Long-Delayed Capitol Visitor Center to Open in December

Photo of visitors lining up to the south of the Capitol in April by Greg Barber/Express

BELIEVE IT OR NOT, the Capitol Visitor Center — the shrine to all things congressional that was once laughably expected to be ready for the presidential inauguration in January 2005 — now has a debut date: Dec. 2.

Really.

The 580,000-square-foot project took eight years and more than $600,000 to complete, The Post's Ben Pershing reports.

Says a press statement from Sharon Gang of the Architect of the Capitol's office:

As the largest expansion of the U.S. Capitol, the Visitor Center will provide numerous amenities to visitors. It features two large orientation movie theatres and an Exhibition Hall that will include rarely-seen documents and artifacts from the National Archives and the Library of Congress that relate specifically to the duties and responsibilities of Congress. The Visitor Center is located on the east side of the Capitol and was constructed underground so as not to detract from the appearance of the Capitol or its grounds. The planting of nearly 100 new trees, the restoration of historic fountains, lanterns, and seat walls, and the addition of several water features across the East Front Plaza will serve to revitalize the historic landscape designed in 1874 by Frederick Law Olmsted.