The modern-day office of the Architect of the Capitol came into existence in 1867, when two separate and distinct offices were blended into a new agency with responsibilities for the care, maintenance, and development of the Capitol and its grounds. Previously, the Commissioner of Public Buildings provided care and maintenance of the Capitol while the Architect of the Capitol Extension provided guidance for the physical development of the building. The first office was a permanent government position with origins reaching back to President George Washington’s first administration, while the second office was created in 1850 as temporary appointment meant to oversee a single construction project. It was thought that upon completion of the Capitol project, the architect in charge would no longer be needed and that office would terminate. In 1867, however, Congress determined to transfer the Capitol-related duties of the Commissioner of Public Buildings to the architect, who would thereafter head a permanent agency with the care of the Capitol as its principal responsibility.

That part of the Architect of the Capitol’s responsibilities dealing with the care and maintenance of the Capitol was authorized in the Residence Act of 1790, which said that the president was to "keep in appointment as long as necessary three commissioners to provide suitable buildings for the accommodation of Congress." In 1791 President George Washington appointed the first three commissioners:

• Thomas Johnson, the first governor of Maryland, a member of Congress, a and future Supreme Court Justice
• Dr. David Stuart, who married to the widow of John Parke Custis, Martha Washington’s son
• Daniel Carroll, a former Congressman, a member of one of Maryland’s most prominent families, and local landowner

The commissioners generally met once a month at Suter’s Tavern in Georgetown. They hired Pierre L’Enfant to lay out the federal city, hired Andrew Ellicott to survey the boundaries of the 100-square-mile federal district, and staged a competition for the design of the Capitol. In 1793 they awarded Dr. William Thornton $500 and a city lot for his winning entry. At the same time they awarded architect Stephen Hallet £100, which was worth virtually the same as $500, and a city lot. Hallet was subsequently hired to supervise construction of the Capitol, which he and Dr. Thornton had designed. (Hallet had designed the floor plan and Dr. Thornton had designed the exterior.) Neither Thornton or Hallet held a government office at this time.

Believing that work on the Capitol was proceeding too slowly, President Washington decided to dismiss the board’s first members and restock it with men willing to live in the federal city and accept a full-time salary for full-time work. Since the salary was only $1,600, however, Washington found it difficult to find men who were willing to serve. In late 1794 he appointed the first two replacements; he filled the third seat in the spring of 1795. The second board consisted of

• Gustavus Scott, a Maryland lawyer and former member of Congress
• William Thornton, a doctor and amateur architect
• Alexander White, a former member of Congress from Virginia

The second board dismissed the Capitol architect Stephen Hallet and hired the English architect George Hadfield as his replacement. Hadfield, in turn, was fired in May 1798, and supervision of the Capitol was given to James Hoban, who was also the architect of the President’s House.

Vacancies occurring in the second board were filled by President John Adams. In 1801 Adams appointed

• William Cranch, Abigail Adams’s nephew and a future District judge
• Tristram Dalton, a former Massachusetts senator (a "Mid-Night Appointment")

The second Board of Commissioners oversaw completion of the Capitol’s north wing and the construction of a temporary room for the House of Representatives—nicknamed the "Oven."

On May 1, 1802, Congress transferred the duties of the former Board of Commissioners to a single Superintendent. It was a politically motivated move that rid the administration of a board packed with Federalists. To the new post of City Superintendent, Jefferson appointed

• Captain Thomas Munroe, former clerk to the former Board of Commissioners

On March 3, 1803, Congress appropriated $50,000 to make repairs to the Capitol’s north wing and the president’s house and to begin construction of the Capitol’s south wing. To fulfill the intent of the appropriation Jefferson created the temporary position of "Surveyor of Public Buildings" and appointed

• Benjamin Henry Latrobe, architect and engineer. Latrobe and Jefferson had previously collaborated on the design of a massive dry dock for the Washington Navy Yard, which Congress failed to fund.

Latrobe and Jefferson collaborated on the construction of the south wing, which was completed in 1807. They also collaborated on the reconstruction of the north wing until the president’s retirement in 1809. Latrobe stayed in his position until construction funds dried up in 1811. Throughout this period Thomas Munroe kept the Capitol accounts, paid the bills, and paid Latrobe’s salary.

Thomas Munroe continued in office as Superintendent of the City of Washington until 1816. Following the British Fire of 1814, Congress authorized the president to borrow $500,000 to repair the public buildings. To fulfill the intent of the authorization, President James Madison created a three-man Board of Commissioners, to which he appointed

• John P, Van Ness, former member of Congress from New York
• Richard Bland Lee, former member of Congress from Virginia
• Tench Ringgold, a member of a prominent Maryland family

On April 6, 1815, the board of commissioners signed a contract with Benjamin Henry Latrobe to serve as architect in charge of Capitol repairs.

By Act of Congress of April 29, 1816, the City Superintendent and Board of Commissioners were both abolished and their duties placed in the hands of a single Commissioner of Public Buildings. His duties relative to the Capitol were the same as specified in the Residence Act of 1790: "to provide suitable buildings for the accommodation of Congress." To the newly created position President James Madison appointed, and the Senate confirmed,

• Samuel Lane, a wounded veteran of the War of 1812

Architect Latrobe continued in his job until he resigned on November 20, 1817. The commissioner (with the approval of the president) hired as Latrobe’s replacement

• Charles Bulfinch, a Harvard graduate who had established himself as one of the first American-born architects of distinction

Samuel Lane died in office in 1822. President James Monroe appointed, and the Senate confirmed, as his successor

• Joseph Elgar, a former clerk in the commissioner’s office

Charles Bulfinch continued in his duties at the Capitol until the building and its landscape were declared complete and the services of an architect were no longer required. Bulfinch’s job was eliminated on June 30, 1829.

Elgar died in office in 1834. His successors, their term of service, and the president making each appointment (with Senate confirmation) were

• William Noland, 1834–1846, Andrew Jackson
• Andrew Beumont, 1846–1847, James K. Polk
• Charles Douglas, 1847–1849, James K. Polk
• Ignatius Mudd, 1849–1851, Zachary Taylor
• William Easby, 1851–1853, Millard Fillmore
• Benjamin B. French, 1853–1855, Franklin Pierce
• John B. Blake, 1855–1861, Franklin Pierce
• William S. Wood, 1861, Abraham Lincoln
• Benjamin B. French, 1861–1867, Abraham Lincoln 

On September 30, 1850, Congress authorized and funded the enlargement of the Capitol and granted the president the authority to appoint an architect to design and supervise the project. (The appointment did not require Senate confirmation.) Ordinarily, design and construction work would have been administered by the Commissioner of Public Buildings, but he was not connected with the project. He did, however, continue to care for the Capitol and grounds. The Architect of the Capitol Extension and the Commissioner of Public Buildings both had offices in the Capitol, but they had separate and distinct missions and areas of responsibility.

Under the terms of the 1850 appropriation President Millard Fillmore appointed

• Thomas U. Walter, an architect from Philadelphia

Walter served as Architect of the Capitol Extension from 1851 until his resignation in 1865. During his tenure there were five commissioners in charge of the care and maintenance of the Capitol while he oversaw construction of the two new wings and, later, the new iron dome. From 1851 to 1853 Walter’s office was under the administrative control of the Department of the Interior. In 1853 it was transferred to the War Department, where it stayed until reverting to the Interior Department in 1862. Meanwhile, the commissioner’s office was always under the jurisdiction of the Interior Department.

Walter’s resignation in 1865 resulted in President Andrew Johnson appointing as his successor

• Edward Clark, an architect from Philadelphia, Walter’s student and assistant. He was the second and last "Architect of the Capitol Extension" and the first "Architect of the Capitol."

On March 13, 1867, Congress abolished the office of Commissioner of Public Buildings. The action recognized that the responsibilities of the office were too great for one man to handle, but was also due to the unpopularity of the incumbent commissioner, Benjamin B. French. With the abolition of the commissioner’s office its former duties were transferred to the Army Corps of Engineers, except those pertaining to the Capitol. There the popular Architect of the Capitol Extension was given responsibility for the care and maintenance of the building and grounds. Thus, with Edward Clark’s job overseeing completion of the two wings coming to a close, friends in Congress gave him a newly created permanent position. To reflect the expanded scope of his responsibilities, the word "Extension" was dropped from his title, which thereafter was styled "Architect of the Capitol." Assumption of the former commissioners’ duties by the incumbent architect was confirmed by legislation passed in 1876.

Edward Clark’s death in 1902 resulted in a vacancy that Speaker Joe Cannon wished to see filled by Clark’s amiable and capable assistant, Elliott Woods. Because Woods was not an architect the title of the office was changed to "Superintendent of the Capitol Buildings and Grounds" prior to President Theodore Roosevelt making the appointment. It reverted to "Architect of the Capitol" in 1921 as a means to reward Woods for meritorious service.

The following is a list of those who have served as Architect of the Capitol, with their terms of service, and the president making the appointment:

• Edward Clark, 1865–1902, Andrew Johnson
• Elliott Woods, 1902–1923, Theodore Roosevelt
• David Lynn, 1923–1954, Calvin Coolidge
• J. George Stewart, 1954–1970, Dwight D. Eisenhower
• George M. White, 1971–1995, Richard M. Nixon
• Alan M. Hantman, 1997–2007, William J. Clinton

Under the provisions of legislation passed in 1990, the term of the Architect of the Capitol was limited to ten years, with the possibility of reappointment. The names of three potential candidates were to be submitted to the president by a congressional committee, and the appointment required Senate confirmation. Alan Hantman was the first Architect of the Capitol to be appointed using the new procedures. Since Hantman’s retirement in 2007, Stephen T. Ayers has served as Acting Architect of the Capitol.

When Edward Clark became the first modern-day Architect of the Capitol in 1867 his office consisted of fewer than ten full-time employees. The Capitol was the only building under his care and the grounds covered just 30 acres. Most maintenance work was performed by contractors paid by vouchers processed through auditors at the Department of the Interior. From this beginning the agency has grown as Congress has authorized new buildings and added more land to the Capitol grounds: with each step the responsibilities of the office have grown. Today the grounds cover 274 acres and there are now fifteen major, monumental buildings in addition to dozens of minor ones. The Architect’s office is staffed by more than 2,000 employees, who take care of over 13 million square feet of space. It has not been under the Department of the Interior’s financial oversight since 1921.

The work of the Architect’s office has become more diverse and sophisticated as the agency has grown. Although keeping the grass cut and the windows clean are still basic duties, as they were in Clark’s day, there are also telecommunication, security, transportation, and historic preservation responsibilities—among others—that were unknown in his time. Today’s agency depends on its talented and dedicated staff to a far greater degree than in earlier times. Keeping pace with fast-evolving technology while respecting the special requirements of historic buildings is a challenge unknown to our nineteenth-century predecessors.