was also protected from 

compaction. 

MATERIALS

Another component of SITES is 

reduction of waste both during 

and after construction, reusing 

materials, and purchasing locally 

and sustainably. Existing concrete 

sidewalks were crushed and brought 

back and used as the base layer 

under the new sidewalks. Previous 

stone walls were disassembled and 

reused in the new walls for the 

raised kitchen garden. Flagstone 

from previous pathways, as well 

PROJECT UPDATES

The park includes permeable 

pavement (left) and new 

furniture made from locally 

salvaged white oak.

LEFT: A glimpse of the park’s 

centerpiece, the Fountain of Light 

and Water, commonly called the 

Bartholdi Fountain.
THOLOS • FALL 2017 9

as flagstone, brick and curbstone 

salvaged from other AOC projects 

were reused to create new paths, 

seating areas and the sunken bog. To 

include furnishings that were locally 

made and sustainably sourced, a local 

Virginia company built furniture 

from a white oak that had fallen 

naturally during a storm.

HUMAN HEALTH

SITES also focuses on improving 

human health through the benefits 

offered by a garden landscape. Studies 

show that connecting with nature 

can improve human health and wellbeing. Bartholdi Park continues to 

provide a place for people to rest and 

connect with nature. 

The USBG is offering 

opportunities to help people connect 

with nature through programs in 

Bartholdi Park including yoga and 

nature-in-motion walks. Other 

programs for the public include 

tours explaining the sustainable 

features throughout the park and 

how people can incorporate the 

ideas in their own gardens. Ideas for 

future programming include cooking 

demonstrations, classes on urban 

agriculture, growing edible plants at 

home and programs specifically for 

veterans.

The renovated Bartholdi Park 

continues to have demonstration and 

educational gardens and now features 

additional seating, native North 

American plants, patio gardens, 

rain gardens, a kitchen garden and 

accessible gardening areas. Bartholdi 

Park is poised to welcome visitors 

from across the U.S. and around the 

globe for the next 80 years. t

PROJECT UPDATES

Most large trees, including the Kentucky coffee 

trees around the fountain, were saved in place.

Visitors enjoying the 

renovated gardens.
10 THOLOS • FALL 2017

Photo by Dewitt Roseborough

WRITTEN BY ERIN COURTNEY • PHOTOS BY JAMES ROSENTHAL

SOWING 

the SEEDS

of

VICTORY
THOLOS • FALL 2017 11

FEATURE + DOING GOOD

At the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, the 

United States remained on the sidelines as America 

continued to engage in commerce with European countries 

on both sides of the conflict. However, by early 1917 

the United States had begun to prepare for war. 

Following the sinking of the ocean liner Lusitania 

and other commercial and passenger vessels, public 

opinion turned against Germany. By February of 

1917, Congress passed a $250 million appropriations 

bill to ready the United States for war. On April 2, President 

Woodrow Wilson abandoned his policy of neutrality and 

called on Congress to declare war against Germany. 

To mark the centennial of the United States entering 

World War I, the Architect of the Capitol’s Library 

Buildings and Grounds team recreated period-appropriate 

“War Gardens” in raised beds located on the grounds of the 

Thomas Jefferson Building. The gardens coordinate with 

war-related exhibits at the Library of Congress and the U.S. 

Capitol Visitor Center.
12 THOLOS • FALL 2017

DOING GOOD

The Library of Congress’ Chief of Visitor Services, 

Giulia Adelfio, suggested planting vegetables to tie into 

their upcoming exhibit. “I remembered that in 2000 as 

part of the Library of Congress bicentennial celebration, 

the Architect of the Capitol (AOC) planted flowers 

based on a garden in 1800. That memory along with 

seeing the herb and greens perennial bed already planted 

in front of the Jefferson Building gave me the idea,” she 

said. Ultimately, Adelfio 

reached out to the 

AOC gardening team 

Radishes harvested from the War Gardens. The gardens produced hundreds of pounds of food for charity. 

to pitch the idea and was pleased with the enthusiastic 

response. 

Members of the gardening team brought the 

suggestion to Superintendent Larry Brown. “I was 

excited and pleased about the idea. It made me research 

and learn more about the War Gardens and the impact 

the gardens had on our country,” he said. Three million 

new garden plots were planted in 1917 and more than 

5.2 million gardens were cultivated in 1918. The gardens 

generated an estimated 1.45 million quarts of canned 

fruits and vegetables. By the end of World War I, the 

home gardening effort was referred to as victory gardens. 

“We are often focused on the historic buildings and 

infrastructure that exists and its importance to the history 

of our country, especially on Capitol Hill, a softer and 

less prominent history such as War Gardens holds a 

special significance for our country that should be known 

and represented,” said Brown.

According to Robert Gimpel, a gardener with the 

AOC, “War gardens were the brainchild of Charles 

Lathrop Pack and his National War Garden Commission. 

During the war, a severe food crisis emerged in Europe, as 

farmworkers enlisted in the military and agricultural lands 

became battlefields. To increase the self-sufficiency of the 

Period posters encouraging 

Americans to garden circa 

1917. Photos courtesy of the 

Library of Congress
THOLOS • FALL 2017 13

United States, the National War Garden Commission 

was organized to increase the food supply for Americans 

through home gardening.” School children, housewives 

and patriotic citizens were encouraged to reclaim underused 

spaces, including public parks, school yards and private 

residences, to plant vegetable, fruit and herb gardens. 

The Library Building and Grounds team researched 

1917 vegetable crops to select heirloom varieties that 

were available to the public during the war years. The 

grounds team incorporated succession planting and 

companion planting into their garden plan. They also 

used period materials for staking and trellising. “Our 

only planned change from period practice was the 

artful arrangement of the crops in each bed to make the 

gardens more aesthetically pleasing. Straight-line row 

cropping was practiced at the time,” said Gimpel. 

The gardening team grew a little bit of everything in the 

beds dedicated as War Gardens. Arugula, pole beans, beets, 

cabbage, chard, corn, cucumber, dill, kohlrabi, leeks, lettuce, 

onions, peas, hot and bell peppers, pumpkins, radishes, 

spinach, squash and tomatoes flourished on campus. “I 

used primary source documents to find crops that were 

complimentary and/or could be and would provide a full 

season of growth. Once I had identified which plants 

we would grow, I tried to find seed sources for cultivars 

that were specifically mentioned in the publications. 

When I wasn’t able to find a source for those varieties, I 

then scoured the catalogs for other varieties that had an 

introduction year before 1917,” said Gimpel. One bed, 

located on the northwest corner of the Jefferson Building, 

houses medicinal and culinary herbs and predates the War 

Garden project. The gardening team made no changes to 

that bed primarily because the herbs met the self-imposed 

requisite of being introduced before 1917. 

Gardening Supervisor Sally Belcher grew up on a farm 

and had extensive knowledge of growing produce. She 

used the War Gardens as a way for members of her crew 

to work together and lead a project from start to finish. 

The War Gardens were a labor of love for the AOC. Teams across the agency supported the project in a variety of ways, including creating 

signs like the one above to help visitors identify crops. 

Three million new garden plots were planted in 1917 and more than 

5.2 million gardens were cultivated in 1918. The gardens generated an 

estimated 1.45 million quarts of canned fruits and vegetables.
14 THOLOS • FALL 2017

“I gave my input and suggestions when needed but for 

the most part, I let Rob and his fellow gardeners run with 

it. Watching the crew collaborate together to complete 

this project and get this much praise has been incredible. 

Being able to share compliments with them about the 

War Gardens has helped increase morale in our shop,” 

said Belcher. 

In fact, the War Gardens project was a great example 

of the AOC operating as one team, one mission. To get 

the needed heirloom varieties, nearly all of the vegetables 

were started from seeds. Many of the vegetables were 

sown straight into the beds while others, like tomatoes 

and peppers, had to be started in a greenhouse. The U.S. 

Botanic Gardens (USBG) provided the library gardeners 

with greenhouse space at the production facility, pots, 

potting soil, water and fertilizer. Gardeners with the 

USBG helped take care of the plants until they were 

ready to be planted in the War Garden beds. The Library 

Buildings and Grounds machine shop manufactured 

posts for garden signs and the carpenter shop engraved 

plant labels. The Photography Branch took photos of 

the gardens throughout the growing season. And the 

Communications and Congressional Relations team 

designed signs for the gardens and posted bi-weekly 

updates to the agency’s social media channels. 

“The public response to the War Gardens is 

astonishing. While we get plenty of compliments from 

the public on our flowers and the general appearance of 

the grounds, I find that almost every person that walks 

past while I’m working there stops to read the signs, talks 

about the vegetables they see and tells us how great it 

looks,” said Gimpel. 

Keeping a vegetable garden looking attractive as well 

as being productive is more labor intensive than flower 

plantings. Yet the Library grounds team rose to the 

challenge. Some of the plants were susceptible to various 

diseases and pests. White flies on the cabbage family 

vegetables, stem borers and squash bugs on the squash, 

and rodents nibbling on tomatoes were all confronted 

in-kind. The gardeners manually picked off eggs that 

they found from some insects, planted marigolds that 

have insect repellant properties, engaged in staking, 

and correct siting and co-planting to fend off pests. 

“Pest control is also where I found some of the limits to 

ENHANCING VISITORS’ EXPERIENCE THROUGH FOOD

T

his summer, the Capitol Cafe menu items were inspired 

by the current Exhibition Hall rotation, “Congress and the 

World Wars” in the Capitol Visitor Center (CVC).

Beef and mushroom meatloaf, war bread and flourless 

chocolate cake, all developed from recipes created by the chef 

and based on research into the rationing of the time period, 

were available to visitors and staff on the Capitol campus.

“With these delicious foods, the new murals in the Cafe and 

exhibit-inspired items in the Gift Shops, we are creating a 

unified Capitol experience for our visitors,” said CVC CEO Beth 

Plemmons.

Rob Gimpel checks on War 

Garden tomato vines at 

the southeast corner of 

the Jefferson Building. 
THOLOS • FALL 2017 15

period-appropriate methods: The School Garden Army 

manual stated: ‘Arsenate of lead is the most generally 

useful insecticide for protecting crops from plant-biting 

insects.’ This pesticide has been out of common use since 

the 1950s, and banned since the 1980s. I think we’ll give 

that period material a pass,” said Gimpel. 

Throughout the summer, gardener-guided tours were 

provided to the Library of Congress Cooking Club, 

Library of Congress Garden and Landscape Forum, 

Library of Congress Gallery Talk, Library of Congress 

Health and Fitness Wellness Fair, and AOC staff. Nearly 

300,000 social media users followed the garden’s progress 

from seeds to harvest online. The garden updates were 

consistently the most popular posts throughout the 

summer and fall. 

The primary purpose of the gardens is for educational 

display, however, crops harvested from the beds are donated 

to a local nonprofit. More than 400 pounds of produce 

was donated by the end of August with additional harvests 

expected through the remainder of the year. 

“One of my favorite memories from this project 

happened the Monday morning after the first harvest. I 

opened the fridge in the shop to put my lunch away to 

find 54 pounds of turnips cleaned and stacked neatly on 

all the shelves with nowhere to put my lunch. It was quite 

a surprise to see that many turnips,” said Belcher. 

Those turnips, and other produce from the War 

Gardens, were given to local nonprofit and social 

enterprise, DC Central Kitchen. The organization will 

use them to prepare the 5,000 daily meals they provide 

to nearby partner nonprofits and homeless shelters. 

“Fresh, healthy produce donated by the Architect of the 

Capitol through the War Gardens project is helping 

food-insecure individuals across Washington, D.C., 

while also allowing our nonprofit partners to focus their 

efforts on their unique missions, rather than meal service. 

We appreciate the hard work of the gardeners to grow 

product worthy of a top-rated restaurant and donating it 

to us as we help fight hunger, and ultimately poverty, in 

the nation’s capital,” said Chief Executive Officer of DC 

Central Kitchen Michael F. Curtin, Jr. 

Gimpel also has grand plans for the fall and winter 

harvests. He’s hoping to raise money for the Combined 

Federal Campaign by auctioning off a giant pumpkin or 

bottles of hot sauce made from War Garden peppers or a 

salad lunch made from War Garden produce.

Gimpel, the son of a veteran, believes “it’s an honor 

to be a part of something that is commemorating the 

great effort and sacrifice of the troops at that time, and 

as importantly, how Americans on the home front came 

together to support the military effort, their country and 

their European allies.” t

FEATURE + DOING GOOD

Rob Gimpel provided tours of the War Gardens to Library of 

Congress staff.

AOC Superintendent of Library Buildings and Grounds Larry 

Brown joined Rob Gimpel and Sally Belcher for one of many 

donations to DC Central Kitchen. 
16 THOLOS • FALL 2017

THEN & NOW

O’Neill House 

Office Building

WRITTEN BY ERIN NELSON • PHOTOS BY DEWITT ROSEBOROUGH

FDA scientists photographed at work for 

the agency’s Food and Drug Review, which 

was published in 1966. Photos courtesy of 

the FDA 

Federal Office Building No. 8, now known as 

the Thomas P. O’Neill Jr. House Office Building, 

under original construction. Photo courtesy of 

the FDA

T

he O’Neill House Office 

Building was constructed in 

the early 1960s. Originally 

known as Federal Office 

Building No. 8, the U.S. House 

of Representatives voted to name 

the building after the late former 

Speaker of the House Thomas P. 

“Tip” O’Neill in 2012.

Federal Office Building No. 8 was 

the Food and Drug Administration’s 

(FDA) first modern home, built 

solely for its use. Over two thirds 

of the building housed working 

laboratory space, while offices filled 

in the rest. 

The FDA’s chemists, biologists, 

microbiologists and others 

oversaw many laboratory-based 

responsibilities during their time 

in the building. Staff carried out 

certifications of all antibiotics and 

insulin to ensure their compliance 

with approved standards of quality, 

purity and potency. They also 

analyzed samples of foods for 
THOLOS • FALL 2017 THOLOS • FALL 2017 17

residues of pesticides, antibiotics 

and other matter and performed a 

number of drug-related studies. The 

FDA’s laboratory scientists were 

among the primary contributors to 

the Association of Official Analytical 

Chemists Methods of Analysis, a 

methodology that represented the 

best known means of determining 

analytical results. Numerous tests 

and studies continued for decades 

in support of the FDA’s mission to 

protect public health.

In 2002, due to the need for 

more space and the building’s 

deteriorating conditions, the FDA 

vacated the building. The General 

Services Administration, the 

building’s caretaker at the time, 

explored many options for the 

facility given its prime real estate 

location near the U.S. Capitol. 

Federal Office Building No. 8 

underwent a major renovation and 

reopened for occupancy in 2014. 

In addition to an open-plan office 

space, the modernized facility also 

now includes a green roof and natural 

light aplenty, something that was 

missing due to the original building’s 

limited number of windows. The 

renovation transformed the dark 

interior spaces by providing two 

six-story atriums, a central atrium 

skylight, and glass curtain walls on 

the east and west façades. 

In June 2017, care of the O’Neill 

Building was transferred from the 

General Services Administration to 

the Architect of the Capitol, where 

its unique architectural details will 

continue to be maintained and 

preserved along with the other 

buildings of the iconic Capitol 

campus. t

THEN & NOW

The renovation of the O’Neill Building modernized the facility and added an abundance of natural light.
18 THOLOS • FALL 2017

T

he Senate Office Buildings 

Masonry Branch, which 

includes 11 full-time 

employees, begins at 4 a.m. 

each morning to be able to complete 

most of its work before the rest of the 

Senate community arrives for the day.

Senate Office Buildings 

Masonry Branch

WRITTEN BY ELIZABETH YODER

BEHIND THE SCENES

The masonry staff are true 

craftsman — skilled at brick, tile, 

concrete, stone and decorative plaster 

— and they are passionate about 

stewardship and preservation of the 

Senate office buildings.

Their work is time consuming 

Some Architect of the Capitol employees are highly visible, while others work behind 

the scenes to preserve the awe-inspiring facilities on Capitol Hill.

and exacting, but, because of their 

skill, is largely invisible once it’s 

complete. Masons restore marble, 

color matching the epoxy to carefully 

hide the seams. They clean granite 

in the Senate fountains which gets 

stained because of sediment in 

LEFT: (left to right) Assistant Superintendent for Tenant Services Paul Kirkpatrick learns more about the mold making process from 

Senate Masonry Branch Supervisor Glenn DeVinney, who has been with the Architect of the Capitol for 20 years. MIDDLE: Abraham 

(A.J.) Jackson pours molding plaster into a mold to make an ornate rosette. RIGHT, TOP: (left to right) Abraham (A.J.) Jackson and Robert 

Gannon remove a mold from a plaster cast as part of historic preservation work in the Russell Building. RIGHT, BOTTOM: Robert Gannon 

smoothes out imperfections in a plaster cast. Photos by Susanne Bledsoe
THOLOS • FALL 2017 19

the water. And they repair ornate 

decorative plaster elements which 

serve as focal points in key rooms in 

the Senate office buildings. 

Masonry staff also cut holes in 

the walls and the floor for needed 

infrastructure repairs and upgrades, 

then seamlessly repair them so that 

no one ever realizes that work has 

been done. 

According to Masonry Branch 

Supervisor Glenn DeVinney, 

because the Russell Senate Office 

Building was built over 100 years 

ago, modern lighting, temperaturecontrol systems and cabling must 

be seamlessly integrated into the 

historic building to provide stateof-the-art offices and hearing 

rooms for senators and staff. 

For one upgrade in the Russell 

Building, masons had to cut 

through a brick wall that was four 

feet thick.

The Masonry Branch is also 

focused on sustainability, with 

staff incorporating the latest 

advancements in masonry, including 

environmentally safe stone cleaning 

products. It is also committed to 

historic preservation. The staff is 

currently working to create and 

LEFT: Donald Kline removes failing caulking from the Russell Courtyard fountain. Photo by Thomas Hatzenbuhler RIGHT: Sean Carpenter 

cuts metal lath for a plaster repair. Sean, who participated in the Architect’s Mobility Program, a two-year program to teach employees 

a technical trade, has been on staff since 2009. Photo by Susanne Bledsoe

catalog molds of large decorative 

plaster elements in the Russell 

Building, which will be housed offsite in the event they are needed to 

recreate the historic plaster pieces.

As Assistant Superintendent for 

Tenant Services Paul Kirkpatrick 

states, “Not only does the Masonry 

Branch do an outstanding job of 

preserving historic masonry, but they 

also provide invaluable assistance 

to many other trade shops. So 

often they serve behind the scenes, 

but their work brings out the true 

grandeur of the Senate buildings.” t

BEHIND THE SCENES
20 THOLOS • FALL 2017

Over the course of our storied history, the AOC’s 

footprint has increased substantially, and today 

we operate and care for more than 18.4 million 

square feet and 570 acres of grounds. Along 

with the sheer growth in size, the complexity of operating 

these facilities has also changed significantly. The number 

of people who work within and visit the campus has 

skyrocketed, with thousands of daily occupants and more 

than 4.5 million annual visitors from throughout the U.S. 

and around the world. Here are a few key buildings that 

have contributed to the AOC’s dramatic rise in square 

footage over the years. 

Growth in Major Facilities 

Under AOC’s Care 

WRITTEN BY ANDREW DENTAMARO • PHOTOS COURTESY OF AOC PHOTO BRANCH ARCHIVES

BY THE NUMBERS 

The Architect of the Capitol’s (AOC) legacy is rooted in the very beginnings of 

Washington, D.C., with the laying of the U.S. Capitol cornerstone in 1793. As the 

country grew, so did the Capitol campus and, with it, the AOC’s responsibilities. 
THOLOS • FALL 2017 21

2017 – O’NEILL HOUSE OFFICE BUILDING

The newest addition, the O’Neill Building, was transferred from the General 

Services Administration in June 2017 and added nearly 549,000 square 

feet to the AOC’s portfolio. Originally called Federal Office Building No. 

8, the facility was renamed after the late Massachusetts Democrat and 

former Speaker of the House Thomas P. “Tip” O’Neill in 2012. The newly 

public building is occupied by staff of various committees of the U.S. 

House of Representatives, the Clerk of the House and legislative support 

organizations. Photo by Dewitt Roseborough

1897 – THOMAS JEFFERSON BUILDING

When it opened in 1897, the new home of the Library of Congress (LOC) 

was considered the most beautiful, educational and interesting building in 

Washington. In support of the largest library in the world at over 4.5 million 

square feet, the AOC manages four buildings on Capitol Hill (the Jefferson, 

Adams and Madison Buildings and the St. Cecilia Special Services Facilities 

Center) as well as facilities beyond Washington, D.C. (including the book 

storage modules in Maryland and the Packard Campus for Audio-Visual 

Conservation in Virginia).

1935 – SUPREME COURT BUILDING

First occupied on October 7, 1935, Chief Justice William Howard Taft was 

behind the effort to provide the Supreme Court with its own 491,000 

square foot building, moving out of the U.S. Capitol where it had been 

meeting since 1801. Although the courtroom could have been larger, 

Taft preferred a more intimate setting similar to the courtroom in the U.S. 

Capitol. The AOC also maintains the nearby Thurgood Marshall Federal 

Judiciary Building.

1982 – HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING

The Hart Building was the third office structure designed and built to serve 

the U.S. Senate. The first occupant, Majority Leader Howard H. Baker, moved 

into the building in November 1982. The Hart Building — the largest of 

the three Senate office buildings — added nearly 1.3 million square feet 

to the Senate’s inventory of office and support space. The building’s solar 

panel system, dedicated in 2015, is one of the largest federal systems in the 

Washington, D.C., area and furthers the AOC’s commitment to sustainable, 

cost-efficient energy reduction measures.

2008 – CAPITOL VISITOR CENTER 

Opened in 2008, the Capitol Visitor Center (CVC) contains over 677,000 

square feet on three levels and was designed to make the U.S. Capitol 

more accessible, convenient, secure and informative for millions of visitors 

each year. The design located the CVC below the U.S. Capitol’s East Front, 

so as to enhance rather than detract from the appearance of the iconic 

building and historic Frederick Law Olmsted landscape. Through national 

and international partnerships, outreach to schools across the country and 

a vibrant web presence, the CVC experience begins for visitors long before 

they set foot in the U.S. Capitol.

BY THE NUMBERS 
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:

Twitter.com/uscapitol

Facebook.com/architectofthecapitol

Instagram.com/uscapitol 

YouTube.com/uscapitol

www.aoc.gov

The August solar eclipse 

captured at the U.S. Capitol. 

Photo by Thomas Hatzenbuhler