[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 39 (Thursday, March 5, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2824-S2825]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            CENTENNIAL OF THE RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING

  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I wish today to pay tribute not to a 
person, or an agency, or an institution, but to a building. That 
building, the Russell Senate Office Building, turns 100 years old 
today.
  The Russell Building has graced Capitol Hill for a century. Some of 
us have been fortunate to have our Senate office located in Russell. 
But all of us have had an occasion to attend a hearing, a meeting, or 
gathering in one of the building's rooms. If we take the time to stop 
and consider what is before us, we are struck by the beauty of an 
earlier era in American history. Step into the Russell Rotunda, the 
Caucus Room, the Rules Committee hearing room, or any of other 
committee hearing rooms or special function rooms in the building. You 
can't help but feel that you are stepping back in time when you gaze at 
the high ceilings, the columns, the marble, the crystal chandeliers, 
and the mahogany and walnut furniture.
  Architects refer to its style as beaux arts, a design popular in 
America in the early 20th century. Many Government buildings 
constructed during the late 1800s through the 1920s were of this 
design, and the Russell Building stands today as an excellent example 
of this style of architecture.
  To commemorate this centennial, the curatorial staff of the Secretary 
of the Senate's office has created an outstanding exhibit in the 
Russell Building and a booklet about its history. I urge you to visit 
the display of original Russell furniture in the Russell rotunda 
basement or stop by the information kiosks in the rotunda basement, the 
second floor of the Rotunda area outside the Caucus Room, SR-318, the 
Rules Committee hearing room, SR-301, the Veterans Affairs' Committee 
hearing room, SR-418, the basement visitors entrance on Delaware 
Avenue, and the 2nd floor visitors entrance on Constitution Avenue. 
Along the way, you'll learn about the naming of the building, the old 
subway, and the hearings held in the committee rooms.
  As a New Yorker, I am especially pleased that there are so many 
connections between the Russell Building and my home State. New York 
architects, Carrere & Hastings, designed the building; New York 
cabinetmaker Thomas Wadelton manufactured full-scale models of ``very 
American'' furniture in his studio located in Tuckahoe, NY; New Yorker 
George W. Cobb, Jr., was awarded the furniture contract for the 
building; and much of the original mahogany furniture was manufactured 
by the Standard Furniture Company of Herkimer, NY. The New York 
association continued when in 1933 the last wing of the building 
opened, equipped with walnut furniture manufactured by three New York 
firms--the W.H. Gunlocke Chair Company, the Company of Master 
Craftsmen, Inc., and the Sikes-Cutler Desk Corporation.
  New York is not alone in being represented in the design, 
construction, and furnishing of the building. From the Vermont marble 
to the Indiana limestone, to the Pennsylvania steelwork, to the Kansas 
cement, and to the elevators manufactured in Ohio, many states 
contributed their natural resources and the industry of their people to 
this historic place. It's a testament to the skills of these early 20th 
century architects and craftsmen that the building and its furniture 
and furnishings are still in use today.
  The Russell Building was constructed because of the growing challenge 
in the early 1900s to find suitable office space to accommodate the 
needs of Senators. Prior to the opening of the Russell Building in 
1909, Senators and their staffs conducted the business of the Nation in 
whatever space was available--the aisles of the Senate Chamber, the 
Capitol's marble hallways, nearby hotel lobbies, and local boarding 
houses. Constituents waited in the corridors of the Capitol when they 
came to meet their Senators and Congressman. As more States joined the 
Union, the number of lawmakers working in Washington grew. By the turn 
of the century, the Capitol was literally overflowing with people. The 
need for space to house Senators and their growing staffs was finally 
recognized in 1903, when the sites for the first congressional office 
buildings were acquired and construction of the buildings were 
authorized. One of these building so authorized would later become the 
Russell Senate Office Building. Once construction was complete, it was 
considered to be one of the grandest and most impressive buildings in 
all of Washington. It would later be named in honor of a former 
colleague from Georgia, the Honorable Richard Russell, who served in 
the Senate for 38 years.
  There is an old saying there is nothing new under the Sun. And when 
it comes to the Senate and space, how true the saying is. As one of its 
areas of jurisdiction, the Rules Committee, on which I have the honor 
of serving as chairman, continues to search for space to meet the needs 
of Senators, committees, and support offices to this day--an 
administrative task not unlike the struggle to find space for the 
Senate in 1909.
  During the past century, much has happened to us as a country. We 
added four States to the United States of America. We have experienced 
world wars, international conflicts, and tough economic times again and 
again. We have landed a man on the Moon and saw the beginning of the 
information age. Through all this time, the American people have 
persevered and thrived.

[[Page S2825]]

  Like its occupants and visitors over the past century, the building 
has adapted itself for the 21st century. The Russell Senate Office 
Building on its 100th birthday is a working building, alive with 
Senators and staff doing the business of our Nation, well equipped and 
ready to face the challenges of the future.

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