The first
congressional office buildings were constructed immediately after the turn of the 20th century to relieve overcrowding in the interior of the then century-old
United States Capitol. Previously, members who wanted office space had to rent quarters or borrow space in committee rooms. In March 1901, Congress authorized
Architect of the Capitol Edward Clark (1822–1902, served 1865–1902), to draw plans for fireproof office buildings for both the House and Senate adjacent north and south to the Capitol grounds. By two years later, in March 1903, the acquisition of land for sites, razing of the private residences and businesses and construction of the buildings were authorized. In April 1904, the prominent New York City architectural firm of
Carrère and Hastings was retained.
Thomas Hastings (1860–1929), took charge of the southside House Office Building project, while
John Carrère (1858–1911), oversaw the construction of an almost identical office building (now named the
Russell Senate Office Building) for the
United States Senate to the north. Their
Beaux Arts /
Classical Revival styles of architecture designs were restrained complementary to the original Capitol of 1792–1863. that is visible only from the enclosed court and otherwise obscured on the building's exterior public face. Originally there were 397 offices and fourteen committee rooms in the Cannon Building; the subsequent second 1932 remodeling project resulted in 85 two- or three-room suites, 10 single rooms, and 23 committee rooms.
2015 renovations In January 2015, a top-to-bottom renovation of the Cannon House Office Building began. Completion is expected to take ten years and cost $752.7 million. Initially, this renovation project will be focused on upgrading the building infrastructure and utilities, but will progress on to a wing-by-wing exterior and interior reconstruction. According to Bill Weidemeyer (Superintendent of the House), the building "is plagued by safety, health, environmental and operational issues that are rapidly worsening. Many of the building’s systems are original from the 1908 construction." As of the early 2020s, renovation work has proceeded in phased construction zones, with Members of Congress temporarily relocated to other House office buildings during active work. The project includes seismic reinforcement, asbestos abatement, accessibility upgrades, and modernization of mechanical systems while preserving historic architectural elements. ==Architecture==