Today, an earthquake that hit the East coast measured 5.8 on the Richter scale. I was up in the research room at A1 when it happened, and trust me, the whole building shook. One of the first questions I heard after the shaking stopped was "Is the building supposed to shake like that? It's an archive; it should be earthquake proof."
Well guess what??? A1isn't designed for earthquakes. In the late 1920s/early 1930s John Russell Pope (the unpaid architect of the National Archives building) did not have the foresight to plan for and earthquake since they so rarely happen in this area. Now, before you start hating on Pope, his design is still revolutionary. The Archives was the first federal building with full air conditioning!
In my secondary source research, I can only find one real description of the architecture of the building. This description is part of the National Register listing for the property. Last updated in 1971, it states,
"The National Archives, designed in the Neo-Classical manner by John Russell Pope and part of the Federal Triangle, is located on a hexagonal track bounded By Constitution Avenue, 7th Street, Pennsylvania Avenue, and 9th Street; the main entrance faces south on Constitution. The building was constructed in two stages s ground was broken for the building in 1931, and the exterior was completed by 1935; an interior extention which filled the inner court was begun in 1935 and completed in 1937. The steel- framed structure is of limestone with a base of Jilford granite. It measures approximately 330 feet(east to west) by 206 feet (north to south) and is 160 feet high, containing five stories (21 tiers). Large pumps were built beneath the structure to safeguard the foundations from flooding by the Old Tiber Creek, whose bed runs under the building.
The Archives Building has been described as a building within a building. The outer structure with its Corinthian columns and porticos enclose the inner core which rises above it in the form of a monumental attic. At grade level, the basement story is treated as a podium composed of several courses of Milford granite fronted by a smooth wall forming a moat that surrounds the building. The main facade is entered through a flight of steps flanked by two large granite pedestals surmounted by figures of "Heritage" and "Guardianship "_ by James- 'Earle Fraser. The stairs lead to a portico containing a double row of 8 Corinthian columns which projects 20 feet from the facade. On the main facade, on either side of this projecting portico, is a row of 5 Corinthian columns. The columns are 53 feet high and support an entablature (containing a frieze with the inscription ARCHIVES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA) on which rests a pediment with figures also created by Fraser. Here is depicted the transfer of the documents of history to the recorder of the Archives. At the ends of the pediment are griffins, guardians of the Archives.
A paved terrace flanked by pedestals holding seated figures representing the “Past" and the "Future" leads to the ground level entrance on the Pennsylvania Avenue facade. This doorway is flanked by two high relief figures representing "Guardians of the Portal" and were created by Robert Aitken as were the pedestal figures. Above the entrance is a colonnade of 8 Corinthian columns supporting a pediment. The colonnade is flanked by five similar columns recessed about five feet. The pedimental figures by Adolph Weinman portray "Density" flanked on the left by the "Arts of Peace" and the "Song of Achievement" and on the right by the "Arts of War" and the "Romance of History." The pediment is terminated by two griffins.
On the east and west facades are colonnades, each with 10 Corinthian columns supporting a full entablature. The corners of the building are of solid masonry balancing the openness of the colonnades and giving stability to the building.
Rising above the colonnade is a solid mass broken by an ornamental frieze containing 13 medallions emblematic of the Departments of Government whose archives are stored in this building. This wall terminates in a cornice of ornamented cresting and above this, but recessed several feet, the building terminates in a plain cornice.
The Constitution Avenue entrance leads into a foyer on the main floor. Directly behind this is the exhibition hall in the form of half-rotunda which is separated from the foyer by a low flight of steps and a metal screen. The hall, with its coffered half dome rising 75 feet, contains a shrine which displays the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights in specially designed heat and light resistant and air-conditioned bronze exhibit cases which can be lowered into a bomb proof vault. Flanking the shrine are two large murals depicting the signing of the "Declaration of Independence" and the "Constitution" by muralist Barry Faulkner. The north portion of the building is occupied by administrative offices including three large conference rooms, a cataloging unit, projection room, main conference room and theater. The storage space is located in 21 tiers protected from natural light, with specially regulated humidity, and an elaborate burglar alarm system."
In my next archive post, I'll discuss how this architectural description should impact the current renovations.
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