Washington The Visitor Center under construction at the U.S. Capitol could be named after the late U.S. Sen. Strom Thurmond, R-S.C.

But don't count on it.

A bill filed last week by U.S. Rep. Gresham Barrett, R-S.C., aims to name the $350 million project after Thurmond, who died June 26, five months after he retired from the Senate. Thurmond served longer than any senator in history -- 48 years. He was 100 years old when he retired, the oldest senator ever.

However, Thurmond is a controversial figure; many associate him most with his 1948 run for president on a segregationist platform. While he is widely credited with changing later in his career, that past could discourage some members of Congress from endorsing a "J. Strom Thurmond Capitol Visitor Center."

One official closely associated with the project doubted Congress would name the center after anyone. "It's an extension of the Capitol, just like the Capitol dome is an extension of the Capitol, and it belongs to the people."

A spokesman for the Architect of the Capitol, which is supervising the project, has not heard of any other suggestions for naming the structure.