Architect of the Capitol

Type: Government Agency
On the web: http://www.aoc.gov

The Architect of the Capitol's work is never done. The Architect of the Capitol (AOC) is responsible for the maintenance, operation, development, and preservation of the US Capitol Complex including the Capitol, congressional office buildings, the Supreme Court Building, the US Botanic Garden, and other related facilities. The Office of the AOC provides general administrative and management functions including architectural and engineering services, safety and facilities management, financial management, communications, and procurement. The AOC also works with both Senate and House offices and buildings. AOC's annual budget is $772 million. George Washington chose the first Architect of the Capitol in 1793.

Officers:
Acting Architect and COO: Stephen T. Ayers
CFO: US Federal

Appointed by the President, the Architect of the Capitol is in charge of any construction and maintenance of the Capitol building, House and Senate office buildings, Library of Congress, Supreme Court, and other sites and landscaping on Capitol Hill.

The original designer of the Capitol, William Thornton, was a physician rather than an architect. Thornton frequently argued with the professionally trained architects and engineers during the initial construction of the Capitol. A British architect, Benjamin Henry Latrobe, took over the project in 1803 and added his own influence to the designs, especially to the Capitol's interior. An American-born architect, Charles Bulfinch, oversaw completion of the original Capitol. From 1830 to 1851 there was no position of official architect. To supervise the building of the massive wings to house the new Senate and House chambers, Thomas U. Walter was appointed Architect of the Capitol in 1851. Walter was also in charge of building the massive cast-iron dome over the rotunda.

In the 20th century, Architects of the Capitol planned the extension of the East Front, the renovation of the West Front, and the construction of the office buildings. The architect is a member of the U.S. Capitol police board and supervises a large staff that handles all the necessary engineering, electrical work, air-conditioning, and landscaping around the Capitol.

Sources

• Lonnelle M. Aikman, We, the People: The Story of the United States Capitol, Its Past and Its Promise (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Capitol Historical Society, 1991)

Established as a permanent office in 1876 (40 U.S.C.A. §§ 162, 163), the architect of the capitol oversees the mechanical and structural maintenance of the Capitol, the conservation and care of works of art in the building, the upkeep and improvement of the Capitol grounds, and the arrangement of inaugural and other ceremonies held in the building or on the grounds. In addition, the architect is responsible for the upkeep of all the congressional office buildings, the Library of Congress buildings, the U.S. Supreme Court building, the Federal Judiciary Building, the Capitol Power Plant, the Capitol Police headquarters, and the Robert A. Taft Memorial. The architect also serves as the acting director of the U.S. Botanic Garden.

The functions of the architect have become increasingly administrative, and the architectural or engineering dimensions less important. Special projects carried out by the architect include building renovation and restoration, including installation of broadcasting and security equipment in the Capitol.

Before 1989, the position of architect of the capitol was filled for an indefinite term by presidential appointment. Legislation enacted in 1989 (Pub. L. No. 101-163, 103 Stat. 1068 [codified at 40 U.S.C.A. § 162-1]) provided that the architect be appointed for a ten-year term by the president, with the advice and consent of the Senate, from a list of three candidates recommended by a congressional commission. Upon confirmation by the Senate, the architect becomes an official of the legislative branch as an officer and agent of Congress and is eligible for reappointment after completion of a term.

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Architect of the Capitol
Logo of the Architect of the Capitol
Agency overview
Formed	1793
Jurisdiction	United States Capitol Complex
Headquarters	U.S. Capitol Building Washington, DC 20515
Agency executive	Stephen T. Ayers, Director
Website
www.aoc.gov/

The Architect of the Capitol (AOC) is the federal agency responsible for the maintenance, operation, development, and preservation of the United States Capitol Complex, and also the head of that agency. The Architect of the Capitol is in the legislative branch and is responsible to the United States Congress.

The current acting Architect of the Capitol is Stephen T. Ayers.^[1]

Contents 1 Overview 2 Responsibility 3 Architects of the Capitol 4 See also 5 References 6 External links

Overview

The Architect of the Capitol sits on the Capitol Police Board, which has jurisdiction over the United States Capitol Police, and on the United States Capitol Guide Board, which has jurisdiction over the United States Capitol Guide Service.

Until 1989, the position of Architect of the Capitol was filled by appointment from the President of the United States for an indefinite term. Legislation enacted in 1989 provides that the Architect is to be appointed for a term of ten years by the President, with the advice and consent of the Senate, from a list of three candidates recommended by a congressional commission. Upon confirmation by the Senate, the Architect becomes an official of the legislative branch as an officer and agent of Congress; he is eligible for reappointment after completion of his term.

Responsibility

Western front of the U.S. Capitol

The Office of the Architect of the Capitol is responsible to the United States Congress for the maintenance, operation, development, and preservation of 16.5 million square feet of buildings and more than 450 acres of land throughout the Capitol Complex. The Architect’s is also responsible for the upkeep and improvement of the Capitol grounds, and the arrangement of inaugural ceremonies and other ceremonies held in the building or on the grounds. Legislation has been enacted over the years to place additional buildings and grounds under the jurisdiction of the Architect of the Capitol.

The Capitol Complex includes the Capitol, the Capitol Visitor Center, the seven congressional office buildings (Cannon, Ford, Longworth, Rayburn for the House of Representatives, and Russell, Dirksen, and Hart for the Senate), the Library of Congress buildings, the United States Supreme Court Building, the United States Botanic Garden, the Thurgood Marshall Federal Judiciary Building, the Capitol Power Plant, the House and Senate page dormitories, the United States Capitol Police headquarters and K9 division facilities, and other facilities.

Architects of the Capitol

Architect of the Capitol	Term of Office	Deputy Architect	Assistant Architect	Appointing President	Notes
William Thornton	1793	9999  —	9999  —	Washington	Washington selected Thornton's original design for the Capitol.
Benjamin Henry Latrobe	March 6, 1803 – July 1, 1811 April 6, 1815 – November 20, 1817	9999  —	9999  —	Jefferson Madison	Latrobe was appointed twice. President Jefferson appointed him to take over work on the building in 1803 and construction was halted in 1811. During the War of 1812, the Capitol was burned by British troops, prompting President Madison to reappoint Latrobe as Architect of the Capitol and conduct repairs.
Charles Bulfinch	January 8, 1818 – June 25, 1829	9999  —	9999  —	Monroe
Thomas U. Walter (Engineer-in-charge: Montgomery C. Meigs)	June 11, 1851 – May 26, 1865	9999  —	Edward Clark	Fillmore	Walter and Meigs shared responsibility for the Capitol and the construction of its additions.
Edward Clark	August 30, 1865 – January 6, 1902	9999  —	Elliott Woods	A. Johnson
Elliott Woods	February 19, 1902 – May 22, 1923	9999  —	9999  —	T. Roosevelt
David Lynn	August 22, 1923 – September 30, 1954	9999  —	Horace Rouzer (1930-1946) Arthur Cook (1946-1959)	Coolidge
J. George Stewart	October 1, 1954 – May 24, 1970	9999  —	Arthur Cook (1946-1959) Mario Campioli, FAIA (1959-1980)	Eisenhower
George M. White, FAIA	January 27, 1971 – November 21, 1995	9999  —	Mario Campioli, FAIA (1959-1980) William L. Ensign, FAIA (1980-1997)	Nixon	Ensign acted as Architect after White's retirement until a replacement was appointed
Alan M. Hantman, FAIA	January 6, 1997 – February 2, 2007	Stephen T. Ayers, AIA (Deputy: October 2005-February 2007) (Acting Architect: February 2, 2007-present)	Michael G. Turnbull, FAIA (June 1998-present)	Clinton	Hantman was the first Architect of the Capitol appointed under the legislation passed in 1989 providing for a fixed, renewable ten-year term for the Architects of the Capitol. On August 1, 2006, Hantman announced he would not seek a second term when his term expired in 2007.

See also

• United States Capitol
• United States Congress
• United States Capitol Complex

References

1. ^ http://www.aoc.gov/aoc/index.cfm About Us

External links

• Architect of the Capitol

v • d • e Architect of the Capitol Architects William Thornton • Benjamin Latrobe • Charles Bulfinch • Thomas U. Walter • Edward Clark • Elliott Woods • David Lynn • J. George Stewart • George M. White • Alan M. Hantman

v • d • e United States Congress (House of Representatives, Senate — 111th Congress — Members of the 111th United States Congress ) Members Members of Congress: Current (by length of service, freshmen, Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico, delegates, longest-serving members ever) House: Current by seniority, Dean of the House, former Representatives, oldest living, expelled, censured, and reprimanded Representatives, Senate: Current by seniority, Current by age, Dean of the Senate, former Senators, living former Senators, Earliest serving, Earliest living, Expelled/censured, Classes, Women and minority members: African American members, Hispanic members, Asian Pacific American members, Congressional Member Organizations (caucuses), House Women, Senate Women List of congressional districts (congressional apportionment, districts by area, obsolete districts) Privileges and benefits: Representatives' salaries, Senators' salaries, franking, congressional immunity Party leaders House: Speaker (list), Majority and Minority Leaders, party whips, Democratic Caucus, Republican Conference Senate: Majority and Minority Leaders, assistant party leaders, Democratic Caucus (Chair, Secretary, Policy Committee Chair), Republican Conference (Chair, Vice-Chair, Policy Committee Chair) Offices, officers, & employees Congress: Government Accountability Office (Comptroller General), Congressional Budget Office, Architect of the Capitol, Capitol Police (Capitol Police Board), Capitol Guide Service (Capitol Guide Board), Office of Compliance, Library of Congress, Government Printing Office; Former: Office of Technology Assessment House elected officers: Clerk, Sergeant at Arms, Chief Administrative Officer, Chaplain. Former: Doorkeeper, Postmaster House employees: Historian, Parliamentarian, Reading Clerk, pages (House Page Board) House offices: Office of the Law Revision Counsel, Emergency Planning, Preparedness, and Operations, Interparliamentary Affairs Senate constitutionally-mandated officers: President (list) (Vice President of the United States), President pro tempore (list) Senate elected officers: President pro tempore, Secretary, Chaplain, Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper Senate employees: Curator, Historian, Librarian, Parliamentarian, pages Senate offices: Office of the Secretary (Senate Library, Office of Senate Curator, Senate Historical Office) Powers, procedure & customs Powers: Constitutional authority under Article I (Enumerated powers (Taxing and Spending, Commerce, Dormant Commerce, Naturalization, Copyright, Declaration of War Clause); Implied powers: Necessary and Proper Clause); Impeachment; contempt of Congress; Power of enforcement Legislative and parliamentary procedure: Act of Congress (list), rider, sponsorship, discharge petition, unanimous consent, suspension of the rules, joint resolution, concurrent resolution, appropriation bill, enrolled bill, engrossed bill, budget resolution, continuing resolution, House procedures, expulsion of members, joint session (list), House closed sessions, Senate closed sessions, lame duck session, cloture, suspension of the rules, reconciliation, veto override Committees: Oversight, hearings, discharge petition, markup, chairman and ranking member, standing committees, select and special committees, joint committees, subcommittees, Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, conference committee, list of House committees, list of Senate committees Senate-specific: Presiding Officer, Jefferson's Manual, Standing Rules of the Senate, Riddick's Senate Procedure, seniority, classes of Senators, Traditions, VPs' tie-breaking votes, advice and consent, recess appointment, executive session, senatorial courtesy, Saxbe fix, nuclear option, filibuster, executive communication, secret hold, ratification of treaties, Senate Journal Items: Mace of the House, gavels History History of the House of Representatives, History of the Senate, party control historically Capitol Complex Capitol: Dome, rotunda, crypt, National Statuary Hall, Capitol Visitor Center, The Apotheosis of Washington, Statue of Freedom Office buildings: House: Cannon, Ford, Longworth, Rayburn, O'Neill (demolished); Senate: Dirksen, Hart, Russell; House Office Building Commission Other buildings and facilities: Botanic Garden, House Recording Studio, Senate Staff Health and Fitness Facility, Capitol Power Plant, Old Senate Chamber, Old Supreme Court Chamber LoC & GPO Library of Congress: Congressional Research Service (reports), Law Library, THOMAS, Copyright Office (Register of Copyrights), Poet Laureate, Jefferson Building, Adams Building, Madison Building; Government Printing Office: Public Printer of the United States, Congressional Record, Official Congressional Directory, United States Statutes at Large, United States Code Media C-SPAN, The Hill, Roll Call, Congressional Quarterly Miscellaneous Lists, Chiefs of staff, congressional delegation, dear colleague letter, Senate election disputes, divided government Websites: House of Representatives | Senate

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