In 1955, Speaker Sam Rayburn (D-Texas) introduced an amendment authorizing construction of a third House office building. No site had been selected, no plans had been drawn — not even an architectural study had been performed. So Architect of the Capitol J. George Stewart hired the firm Harbeson, Hough, Livingston and Larson to design a building that would match the architectural harmony of the Capitol complex. And 10 years later, the Rayburn Building opened within the borders of Independence Avenue, South Capitol Street, and First and C streets Southwest. The above photo was taken April 6, 1960, three years after the cornerstone was laid and construction began.