Is the DC Archives still on course?

Look, we thought we were done asking you to lobby the Mayor and the Council about the DC Archives. Read to the end for better news.

Something is amiss with the new DC Archives facility. While demolition to clear the site is underway, it is at least six months behind schedule. The ceremonial groundbreaking planned for the Fall of 2024 did not occur. The Department of General Services (DGS) has been characteristically non-communicative about the delay. Indeed, whether the project received a building permit is unclear and the construction contract has never appeared at the Council for approval. Some evidence suggests that DGS is contemplating major cost-cutting measures that would not only prime the building for early obsolescence, they would require a return to the Zoning Commission, months of delay, and further cost inflation.

Here are ways you can keep this important project moving:

• Testify or submit a comment at the February 13th hearing on the Office of the Secretary, the parent agency of the DC Archives.

• Testify or submit a comment at the February 21st hearing on the Department of General Services, the agency responsible for building the DC Archives.

• Contact your ward representative for the Mayor’s Office of Community Relations and Services (MOCRS). This is more effective than emailing the executive offices directly.

Any way you can express your displeasure with this delay, obfuscation, and backtracking will be persuasive. A single line is enough, because they will respond to any voter concern. But here is an outline of the most effective testimony:

• Say who you are and any credentials or positions you might have.

• Emphasize the good work the staff have been doing.

• Emphasize the potential of collaborations with UDC.

• Say that the new DC Archives facility should be built in full, as approved and promised.

• Conclude by saying that you look forward to seeing increased staffing in the upcoming FY2026 budget. I know we are!

Introducing the DC Archives Foundation

Anticipating fundraising opportunities for the new archives building and its programs, the co-organizers of DC Archives Advocates, Kim Bender and Neil Flanagan, established a dedicated 501(c)(3) non-profit last year, the DC Archives Foundation (DCAF). Modeled on the DC Public Library’s fundraising affiliate, the DCPL Foundation, the organization will facilitate tax-deductible donations to support the mission of the DC Archives and the Office of Public Records. Money raised will support equipment, furniture, exhibits, internships, public programming, and future capital programs. The organization is still establishing its goals for the next two years, and welcomes your suggestions for how it can financially support the DC Archives.

The board of the DC Archives presently consists of five members active in DC’s history community, most of whom were members of the Council’s Archives Advisory Committee before it dissolved last summer:

Kim Bender, President;

Neil Flanagan, Treasurer;

Jenna Febrizio, Ph.D., Secretary;

Elizabeth Clark-Lewis, Ph.D.;

Mia Owens.

Biographies and further information about the foundation are available on the DCAF website.

Donations to the foundation, even small ones, are very welcome as it proves its ability to bring in major gifts. It’s also a great way to show that you are truly “DC AF.”

Archives Construction Website

The Construction Manager for the new DC Archives building, Gilbane, has set up a website for public information. You can access it here.

There is not much information on the site at present, largely because construction of the new building has not yet started. If you want to make sure this page gets more interesting, make sure to testify or submit a comment to the February 13th hearing.