August 2, 2007
Capitol Visitor Center to Open Fall 2008
It's Washington's own version of The Big Dig, but it's much more secluded and (hopefully) isn't filling up with water. It's a multi-million dollar boondoggle that provides plenty of fodder for Congresscritters who wish to howl about federal spending. It's the Capitol Visitor Center, which has been under construction since 2001, and has increased in cost from $265 million at that time to $573 million today—which isn't too bad for a Federal project, right?
The Washington Times reports that Senate Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Legislative Affairs ranking member Wayne Allard (R-CO) says the project will finally be completed by fall of 2008. The 580,000 square foot visitor center will be the gathering point for visitors to the Capitol complex, shifting the burden from the House and Senate office buildings. With up to 1,500 people an hour pouring into the complex, the Hill's hallways sometimes resemble crowded stockyards during peak tourist months. The Center will also be a significant improvement to the security of the complex, which has, of course, been tightened significantly since September 11, 2001.
Photo showing current state of construction from the Architect of the Capitol
According to the latest report from the Architect of the Capitol, much of the stonework in the center has been completed, and it sounds as if the addition's "skeleton" is completed. It looks as if the new hearing rooms for both the Senate and the House are nearly done as well. Importantly, construction teams have started reconstructing the East Plaza of the Capitol, a Frederick Law Olmsted masterpiece that—at least for this oft-visitor to the Hill—has been sorely missed as respite from the heat on trips from the Senate to the House.
The plaster version of the Statue of Freedom currently in the Russell Senate Office Building will be moved to the visitor center, and a new 550-seat cafeteria will relieve the burden on the office building eateries (we'll make sure DCist Food gets a preview of what kind of eats the Peoples' branch of government plans to offer). Assuming it actually ever opens, will you be first in line to see the new welcoming center? Will you protest the opening over D.C. Voting rights? Or, will you just be happy that you don't have to trudge all the way around the Capitol to get to meetings? Hit the comment box to let us know.
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Any hope of getting rid of the ugly "temporary" bicycle-fence barricades at the base of the west steps? I love strolling the Capitol grounds, particularly at night...but good grief, you get up to the steps and all you see is U-G-L-Y.
Congress itself is to blame for much of the delay and cost over-run, as it claimed more and more of the underground space for itself, peppering the project with work-order changes.
Surely they must have dug up Lincoln's gold by now. Won't that help with the half-billion pricetag?
Is it still going to have that huge ugly parking lot there?
I miss the days when you could just walk in and around unaccompanied. You can even walk up the steps anymore. They have so overreacted with all this security crap.
If I recall correctly, didn't the planners not account for increased bus traffic? I remember one of the hill rags saying that tour buses would be banned from that stretch of road in front of the Supreme Court....
Guest 5: A bus ban was put into effect, according to the Capitol Police, due to "
non-specific threats". The end result was tour buses being diverted to the adjacent Capitol Hill neighborhood. Hmmm. "We think buses are a threat to the illustrious House and Senate, but don't care if that risk is diverted to residential neighborhoods." Luckily, DC council stepped up and initiated a ban on tour buses in certain residential areas of the Hill.
Long and short of it is this: NO visitor transportation plan exists for the Visitor Center. I suppose Congress hoped Capitol Hill residents would step in and allow their neighborhood to be the parking lot.
"They have so overreacted with all this security crap."
Ya think???
Guest 6 is right. There is NO transportation plan in place. Not one single parking space. For a plan that is almost going to double the space of the Capitol itself.
We've been telling DC officials about this for three years now and to date their response has been total silence.
Amazingly, more than one DC official has been totally unaware that such a project is even underway.
Parking for this MASSSIVE development is going to overwhelm the neighborhod. Yet again, DC residents are going to get hosed to benefit tourists and commuters.
Didn't you get the memo? Cars aren't welcome in DC. They're trying to create pedestrian-friendly streetscapes. Or something.
I'm sure there's still time to build parking spaces. The pricetag's at, what, half-billion-dollars now? Bet those extra 5 spaces they build will push it up over the billion-dollar mark.
Glad to see the Executive branch doesn't have the monopoly on ridiculous cost overruns.