The Capitol Visitor Center opened Dec. 2 and is expected to host 3 million visitors annually. The

The Capitol Visitor Center opened Dec. 2 and is expected to host 3 million visitors annually. The building is connected to the Capitol and is meant to act as the starting point for Capitol tours.

By the numbers

580,000: The square footage of the Capitol Visitor Center, which comprises three levels below ground including new space for the House and Senate. This is roughly three-quarters the size of the Capitol. Emancipation Hall, the heart of the Visitor Center, is 20,000 square feet, nearly three times the size of the Capitol Rotunda.

193,000: The Capitol Visitor Center project footprint covers 193,000 square feet or about five acres, an area that is larger than the footprint of the Capitol itself. More than 8,000 workers have been involved on the project since tree preservation work began in November 2001.

65,000: The excavation for the Capitol Visitor Center required the removal of 65,000 truckloads of soil or 650,000 cubic yards of material.

85: There were 85 new trees planted to revive landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted’s original design of tree-lined paths leading visitors to the Capitol.

3 million: Three million visitors are expected to come through the Visitor Center each year. During peak season, 15,000 to 20,000 people are expected to pass through the Capitol Visitor Center daily.

2: There are two Orientation Theaters in the Capitol Visitor Center where visitors will start their tours of the Capitol by watching a 13-minute orientation film that introduces them to the Capitol and illustrates how government was initially established in the United States.

16,500: The Exhibition Hall, where visitors may explore the only exhibition in the world dedicated to telling the story of Congress and the U.S. Capitol, is 16,500 square feet. Highlights include rarely seen historic documents from the National Archives and the Library of Congress, artifacts from around the country, and an 11-foot-tall touchable model of the Capitol dome.

400,000: Workers set more than 400,000 pieces of stone for the Capitol Visitor Center, some weighing as much as 500 pounds. The stone used in the center was selected based on how closely it matched the current colors and textures of the stone in the Capitol. Sandstone, which was the principal material in the original Capitol, is the dominant stone in the Visitor Center, with nearly 200,000 square feet of coverage on interior walls and columns.

6: Excavation began in August 2002 and was completed in fall 2003. Work on the building structure began late in 2003. A certificate of occupancy was issued in July. Construction has been under way for six years.

Source: Sharon Gang, marketing and communications manager for Capitol Visitor Center