Visitor Center marks 1st anniversary

The Capitol Visitor Center (CVC) opened its doors one year ago Wednesday, but some lawmakers and officials are still unsatisfied with the $621 million complex.

Outside the east entrance to the CVC are several trash barrels that, by the end of the day, brim with half-consumed or unopened packages of food and bottled beverages.

{mosads}Several U.S. Capitol Police officers, who asked not to be identified because they were not authorized to speak with the press, told The Hill they find it ridiculous to tell visitors that they can’t bring outside food or beverages into the center, but that’s their job, so they reluctantly comply.

Another criticism is the lack of signage. Without any signs in the surrounding blocks of the Capitol directing visitors, on any given day an officer guarding the Capitol is forced to give directions to the center hundreds of times.

But visitors aren’t the only ones who get lost going to the CVC. Many members do as well, like Rep. Steven LaTourette (R-Ohio), who sits on the House Appropriations Legislative Branch subcommittee.

“I still think the signage needs to be improved,” he said in an interview. “I get lost every time. They also might want to do a little outreach just in terms of member education, because we had one of our conferences in the auditorium and no one really understood that the facilities are available for them to use. I think it’s under-utilized.”

Rep. Dan Lungren (Calif.), the ranking Republican on the House Administration Committee, said over the next year he would work on educating members about the CVC.

“I don’t know whether it’s a question of signage or familiarity,” he said in an interview. “The flow for the visitors is going well with the tours, but the flow for the members is not going as well.”

After four years of delays and a price tag that ballooned to more than eight times its original estimation, the CVC opened on Dec. 2, 2008, to a mixture of fanfare and continued criticism.

Many of the initial problems that members had, such as the center lacking religious references or CVC officials vying to lead tours in place of congressional offices, were remedied.

“I came into this role right at the start and most all of the initial problems have been resolved,” said Rep. Robert Aderholt (Ala.), the ranking Republican on the Legislative Branch subcommittee, which provides financial oversight of the CVC.

“We would bring the member complaints to the CVC’s attention and let them handle it internally. I think they were still learning how this giant thing would operate. The first six months were difficult in reconciling what the CVC had envisioned and what members had envisioned. But after that first six months, everybody got on the same page.”

The 580,000-square-foot CVC hosts a 530-person restaurant and two 250-person theaters, which show a 13-minute educational film. It also includes 26 bathrooms, addressing one common complaint among those visiting the Capitol.

Though the CVC has only seen 2.3 million visitors, as compared to the 3 million that officials initially predicted, it has the center’s administration pleased.

“One year ago today, the Capitol Visitor Center opened to the public, and we have been going strong ever since,” said Terrie Rouse, CEO for Visitor Services at the CVC. “We are extremely proud of our exemplary staff, who have worked diligently since we opened not only to enrich the experience of the millions of people who’ve come to see the Capitol but also to make their visit more comfortable and convenient.”

Rep. Robert Brady (D-Pa.), chairman of the Administration Committee, which oversees the functioning of the House and extends its jurisdiction to some CVC oversight, said he personally takes his constituents down to the CVC about once a month and everyone loves it.

“It’s astounding,” he said in an interview with The Hill. “Attendance is much more than we ever thought it would be. People love everything about it. They love the building and the way it’s laid out, they can see their home state, and they even like the food.”

One of the major criticisms of the CVC came as members’ staff initially found their long-held duty of guiding constituents throughout the Capitol supplanted by the hundreds of CVC employees hired for just such a purpose.

Members eventually came to an amicable resolution with the CVC staff, requiring congressional staff to get trained on the standard historical facts of the Capitol before conducting a tour.

But the tiff caused both Aderholt and Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), who chairs the Legislative Branch subcommittee, to welcome the creation of a designated congressional liaison to deal with member offices.

{mosads}“It was our impression that a lot of folks who were initially with the CVC had no congressional experience and there was a disconnect between the House and the Capitol Visitor Center,” Aderholt said.

“I think we called to Terrie [Rouse’s] attention a lot of the problems and she was responsive and got on those and I think a lot of those changes have been made. But I think this is something that will be a continual thing.

“There have been some instances where the CVC has not worked with our staff as much as we would have liked to, so having someone in a role of liaison would be a good thing.”