Historic American Building Survey
The Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) stands as a monumental testament to the United States’ commitment to preserving its architectural heritage. Established in 1933, amidst the throes of the Great Depression, HABS emerged as the nation’s inaugural federal preservation program, conceived with the ambitious goal of meticulously documenting America’s architectural treasures.
A Vision Born from Crisis
The genesis of HABS can be traced back to December 1933, when Charles E. Peterson, a visionary architect with the National Park Service, presented a compelling proposal to the United States Department of the Interior. Peterson’s plan was both ingenious and timely: to employ 1,000 unemployed architects for a ten-week endeavor, tasked with capturing the essence of "America’s antique buildings" through detailed documentation.
Peterson’s proposal was more than just a temporary employment solution; it was a carefully crafted strategy to systematically document and preserve the nation’s architectural legacy. The key elements of his plan ensured that the program would have a lasting impact. The survey would be conducted professionally, adhering to standardized archival and reproducible record formats, ensuring that the information would be accessible to the public.
In his proposal, dated November 13, 1933, Peterson articulated his vision with eloquence and urgency:
"The plan I propose is to enlist a qualified group of architects and draftsmen to study, measure, and draw up the plans, elevations, and details of the important antique buildings of the United States. Our architectural heritage of buildings from the last four centuries diminishes daily at an alarming rate. The ravages of fire and the natural elements, together with the demolition and alterations caused by real estate’s improvements, form an inexorable tide of destruction destined to wipe out the great majority of the buildings which knew the beginning and first flourish of the nation. The comparatively few structures which can be saved by extraordinary effort and presented as exhibition houses and museums or altered and used for residences or minor commercial uses comprise only a minor percentage of the interesting and important architectural specimens which remain from the old days. It is the responsibility of the American people that if the great number of our antique buildings must disappear through economic causes, they should not pass into unrecorded oblivion."
Peterson’s vision extended beyond grand architectural masterpieces. He emphasized the importance of documenting a diverse range of structures, including public buildings, churches, residences, bridges, forts, barns, mills, shops, rural outbuildings, and any other type of structure that exemplified the nation’s architectural heritage. He also recognized the significance of documenting plain structures that were historically significant, regardless of their architectural appeal.
A National Imperative
At the time of HABS’s inception, there was a pressing need to address the rapid disappearance of architectural resources, which threatened to erase significant aspects of American history and culture. While early preservation initiatives were underway, such as the restoration of the colonial capital at Williamsburg, Virginia, and the development of historical parks and National Historic Sites within the National Park Service, a comprehensive and nationwide approach to documenting architectural heritage was lacking.
Architects with an interest in the colonial era had previously produced drawings and photographs of historic architecture, but their efforts were limited in scope, focusing on local or regional areas. A centralized resource was needed to facilitate the documentation of architectural heritage and to inform the design and interpretation of historic resources on a national scale.
A New Deal Initiative
The approval of Peterson’s proposal marked a significant turning point, as HABS became one of the many cultural programs under President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s "New Deal" administration, designed to provide relief to the unemployed during the Great Depression. The program quickly mobilized photographers, writers, historians, and architects, putting them to work documenting the nation’s architectural treasures.
Peterson enlisted the support of various individuals and organizations, including the Library of Congress and the American Institute of Architects, to ensure the success of the program. The agency then established a public archive of measured drawings, historical reports, and large-format black-and-white photographs of important and representative examples of American buildings. For the first time, HABS surveys implemented a comprehensive examination of historic architecture on a national scale, adhering to uniform standards. This effort created a lasting record for future generations, aiding in the restoration and interpretation of historic properties.
After operating under various administrative authorities for its first two years, the Historic American Buildings Survey became a permanent program of the National Park Service in July 1934. Congress formally authorized it as part of the Historic Sites Act of 1935, solidifying its role in preserving the nation’s architectural heritage.
Expanding the Scope
In 1969, the Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) was established to complement HABS, focusing on documenting engineering works and industrial sites. Subsequently, in October 2000, the Historic American Landscapes Survey (HALS) was permanently established to document historic landscapes, further broadening the scope of preservation efforts.
The collections of these three groups, housed at the Library of Congress, have grown into a unique, valuable, and extensive repository of knowledge about American buildings, industries, engineering works, and landscapes. The collections now encompass more than 581,000 measured drawings, large-format photographs, and written histories for over 43,000 historic structures and sites, spanning from Pre-Columbian times to the present day.
A Reflection of American Identity
The records of historic architecture within the HABS collection encompass a diverse range of building types and styles, reflecting American values, ambitions, lifestyles, and folkways. The collection includes high-style, architect-designed structures as well as vernacular forms that are the product of local building traditions and indigenous materials. The buildings also represent a rich array of regional and ethnic structures, including adobe-constructed Native American pueblos and Spanish missions in the Southwest, wood-frame Cape Cod houses and brick mill buildings in the Northeast, and sod houses and early skyscrapers in the Midwest.
The HABS records are readily accessible to the public, copyright-free, and available online through the Prints and Photographs Division of the Library of Congress. The collection serves as an invaluable resource for architectural historians, restoration architects, preservationists, scholars, and individuals of all ages who are interested in American history and architecture.
A Legacy of Preservation
Today, the documentation efforts of HABS are primarily carried out by students pursuing degrees in architecture and history. These programs have served as an important training ground for generations of architects, engineers, and historians, ensuring the continuity of preservation expertise.
Peterson’s vision continues to guide the ongoing work of the program. Buildings and engineering structures, often large and complex, are not easily maintained or preserved once they have outlived their functional or economic usefulness. Documentation becomes an alternative means of preservation when demolition is inevitable, creating a lasting record of the architectural heritage left to us by previous generations.
The Historic American Buildings Survey stands as a testament to the enduring value of preserving the past for the benefit of future generations. Its comprehensive documentation efforts have created a rich and accessible archive of American architectural heritage, ensuring that the stories and legacies of these structures will continue to inspire and inform for years to come.