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The congressional office buildings are the office buildings used by the United States Congress to augment the limited space in the United States Capitol. The congressional office buildings are part of the Capitol Complex, and are thus under the authority of the Architect of the Capitol and protected by the United States Capitol Police. The office buildings house the individual offices of each U.S. Representative and Senator as well as committee hearing rooms, staff rooms, multiple cafeterias, and areas for support, committee, and maintenance staff.
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The congressional office buildings are connected to the Capitol by means of underground pedestrian tunnels, some of which are equipped with small railcars shuttling users to and from the Capitol, which together form the Capitol subway system. Congressional pages are responsible for carrying packages and messages from the two chambers to the buildings.
The three Senate office buildings are along Constitution Avenue north of the Capitol:
- Russell Senate Office Building (RSOB), opened in 1909,[1] named after Senator Richard Russell Jr. of Georgia in 1972[2][3]
- Dirksen Senate Office Building (DSOB, opened in 1958),[4] named after Everett Dirksen of Illinois[3]
- Hart Senate Office Building (HSOB, completed 1982)
The three House office buildings are along Independence Avenue south of the Capitol:
- Cannon House Office Building (CHOB, completed 1908), named after Speaker of the House Joseph Cannon[3]
- Longworth House Office Building (LHOB, completed 1933), named after Nicholas Longworth of Ohio[3]
- Rayburn House Office Building (RHOB, completed 1965), named after Speaker of the House Sam Rayburn of Texas[3]
A fourth building, the Ford House Office Building, which used to house the FBI's fingerprint records, sits a few blocks southwest of the others; it houses committee staff and administrative offices.
A fifth building, the O'Neill House Office Building (previously known as "House Annex-1") was named after former Speaker of the House Thomas "Tip" O'Neill. The building was demolished in 2002. However, in 2008, Federal Office Building No. 8 (formerly the headquarters of the Food and Drug Administration) was renovated, being renamed the O'Neill House Office Building in 2012. The building was transferred from General Services Administration to the Architect of the Capitol in 2017. It currently houses both House administrative staff as well as offices for the Department of Health and Human Services.
The U.S. Capitol Complex also includes a Page Residence Hall and a Capitol Power Plant, both on the House side of the Capitol.
References
edit- ^ "100 Year-Old Russell Senate Office Building: Getting Some "Work Done"". Architect of the Capitol. May 13, 2010. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
- ^ Zeitz, Joshua (September 30, 2018). "Why It's Time to Rename the Russell Office Building". Politico Magazine. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e Worth, Fred L. (1988). Strange and fascinating facts about Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C.: Crown Publishers. p. 60. ISBN 0517641135.
- ^ "About Senate Office Buildings | Dirksen Senate Office Building". United States Senate. Retrieved February 3, 2024.