Working in Olmsted’s Shadow
Guidance for Developing a Scope of Services for the Update of the Master Plan for the U.S. Capitol and Grounds
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NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.
This study was supported by Purchase Order No. 202616 between the National Academy of Sciences and the Office of the Architect of the Capitol. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the view of the organizations or agencies that provided support for this project.
Copyright 2003 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
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The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Bruce M. Alberts is president of the National Academy of Sciences.
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COMMITTEE TO PROVIDE ASSISTANCE TO THE ARCHITECT OF THE CAPITOL TO DEVELOP A SCOPE OF SERVICES FOR THE UPDATE OF THE MASTER PLAN FOR THE U.S. CAPITOL AND GROUNDS
JONATHAN BARNETT, Chair,
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
MAX BOND,
Davis, Brody, Bond, LLP, New York, New York
ROBIN DOUTHITT,
University of Wisconsin-Madison
DOUGLAS SARNO,
The Perspectives Group, Alexandria, Virginia
ERIC TEICHOLZ,
Graphic Systems, Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts
Staff
RICHARD LITTLE, Project Director
JASON DREISBACH, Research Associate
JAMES HARDCASTLE, Consultant
DANA CAINES, Financial Associate
PAT WILLIAMS, Senior Project Assistant
BOARD ON INFRASTRUCTURE AND THE CONSTRUCTED ENVIRONMENT
PAUL GILBERT, Chair,
Parsons, Brinckerhoff, Quade, and Douglas, Seattle, Washington
MASSOUD AMIN,
University of Minnesota, Minneapolis
RACHEL DAVIDSON,
Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
REGINALD DESROCHES,
Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta
DENNIS DUNNE,
California Department of General Services, Sacramento
PAUL FISETTE,
University of Massachusetts, Amherst
YACOV HAIMES,
University of Virginia, Charlottesville
HENRY HATCH,
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (retired), Oakton, Virginia
AMY HELLING,
Georgia State University, Atlanta
SUE McNEIL,
University of Illinois, Chicago
DEREK PARKER,
Anshen+Allen, San Francisco, California
DOUGLAS SARNO,
The Perspectives Group, Inc., Alexandria, Virginia
WILL SECRE,
Masterbuilders, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio
DAVID SKIVEN,
General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Michigan
MICHAEL STEGMAN,
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
DEAN STEPHAN,
Charles Pankow Builders (retired), Laguna Beach, California
ZOFIA ZAGER,
County of Fairfax, Fairfax, Virginia
CRAIG ZIMRING,
Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta
Staff
RICHARD LITTLE, Director,
Board on Infrastructure and the Constructed Environment
LYNDA STANLEY, Executive Director,
Federal Facilities Council
MICHAEL COHN, Program Officer
JASON DREISBACH, Research Associate
DANA CAINES, Financial Associate
PAT WILLIAMS, Senior Project Assistant
Preface
The United States Capitol is among the most architecturally impressive and symbolically important buildings in the world. In addition to its iconic value as a shrine of democracy and national historic site, it is also a functioning workplace for thousands and a preeminent tourist attraction in Washington, DC. In March 1791 the Commissioners of the City of Washington, appointed by President George Washington, selected the French engineer Pierre Charles L’Enfant to plan the new federal city. The L’Enfant Plan expressed in physical form the concepts of separation of powers and equilibrium of federal and state governments. Symbolically balancing the executive and legislative branches, L’Enfant located the Capitol on Jenkins (now Capitol) Hill, the most prominent elevation between the Potomac and the Anacostia Rivers, and the President’s House on a similarly elevated site to the northwest. In 1901, responding to concerns about reviving, refining, and extending the framework of the L’Enfant Plan to manage growth in the national capital, Congress adopted a resolution directing that a plan for the improvement of the entire park system of the District of Columbia be prepared and reported to the U.S. Senate. Senator James McMillan, as chairman of the newly created Park Improvement Commission of the District of Columbia (better known as the McMillan Commission), was responsible for this charge. For support in this endeavor, Senator McMillan enlisted such renowned experts as Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr., for the landscaping aspects of the plan and Charles McKim and Daniel Burnham for the architectural aspects. The central feature of the McMillan Commission’s plan for the national capital was itself an open green space. The Mall was reconfigured to frame and emphasize the formal link between the Washington Monument and the Capitol. Reinforcing L’Enfant’s themes, the McMillan Commission further highlighted the relationship among the grand axial streets and avenues, and the groupings of major public buildings along the Mall.
The Architect of the Capitol is charged with the operation and maintenance of the United States Capitol Complex, which is still governed by provisions of the L’Enfant Plan of 1792 and the McMillan Commission Plan of 1901 as well as legislation that has been enacted from time to time. The most recent master plan for future development of the U.S. Capitol grounds and related areas was developed in 1981. Although many of the recommendations of the 1981 Master Plan for new construction have been implemented, much has changed in America over the past 20 years.
Since 1983, increased security measures have been continuously put into effect, including the installation of barriers at vehicular entrances, other physical security features, and the initiation of construction of the Capitol Visitor Center. The events of September 11, 2001, and the subsequent anthrax attack on the Hart Senate Office Building in October of that year added yet another dimension to security concerns for Senators, Members, staff, and visitors. In light of the increased emphasis on security, ensuring open public access to national landmarks and maintaining the operational efficiency of the Congress and Supreme Court are paramount concerns. Additionally, planning for the Capitol Complex must also recognize the emergent goal of sustainability in the constructed environment and the potential impact of new and emerging technologies on the nature of the workplace.
The Architect of the Capitol has proposed that the 1981 Master Plan be updated and revised through a contractual effort that comprehensively addresses current and foreseeable
issues. The Architect of the Capitol requested that the National Research Council (NRC) convene a panel of experts to identify and discuss these issues, prepare a summary record of the discussions, and offer recommendations. Specifically, a workshop was to be convened to identify the topics that should be addressed in the Master Plan and discuss how they should be organized and integrated so that the scope of services set forth in the request for proposals (RFP) will be well focused, comprehensive, and unambiguous. The workshop was to give particular emphasis to such transcendent issues as security and public accessibility, sustainability, and technology and their effect on the planning and future operation of the U.S. Capitol Complex.
Under the auspices of the Board on Infrastructure and the Constructed Environment, the NRC appointed a committee of five experts in planning, architecture, public involvement, human ecology, and facilities management to plan and conduct a 1 1/2-day workshop (see Appendix A for biographies of committee members, Appendix C for the workshop agenda). The committee augmented its capabilities by inviting thirteen additional experts of national renown from industry, academia, and government to participate in the workshop (see Appendix B for biographies of workshop participants). The Workshop to Provide Assistance to the Architect of the Capitol to Develop a Scope of Services for the Update of the Master Plan for the U.S. Capitol and Grounds was held on September 23-24, 2002, at the National Academies Building in Washington, DC.
Acknowledgment of Reviewers
This report has been reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise, in accordance with procedures approved by the NRC’s Report Review Committee. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the institution in making its published report as sound as possible and to ensure that the report meets institutional standards for objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process. We wish to thank the following individuals for their review of this report:
Nancy Rutledge Connery, Consultant
Jill Dowling, Lee and Associates, Inc.
Martha Droge, Ayers/Saint/Gross Architects & Planners
Paul R. Fisette, University of Massachusetts
Craig Zimring, Georgia Institute of Technology
Although the reviewers listed above have provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the conclusions or recommendations, nor did they see the final draft of the report before its release. The review of this report was overseen by Stuart L. Knoop, Oudens and Knoop, Architects, PC. Appointed by the National Research Council, he was responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this report was carried out in accordance with institutional procedures and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content of this report rests entirely with the authoring committee and the institution.