Architect of the Capitol

Person and federal agency that maintain the United States Capitol complex

Architect of the Capitol

Agency overview
Formed| 1793; 232 years ago (1793)
Jurisdiction| United States Capitol Complex
Headquarters|

* United States Capitol
* Washington, D.C. 20515

Employees| 2,444
Annual budget| $788 million (2022)
Agency executives|

* Thomas E. Austin, Architect
* Joseph A. Campbell, Deputy Architect

Website| aoc.gov

The Architect of the Capitol is the federal agency responsible for the maintenance, operation, development, and preservation of the United States Capitol Complex. It is an agency of the legislative branch of the federal government[1] and is accountable to the United States Congress and the Supreme Court.[2] Both the agency and the head of the agency are called "Architect of the Capitol".[3] The head of the agency is appointed by a vote of a congressional commission for a ten-year term.[4][5] Prior to 2024, the president of the United States appointed the architect upon confirmation vote by the United States Senate,[6] and was accountable to the president.[7]

## Overview

[edit]

The agency had 2,444 employees and an annual budget of approximately $788 million as of September 2022.[8]

The head of the agency 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. The head of the agency is a member of the Capitol Police Board and the Congressional Accessibility Services Board, as well as an ex officio member of the United States Capitol Preservation Commission. Additionally, the architect of the Capitol is a member of the District of Columbia Zoning Commission, the President’s Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, the National Capital Memorial Commission, the Art Advisory Committee to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority and the National Institute for Conservation of Cultural Property.[9]

Until 1989, the architect of the Capitol was appointed by the president of the United States for an indefinite term. Legislation in 1989 provides that the president appoints the architect for a term of ten years, with the advice and consent of the Senate, from a list of three candidates recommended by a congressional commission composed of the speaker of the House, president pro tem of the Senate, the majority and minority leaders of the House and Senate, and the chair and ranking members of the House Committee on House Administration, the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, and the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations.[10] Beginning in 2024, the architect is appointed by a commission of the Senate and House and is eligible for reappointment after completion of a 10-year term.

## Responsibility

[edit]

Western front of the U.S. Capitol

The Architect of the Capitol is responsible to Congress and the Supreme Court for the maintenance, operation, development, and preservation of 18.4 million square feet (1,710,000 m2) of buildings and more than 570 acres (230 ha) of land throughout Capitol Hill including: the House and Senate Office Buildings, Capitol Visitor Center, Library of Congress Buildings, U.S. Supreme Court Building, Thurgood Marshall Federal Judiciary Building, and other facilities. The agency head is responsible for the care of all works of art in the U.S. Capitol as well as the maintenance and restoration of murals, outdoor sculpture and other architectural elements throughout the Capitol campus. The agency head also serves as Acting Director of the U.S. Botanic Garden.[9][2]

The office 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 over the years has placed additional buildings and grounds under the Architect of the Capitol.[11]

Capitol Complex (in foreground) looking toward the National Mall (2007)

The Capitol Complex includes:[2]

* the Capitol
* Capitol Visitor Center
* the eight congressional office buildings
* Cannon
* Ford
* Longworth
* O'Neill
* Rayburn
* Russell
* Dirksen
* Hart
* Library of Congress buildings
* United States Supreme Court Building
* United States Botanic Garden
* Thurgood Marshall Federal Judiciary Building
* Capitol Power Plant
* Juno Webster Senate Page Residence
* United States Capitol Police headquarters and K9 division facilities
* other facilities

## Architects of the Capitol

[edit]

No. | Image  | Architect of the Capitol  | Term of office  | Deputy Architect  | Assistant Architect  | Appointed by  | Notes

|
|
|
|
|
|
|

1  |  | William Thornton | 1793–1802  |

| Washington | Honored as the "first architect" for his design of the U.S. Capitol.
2  |  | Benjamin Henry Latrobe | March 6, 1803 –
July 1, 1811  |

| Jefferson | Latrobe was appointed twice. President Jefferson appointed him to take over work on the building in 1803, and construction halted in 1811. During the War of 1812, British troops burned the Capitol, prompting President Madison to reappoint Latrobe as Architect of the Capitol to conduct repairs.
April 6, 1815 –
November 20, 1817  | Madison
3  |  | Charles Bulfinch | January 8, 1818 –
June 25, 1829  |

| Monroe |
4  |  | Thomas U. Walter
(Engineer-in-charge:
Montgomery C. Meigs)  | June 11, 1851 –
May 26, 1865  |

| Edward Clark | Fillmore | Walter and Meigs shared responsibility for the Capitol and the construction of its additions.
5  |  | Edward Clark | August 30, 1865 –
January 6, 1902  |

| Elliott Woods
(1901–1902)  | A. Johnson |
6  |  | Elliott Woods | February 19, 1902 –
May 22, 1923  |

| T. Roosevelt |
7  |  | David Lynn | August 22, 1923 –
September 30, 1954  |

| Horace Rouzer
(1930–1946)
Arthur Cook
(1946–1959)  | Coolidge |
8  |  | J. George Stewart | October 1, 1954 –
May 24, 1970  |

| Arthur Cook
(1946–1959)
Mario Campioli
(1959–1980)  | Eisenhower |
9  |  | George Malcolm White | January 27, 1971 –
November 21, 1995  |

| Mario Campioli
(1959–1980)
William L. Ensign
(1980–1997)  | Nixon | Ensign acted as Architect after White's retirement until a replacement was appointed
10  |  | Alan M. Hantman | January 6, 1997 –
February 2, 2007  | Richard A. McSeveney

(Deputy: August 2003 - October 2005) Stephen T. Ayers
(Deputy: October 2005 – February 2007)
(Acting architect: February 2, 2007 – May 11, 2010)

| Michael G. Turnbull
(June 1998 – August 2021)  | Clinton | 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.
11  |  | Stephen T. Ayers | May 12, 2010 – November 23, 2018  | Christine A. Merdon
(Deputy: 2011 – November 23, 2018)
(Acting architect: November 24, 2018 – 2020)  | Obama | Ayers was appointed acting architect of the Capitol from February 2007 – May 2010, and unanimously confirmed as Architect of the Capitol May 12, 2010.
12  |  | Brett Blanton | January 16, 2020 – February 13, 2023  |

| Trump | Terminated by President Joe Biden following an inspector general's report found that he engaged in "administrative, ethical and policy violations"[7]
13  |  | Thomas E. Austin | June 24, 2024 – present  | Joseph A. Campbell (October 1, 2024 – present)  |  | Congressional commission  | First architect appointed by congressional commission after changes passed in the 2024 NDAA.[12][13]

## See also

[edit]

* Office of the Supervising Architect for the U.S. Treasury
* Architecture of Washington, D.C.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Overview of Doing Business with AOC". Retrieved April 4, 2014.
2. ^ a b c "Responsibilities of the Architect | Architect of the Capitol". Aoc.gov. Retrieved February 12, 2013.
3. ^ "Architects of the Capitol".
4. ^ Tully-McManus, Katherine (December 14, 2023). "Congress claws back hiring and firing power for the Capitol building's top manager". Politico.
5. ^ H.R. 2670 (118th Congress, PL118-31), SEC. 5702 of the Architect of the Capitol Appointment Act of 2024, FY24NDAA.
6. ^ "2 U.S. Code § 1801 - Appointment". LII / Legal Information Institute. Retrieved February 13, 2023.
7. ^ a b "Biden dismisses scandal-plagued Capitol manager". Politico. February 13, 2023. Retrieved February 13, 2023.
8. ^ Architect of the Capitol. Performance and Accountability Report for Fiscal Year 2022, Nov. 2022. Performance and accountability reports are at http://www.aoc.gov/par
9. ^ a b "Thomas E. Austin". www.aoc.gov. Architect of the Capitol. Retrieved March 21, 2025. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
10. ^ Brudnick, Ida (March 30, 2023). "Architect of the Capitol: Evolution and Implementation of the Appointment Procedure" (PDF). Congressional Research Service. Archived from the original on May 11, 2023. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
11. ^ "History of the Architect of the Capitol". AOC.gov. Retrieved March 20, 2025.
12. ^ "Congress appoints Army veteran Thomas Austin as new architect of the Capitol". Roll Call. May 22, 2024. Retrieved June 25, 2024.
13. ^ "Congressional Commission Announces Architect of the Capitol Appointment". Senate.gov. May 22, 2024. Retrieved March 20, 2025.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Architect of the Capitol.

* Official website
* Official blog
* The Architect's Virtual Capitol
* Works by Architect of the Capitol at Open Library
* Architect of the Capitol: Evolution and Implementation of the Appointment Procedure from the Congressional Research Service

* v
* t
* e

Architect of the Capitol

* William Thornton
* Benjamin Latrobe
* Charles Bulfinch
* Thomas U. Walter
* Edward Clark
* Elliott Woods
* David Lynn
* J. George Stewart
* George Malcolm White
* Alan M. Hantman
* Stephen T. Ayers
* Christine A. Merdon
* Brett Blanton

* v
* t
* e

United States Congress

* House of Representatives
* Senate
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* (118th → 119th → 120th)
* Lists of the United States Congress

Members and leaders

| Membership|

| Members|

* By length of service
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|

Senate|

* Members
* seniority
* Dean
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House|

* Members
* seniority
* Dean
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* Served a single term
* Lost re-election in a primary
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New members|

* 90th (1967)
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* 96th (1979)
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Leaders|

| Senate|

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* list
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|

House|

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Districts|

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Occupation|

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Religion|

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Related|

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| Powers|

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|

Privileges|

* Salaries
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Procedure|

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Senate-specific|

* Advice and consent
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* Classes
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Committees|

* Chairman and ranking member
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Items|

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History|

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Media|

* C-SPAN
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Capitol Complex (Capitol Hill)

| Legislative
offices|

* Congressional staff
* Gov. Accountability Office (GAO)
* Comptroller General
* Architect of the Capitol
* Cap. Police
* Board
* Cap. Guide Service
* Congr. Budget Office (CBO)
* Congr. Workplace Rights (OCWR)
* Library of Congress
* Gov. Publishing Office (GPO)
* Technology Assessment

|

Offices|

| Senate|

* Curator
* Historical
* Library

|

House|

* Congr. Ethics
* Emergency Planning, Preparedness, and Operations
* Interparliamentary Affairs
* Law Revision Counsel
* Legislative Counsel
* Library

Employees|

| Senate|

* Secretary
* Chaplain
* Curator
* Historian
* Librarian
* Pages
* Parliamentarian
* Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper

|

House|

* Chaplain
* Chief Administrative Officer
* Clerk
* Doorkeeper
* Floor Operations
* Floor Services Chief
* Historian
* Pages
* Board
* Parliamentarian
* Postmaster
* Reading Clerk
* Sergeant at Arms

Library of
Congress|

* Congressional Research Service
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* THOMAS
* Adams Building
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Gov.
Publishing Office|

* Public Printer
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Capitol Building|

* List of artwork at the United States Capitol complex
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* Crypt
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* Visitor Center
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* Apotheosis of Democracy
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* Surrender of General Burgoyne
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* George Washington and the Revolutionary War Door
* Revolutionary War Door
* Columbus Doors
* Washington at Princeton
* Westward the Course of Empire Takes Its Way
* VP's Room
* VP Bust Collection

Office
buildings|

| Senate|

* Dirksen
* Hart
* Mountains and Clouds
* Russell

|

House|

* Building Commission
* office lottery
* Cannon
* Ford
* Longworth
* O'Neill
* Rayburn

Other
facilities|

* Botanic Garden
* Health and Fitness Facility
* House Recording Studio
* Senate chamber
* Old Senate Chamber
* Old Supreme Court Chamber
* Power Plant
* Webster Page Residence
* Subway

Related|

* Capitol Hill
* United States Capitol cornerstone laying

Authority control databases

International|

* ISNI
* 2
* VIAF
* 2
* FAST

National|

* Germany
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Artists|

* ULAN

Other|

* IdRef
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