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The new Capitol Visitor Center opens December 2, after an eight-year delay and a cost overrun of hundreds of millions. At 580,000 square feet, the Visitor Center is the largest addition to the Capitol in its 215-year history.
When builders broke ground for the project in June 2000, they planned to lay the final stone in late 2005. But after September 11, 2001, legislators demanded greater security measures in the Visitor Center. The estimated cost rose from $265 million to $621 million.
Now that the Visitor Center is finally open, what will visitors get?
For starters, they'll enter from the East side—the side opposite from the National Mall—and take a set of stairs into the building's underground main chamber, Emancipation Hall, which is nearly three times the size of the Capitol Rotunda. Emancipation Hall, named in honor of the enslaved laborers who helped build the original Capitol, stretches nearly 20,000 square feet underground. Statues from the National Statuary Hall collection decorate the perimeter—luminaries include Philo Farnsworth, the inventor of the television, and King Kamehameha of Hawaii, whose gold-caped statue towers over the others.
Visitors may watch a new orientation video, "E Pluribus Unum," named for the motto found on the Seal of the United States meaning "out of many, one." The curious can get additional information about the Capitol along the room's far walls. The hungry can grab a bite at a new 550-seat restaurant, catered by the same company behind the House and Senate cafeterias in the Capitol.
Sightseers can loiter in museum galleries dedicated to American and Congressional history. Each "historical alcove" spans 35-50 years, and features videos and text from major events and how Congress shaped them. As the only museum dedicated to the history of the Senate and the House of Representatives, the exhibitions highlight the impact of Congressional action on our history.
Two separate viewing galleries stream videos of the Senate and the House in action, and interactive "Jeopardy"-style quizzes let visitors test their legislative know-how against a friend's.
One of the main draws is the "touchable Dome," an 11-foot polyurethane model of the Capitol, built as a replica on a 20:1 scale. Visitors can run their hands over the balconies, windows and doors, and take a peek at miniature versions of the frescos on the inside of the dome.
"We wanted to create a more complete experience," says Terrie Rouse, CEO for Visitor Services at the Visitor Center. "We have masses of people coming in of multiple ages and they all want to be informed."
For those who took the Capitol tour in years past, the experience usually began with a hike up Capitol Hill and a long wait in line. Guides took visitors into the main Rotunda, into the galleries where the House and Senate convene, and then released them to their own devices in the building's crypt. The entire tour rarely lasted more than an hour, and there was no museum to provide greater context to the experience. When winter weather turned nasty, visitors waited outside. When the summer heat and humidity was unbearable, they waited outside. Once inside, there were no restaurants, and tourists had to jockey to use one of the Capitol's five public bathrooms.
The Capitol could only accommodate 1500 people at a time, but during the spring cherry blossom season, interest often peaked at 4000.
Compared to that, the new Visitor Center is an expansive, if expensive, haven.
To whomever is the author of the commentary provided with the slideshow, Regarding the following comment to the sixth slide: "On the opposite end of the wall, museum curators put copies of the 19th Amendment and other documents that highlight the freedoms bestowed on the American people by Congress...." None of the rights or freedoms enshrined in the Constitution were ever "bestowed on the American people by Congress", and I find it offensive that an American institution like the Smithsonian employs persons to comment on the nature of our democracy who do not know any better than to make such a statement. It has always been acknowledged as a fundamental principle that as the Declaration of independence states we are "...endowed by our creator with certain inalienable rights...". The role of the Congress of the United States via the constitution thus is limited to acknowledging those rights, and ensuring that they can be legally defended against those who would violate them. I strongly urge you to correct this.
Posted by J. Carr on November 23,2008 | 09:07AM
I too am puzzled as to why a fundamental misstatement such as this hasn't been corrected. Our elected officials do not and have not bestowed freedoms upon the American people, and to state otherwise indicates a basic misunderstanding of our democracy.
Posted by R.Kreidler on December 3,2008 | 12:36PM
Completely agree with J. Carr and with him/her and strongly urge for the correction.
Posted by B. LeRoy on December 3,2008 | 01:32PM
You mentioned the orientation video "E Pluribus Unum". named after the motto found on the Seal of the United States. It would be proper I think to acknowledge that our country's official motto is actually "In God We Trust". It seems that God is being restricted from the visitors center just as He is being restricted from any influence on our present government. Shame on us!
Posted by Arthur Meadows on December 3,2008 | 04:03PM
Regardless of who or what "endowed" our rights, we sure see that Congress under the current president allowed many to be taken away. And, in 2008, in fact it is Congress who gives and who takes away or who has allowed the Executive Branch to do so. I don't see the hand of the creator in much that they have done the last 8 years. Frankly, I think you are over-reacting.
Posted by Anne Gray on December 3,2008 | 07:18PM
We have made the requested clarification to the sixth slide. Thanks for pointing it out to us. -- Maura McCarthy, Smithsonian.com Web Editor
Posted by Maura McCarthy on December 4,2008 | 02:45PM
It's great being able to see in advance what a visit entails. I am also quite pleased to your quick response to the above emails. The difference between being "governed" and being "lead" by officials we chose remains subtly significant..
Posted by Anita Vlismas on December 12,2008 | 06:14AM
An excellent addition to our capitol. Hopefully someday will be able to travel from my home in Corpus Christi all the way to Washington. Can't wait! Josie Perez.
Posted by josie perez on February 9,2009 | 06:34PM