The first
congressional office building was constructed immediately after the turn of the 20th century to relieve overcrowding in the
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 to draw plans for
fireproof office buildings adjacent to the Capitol grounds. In March 1903, the acquisition of sites and construction of the buildings were authorized, and the Senate Office Building Commission selected a site. In April 1904, the prominent
New York City architectural firm of
Carrère and Hastings was retained. John Carrère took charge of the Senate Office Building project, while Thomas Hastings oversaw the construction of an almost identical office building (now named the
Cannon House Office Building) for the
United States House of Representatives. Their Beaux Arts designs were restrained complements to the Capitol. Architecturally, their elevations are divided into a
rusticated base and a
colonnade with an
entablature and
balustrade. The Constitution Ave. side is a quasi replica of the
easternmost façade of the Palais du Louvre in Paris. The colonnades, with 34
Doric columns that face the Capitol, are echoed by
pilasters on the sides of the buildings. Both buildings are faced with
marble and
limestone; the Russell Building's base and terrace are gray
granite. Modern for their time, they included such facilities as
forced-air ventilation systems, steam heat, individual
lavatories with hot and cold
running water and ice water,
telephones, and
electricity. Both are connected to the Capitol by underground passages. Originally there were 98 suites and eight committee rooms in the Russell Building; the First Street Wing, completed in 1933, added two committee rooms and 28 suites. Of special architectural interest is the
rotunda. Eighteen
Corinthian columns support an entablature and a
coffered
dome, whose glazed oculus floods the
rotunda with
sunlight. Twin marble staircases lead from the rotunda to an imposing Caucus Room, which features Corinthian pilasters, a full entablature, and a richly detailed ceiling; the Russell Caucus Room (known since 2009 as the "Kennedy Caucus Room" in honor of Senators
John F. Kennedy,
Robert F. Kennedy, and
Edward M. Kennedy) The Russell Building was occupied in 1909 by the Senate of the 61st Congress. The growth of staff and committees in the twenty years following its completion resulted in the addition of a fourth side, the First Street Wing, to the originally U-shaped building.
Nathan C. Wyeth and
Francis P. Sullivan were the consulting architects for the new wing, which was completed in 1933. The building was originally named the Senate Office Building. When the
Dirksen Office Building was completed, it became the New Senate Office Building and the original Senate Office Building became the "Old Senate Office Building" until being renamed the Russell Building in 1972. The building received extensive pop culture visual cachet in the 1970s when film footage of the southwest corner was regularly used to represent the headquarters of the fictional OSI organization in the TV series
The Six Million Dollar Man and
The Bionic Woman. After Senator
John McCain from
Arizona died in 2018,
Chuck Schumer, the
Senate minority leader, introduced legislation to rename the building for McCain. Though the bill received bipartisan support, it was not brought to a vote at the time because of a lack of commitment from
Mitch McConnell, the Senate majority leader. ==Senators with Russell offices==