The Architect of the Capitol

Okay, stick with me here.  The architect of the U.S. Capitol doesn’t refer to the actual person who designed the U.S. Capitol who as it turns out wasn’t an actual architect anyway, but he was the first one to hold the “office”.   Also, the title doesn’t refer to a person only….it refers to a Federal agency, too.

Confused?

Let’s wade into this slowly….

The Architect of the U.S. Capital is an agency within the Legislative Branch responsible for the maintenance, operation, development and preservation of the U.S. Capitol Complex. This means they are responsible for over 17.4 million square feet of building space and 450 acres including Congressional office buildings, the U.S. Supreme Court Building and the Library of Congress.  The agency oversees any special ceremonies that take place within the complex including inaugural events. 

The person in charge of the agency is referred to as “the” Architect, and since George Washington’s term in office there have been 11 Architects of the Capitol. 

Yes, it seems like there should be more, but in the past they served long terms and there have been periods when the position was vacant.   Washington appointed William Thornton for the position back in 1793, and yes…..he happens to be the one who won a design competition for the U.S. Capitol building meaning he really WAS the architect of the U.S. Capitol, but he wasn’t a trained architect.  Thornton received a $500 prize and city lot.  Eventually Thornton was appointed by Washington as supervisor or Architect of the Capitol.  I’ve written about Thornton before here.

The ninth Architect, George M. White, was the very first person to serve in the office who was a trained architect.  He was appointed by Richard Nixon and served from 1971-1995.  White was also the last architect to serve who did not have to have Senate confirmation.

Most of his time in office was taken up with repairing the damage that occurred when a bomb exploded in a first floor restroom.  There were no injuries but several hundred thousand dollars worth of damages occurred.   The Weatherman took credit for the bomb as part of their ongoing opposition to the Vietnam War.  

Here’s a news report from ABC News at the time:

White is also responsible for the Visitor’s Center and restoring the Old Supreme Court and Old Senate Chambers.

Until 1989, the Architect position was filled via Presidential appointment and had an indefinite term. 

The new legislation calls for the position to have a term of ten years.  The President must choose a candidate from a list of three names provided by a Congressional Commission.  The candidate is then  subject to Senate confirmation.   After the Architect has served his or her ten year term they can be re-appointed.

So…..why was the law changed?

This report  published by the Congressional Research Service states, “The appointment of the Architect has been a subject of periodic consideration for at least 50 years. It is a topic that has received increased attention during periods in which there has been a vacancy in the position and periods of congressional dissatisfaction with either the work of the incumbent or the involvement of the President in what some Members view as an internal legislative branch matter. The 111^th Congress has considered changes to the appointment of the Architect, with one bill (H.R. 2843) reported and passed in the House.  These changes will conform the process of the appointment of the Architect more closely to the appointment procedure followed for other officers of similar stature. The Committee believes this will accord proper recognition to the importance of the functions of this office and help to promote greater accountability in their performance.”

Yep….apparently it would just make things smoother and give Congress a little more input into the person in charge of the building they work in.   It would appear the checks and balances thing is fluid….always changing.

The current Architect of the U.S. Capitol is Steven T. Ayers, and the official website for the Architect of the U.S. Capitol can be found here.