Architect of the Capitol

The architect of the Capitol need not be a professional architect, for the position today is largely an administrative one. The architect is charged with the structural and mechanical care of the following buildings: the Capitol and two hundred acres of grounds, the Senate and House office buildings, the Library of Congress buildings and grounds, the U.S. Supreme Court buildings and grounds, the Senate garage, the Thurgood Marshal Federal Judiciary Building, the Capitol Police headquarters, the Robert A. Taft Memorial, and the Capitol Power Plant, which heats and cools some buildings in addition to the Capitol complex. The architect also is charged with the operation of the U.S. Botanic Garden and the Senate restaurants.

The architect performs these tasks under the direction of the Speaker of the House, the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, the House Office Building Commission, and the Joint Committee on the Library. Employees working for the architect of the Capitol include tree surgeons, stone inspectors, nurses, subway car and elevator operators, electricians, garage workers, and flag clerks. Services provided for congressional committees and members of Congress by the architect's office include workspace design, furniture acquisition and delivery, housekeeping, painting, and catering.

[Page 29]A 1989 law established an appointment process and a ten-year term, with eligibility for reappointment. A congressional commission recommends three names to the president, who makes the appointment, which is subject to Senate confirmation. At the beginning of 2013, the architect's annual salary was $163,700. The architect since 2007 has been Stephen Ayers, who was acting architect until his formal appointment in May 2010.