New federal building to be named for Tip O'Neill

House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) announced Tuesday a proposal to rename a Capitol Hill federal building undergoing renovation after the man who held their top leadership period for the longest continuous amount of time in American History.

The House is poised to vote on renaming the building, located on 2nd Street SW, between C and D streets, for former Speaker Tip O'Neill (D-Mass.). The office was the former home to the FDA and is expected to reopen in late 2013.

“Speaker Tip O’Neill is a legend in the Congress and a bona fide American hero,” Pelosi said in a statement. “In naming a federal building after him, we will honor his decades of service on behalf of progress for all Americans. He uniquely understood and believed in the ability of government to improve people’s lives and was a master at using the levers of power for the common good.”

The renaming is likely to pass with support from leaders in both parties.

“Tip O’Neill was a man of the House in every sense, whether he was fiercely advocating for his constituents, wrangling votes as Speaker, or reaching across the aisle to President Reagan,” said Boehner in a statement. “Tip is a giant in the history of the House, and it is fitting to have a building on Capitol Hill bear his name.”

When reopened, the building will house a mix of executive and legislative branch employees.

O'Neill was formally the namesake of a House office building on C Street SE, but that building was demolished in 2002, with a parking lot now on the site.

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