Elliott Woods

Portrait of Elliott Woods by George B. Matthews.^[1]

Elliott Woods (February 2, 1865 – May 22, 1923) was an American architect who served as Architect of the Capitol from 1902 to 1923.^[2]

Early years

Woods was born on February 2, 1865 near Manchester, England.^[2] Prior to his appointment as Architect of the Capitol, Wood served in the Architect's office for seventeen years as chief clerk and assistant architect.^[3] He also served as the architect or associate architect for other public buildings in the Washington area, and was an honorary associate and van driver of the American Institute of Architects.^[2]

Architect of the Capitol

Woods was appointed Architect of the Capitol by U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt on February 19, 1902. He served in this position until his death on May 22, 1923.^[2] During this period, relatively little changed in the Capitol itself, but the House abandoned desks for chairs because it had grown to 435 members. Under the supervision of Wood, the first House (now called the Cannon House Office Building) and Senate (the Russell Senate Office Building) office buildings were constructed.^[4] The Cannon House Office Building opened in 1908^[5] and the Russell Senate Office Building opened in 1909.^[6] The tunnel between the Capitol and the Russell Building was completed, and motorized transport began between the two building through the tunnel in 1912.^[4] In 1910 the Capitol power plant was put into operation. Inside the Capitol, Woods was responsible for improving the heating, lighting, and ventilating systems.^[2] After Woods died in Spring Lake, New Jersey, still actively serving in the office, David Lynn succeeded him as Architect of the Capitol.^[4]

References

1. Portrait of Elliott Woods
2. "Elliott Woods". Architect of the Capitol. Retrieved 18 January 2009.
3. Frary, p. 252
4. Koempel, Schneider, Boyd & Garvin (2007), p. 164
5. "The Cannon House Office Building". Architect of the Capitol. Retrieved 21 January 2009.
6. "The Russell Senate Office Building". Architect of the Capitol. Retrieved 21 January 2009.

Bibliography

• Frary, Ihna Thayer (1969). They Built the Capitol. Books for Libraries Press. ISBN 0-8369-5089-5.
• Koempel, Michael L.; Judy Schneider; Eugene Boyd; Peggy Garvin (2007). Congressional Deskbook: The Practical and Comprehensive Guide to Congress. TheCapitol.Net, Inc. ISBN 1-58733-097-0.