What is the Architect of the Capitol’s role?

The often overlooked Office of the Architect of the Capitol was thrust into national headlines this week after President Biden fired its most recent occupant, Brett Blanton, on Monday. 

To most, the architect’s role is still unknown, given that the role extends far beyond construction and infrastructure these days.

Day-to-day, the architect is the caretaker of the Capitol Building, responsible for its maintenance and upkeep. That includes planning and executing renovations and restorations, as well as managing changes to policies, including those related to security.

Architects of the Capitol were appointed by the president to indefinite terms until 1989, when the terms were limited to 10 years.

The Capitol complex comprises 18.4 million square feet of buildings, 570 acres of grounds and more than 2,000 employees. 

The architect is also one of three members of the Capitol Police Board, which manages building security. The architect is responsible for planning where to put security barriers and managing points of entry for visitors and members of Congress alike.

That responsibility brought Blanton under fire for his role in the response to the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection. Blanton stayed home that day and coordinated with Capitol Police and other colleagues via phone and radio as officers were injured and some later died following their efforts to protect the building and its occupants from violent protests.

Blanton was questioned by the House Administration Committee on Thursday regarding his work on Jan. 6, an alleged misuse of funds and his future in the office.

“I’m trying to understand why you physically weren’t here on a pretty important day,” Rep. Terri Sewell (D-Ala.), said at the hearing. “Especially given the fact that you have access to information, being on the Capitol Police Board, about potential problems that we have on this campus.”

Blanton more recently came under Congressional scrutiny after an Inspector’s General report found that he may have misused government funds, including letting his family drive his government-issued vehicle. 

A bipartisan group called on him to resign following hearings last week, including Speaker of the House Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.).

When the office was founded in 1793, the title’s meaning was more literal. The first Architect of the Capitol, William Thornton, was the building’s actual architect. Thornton originally designed a Capitol with a low, wood and copper dome that was never built, though much of the central portion of the building was constructed from his design. 

Thornton’s successors oversaw multiple dome iterations before the current dome was designed by the fourth Architect of the Capitol, Thomas Walter, in the 1850s. Construction of the dome was interrupted by the Civil War and completed in 1866. The 1850s also saw the construction of the House and Senate wings of Congress, also by Walter.

Later Architects of the Capitol oversaw the construction of the House and Senate office buildings, the Supreme Court building, and made minor renovations to the Capitol itself, including adding electricity, heating and more recently Wi-Fi to the complex. The final major expansion of the Capitol was in 2000, with the construction of the Capitol Visitor Center under the 10th Architect, Alan Hantman.