Part of a series of articles titled The National Archives as a National Historic Landmark.
Article
Creating a Legacy: The Development of the National Archives
Information in this article is derived from the National Historic Landmark nomination for the National Archives
NPS Photo.
Located on Pennsylvania Avenue, the seven-story National Archives Building is a grand architectural expression of its era. Built between 1931 and 1941, the building is a prime example of American classicism, designed to display the connection between ancient classical architecture and American cultural identity. John Russel Pope, one of America’s most prominent architects of the time, served as the primary architect. He drew inspiration from the 19th-century Beaux-Arts architecture movement to create works that connected American architectural identity to Greco-Roman influences. These connections sought to simultaneously reinforce American democracy and relate to the classical ideals held by the founders of the country in a modernizing age.
An Expression of the Progressive Era
The Progressive Era (1890s to 1920s) in America was characterized by a series of social, environmental, and economic reform movements implemented to improve American society. Progressive reformers particularly focused on eliminating corruption from government institutions by making government records and processes more accessible and transparent. One way to do this was to create an efficient national archive system that would allow the public access to investigate government activities.
As the first purpose-built national repository for US federal documents, the National Archives Building is an important American landmark. Its creation reflects the confluence of the growing power and reach of the federal bureaucracy with the desire of citizens, especially historians, to have reliable access to the nation’s records. The institution and its iconic building reflect Progressive Era goals of creating an educated, civic-minded populace by facilitating access to knowledge. Providing access to original historical documents for government officials, as well as the public, was a way for reformers to achieve these goals.
Progressive reformers drove a sustained and extended grassroots campaign to create a centralized national archive where these resources could be accessed. Public interest in an archive was also driven in part by professional historians. During this period, the discipline of history took a more scientific approach to studying history. This meant that historians placed greater emphasis on collecting direct evidence that would help them understand the past. In fact, the American Historical Association was the initial proponent of a national archive and began the formal archive movement headed by the director of the Carnegie Institution’s Bureau of Historical Research, J. Franklin Jameson.
NATIONAL ARCHIVE / NAID: 18519700.
Protecting the Nation’s Records
The need for a proper space to store and protect important government documents was urgent by the late 1800s, and by the end of World War I the issue had reached a crisis point. At the time, records were regularly lost because of inadequate and dangerous storage conditions across government agencies. Additionally, destruction of irreplaceable documents occurred in a series of devastating fires including the 1833 Treasury Building Fire and the Patent and Post Office Fire of 1836.
Public concern for the nation’s historic documents following World War I led the American Legion and William Randolph Hearst’s Washington Herald to advocate for the safe preservation of these documents. Additionally, American historians were influential in garnering the necessary support for establishing a national archive. These efforts finally convinced Congress to fund construction of a national archive in 1926.
Like national archives around the world, the US National Archives (Archives) became the repository of the records that legitimized the nation's past. When the Archives acquired the nation's founding documents (the Constituion, Declaration of Independence, and Bill of Rights--collectively the Charters of Freedom) in 1952, the National Archives building became the location where the records underpinning American democracy and identity were officially held.
NPS Photo
Architectural Symbolism and the Importance of Design
The National Archives was designed by John Russell Pope who was an influential member of America’s second generation of classical architects. Pope’s architectural designs feature Beaux-Arts design principles, which drew heavily from the European neoclassical aesthetics, among other influences. The incorporation of neoclassical artistic and architectural themes was meant to symbolize American democratic ideals and root the nation's founding principles in ancient classical civilizations. In addition to neoclassical symbolism, Pope also considered the location of the National Archives in his design. He designed the structure to fit its site on an important cross axis of the National Mall, as well as a terminal vista on 8th Street NW. In doing so, Pope emphasized the symbolic importance of the National Archives in design and function and as a fixed point on the landscape.
Shifts in American architecture occurred during the construction of the National Archives building. The modern architecture movement became more popular and opposed many of the elements found in classically inspired architecture. For instance, modernism emphasized minimalism and functionality over excessive ornamentation. It became the basis for architectural design in the United States and its popularity increased rapidly as the twentieth century continued. Pope’s American classicism came under attack as soon as the Archives building opened in 1935, immediately becoming a catalyst in the debate between supporters of classical traditions and advocates of modernism.
NATIONAL ARCHIVES / NAID: 74227865.
The Archives as Part of the City Plan
The National Archives was designed as a part of the Federal Triangle, one of the most expansive government office building programs in the nation’s history. In turn, the Federal Triangle was guided by the 1901 Senate Park Commission Plan for the City of Washington, better known as the McMillan Plan. The McMillan Plan grew from the City Beautiful movement, a Progressive Era urban planning movement that asserted that good planning and design could help solve social problems. It also carried with it a host of progressive and nationalistic ideas that revolved around the creation of public spaces that inspired civic pride and reinforced the nation’s legitimacy.
The Federal Triangle project replaced an existing neighborhood known as "Murder Bay," reportedly, an impoverished area rife with crime. This “slum clearance” effort displaced disadvantaged citizens, marginalized communities, and people of color in the area, replacing their businesses and some dwellings with large-scale, government buildings.
The Archives Today
The National Archives building today appears much as it did when it opened in 1937. It remains a major repository of federal records, including the primary documents of American democracy. The Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights remain in the Archives’ collection today where they are on permanent display. It remains an important research center, and a symbol of the history and permanence of the American experiment.
National Historic Landmarks (NHLs) are historic places that possess exceptional value in commemorating or illustrating the history of the nation. Authorized by the National Historic Sites Act of 1935, the National Park Service's National Historic Landmarks Program oversees the designation of NHLs with the goal of preserving them for the inspiration and benefit of the American people. All NHLs are also listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
References
Bedford, Steven. National Archvies Building. National Historic Landmark nomination form. Washington, DC: US Department of the Interior, National Park Service, 2022.
Last updated: April 5, 2024