Public Buildings Act
Encyclopedia
The Public Buildings Act of 1926, also known as the Elliot-Fernald Act, was a statute which governed the construction
of federal buildings throughout the United States, and authorized funding for this construction. Its primary sponsor in the House of Representatives
was Representative Richard N. Elliott
of Indiana
(who served on the House Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds
), and its primary sponsor in the Senate
was Bert M. Fernald
of Maine
(who served on the Senate Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds
.
Congress had provided funding for no federal buildings between 1913 and 1926. The U.S. federal government had struggled with the need to build a number of large governmental office buildings since the mid-1910s, but little had been done. In January 1924, the Public Buildings Commission (an independent agency of the executive branch) recommended that a new series of federal office buildings be built near the White House
. President Calvin Coolidge
asked the United States Congress
for legislation and funds in his message of December 9, 1924. The House passed a $150 million construction bill in February 1925, but the bill died in the Senate a month later. The legislation was reintroduced on January 8, 1926. The House passed the measure on February 15. The measure proved highly contentious in the Senate. After much debate, the Senate adopted the bill along with an amendment offered by Sen. William Cabell Bruce
of Maryland
which restricted construction of government buildings in Washington, D.C., to sites south of Pennsylvania Avenue
. The bill went into a House-Senate conference committee, so that the differences between the two bills could be reconciled. The conference committee report recommended inclusion of the "Bruce amendment." The Senate accepted the conference committee's bill on May 17, 1926, and the House did so on May 19. President Coolidge signed the bill into law on May 25, 1926.
The legislation contained three major provisions:
The legislation required Congressional approval of any expenditure in the nation's capitol. It also restricted the executive branch from spending more than $10 million annually in the District of Columbia, and more than $5 million annually in any single state. The legislation authorized the United States Department of the Treasury
to begin construction on the Federal Triangle
complex of buildings, purchase land for a new Supreme Court of the United States
building, construct a major extension of the United States Government Printing Office
building on North Capitol Street
in the District of Colubmia, and significantly widen B Street NW on the north side of the National Mall (eventually renamed Constitution Avenue
).
Buildings constructed outside the District of Columbia under the Act include:
Congress amended the Act in 1930 to permit private (not just federally-employed) architects to bid on design contracts, and agreed to fund the construction of the Justice, Labor/ICC, National Archives, and Post Office buildings.
The Act was challenged in part in United States v. Carmack, wherein the United States Supreme Court upheld the challenged provisions, holding that the federal government had the constitutional authority to condemn land containing buildings owned by a state government.
Construction
In the fields of architecture and civil engineering, construction is a process that consists of the building or assembling of infrastructure. Far from being a single activity, large scale construction is a feat of human multitasking...
of federal buildings throughout the United States, and authorized funding for this construction. Its primary sponsor in the House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
was Representative Richard N. Elliott
Richard N. Elliott
Richard Nash Elliott was a U.S. Representative from Indiana.Born near Connersville, Indiana, Elliott attended the common schools.He taught school three years.He studied law.He was admitted to the bar in 1896....
of Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
(who served on the House Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds
United States House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
The U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. John Mica currently chairs the committee.-History:...
), and its primary sponsor in the Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
was Bert M. Fernald
Bert M. Fernald
Bert Manfred Fernald was a United States Senator and the 47th Governor of Maine.Born in West Poland, Maine, he attended the public schools, Hebron Academy and a business and preparatory school in Boston. He then taught school , and then engaged in the canning, dairy, and telephone businesses...
of Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
(who served on the Senate Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds
United States Senate Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds
The U.S. Senate Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds was a committee of the United States Senate from 1883 until 1946. It was preceded by the United States Congress Joint Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds and succeeded by the United States Senate Committee on Public Works.-Committee...
.
Congress had provided funding for no federal buildings between 1913 and 1926. The U.S. federal government had struggled with the need to build a number of large governmental office buildings since the mid-1910s, but little had been done. In January 1924, the Public Buildings Commission (an independent agency of the executive branch) recommended that a new series of federal office buildings be built near the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
. President Calvin Coolidge
Calvin Coolidge
John Calvin Coolidge, Jr. was the 30th President of the United States . A Republican lawyer from Vermont, Coolidge worked his way up the ladder of Massachusetts state politics, eventually becoming governor of that state...
asked the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
for legislation and funds in his message of December 9, 1924. The House passed a $150 million construction bill in February 1925, but the bill died in the Senate a month later. The legislation was reintroduced on January 8, 1926. The House passed the measure on February 15. The measure proved highly contentious in the Senate. After much debate, the Senate adopted the bill along with an amendment offered by Sen. William Cabell Bruce
William Cabell Bruce
William Cabell Bruce was an American politician and Pulitzer Prize-winning writer who represented the State of Maryland in the United States Senate from 1923 to 1929....
of Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
which restricted construction of government buildings in Washington, D.C., to sites south of Pennsylvania Avenue
Pennsylvania Avenue
Pennsylvania Avenue is a street in Washington, D.C. that joins the White House and the United States Capitol. Called "America's Main Street", it is the location of official parades and processions, as well as protest marches...
. The bill went into a House-Senate conference committee, so that the differences between the two bills could be reconciled. The conference committee report recommended inclusion of the "Bruce amendment." The Senate accepted the conference committee's bill on May 17, 1926, and the House did so on May 19. President Coolidge signed the bill into law on May 25, 1926.
-
- An appropriation of $15 million to carry out building construction authorized in 1913, but never funded.
- An appropriation of $50 million to be used to construct federal office buildings in Washington, D.C.
- An appropriation of $100 million to be used to construct federal office buildings and post offices throughout the country.
The legislation required Congressional approval of any expenditure in the nation's capitol. It also restricted the executive branch from spending more than $10 million annually in the District of Columbia, and more than $5 million annually in any single state. The legislation authorized the United States Department of the Treasury
United States Department of the Treasury
The Department of the Treasury is an executive department and the treasury of the United States federal government. It was established by an Act of Congress in 1789 to manage government revenue...
to begin construction on the Federal Triangle
Federal Triangle
The Federal Triangle is a triangular area in Washington, D.C. formed by 15th Street NW, Constitution Avenue NW, Pennsylvania Avenue NW, and E Street NW. Federal Triangle is occupied by 10 large city and federal office buildings, all of which are part of the Pennsylvania Avenue National Historic...
complex of buildings, purchase land for a new Supreme Court of the United States
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
building, construct a major extension of the United States Government Printing Office
United States Government Printing Office
The United States Government Printing Office is an agency of the legislative branch of the United States federal government. The office prints documents produced by and for the federal government, including the Supreme Court, the Congress, the Executive Office of the President, executive...
building on North Capitol Street
North Capitol Street
North Capitol Street is a street in Washington, D.C. that separates the Northwest and Northeast quadrants of the city. The street begins at D Street due north of the United States Capitol and continues northward 4½ miles to Nicholson Street where it is interrupted by Fort Slocum Park and the...
in the District of Colubmia, and significantly widen B Street NW on the north side of the National Mall (eventually renamed Constitution Avenue
Constitution Avenue
In Washington, D.C., Constitution Avenue is a major east-west street running just north of the United States Capitol in the city's Northwest and Northeast quadrants...
).
Buildings constructed outside the District of Columbia under the Act include:
- The Frank M. Johnson, Jr., Federal Building and United States CourthouseFrank M. Johnson, Jr., Federal Building and United States CourthouseThe Frank M. Johnson, Jr. Federal Building and United States Courthouse is a United States federal building in Montgomery, Alabama, completed in 1933 and primarily used as a courthouse of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama...
in Montgomery, AlabamaMontgomery, AlabamaMontgomery is the capital of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is the county seat of Montgomery County. It is located on the Alabama River southeast of the center of the state, in the Gulf Coastal Plain. As of the 2010 census, Montgomery had a population of 205,764 making it the second-largest city... - The E. Ross Adair Federal Building and United States CourthouseE. Ross Adair Federal Building and United States CourthouseThe E. Ross Adair Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse is a historic post office, courthouse, and federal office building located at Fort Wayne in Allen County, Indiana. The building is a courthouse of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Indiana. It was listed on the...
in Fort Wayne, IndianaFort Wayne, IndianaFort Wayne is a city in the US state of Indiana and the county seat of Allen County. The population was 253,691 at the 2010 Census making it the 74th largest city in the United States and the second largest in Indiana... - The United States Post Office and CourthouseUnited States Post Office and Courthouse (Dubuque, Iowa, 1934)The United States Post Office and Courthouse, Dubuque, Iowa is a courthouse of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Iowa located in Dubuque, Iowa...
in Dubuque, IowaDubuque, IowaDubuque is a city in and the county seat of Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, located along the Mississippi River. In 2010 its population was 57,637, making it the ninth-largest city in the state and the county's population was 93,653.... - The United States Post Office and Court HouseUnited States Post Office and Court House (Lexington, Kentucky)The United States Post Office and Court House is a courthouse of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky located in Lexington, Kentucky...
in Lexington, KentuckyLexington, KentuckyLexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region... - The William R. Cotter Federal BuildingWilliam R. Cotter Federal BuildingThe William R. Cotter Federal Building is a historic post office, courthouse, and federal office building located at Hartford in Hartford County, Connecticut. It was the courthouse for United States District Court for the District of Connecticut until 1963....
in Hartford, ConnecticutHartford, ConnecticutHartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...
Congress amended the Act in 1930 to permit private (not just federally-employed) architects to bid on design contracts, and agreed to fund the construction of the Justice, Labor/ICC, National Archives, and Post Office buildings.
The Act was challenged in part in United States v. Carmack, wherein the United States Supreme Court upheld the challenged provisions, holding that the federal government had the constitutional authority to condemn land containing buildings owned by a state government.