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{{Short description|Government building in Washington, D.C.}}
{{Use American English|date=February 2020}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2020}}
{{Infobox building
| name            = Philip A. Hart Senate Office Building
| status          = Complete
| image           = HartSenateOfficeBuilding.jpg
| image_size      = 300px
| caption         = Looking southwest at the Hart Senate Office Building (c. 2004)
| map_type        = United States Washington, D.C. central
| map_alt         = 
| map_caption     = Location within [[Washington, D.C.]]
| building_type   = Offices
| completion_date = {{start date and age|November 1982}}
| material        = Steel, reinforced concrete, marble
| location        = [[United States Capitol Complex]]
| location_town   = [[Washington, D.C.]]
| location_country= United States
| coordinates     = {{coord|38|53|35|N|77|0|15|W|region:US-DC|display=inline,title}}
| architect       = 
| architecture_firm = [[John Carl Warnecke]] & Associates
| floor_area      = {{Convert|1271030|sqft|m2}}
| website         = [https://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/visiting/d_three_sections_with_teasers/hart_senate_building_web_page.htm Hart Senate Office Building]
}}
{{United States Senate}}
The '''Philip A. Hart Senate Office Building''' is the third [[United States Senate|U.S. Senate]] office building, and is located on 2nd Street NE between [[Constitution Avenue]] NE and C Street NE, northeast of the [[United States Capitol]] in [[Washington, D.C.]], in the United States. Construction began in January 1975, and it was first occupied in November 1982. Rapidly rising construction costs plagued the building, creating several unfortunate scandals. The structure is named for [[Philip Hart|Philip A. Hart]] (1912–1976),  who served 18 years as a United States Senator from [[Michigan]]. Accessed via a spur of the [[United States Capitol subway system]], the building features a nine-story atrium dominated by massive artwork, and a large Central Hearing Facility which provides television facilities as well as extensive seating.

==Design and construction==
The [[Dirksen Senate Office Building]] was intended to occupy the entire block bounded by 1st Street NE, Constitution Avenue NE, 2nd Street NE, and C Street NE.  However, due to the resource and financial demands of the [[Korean War]], the building was scaled back and occupied only the western half of this area.<ref name=newsob>{{cite news|title=New SOB Space Sought|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=May 6, 1972|page=A24}}</ref>

[[File:Groundbreaking - Hart Senate Office Building.jpg|thumb|left|Groundbreaking for the Hart Senate Office Building on January 5, 1976. Assistant Architect of the Capitol Mario Campioli (left) and Architect of the Capitol George White (right).]]
In 1969, Congress voted to acquire the eastern half of the block for a "New Senate Office Building".<ref>{{cite news|title=Senate Votes to Acquire Third Office Building Site|work=The Evening Star|date=October 9, 1969|page=B4|postscript=none}}; {{cite news|title=Capitol Hill Preservation|work=The Washington Star-News|date=July 1, 1974|page=A10}}</ref> Originally, the Senate intended only to build a $21 million (${{formatnum:{{inflation|US|21000000|1971}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars) underground parking garage here. That effort was approved in June 1971. But in May 1972, the Subcommittee on Buildings of the [[United States Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works|Senate Committee on Public Works]] approved a plan to construct the New Senate Office Building above the parking garage.<ref name=newsob /> The building's cost was estimated at $48 million (${{formatnum:{{inflation|US|48000000|1971}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars) in June 1972.<ref>{{cite news|last=Combes|first=Abott|title=3 Senators Urge $83 Million For Capitol Hill Construction|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=June 22, 1972|page=B3}}</ref> The full Senate approved the building plan in September 1972, but by then the building's estimated cost had risen to $53.5 million (${{formatnum:{{inflation|US|53500000|1972}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars).<ref>{{cite news|last=Meyer|first=Eugene L.|title=Senate Votes for Annex: $53.5 Million Office, Garage Plan Backed|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=September 14, 1972|page=B1}}</ref>

In April 1973, the [[Architect of the Capitol]] awarded the architectural design contract to [[John Carl Warnecke]], a nationally prominent architect working in the District of Columbia who had helped save [[Lafayette Square, Washington, D.C.|Lafayette Square]] and designed the [[John F. Kennedy Eternal Flame|John F. Kennedy grave site]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Denton|first=Herbert H.|title=Senate Office Design Given To Warneke|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=April 13, 1973|page=C7}}</ref> Warnecke's design for the building was approved by the Senate Committee on Public Works on August 8, 1974.<ref name=senatehart>{{cite web|title=Senate Hart Office Building|website=U.S. Senate|date=2006|access-date=April 14, 2016|url=https://www.senate.gov/visiting/hart_senate_building_web_page.htm}}</ref> Warnecke was given just two weeks to come up with the cost estimate, which the Architect of the Capitol later claimed was far too little time to generate an accurate cost forecast.<ref name=bredemaier /><ref name=sweeney /> By the end of the year, the estimated cost of construction had risen to $69 million.<ref name=sweeney />

Ground for the new structure was broken in January 1975, and by the time ground clearance began in April the building's cost had risen to $84 million (${{formatnum:{{inflation|US|84000000|1975}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars).<ref>{{cite news|last=Lippman|first=Thomas W.|title=Congress Starts New Round of Evictions|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=April 1, 1975|page=C1}}</ref> The poor and uneven condition of the soil at the site caused delays in the excavation, and major cost increases.<ref name=bredemaier /> When the foundations were finished, it was discovered that many of the anchoring bolts were misaligned and had to be replaced. This also added extensive new costs to the project.<ref name=bredemaier />{{Efn|Victor J. Frenkil, owner of Baltimore Contractors, Inc., later sued the federal government for $13.5 million, claiming it owed him this money for fixing the problems caused by the George F. Hyman Construction Co. when it installed the anchor bolts incorrectly.  In June 1985, the government awarded Frenkil $1.3 million.<ref name=claimagainst />}}

On August 30, 1976, the Senate voted to name the new office building the Philip A. Hart Senate Office Building in honor of retiring Senator [[Philip Hart]] ([[Democratic Party (United States)|D]]-[[Michigan]]).<ref>{{USBill|94|SR|525}}. {{cite news|title=Senate Honors Retiring Hart|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=August 31, 1976|page=A4}}</ref> Hart died on December 26, 1976, of [[melanoma]], having declined to run for reelection the previous November.<ref>{{cite news|last=Rich|first=Spencer|title=Sen. Philip A. Hart Dies at 64, Called 'Conscience of Senate'|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=December 27, 1976|page=C10}}</ref>

By August 1978, actual construction costs were now $85 million (${{formatnum:{{inflation|US|85000000|1978}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars)<ref name=senatedeclines /> and were expected to top $122 million (${{formatnum:{{inflation|US|122000000|1978}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars).<ref name=sweeney /> The Senate approved a plan to spend another $54 million (${{formatnum:{{inflation|US|54000000|1978}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars) on the structure, and cap costs at $135 million (${{formatnum:{{inflation|US|135000000|1978}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars).  Initially, the House approved this plan. But when constituents bitterly complained, the House reversed itself on both counts.<ref name=senatedeclines>{{cite news|title=Senate Declines to Press For Added Building Funds|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=August 26, 1978|page=A4}}</ref> By 1979, construction estimates had soared to $179 million (${{formatnum:{{inflation|US|179000000|1979}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars), and the [[Government Accountability Office|General Accounting Office]] said it would rise to $230 million (${{formatnum:{{inflation|US|230000000|1979}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars) without changes. In July 1979, the Senate agreed to cap costs at $137.7 million (${{formatnum:{{inflation|US|137700000|1979}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars) after an acrimonious three-hour debate during which some senators suggested the building be torn down.<ref name=sweeney /> The Architect of the Capitol ordered changes in the design to keep construction costs under the $137.7 million cap. These included elimination of a penthouse-level dining room,<ref name=bredemaier />{{Efn|The dining room had already been constructed, but not the kitchen, and no equipment had been ordered. In June 1985, the Architect of the Capital announced that funds left over from the building's construction would be used to finish the dining room, and turn it into a special events room.  This did not include a kitchen, however.<ref name=claimagainst />}} $906,000 (${{formatnum:{{inflation|US|906000|1982}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars) in furnishings<ref name=hunterwaves>{{cite news|last=Hunter|first=Marjorie|title=New Senate Office Building, With $736,000 Gym, Still Making Waves|work=Lawrence Journal-World|date=June 16, 1982|page=4|access-date=April 14, 2016|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Do0yAAAAIBAJ&pg=1637%2C2492190}}</ref> for an interior gymnasium,<ref name=bredemaier>{{cite news|last=Bredemeier|first=Kenneth|title=Memorial Costs $137.7 Million|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=September 30, 1982|pages=A1, A14}}</ref>{{Efn|The {{convert|60|by|120|ft|m|adj=on}} square space was built, but now it was not intended to be furnished.<ref name=sweeney />}} oak paneling for each senator's office, dimmer switches for lights, a $400,000 (${{formatnum:{{inflation|US|400000|1982}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars) art gallery, $227,000 (${{formatnum:{{inflation|US|227000|1982}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars) in carpeting for auxiliary space, $167,700 (${{formatnum:{{inflation|US|167700|1982}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars) for vertical blinds, and $1.2 million<ref name=sweeney />  (${{formatnum:{{inflation|US|1200000|1982}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars) for finishes and furnishings for a large central hearing room with hidden multimedia bays.<ref name=allenclub>{{cite news|last=Allen|first=Ira R.|title=Hart Senate Office Building: 'It's Not a Country Club'|work=United Press International|date=June 12, 1982|access-date=April 14, 2016|url=http://www.upi.com/Archives/1982/06/12/Hart-Senate-Office-Building-Its-Not-a-Country-Club/5787392702400/}}</ref>

The Hart Senate Office Building was completed in September 1982 at a cost of $137.7 million (${{formatnum:{{inflation|US|137700000|1982}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars). The Architect of the Capitol argued that the significantly higher costs of the Hart Senate Office building were due to the unexpected excavation issues, the foundation construction errors, Senate-ordered changes, high [[inflation]], and some mismanagement of the construction project.<ref name=bredemaier /> Architect of the Capitol [[George Malcolm White]] argued the construction cost was a reasonable $110 per square foot.<ref name=sweeney /> Architect John Carl Warnecke defended the building's cost, noting that it almost doubled in size (from {{convert|650000|sqft|m2}} to {{convert|1100000|sqft|m2}}), and that building costs in the District of Columbia leapt 76 percent during its erection. Warnecke dismissed allegations about Senate-ordered changes, saying these increased costs just 2 percent, and said that construction alone was just $107 million (${{formatnum:{{inflation|US|107000000|1982}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars) (with another $28 million (${{formatnum:{{inflation|US|28000000|1982}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars) coming from administrative costs, fees, and furnishings). He argued that excellent construction management held inflation in construction costs to just 67 percent, and that the building was erected at a cost of $97 per square foot, "well below the costs of any other major public building built in the District during that period."<ref>{{cite news|last=Warnecke|first=John Carl|title=The 'Lowest-Cost Building Ever Built on Capitol Hill'|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=June 6, 1987|page=A21}}</ref> However, the [[American Institute of Architects]] said commercial construction costs in Washington, D.C., ranged from $54 to $65 per square foot, and ''[[The Christian Science Monitor]]'' reported the cost of the building at $137.70 per square foot.<ref name=sweeney />

The building was first occupied on November 22, 1982. The structure contained offices for 50 senators, but 25 of them refused to move into the structure.<ref>{{cite news|last=Bredemeier|first=Kenneth|title=Offices in Hart Building Rejected By 25 Senators|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=November 23, 1982|pages=A1}}</ref> To save costs, the building gave each person a cubicle, rather than an office, which greatly upset Senate staff.<ref>{{cite book|last=McGowan|first=Brian M.|chapter=Offices, Capitol Hill|title=Encyclopedia of the United States Congress|editor-last1=Dewhirst|editor-first1=Robert E.|editor-last2=Rausch|editor-first2=John David|location=New York|publisher=Facts On File|date=2007|isbn=9781438110288|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=51ATA-A5WaQC|page=386}}</ref> To resolve the issue, junior senators (not normally able to choose which offices they wanted, nor obtain spacious and well-equipped ones) were able to claim the large, modern offices in the Hart Senate Office Building.<ref name=baker>{{cite book| last=Baker| first=Richard A.| title=200 Notable Days: Senate Stories, 1787 to 2002| location=Washington, D.C.| publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office| date=2006| isbn=9780160763311| url=https://archive.org/details/200notabledaysse00wash| page=205}}</ref>

In late 1982, the Senate found $9.5 million (${{formatnum:{{inflation|US|9500000|1982}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars) in unused funds, which it designated to pay for the modular furniture and partitions for use in the Hart building.<ref name=sinclair>{{cite news|last=Sinclair|first=Ward|title=Hart Building to Be Furnished, After All: Millions Found for Senate Offices|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=January 30, 1983|page=A3}}</ref>

==Structure==
[[File:Senator's Suite in Hart Building.jpg|thumb|left|Typical {{convert|16|ft|m|adj=on}} high Senator's office in the Hart building.]]
The Hart Senate Office Building consists of nine above-ground stories.<ref name=sweeney /> The structure has {{convert|1000000|sqft|m2}} of internal floor space, of which {{convert|333000|sqft|m2}} is usable.<ref name=sweeney>{{cite news|last=Sweeney|first=Louise|title=Cost questions still swirl about Senate's new office building|work=The Christian Science Monitor|date=November 4, 1982|access-date=April 14, 2016|url=https://www.csmonitor.com/1982/1104/110440.html}}</ref>

Instead of the [[Neoclassical architecture|Neoclassical architectural style]] of the Dirksen and [[Russell Senate Office Building]]s, the Hart Senate Office Building is [[Modern architecture|Modernist]].<ref name=baker /> To fit within the context provided by the Dirksen and Russell buildings, Hart's building lines were designed to mesh with those of the earlier structures<ref name=sorkin /> and the new building clad in dazzlingly white [[marble]] from [[Vermont]].<ref name=sweeney /><ref name=sorkin /><ref name=nytimeshart>{{cite news|title=The Hart Building: For $137.7 Million, Not Enough|work=The New York Times|date=January 25, 1983|access-date=April 14, 2016|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/01/25/us/the-hart-building-for-137.7-million-not-enough.html}}</ref> The marble was {{convert|3|in|cm}} thick, twice the usual thickness for an office building, and used to cover even the most mundane aspects of the structure (such as the mechanical shed on the roof).<ref name=bredemaier /> More than {{convert|8961|ST|MT}} of marble were needed for interior and exterior use.<ref name=sweeney />

To echo the courtyards of Dirksen and Russell, the Hart building has an [[Atrium (architecture)|atrium]] covered by a vast [[skylight]].<ref name=sorkin>{{cite book|last=Sorkin|first=Michael|title=Exquisite Corpse: Writing on Buildings|location=New York|publisher=Verso|date=1991|isbn=9780860913238|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HfADWI2MnyIC|pages=77–79}}</ref> The walls of the interior of the structure, including the atrium, are clad in the same white Vermont marble as the exterior.<ref name=sweeney /> The atrium's floor, however, is rose-colored [[Tennessee marble]].<ref name=sweeney /> Walkways on the interior of the atrium provide access to each office suite.<ref name=sweeney />

The public entrance to each suite is on an odd-numbered floor, with private staff entrances on even-numbered floors.<ref name=allenclub /> Each office suite contains a private office for a senator which has outward-facing windows and has {{convert|16|ft|m|adj=on}} high ceilings.<ref name=sweeney /><ref name=nytimeshart /> Due to the building's layout, a workspace with identical ceilings and views is adjacent to each senator's office. Workspace elsewhere in the suite exists on a main floor and a [[mezzanine]],<ref name=nytimeshart /> connected by an internal stairs.<ref name=sweeney /> This office space has unusually low {{convert|8|ft|m|adj=on}} high ceilings.<ref name=sweeney /><ref name=nytimeshart /> All workspace is generally free of columns and walls. A partition system consisting of oak frames covered in sound-absorbent fabric, designed and manufactured by Acoustical Screen Corporation, was designed for use in providing a flexible partition system in each office.  These partitions were originally purchased for only a handful of offices, due to cutbacks in the building's furnishing budget.<ref name=nytimeshart />{{Efn|The cost of the partitions and cubicles for use in the structure was an estimated $9.5 million, but the [[United States Senate Committee on Rules and Administration|Senate Rules and Administration Committee]] voted to turn down the request.  Instead, senators were instructed to reutilize furniture brought from their old offices.<ref name=sweeney />}} Each office also has a private restroom.<ref name=bredemaier />

[[Manhole]] covers in the sidewalks and streets nearby were made of [[bronze]], to avoid unsightly rust stains from traditional iron manhole covers (the usual material).<ref name=bredemaier /> The interior elevator doors were also cast in bronze,<ref name=bredemaier /> and areas in the floors in suites, meeting rooms, and some public areas had removable panels and built-in tubing which allowed for the easy replacement or upgrading of electrical, telecommunications, and computer wiring.<ref name=senatehart /> The cafeteria beneath the Dirksen Senate Office Building was doubled in size and extended beneath the Hart building, which allowed the public to use for the first time during lunch hours.<ref name=allenclub />

The structure's $137 million cost did not include furnishing, which Senate experts estimated would cost another $32.6 million (${{formatnum:{{inflation|US|32600000|1982}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars).<ref name=sweeney /> Unspecified changes made by Warnecke led to $4.2 million (${{formatnum:{{inflation|US|4200000|1982}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars) in cost savings, however. These allowed certain items to be restored, such as the large hearing room, auxiliary area carpeting, vertical blinds,<ref name=sweeney /><ref name=allenclub /> and the gymnasium equipment (now estimated to cost just $736,000 (${{formatnum:{{inflation|US|736000|1982}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars)).<ref name=hunterwaves /><ref name=allenclub /> The cost savings also allowed the Architect of the Capitol to build a tennis court on the building's roof.<ref name=sweeney />

Below the structure is a 350-car parking garage.<ref name=hunterwaves />

The building's design deliberately spared the adjacent [[Sewall–Belmont House and Museum|Sewall–Belmont house]], a historic structure that serves as headquarters for the [[National Woman's Party]] and a museum about the women's suffrage movement.<ref name=newsob />

===Central Hearing Facility===
[[File:Hearing Room in the Hart Building.jpg|thumb|left|Central Hearing Facility in the Hart building.]]
The Central Hearing Facility was completed in October 1987,<ref name=caucusnytimes>{{cite news|title=Washington Talk: Caucus Room Farewell?|work=The New York Times|date=October 6, 1987|access-date=April 14, 2016|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/10/06/us/washington-talk-briefing-caucus-room-farewell.html}}</ref> and used for the first time in January 1988.<ref name=centralnytimes>{{cite news|title=Washington Talk: Pell the Pioneer|work=The New York Times|date=December 24, 1987|access-date=April 14, 2016|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/12/24/us/washington-talk-briefing-pell-the-pioneer.html}}</ref> Located on the second floor of the Hart Senate Office Building, the two-story high room<ref name=caucusnytimes /><ref name=welch /> has studio-quality television lighting built into the ceiling.<ref name="caucusnytimes"/> Booths built into the sides of the room<ref name=welch /> are elevated<ref name=centralnytimes /> and can accommodate television camera crews.<ref name=caucusnytimes /> Above them are glassed-in booths where television reporters and [[news presenter]]s can report from without disturbing the proceedings below.<ref name=welch /><ref name=pergram>{{cite news|last=Pergram|first=Chad|title=Backdoors|work=Fox News|date=June 16, 2009|access-date=April 14, 2016|url=https://www.foxnews.com/politics/backdoors}}</ref>

The Central Hearing Facility is lavishly paneled<ref name=caucusnytimes /><ref name=pergram /> and has a stone backdrop behind the dais.<ref name=welch>{{cite news|last=Welch|first=William L.|title=Keys to Keating Five Defense - C-SPAN, Puzzles, Mother Theresa?|work=Hendersonville Times-News|date=November 22, 1990|access-date=April 14, 2016|page=29|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=_xsaAAAAIBAJ&pg=6700%2C5094917}}</ref><ref name=pergram />

Public access to the Central Hearing Facility is controlled via two foyers, accessible from the public hallways.<ref>{{cite book|last=Shear|first=Jeff|title=The Keys to the Kingdom: The FS-X Deal and the Selling of America's Future to Japan|location=New York|publisher=Doubleday|date=1994|isbn=9780385473538|page=[https://archive.org/details/keystokingdomfsx00shea/page/174 174]|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/keystokingdomfsx00shea/page/174}}</ref> Privately, members of Congress, their staff, and often witnesses access the hearing room from nondescript doors on the second floor of the Dirksen Senate Office Building. A small "[[green room]]", hidden behind the back wall of the Central Hearing Facility, provides a waiting room and space for individuals to prepare before entering the main hearing room.<ref name=pergram />

===Subway access===
A spur of the [[United States Capitol Subway System]] was constructed to connect the Hart Senate Office Building to the subway's main track beneath the Dirksen Senate Office Building. The spur opened when the new building did.<ref name=bredecontro>{{cite news|last=Bredemaier|first=Kenneth|title=Senate Building Is Finished; Controversy Isn't|work=The Milwaukee Journal|date=November 25, 1982|access-date=April 15, 2016|page=25|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=e2oaAAAAIBAJ&pg=5453%2C3234043}}{{dead link|date=March 2021}}</ref> In 1989, the Senate approved a plan to upgrade the subway beneath the Hart and Dirksen office buildings. The changes included four new cars capable of seating 25 people (up from 18), making platforms and cars wheelchair-accessible, and automating these cars (eliminating the need for car conductors). The changes were expected to produce savings of $122,000 (${{formatnum:{{inflation|US|122000|1989}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars) a year and cut waiting times to two minutes from four. Transportation Group Inc., of Orlando, Florida, was paid $15.8 million (${{formatnum:{{inflation|US|15800000|1989}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars) and the Architect of the Capitol received $2 million (${{formatnum:{{inflation|US|2000000|1989}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars) to design and manufacture the new subway cars and system.<ref>{{cite news|last=Eaton|first=William J.|title=New Capitol Subway on Track, Under Scrutiny|work=Los Angeles Times|date=April 8, 1992|access-date=April 15, 2016|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-04-08-mn-631-story.html}}</ref> The system was finished in 1994.<ref>{{cite news|last=Pace|first=David|title=Cleland Faces Barriers|work=The Tuscaloosa News|date=November 7, 1996|page=3B|access-date=April 15, 2016|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=dT4dAAAAIBAJ&pg=6660%2C1334670}}</ref>

===Atrium===
The atrium in the Hart Senate Office Building is {{convert|90|ft|m}} high<ref>{{cite news|last=Lee|first=Jessica|title='It feels good to be back' in Hart|work=USA Today|date=January 23, 2002|access-date=April 15, 2016|url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/sept11/2002/01/23/usat-anthrax-hart.htm}}</ref> and capped by a lighting system and skylight. The skylight is actually 18 separate skylights, each of which has nine panels.  A four-globe light fixture is suspended from each skylight. Each light fixture has an electric motor which can lower the fixture to the lobby floor so that bulbs can be replaced.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Gailey|first1=Phil|last2=Weaver|first2=Warren Jr.|title=Changing a Light Bulb|work=The New York Times|date=March 18, 1983|access-date=April 15, 2016|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/03/18/us/briefing-041869.html}}</ref>

Beginning in 2014, major renovations and repairs were made to the roof of the Hart building. The roof had reached the end of its life and was replaced. The skylights, which leaked extensively and were causing damage to the building, were also replaced. To enhance the building's energy efficiency, [[solar panel]]s capable of generating 148 [[watt|kilowatts]] of [[solar power]] were installed on the roof.<ref name=aocroof>{{cite web|title=Hart Senate Office Building Roof and Skylight Replacement|website=Architect of the Capitol|date=2015|access-date=April 15, 2016|url=https://www.aoc.gov/projects/hart-roof}}</ref> The entire roof project cost about $11.3 million (${{formatnum:{{inflation|US|11300000|2014}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars).<ref>{{cite news|last=Dumain|first=Emma|title=Campus Notebook: AOC Looks Into Solar Panels for Hart|work=Roll Call|date=October 23, 2012|access-date=April 15, 2016|url=http://www.rollcall.com/issues/58_31/Campus-Notebook-AOC-Looks-Into-Solar-Panels-for-Hart-218376-1.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121026115048/http://www.rollcall.com/issues/58_31/Campus-Notebook-AOC-Looks-Into-Solar-Panels-for-Hart-218376-1.html|archive-date=October 26, 2012}}</ref>

===''Mountains and Clouds''===
[[File:Hart Building Atrium View.jpg|thumb|Walkway arcades on each floor provide access to the offices of the Hart building, as well as a view of the atrium. A portion of ''Mountains and Clouds'' can be seen in this image.]]

The atrium is dominated by the sculptural work ''[[Mountains and Clouds]]'' by [[Alexander Calder]].  The upper part of the work consists of a [[Mobile (sculpture)|mobile]], ''Clouds"'', made from curved [[aluminum]] plates suspended from the roof on a shaft.<ref name=coxcalder>{{cite news|last=Cox|first=Justin|title=Mountains and clouds loom large in Hart atrium|work=The Hill|date=May 26, 2010|access-date=April 15, 2016|url=http://itk.thehill.com/capital-living/tales-of-capitol-art/100121-mountains-and-clouds-loom-large-in-hart-atrium|archive-date=May 9, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160509002730/http://itk.thehill.com/capital-living/tales-of-capitol-art/100121-mountains-and-clouds-loom-large-in-hart-atrium|url-status=dead}}</ref> The largest section of the mobile measures roughly {{convert|43|by|32|ft|m}},<ref name=saltmanmove>{{cite news|last=Saltman|first=David|title=Calder Mobile on the Move|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=February 17, 1986|page=C7}}</ref> and the entire mobile weighs about {{convert|4300|lb|kg}}.<ref name=swishercreation>{{cite news|last=Swisher|first=Kara|title=Calder's Capital Creation: Senate Dedicates 'Mountains, Clouds'|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=May 6, 1987|page=B1}}</ref><ref name=munro>{{cite web|last=Munro|first=cait|title=Connecticut Senator Fights to Restore Calder Sculpture|website=ArtNet.com|date=January 2, 2015|access-date=April 15, 2016|url=https://news.artnet.com/art-world/connecticut-senator-fights-to-restore-calder-sculpture-209558}}</ref> Crystallization Systems, Inc. of [[New York (state)|New York]] manufactured the mobile.<ref name=saltmanbound>{{cite news|last=Saltman|first=David|title='Clouds': Still Earthbound|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=January 13, 1986|page=D7}}</ref><ref name=forgeycalder /> A computer-controlled motor moves the mobile.<ref name=saltmanmove /><ref name=forgeycalder />

The lower part of the work consists of a [[Stabiles|stabile]] made of four flat, triangular-shaped steel plates painted matte black and supported by two curving legs. Sources differ as to how tall the stabile is, with reported heights of {{convert|51|ft|m}},<ref name=coxcalder /> {{convert|52|ft|m}},<ref name=aocroof /> and {{convert|55|ft|m}}.<ref name=forgeycalder>{{cite news|last=Forgey|first=Benjamin|title=Calder's Final Triumph: Arts Beat|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=November 21, 1984|page=D9}}</ref> The stabile weighs about {{convert|38|ST|MT}}<ref name=coxcalder /> or {{convert|39|ST|MT}}.<ref name=swishercreation /> The Segré Foundry of [[Waterbury, Connecticut]], manufactured the stabile.<ref name=saltmanbound /><ref name=forgeycalder />

''Mountains and Clouds'' was the last work Calder completed. He was in Washington, D.C., on November 10, 1976, to show the finalized [[maquette]] to Architect of the Capitol George White. White gave his approval for the full-size work to be installed at the Hart Senate Office Building. Calder flew to his daughter's home in New York, and died of a [[heart attack]] at 6:00 AM on November 11.<ref name=claimagainst>{{cite news|title=Claim Against Hart Office Bldg. Settled for 10%|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=June 17, 1985|page=B2}}</ref><ref name=sinclair /><ref name=coxcalder /><ref name=swishercreation /><ref>{{cite news|last=Conroy|first=Sarah Booth|title=Alexander Calder, Creator of Mobiles, Dies at 78|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=November 12, 1976|page=C11|postscript=none}}; 
{{cite news|title=Calder Dies, Originator of Mobile Art|work=The Evening Star|date=November 11, 1976|page=A7}}</ref>

During the budget battles in 1979 over the cost of the Hart Senate Office Building, funds for completion of the Calder work were deleted. But Senator [[Nicholas F. Brady]], who had been appointed to serve out the unexpired term of Senator [[Harrison A. Williams]] (who had resigned on March 11, 1982, after his [[bribery]] conviction in the [[Abscam]] scandal), decided in June 1982 to establish the Capitol Art Foundation.  The foundation's goal was to raise funds for the placement of art through the [[United States Capitol Complex]].<ref name=aocroof /><ref name=coxcalder /> By June 1985, the foundation had raised $250,000 (${{formatnum:{{inflation|US|250000|1985}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars) to manufacture and $400,000 (${{formatnum:{{inflation|US|400000|1985}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars) to install ''Mountains and Clouds''.<ref name=claimagainst /><ref name=swishercreation /><ref name=forgeycalder /> Most of the money came from billionaire art collector [[Paul Mellon]] and [[C. Douglas Dillon]].<ref name=forgeycalder /> The work was dedicated in a ceremony held on May 5, 1987.<ref name=swishercreation />

Some time after the installation of the work, the motor malfunctioned and the mobile portion of ''Mountains and Clouds'' stopped rotating. When this happened is unclear, with one source saying shortly after the work's installation<ref name=coxcalder /> and another saying about 2005.<ref name="munro"/> In 2015, Senator [[Chris Murphy]] began a fundraising effort to restore the mobile to operation.<ref name=munro />

''Mountains and Clouds'' is considered a one-of-a-kind work,<ref name=coxcalder /> as it is the only work by Calder to combine a mobile and a stabile.<ref>{{cite news|last=Curry|first=Andrew|title=Mountain In a Molehill|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=August 15, 1999|page=F01}}</ref> "He had mounted the forms atop one another before, but had never used them separately in a single piece as he anticipated to do with moving clouds and stationary mountains," says Capitol Hill reporter Justin Cox.<ref name=coxcalder />

After the [[2011 Virginia earthquake]], there were concerns that the mobile might have become unsafe.<ref name=munro /> It was lowered to the ground in 2014, and a complete safety check of the work conducted. It was restored to its suspended position in 2015.<ref name=aocroof />

==Events==
===Anthrax attack===
On October 15, 2001, several suites of the building became contaminated by the release of [[bacillus anthracis|anthrax]] powder from an envelope mailed to [[United States Senate Majority Leader|Senate Majority Leader]] [[Tom Daschle]] in the [[2001 anthrax attacks]].<ref>“The Anthrax Cleanup of Capitol Hill.” Documentary by Xin Wang produced by the EPA Alumni Association. [http://www.epaalumni.org/history/video/interview.cfm?id=32 Video], [https://www.epaalumni.org/userdata/pdf/6C70838638374E92.pdf#page=1 Transcript] (see p1). May 12, 2015.</ref> The building was closed October 17, 2001, displacing hundreds of Senate staff. The building was decontaminated using [[chlorine dioxide]] gas from November to December 2001,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://response.epa.gov/sites/DCN000305703/files/osc%20report.pdf|title=Capitol Hill Anthrax OSC Report|date=March 3, 2003|access-date=June 26, 2017}}</ref> and the building reopened January 23, 2002.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/1777022.stm|title=Anthrax-free Senate building reopens|work=BBC News|date=January 23, 2002|access-date=April 14, 2016}}</ref>

=== 2025 birthday party ===
On October 15, 2025, [[Jim Justice]] hosted a birthday party for his dog [[Babydog]] in the Hart Senate Office Building in spite of [[2025 United States federal government shutdown|a federal government shutdown]] at the time. The party was attended by fans, journalists, and politicians such as [[Tommy Tuberville]] and [[Chuck Grassley]]. Cakes and snacks shaped like Babydog were served.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cotler |first=Ethan |date=2025-10-15 |title='Babydog' Has 6th Birthday in Senate Building Despite Shutdown |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/babydog-justice-dog-of-senator-jim-justice-has-6th-birthday-in-senate-building-amid-shutdown/ |access-date=2025-10-17 |website=The Daily Beast |language=en}}</ref>

==Committee offices==
As of 2025, three Senate committees had offices located inside Hart Senate Office Building:<ref>{{cite web|title=Committees|website=U.S. Senate|date=2016|access-date=April 14, 2016|url=https://www.senate.gov/committees/committees_home.htm}}</ref>
*[[United States Senate Committee on Indian Affairs]]
*[[United States Senate Select Committee on Ethics]]
*[[United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence]]

==List of current{{When|date=October 2025}} U.S. senators in the Hart Senate Office Building==
{| class="wikitable sortable" 
|-
! Name
! Party
! State
! Room
|-
| [[Tammy Baldwin]]
| D
| [[Wisconsin]]
| Room 709
|-
| [[Richard Blumenthal]]
| D
| [[Connecticut]]
| Room 706
|-
|[[Cory Booker]]
|D
|[[New Jersey]]
|Room 717
|-
| [[John Boozman]]
| R
| [[Arkansas]]
| Room 141
|-
| [[Sherrod Brown]]
| D
| [[Ohio]]
| Room 503
|-
| [[Maria Cantwell]]
| D
| [[Washington (state)|Washington]]
| Room 511
|-
| [[Ben Cardin]]
| D
| [[Maryland]]
| Room 509
|-
| [[Tom Carper]]
| D
| [[Delaware]]
| Room 513
|-
| [[Bill Cassidy]]
| R
| [[Louisiana]]
| Room 520
|-
| [[John Cornyn]]
| R
| [[Texas]]
| Room 517
|-
|[[Catherine Cortez Masto]]
|D
|[[Nevada]]
|Room 516
|-
|[[Kevin Cramer]]
|R
|[[North Dakota]]
|Room 313
|-
| [[Steve Daines]]
| R
| [[Montana]]
| Room 320
|-
| [[Tammy Duckworth]] 
| D 
| [[Illinois]]
| Room 524
|-
| [[Dick Durbin]] 
| D 
| [[Illinois]]
| Room 711
|-
|[[Joni Ernst]]
|R
|[[Iowa]]
|Room 730
|-
| [[Chuck Grassley]]
| R 
| [[Iowa]]
| Room 135
|-
| [[Maggie Hassan]]
| D 
| [[New Hampshire]]
| Room 324
|-
| [[Martin Heinrich]]
| D 
| [[New Mexico]]
| Room 303
|-
| [[Mazie Hirono]]
| D 
| [[Hawaii]]
| Room 713
|-
|[[Cindy Hyde-Smith]]
|R
|[[Mississippi]]
|Room 702
|-
| [[Ron Johnson]]
| R 
| [[Wisconsin]]
| Room 328
|-
| [[Angus King]]
| I 
| [[Maine]]
| Room 133
|-
| [[James Lankford]]
| R 
| [[Oklahoma]]
| Room 316
|-
| [[Jim Justice]]
| R 
| [[West Virginia]]
| Room G12
|-
| [[Jeff Merkley]]
| D 
| [[Oregon]]
| Room 313
|-
| [[Markwayne Mullin]]
| R 
| [[Oklahoma]]
| Room 330
|-
| [[Lisa Murkowski]]
| R 
| [[Alaska]]
| Room 522
|-
| [[Chris Murphy]]
| D 
| [[Connecticut]]
| Room 136
|-
|[[Jon Ossoff]]
|D
|[[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]]
|Room 825B
|-
|[[Alex Padilla]]
|D
|[[California]]
|Room 112
|-
| [[Gary Peters (politician)|Gary Peters]]
| D 
| [[Michigan]]
| Room 724
|-
| [[Jack Reed (Rhode Island politician)|Jack Reed]]
| D 
| [[Rhode Island]]
| Room 728
|-
| [[Mike Rounds]]
| R 
| [[South Dakota]]
| Room 502
|-
| [[Brian Schatz]]
| D 
| [[Hawaii]]
| Room 722
|-
| [[Chuck Schumer]]
| D 
| [[New York (state)|New York]]
| Room 322
|-
|[[Rick Scott]]
|R
|[[List of United States senators from Florida|Florida]]
|Room 110
|-
| [[Tim Scott]]
| R 
| [[South Carolina]]
| Room 104
|-
| [[Jeanne Shaheen]]
| D 
| [[New Hampshire]]
| Room 506
|-
| [[Tina Smith]]
| D 
| [[Minnesota]]
| Room 720
|-
| [[Elissa Slotkin]]
| D 
| [[Michigan]]
| Room 825C
|-
| [[Dan Sullivan (U.S. Senator)|Dan Sullivan]]
| R 
| [[Alaska]]
| Room 702
|-
| [[Chris Van Hollen]]
| D 
| [[Maryland]]
| Room 110
|-
| [[Mark Warner]]
| D 
| [[Virginia]]
| Room 703
|-
| [[Elizabeth Warren]]
| D 
| [[Massachusetts]]
| Room 309
|-
| [[Sheldon Whitehouse]]
| D 
| [[Rhode Island]]
| Room 530
|}<ref>{{Cite web|title=U.S. Senate: Senators of the 117th Congress|url=https://www.senate.gov/senators/contact|access-date=2021-01-21|website=www.senate.gov}}</ref>

==References==
;Notes
{{Notelist}}

;Citations
{{Reflist|2}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Hart Senate Office Building}}
* [http://www.c-span.org/video/?327983-101/hart-senate-office-building C-SPAN American History TV tour of the Hart Senate Office Building with Senate Historian Emeritus Don Ritchie] 
 
{{United States Capitol Complex}}
{{United States Congress}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hart Senate Office Building}}
[[Category:Congressional office buildings]]
[[Category:Government buildings completed in 1982]]
[[Category:1980s architecture in the United States]]
[[Category:1982 establishments in Washington, D.C.]]
[[Category:Philip Hart]]