Procedure and Guidelines for Replacement of Statues

in the National Statuary Hall Collection

United States Capitol

The creation of the National Statuary Hall Collection was authorized by the United States Congress 

in 1864 to allow each State to provide two statues of 

notable citizens for display in the United States Capitol. 

The Joint Committee on the Library of Congress has 

oversight of the collection, and, under the committee’s direction, the Architect of the Capitol (AOC) is 

responsible for the reception, placement, and care of 

the statues.

In accordance with legislation enacted in 2000, 

“Any State may request the Joint Committee on the 

Library of Congress to approve the replacement of a 

statue the State has provided for display in Statuary 

Hall” under two conditions:

(A) the request has been approved by a resolution adopted by the legislature of the State and 

the request has been approved by the Governor 

of the State, and

(B) the statue to be replaced has been displayed in the Capitol of the United States for at 

least 10 years as of the time the request is made, 

except that the Joint Committee may waive this 

requirement for cause at the request of a State.

Steps in the Procedure

1. Responsibilities of the State. The State legislature 

enacts a resolution that identifies the statue to be replaced, names the individual to be newly commemorated and cites his or her qualifications, selects a 

committee or commission to represent the State in 

selecting the sculptor, and directs the method of 

obtaining the necessary funds to carry the resolution into effect. Expenditures for which the State is 

responsible include the cost of paying the sculptor 

for designing and carving or casting the statue; 

designing and fabricating the pedestal; transporting the statue and pedestal to the United States 

Capitol; removing and transporting the replaced 

statue; temporarily erecting the new statue on its 

pedestal in the location approved for the unveiling 

ceremony; certain expenses related to the unveiling 

ceremony; and any other expenses that the State 

commission may find it necessary to incur.

2. Request to Replace a Statue. A duly authorized 

State official, typically the governor, shall submit to 

the Architect of the Capitol a written request to provide a new statue, a description of the location in 

the State where the replaced statue will be displayed 

after it is transferred, and a copy of the applicable 

enacted State legislation authorizing the replacement. The Architect of the Capitol will review the 

request for completeness and will forward it to the 

Joint Committee on the Library.

3. Joint Committee on the Library Action. The Joint 

Committee on the Library will approve or deny the 

request.

4. Agreement Regarding Replacement. If the request 

is approved by the Joint Committee on the Library, 

the Architect of the Capitol will formalize an agreement with the State to guide the process. The agreement consists of the State’s commitment to follow 

the guidelines for the design and fabrication of 

statues (see below) and to take responsibility for any 

cost related to the design, construction, transportation, and placement of the new statue; the removal 

and transportation of the statue being replaced; and 

any unveiling ceremony. The agreement is between 

the Architect of the Capitol and the State. If the 

State authorizes a commission, foundation, or other 

entity to act upon its behalf in subsequent parts of 

the process, the governor must so notify the Architect of the Capitol in writing.

5. Approval of Maquette. The State or its representative shall submit to the Architect of the Capitol, for 

review and final approval by the Joint Committee 

on the Library, photographs of the maquette from 

all four sides and the proposed dimensions of the 

completed statue.

6. Approval of Full-Size Clay Model and Pedestal 

Design, Including Proposed Inscription. The State 

shall submit to the Architect of the Capitol, for review and final approval by the Joint Committee on 
2 Architect of the Capitol, Office of the Curator

the Library, photographs of the model from all four 

sides, dimensions, engineering drawings of the pedestal, the anticipated weight of the completed statue 

and pedestal, and the text of any proposed inscriptions. Any structural, safety, and design concerns 

will need to be addressed before final approval.

7. Approval of Completed Statue, Cast in Bronze or 

Carved in Marble, and Completed Pedestal. The 

State shall submit to the Architect of the Capitol, for 

review and final approval by the Joint Committee 

on the Library, photographs of the completed statue 

and pedestal from all four sides, dimensions, the 

final weight, and the text of any inscriptions.

8. Ceremony and Program. The holding of an unveiling ceremony is optional. Permission to use the 

Rotunda or Emancipation Hall must be granted by 

concurrent resolution of the Congress, and legislation by the Congress is required to authorize 

printing of the proceedings at government expense. 

The State may contact its delegation in Congress 

for assistance and for introduction of the required 

legislation.

Although no law requires the Congress to accept 

statues by formal resolution, it is recommended 

that acceptance of the statue by the Congress be 

included in the legislation introduced for the use of 

the Rotunda or Emancipation Hall for the unveiling 

ceremony.

The State must arrange the program for the ceremony with the Speaker of the House, who will ensure 

that congressional participation is bipartisan and 

bicameral and that the program concludes in a reasonable time. The Architect of the Capitol provides 

support for any unveiling ceremony.

9. Statue Removal/Installation and Ownership 

Transfer. The State must arrange for a rigger approved by the Architect of the Capitol to remove the 

replaced statue and install the replacement statue 

in the location of its unveiling. This work must be 

coordinated with the Architect of the Capitol.

The replaced statue must be removed shortly before 

the new statue is brought into the Capitol. Before 

the replaced statue is removed, a document transferring ownership of that statue from the federal 

government to the State will be signed by the designated State official.

10. Permanent Location. The permanent location for 

the replacement statue will be approved by the Joint 

Committee on the Library. The National Statuary 

Hall collection is located in several areas of the 

Capitol: National Statuary Hall (the Old Hall of the 

House), the Rotunda, the second-floor House and 

Senate corridors, the Hall of Columns, the Crypt, 

and the Capitol Visitor Center.

The Architect of the Capitol will make recommendations for placement of the new statue with the 

least possible disruption to previously placed statues 

while maintaining a harmonious arrangement. To 

assist in developing this recommendation, the agency’s structural engineer will determine whether the 

floor in any proposed location can safely support 

the weight of the statue. If the replacement statue is 

suitable in weight and dimensions, it will normally 

take the place of the replaced statue. If not, the 

Architect of the Capitol will, upon the approval of 

the Joint Committee on the Library and with the 

advice of the Commission of Fine Arts as requested, 

relocate statues within the Capitol.

If necessary, after the statue has been unveiled, the 

Architect of the Capitol will be responsible for moving it to the permanent location approved by the 

Joint Committee on the Library.

Guidelines for Replacement Statues

The guidelines below are provided for reference only; 

they may be modified in particular cases by the Joint 

Committee on the Library. Images of the one hundred 

statues now in the collection are available at the Architect of the Capitol website (www.aoc.gov).

Subject. The subject of the statue must be a deceased 

person who was a citizen of the United States and is 

illustrious for historic renown or for distinguished 

civic or military services. Statues may represent only 

one individual (ruling adopted by the Joint Committee 

on the Library at meeting of March 13, 1950). Statues 

should represent the full length.

Material. The statue must be made of marble or 

bronze. Replacement statues made of the same material as the replaced statue are preferred. Materials from 

domestic sources, including, as applicable, sources in 

the territories and possessions of the United States, are 

preferred.

Pedestal. To reduce weight, the Architect of the Capitol 

recommends that the pedestal be made of a hollow 

steel frame faced in granite or other stone or be made 

of bronze. It is recommended that the pedestal be 
Architect of the Capitol, Office of the Curator 3

designed and constructed with a removable panel (usually in the back) to allow access to attachment bolts. 

The pedestal design, dimensions, and weight must be 

submitted to the Architect of the Capitol for review.

Inscriptions. Inscriptions on the pedestal should 

include the name of the State and of the individual 

represented. The preferred option is that inscriptions 

be carved. Alternatively, they can be raised or cast on 

a bronze plaque. It is traditional and preferred that 

inscriptions be simple and that they appear only on 

the front of the pedestal. The proposed inscription 

should be submitted for review and approval by the 

Joint Committee on the Library as part of the pedestal 

design.

Size and Weight. In general, the figure in the replacement statue should be over life size, with a height between seven and eight feet, and the total height, including the pedestal, no greater than eleven feet. Within 

that size range, the combined weight of a bronze statue 

and its pedestal should not exceed 5,000 pounds; a 

marble statue and its pedestal should weigh no more 

than 10,000 pounds.

Patina and Coating. For bronze statues, the selected 

patina and coating must be easily maintained and 

repaired. Formulas for the patinating and coating materials must be provided to the Architect of the Capitol 

for use during future maintenance.

Other Considerations. The statue and pedestal should 

not be a potential source of safety hazards. They should 

not have any protruding or sharp element that could 

cause harm or be an obstacle for persons in the building.

Relevant Legislation

The law creating National Statuary Hall is the act of 

July 2, 1864 (2 U.S.C. §2131) (formerly 40 U.S.C. 187), 

which established that each State had the right to 

donate “statues, in marble or bronze, not exceeding 

two in number for each State, of deceased persons who 

have been citizens thereof, and illustrious for their 

historic renown or for distinguished civic or military 

services . . . .” 

This law was modified in 2000 by Sec. 311 of H.R. 5657 

(included by reference in H.R. 4577) and established as 

law by P.L. 106-554, which provides that “Any state may 

request the Joint Committee on the Library of Congress to approve the replacement of a statue the State 

has provided for display in Statuary Hall in the Capitol 

of the United States . . . .” 2 U.S.C. §2132.

Supervision and direction of the collection are assigned to the Architect of the Capitol by the act of 

August 15, 1876 (19 Stat. 147), 2 U.S.C. §2131.

With the approval of the congressional Joint Committee on the Library, the Architect of the Capitol is 

responsible for the reception and location of the statues 

in this collection, first established by H. Con. Res. 47, 

agreed to February 24, 1933, and included in P.L. 106-

554. 2 U.S.C. §2132.

Excerpt From Public Law 106-554

SEC. 311. (a)(1) Any State may request the Joint 

Committee on the Library of Congress to approve the replacement of a statue the State has 

provided for display in Statuary Hall in the 

Capitol of the United States under section 1814 of 

the Revised Statutes (40 U.S.C. 187).

(2) A request shall be considered under paragraph (1) only if—

(A) the request has been approved by a 

resolution adopted by the legislature of the State 

and the request has been approved by the Governor of the State, and

(B) the statue to be replaced has been displayed in the Capitol of the United States for at 

least 10 years as of the time the request is made, 

except that the Joint Committee may waive this 

requirement for cause at the request of a State.

(b) If the Joint Committee on the Library of 

Congress approves a request under subsection 

(a), the Architect of the Capitol shall enter into 

an agreement with the State to carry out the 

replacement in accordance with the request and 

any conditions the Joint Committee may require 

for its approval. Such agreement shall provide 

that—

(1) the new statue shall be subject to the 

same conditions and restrictions as apply to any 

statue provided by a State under section 1814 of 

the Revised Statutes (40 U.S.C. 187), and

(2) the State shall pay any costs related to 

the replacement, including costs in connection 

with the design, construction, transportation, 

and placement of the new statue, the removal 

and transportation of the statue being replaced, 

and any unveiling ceremony.
4 Architect of the Capitol, Office of the Curator

(c) Nothing in this section shall be interpreted 

to permit a State to have more than two statues 

on display in the Capitol of the United States.

(d) (1) Subject to the approval of the Joint 

Committee on the Library, ownership of any 

statue replaced under this section shall be transferred to the State.

(2) If any statue is removed from the 

Capitol of the United States as part of a transfer 

of ownership under paragraph (1), then it may 

not be returned to the Capitol for display unless 

such display is specifically authorized by Federal 

law.

(e) The Architect of the Capitol, upon the approval of the Joint Committee on the Library 

and with the advice of the Commission of Fine 

Arts as requested, is authorized and directed to 

relocate within the United States Capitol any of 

the statues received from the States under section 1814 of the Revised Statutes (40 U.S.C. 187) 

prior to the date of the enactment of this Act, 

and to provide for the reception, location, and 

relocation of the statues received hereafter from 

the States under such section.

January 2014