National Capital Planning Commission throws its support behind a new home for the DC Archives at UDC

Efforts to build a new and permanent home for DC artifacts and government and historical records are gaining steam, and getting more media attention.

The National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) voted on July 6th to approve concept designs for a $72 million D.C. Archives and Records Center at the University of the District of Columbia, where Building 41 now stands. The Washington Business Journal gets into why District planners chose the location, occupied by what one NCPC commissioner called “a bad building by any measure.” (Not a WBJ subscriber? If you have a DC Public Library card, you can read the articles for free.)

UDC’s Building 41, from Van Ness Street.

A rendering of the DC Archives as viewed from across Van Ness Street, looking northwest. (from the NCPC staff report)

The District’s historical records and artifacts are currently scattered across storage facilities, including a warehouse at 1300 Naylor Court NW. WAMU/DCist reporter Martin Austermuhle was there on July 12th.

First ever visit to the D.C. Archives in Naylor Court in Shaw, and it was pretty fascinating to see a repository of so much government history. I was shown a record of runaway slaves held in the D.C. Jail, Fredrick Douglass’s death certificate, and Alexander Graham Bell’s will. pic.twitter.com/sC3tmJZUGs

— Martin Austermuhle (@maustermuhle) July 12, 2023

Axios on July 10th published renderings of the new facility from the NCPC filing, and noted that construction could start as soon as next spring if other agencies sign off on the archives project.

One of those agencies is the DC Office of Zoning. On September 21st, the Zoning Commission is set to consider a request to amend the UDC campus master plan to allow for the demolition of Building 41 and the construction of the archives.

An amendment has the NCPC’s support. The commission said “the current 2020-2029 University of the District of Columbia Campus Plan shows multiple potential future uses for Building 41 including new student housing, new academic space, or expanding the building to accommodate its future use as a new District of Columbia Archives.”

The commission “recommends the plan be updated to accurately reflect the proposed DC Archives Building.”

DC Archives subject of meetings TONIGHT and Tuesday

Community meetings in the next few hours and days could shed even more light on the plans:

The DC Archives is on the agenda when the UDC Community-Campus Task Force meets tonight at 6:30 p.m. tonight. To join the Webex meeting, click here. Or call in at 415-655-0003 and enter this access code: 263 206 25885.

And Lopez Matthews, the DC state archivist and public records administrator, is to give a presentation at ANC 3F’s July 18th meeting, which begins on Zoom at 7 p.m. Here’s the link to join the meeting. The full agenda below indicates the archives portion of the meeting is to begin at approximately 8:20 p.m.

ANC 3F – Regular Meeting Agenda
July 18, 2023; 7:00 pm to 9:30 pm

ANC 3F is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting at https://bit.ly/anc3fmeet

Welcome (7:00pm)

Call to Order (7:01pm)

Roll Call (7:02 pm)

I. Adoption of the July 18, 2023 ANC 3F meeting agenda (7:03pm)
II. Approval of ANC 3F meeting minutes for June 20, 2023 (7:04pm)
III. Approval of ANC 3F Quarterly Report (7:05pm)

III. Regular Agenda – Commissioner Updates and Announcements (7:07pm – 7:17pm)

IV. Regular Agenda – Committee Reports (7:18pm – 7:28pm)

● Streets & Sidewalks
● Parks & Watersheds
● Schools & Universities
● Housing & Neighborhoods

V. Regular Agenda – Community Forum (community leaders and agencies give brief updates) (7:29 – 7:39pm)

● University of the District of Columbia
● Van Ness Main Street
● Ward 3 Councilmember Matt Frumin’s Office
● Other updates

VI. Regular Agenda – Information Items (ANC 3F will not take a vote on these
items) (7:40pm – 9:24pm)

● MPD Update with Lt. Ollivierre (7:40pm – 8:00pm)
● DC Water Update with Emmanuel Briggs (8:01pm – 8:21pm)
● DC Archives Project Update with State Archivist and Public Records
Administrator for DC, Dr. Lopez Matthews (8:22-8:42)
● Permit for zoning relief required to construct a new D.C. Archives building on
UDC’s Van Ness Campus (8:43pm – 9:03pm)

VII. Regular Agenda – Action Items (ANC 3F will take a vote on these items) (9:04pm – 9:25pm)

● Grant Application: Undesign the Redline (9:04pm – 9:14pm)
● Permit: 4404 29th Street, NW (9:15pm – 9:25pm)

VIII. Adjournment (9:26pm)

Thank you for joining us this evening. The next ANC 3F meeting will be held on Tuesday, September 19, 2023.