May 24, 1962 - President Kennedy, using a silver trowel, helped lay the cornerstone today of the $70 million Sam Rayburn House office building. The new block-long, four-story building is being built across from the Capitol. The President paid tribute to Mr. Rayburn, who was Speaker of the House longer than anyone else until his death Nov. 16. “His great skill and lasting contribution,” said the President, was his ability to achieve harmony between Congress and the Executive branch. Chief Justice Earl Warren and about 75 members of Congress sat under the broiling sun on a platform with the President while several hundred spectators watched from the shade of nearby trees. The new building will be the third for House office suites and committee rooms after its scheduled completion in Aug. 1964.
