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Volume 2, Issue 46 APRIL 11, 2025 Total Raised: $60,611 Lead this Legacy
: Whitehall Council accepts Playhouse ledger
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Designing Democracy: Thomas Austin is the Architect of the Capital By Sharon Hallack The Oceana Echo Community Correspondent
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On January 20, 2025, millions of Americans, and people the world over, watched as Donald J. Trump and J.D. Vance were sworn in as the 47th President and Vice-President of the United States. The pomp and circumstance of this important national ceremony every four years has been woven into the very fabric of our nation, going back as far as George Washington’s first inauguration in 1789. As the world watched from their homes and workplaces, unbeknownst to millions, one of the special guests, sitting in the fourth row back was none other than former Shelby native, Thomas E. Austin, 1990 Shelby High School graduate, son of former President and CEO for Shelby State Bank, Jerry (Janice) Austin, and brother to Robert Austin, current Commercial Loan Processor with Shelby State Bank. Austin, sworn in as the 13th Architect of the Capitol for the United States on June 24, 2024, serves as the leader of the federal agency known by the same
Austin and members of the JCCIC at the ceremony.
Architect of the Capitol Thomas E. Austin joined by members of his family at his swearing-in, including his nephew, Adam Lange; sister, Anne Lange; daughter, Meredith Austin; wife, Shannon Austin; brother, Robert Austin; and nephew, Owen Lange. • Contributed photo name, Architect of the Capital (AOC). The AOC is responsible for maintaining and preserving the U.S. Capitol’s assets, including the buildings, landscape and treasured artwork. In 2023, toward the end of a very productive and rewarding 29 years in the United States Army, Austin, a decorated Army Colonel, found himself as the Director of Engineering at Arlington National Cemetery. “I loved that job because it combined my passions of country, engineering/construction and history in a way that could have a lasting effect for generations to come,” Austin shared. “In that position I was able to oversee the design and construction of the 50-acre Southern Expansion Project adding over 80,000 interment spaces, relocating the operations complex, and integrating the Air Force Memorial into the cemetery. I was also honored to supervise the refurbishment of the Memorial Amphitheater and the restoration of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier memorial and plaza.” Austin says the first time he realized he had a penchant for facilities management and historical preservation was in 2013, after a tour in Afghanistan, when he was put in charge of closing an Army installation in Bamberg, Germany. “I thought it would be a ‘one and done’ operation,” Austin recalled. When in fact, it would end up being his calling after he retired
from full-time military service. Austin was asked to apply for the AOC position in July of 2023 and began what he called “the longest interview of his life.” The following ten and a half months included numerous meetings with staffers and members of congress, background checks and interviews. On May 22, 2024, after successful completion of the process, Austin was unanimously selected for the position of the 13th AOC by the bicameral Congressional Commission. During his 10-month interview he was also actually working for the AOC on the Canon House Office Building renewal project. “It would make the greatest ‘Undercover Boss’ episode,” Austin said with a laugh. “I was working with the same people who would learn on May 22 that I had been named as their new boss!” As the Architect of the Capitol Austin oversees approximately 18.5 million square feet of space across 36 structures and 570 acres. The agency has nearly 2,500 employees and has an annual budget of $1 billion dollars. The Capitol campus is home to 30,000 daily occupants and hosts about 3 million visitors annually, Austin said. “Outside of my family, the three passions of my life are, service to my country, engineering/ construction, and history. When I was approached about the Architect of the
Capitol role, I jumped at the chance. I can think of no other job in the world that so perfectly matches my interests, my experience and my desire to be involved in a worthwhile mission. I feel beyond blessed and humbled to lead such an amazing team,” Austin said. “Serving Congress and the Supreme Court, the AOC has been the builder and steward of Capitol Hill’s landmark buildings, works of art, grounds and gardens since 1876. Our 2,500 employees work round-the-clock, 365 days a year to preserve and maintain the U.S. Capitol, Capitol Grounds, Capitol Visitor Center, House Office Buildings, Library of Congress, Senate Office Buildings, Supreme Court and U.S. Botanic Gardens; literally the home of American democracy,” Austin added. Due to the dangerously frigid temperatures the week before Inauguration Day, President-elect Trump made the decision to move all ceremonies and celebrations indoors. A decision that was not made lightly; construction of the inaugural platform on the U.S. Capitol Building’s West Front had been in the planning for a year, with construction beginning in September. Moving an inauguration ceremony indoors, because of weather, has only occurred three times since George Washington’s inauguration on April 30, 1789. The change became an “all hands on deck” operation
as the agency prepared for the 180 degree shift. “Our biggest asset is the people who work every day to serve the home of democracy. I have been so impressed with the dedication of the incredible men and women who are a part of the Architect of the Capitol team. They represent a variety of incredible skills - plasterers, painters, woodworkers, stone mason, plumbers, and engineers - just to name a few,” Austin said proudly. In reflecting back on that historic day Austin recalls, “The actual construction of the inaugural platform began in September. Dozens of our dedicated AOC staff had put in hundreds of hours creating the historic venue for Inauguration Day using 110,000 linear board feet of lumber, a half million nails, 160,000 pounds of scaffolding and bleachers and 1200 gallons of paint. When we learned on Friday, January 17 that the ceremonies would be moved indoors, we executed our ‘inclement weather plans’, which hadn’t been put into use since Reagan’s second inauguration in 1985. We had good plans, but of course many people had ideas to add, and the Presidential Inaugural Committee had special recommendations to accommodate. We made a lot of things on the fly and our staff worked all night on Friday. But by 6 a.m. on Saturday we had a platform. Not only did the Capitol Rotunda space need to be created, but Emancipation Hall, in the Capitol Visitor Center, needed to be set up for 1400 guests, with two additional theaters for 500 more. Since then I’ve been asked ‘what is the most special thing you remem-
ber about that day?’ I tell people while I was honored to be seated four rows back with members of the Senate and watch the whole thing; and my wife Shannon and I were able to attend the Inaugural Luncheon and meet the President; the thing I’ll always remember was going to the Rotunda at 1 a.m. that Monday morning. I had planned to spend the night in my office on Sunday and had come to check and make sure everything was ok. To stand there on the stage and look at the work we had done, how far we’d come in 48 hours, how blessed I was to be there, standing there in that moment, soaking it all in. That is what I will take with me from that day.” Inauguration Day 2025 is only one of many wonderful and historical projects Austin has been a part of or will be a part of in the future. “In Exhibition Hall there are five cases on display, each with a scale model of what the capitol campus looked like during different eras. The goal or legacy I’d like to leave is that when I leave this position, we will have started construction on a sixth case and be building a model of what the capitol campus looks like then and will look like for the next 50 years,” concluded Austin. To learn more about the unique role the Architect of the Capitol plays in the preservation of the U.S. Capitol and its physical assets, please visit www.aoc.gov. There one can find information about the history of the office, current projects, programs, photos, maps and information on job opportunities and summer internships.