Norton to Give D.C. Residents and Officials Sneak Preview of the New Capitol Visitor Center Before Public Opening

Press Release

Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), whose subcommittee has jurisdiction over the new Capitol Visitor Center (CVC), insisted that D.C. residents and elected officials be the first members of the public to tour the CVC Wed., Nov. 5, at 3 p.m. Top officials from the CVC will be available to answer questions about the impact the CVC will have on tourism in the District, including an expected increase in tourism traffic, utilization of the CVC by local officials, and other issues. Officials who have confirmed their reservations include almost half the members of the D.C. City Council, top D.C. tourist officials, representatives from hotel and restaurant associations, Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners (ANC's) from the Capitol Hill area, and local developers. Because the CVC will not be open to the public until Dec. 2, the press could not be invited on this tour. However, CVC officials will be available to answer media questions at 4:30 p.m. at the CVC entrance at First St. and Maryland Avenue NE.

Norton requested that D.C. residents see not only the areas that will be open to the public, but also the Congressional meeting rooms, the massive kitchen, and other facilities in order to grasp the scale of the development and understand the great number of visitors the CVC will accommodate. The Congresswoman is especially pleased that the main vestibule was named "Emancipation Hall" after hearings and mark-ups in the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management, which Norton chairs. Emancipation Hall was named in honor of the slaves who built the Capitol. Their contributions had been largely unrecognized.

There had been significant criticism of the CVC during construction because of budget overruns and missed deadlines, but Norton believes that the Dec. 2 public opening is realistic.

The Congresswoman has stressed the importance of the CVC not only because it falls under the jurisdiction of the subcommittee she chairs, but also because of her work on tourism in the District. She believes the CVC has the potential to become a new tourist destination that will bring back to the Capitol, for an additional visit, many people who have been here before. Norton is concerned because the District of Columbia is heavily dependent on tourism revenue. She believes that the CVC will encourage visitors, who might otherwise not have come, to visit even during the recession.

When the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center opens, it will feature an exhibition hall, two orientation theaters, a 530-seat restaurant, two gift shops, and ample restrooms, all within a secure public environment.

Source