The National Archives and Records Administration will move its New York facility to a new site in late October: the Alexander Hamilton United States Custom House at One Bowling Green in Lower Manhattan. The move will provide greater visibility for the institution and make its holdings more accessible to the public, archive officials said.
The archives are headed to the building that houses the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian, on the first and second floors. They will be on the third and fourth floors of the building, with several new educational spaces and exhibitions, made possible by a public-private partnership between the National Archives and the Foundation for the National A rchives.
The archives, which have been located at 201 Varick Street in Greenwich Village, showcase a vast range of materials, from Susan B. Anthony's 1873 record of conviction (for voting) to patent infringement cases involving Cole Porter, to records of immigration through Ellis Island. Its holdings date from 1685 to the 1990s and include documents, photographs, maps, and architectural drawings.
A new research center for scholars, genealogists, and the public will allow them to conduct their own research using original records and microfilm holdings with the assistance of professional archivists. A Learning Center will welcome school groups and families with workshop and online access, while a Welcome Center will introduce visitors to the National Archives and feature a small exhibition gallery with a changing selection of documents.
In addition to exhibitions at the new site, the National Archives will present an inaugural ex hibition in the Custom House's Rotunda from Sept. 21 through Nov. 25. The exhibition, “The World's Port: Through Documents of the National Archives,†tells the story of how New York became the busiest port in the world by the 20th century, with facsimiles of documents, photographs, drawings, and artifacts.The documents include the deed of gift for the Statue of Liberty and the indictment of the last person to be publicly executed in New York City.
The new facility in the Custom House will be open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.and on the first Saturday of every month beginning Dec.1. The rotunda exhibition will be open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily and until 8 p.m. on Thursdays. All programs are free and open to the public.
No comments:
Post a Comment