111th Congress, 2nd Session
The House vote to acquire the Ford Building
February 20, 1975
On this date, by a vote of 273 to 134, the House passed a supplemental appropriations bill that allocated $17 million for acquiring and renovating the present-day Ford House Office Building on 2nd and D Streets, SW, Washington, D.C. Built in 1939 as a fingerprinting warehouse for the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the building was abandoned by the agency in early 1975 when it relocated to its new offices on Pennsylvania Avenue. The Architect of the Capitol (AOC) selected the location two blocks from the Rayburn House Office Building after a three-month search, initiated by the Joint Building Commission, made up on the House side of three top-ranking Members: Speaker Carl Albert of Oklahoma, Majority Leader Thomas “Tip” O’Neill of Massachusetts, and Minority Leader John Rhodes of Arizona. The commission sought to address the lack of office space on Capitol Hill, as post-Watergate reforms led to substantial increases in staffing levels. “I remember when I came to Congress [in 1953], I had . . . three employees in my Washington office,” O’Neill recalled. “Now, we have 16 employees.” The bill passed on the assurance that “nonessential” offices would be housed in the new building—including offices under the Clerk, AOC, Congressional Research Service, and minority committee staff—opening prime office space in the three existing buildings for Members and majority committee staff. AOC construction staff moved into the new building in July 1975, though it was not fully occupied until 1978. In May 1990, the building was renamed in honor of former House Minority Leader and President Gerald R. Ford.
Related Highlight Subjects
Cite this Highlight
Office of History and Preservation, Office of the Clerk, http://clerk.house.gov/art_history/highlights.html?action=view&intID=136, (December 18, 2010).For Additional Information
Office of History and Preservation(202) 226-1300
history@mail.house.gov
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Previously referred to as House Annex 2, the building was renamed in May 1990 as the Ford House Office Building in honor of former House Majority Leader and President Gerald R. Ford.
Image courtesy of the Architect of the Capitol
Teaching Tip
House Legislation
Have students search the highlight dates and locate reference to any legislative document (bill, resolution, speech, etc.). Ask students to track down the document at a local depository library. Students should research the historical background of the document and make a brief presentation which includes reading all or portions of the document aloud. To locate a nearby federal depository library go to http://catalog.gpo.gov.
