While many Americans are anxiously looking toward Election Day on November 8, officials at the Architect of the Capitol—the federal agency charged with maintaining Washington’s congressional compound—have their sights set on another date: January 20, 2017. Not only is it Inauguration Day, when November’s winner will assume the presidency on the hallowed steps of the U.S. Capitol, but it’s also when the landmark’s $60 million restoration is promised to be complete. And now that the 288-foot cast-iron dome has shed its scaffolding, it’s looking like the deadline will, in fact, be met. For the past two years the iconic structure had been obscured by over a million pounds of construction materials, which aided workers in repairing the 1,000-plus cracks that had developed since the last comprehensive update, some 50 years ago. The project’s final phase is now under way to get the building picture-perfect for what is bound to be a historic swearing-in.
For more information visit aoc.gov/dome.