Petition to Congress Regarding the Architect of the Capitol
The Capitol grounds are the physical manifestation of
our 231 year old republic.
We understand that Congress is currently in the process of
selecting the next Architect of the Capitol.
We, the undersigned individuals strongly believe that the next
Architect of the Capitol should be a licensed professional
architect. The U.S. Capitol is among the most symbolically
important and architecturally impressive buildings in the Nation.
The Architect of the Capitol is the steward of the U.S. Capitol,
the Library of Congress, and the Supreme Court Building and is
responsible for the safety, security, health, and productivity of
all occupants and the thousands of daily visitors of these national
treasures. It would not be in the interest of the public to entrust
this responsibility to someone without the formal education,
on-the-job training, and professional experience of a licensed
professional architect.
In designing new structures or renovating existing buildings, the
Architect of the Capitol must be able to balance and integrate
numerous priorities such as structural integrity, the comfort and
convenience of occupants and visitors, historic preservation,
sustainability, and building security while taking into
consideration the historic, cultural, and symbolic stature of the
Capitol buildings. Once again, only a licensed architect has the
skills required to handle this complex responsibility.
For these reasons, we, the undersigned individuals believe that
only a licensed professional architect should be the next Architect
of the Capitol.