Rayburn House Office Building — Cafeteria Renovation
Project Details
Owner: The Architect of the Capitol
Contract Amount: $4,586,685
Date of Award: April 2002
Scheduled Date of Completion: January 2004
Architect: URS Corporation
This three-phased project involved the renovation of one of the biggest kitchens and dining facilities on Capitol Hill—the 16,000 SF Cafeteria of the historic and occupied Rayburn House Office Building. While the Cafeteria remained open and fully operational, Grunley:
- Built a new snack/vending area
- Added seating capacity
- Constructed a large, contemporary, octagonal-shaped serving area consisting of a large salad bar/cold buffet, hot food bar/carvery, pizzeria station, and several beverage stations
- Installed new MEP systems and over $800,000 in state-of-the-art, energy-efficient kitchen equipment
In addition, we added a state-of-the-art fire suppression system designed for restaurants. Minor asbestos abatement was performed. Historic elements-such as ornate cornices-were protected during construction and throughout the project, existing ornamental features were enhanced or new decorative elements added.
Today, Rayburn Cafeteria exists as a beautiful, modern cafeteria, and houses a contemporary kitchen—all located within an important historic building.

During Phase 3, Grunley constructed the above hot food station. All stainless steel was custom-built on-site in order to fit properly. The same subcontractor built the casework off-site.