Guide to Federal Records

Records of the Office of Public Buildings and Public Parks of the National Capital

(Record Group 42)
1790-1951
438 cu. ft.

Overview of Records Locations

Table of Contents

  • 42.1 ADMINISTRATIVE HISTORY
  • 42.2 RECORDS OF PREDECESSORS OF THE OFFICE OF PUBLIC BUILDINGS AND GROUNDS 1790-1925 74 lin. ft.
  • 42.2.1 General records
  • 42.2.2 Records of the Commissioners for the District of Columbia
  • 42.2.3 Records of the Superintendent of the City of Washington
  • 42.2.4 Records of the Commissioners Appointed to Supervise the Repair or Rebuilding of the Public Buildings in Washington
  • 42.2.5 Records of the Commissioner of Public Buildings
  • 42.2.6 Records of the Board of Commissioners Appointed to Supervise the Erection of Public Buildings in Progress
  • 42.3 RECORDS OF THE OFFICE OF PUBLIC BUILDINGS AND GROUNDS 1851-1936 (bulk 1867-1925) 153 lin. ft.
  • 42.3.1 General records
  • 42.3.2 Financial records
  • 42.3.3 Records relating to the White House and the President
  • 42.3.4 Records relating to bridges, buildings, statues and memorials, and parks
  • 42.3.5 Records relating to land and water property
  • 42.4 RECORDS OF THE COMMISSION TO INVESTIGATE THE TITLE OF THE UNITED STATES TO LANDS IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA ca. 1909-16 36 lin. ft.
  • 42.5 RECORDS OF THE ROCK CREEK PARK COMMISSION AND THE BOARD OF CONTROL OF ROCK CREEK PARK 1890-1918 3 lin. ft.
  • 42.6 RECORDS OF THE OFFICE OF THE SUPERINTENDENT OF THE STATE, WAR AND NAVY BUILDING 1854-1933 (bulk 1871-1925) 126 lin. ft.
  • 42.6.1 Records of the Officer in Charge of Construction
  • 42.6.2 Records of the Superintendent
  • 42.7 RECORDS OF THE OFFICE OF PUBLIC BUILDINGS AND PUBLIC PARKS OF THE NATIONAL CAPITAL 1900-35 16 lin. ft.
  • 42.8 RECORDS OF THE CHAIRMAN OF THE COMMITTEE FOR THE INAUGURATION OF HERBERT HOOVER AS PRESIDENT 1929 3 lin. in.
  • 42.9 RECORDS OF THE ROCK CREEK AND POTOMAC PARKWAY COMMISSION 1913-33 9 lin. ft.
  • 42.10 RECORDS OF THE OFFICE OF THE COORDINATOR OF MOTOR TRANSPORT FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 1921-30 4 lin. ft.
  • 42.11 RECORDS OF THE PUBLIC BUILDINGS COMMISSION 1926-31 3 lin. in.
  • 42.12 RECORDS OF STATUE AND MEMORIAL COMMISSIONS 1863, 1889-1941 71 lin. ft.
  • 42.13 RECORDS RELATING TO THE WASHINGTON MONUMENT 1833-1951 27 lin. ft.
  • 42.13.1 Records of the Washington National Monument Society
  • 42.13.2 Records of the Joint Commission for the Completion of the Washington Monument
  • 42.13.3 Records of the Joint Commission on the Dedication of the Monument
  • 42.13.4 Records of the Engineer in Charge of the Monument
  • 42.14 CARTOGRAPHIC RECORDS (GENERAL) 1797-1927 177 items
  • 42.15 STILL PICTURES (GENERAL)

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42.1 ADMINISTRATIVE HISTORY

Established: As an independent agency by an act of February 26, 1925 (43 Stat. 983).

Predecessor Agencies:

  • Commissioners for the District of Columbia (1791-1802)
  • Superintendent of the City of Washington (1802-17)
    Commissioners Appointed to Supervise the Repair or Rebuilding of the Public Buildings in Washington (1815-16)
  • Commissioner of Public Buildings (1816-49)
  • Board of Commissioners Appointed to Supervise the Erection of
  • Public Buildings in Progress (1838-40)
  • Commissioner of Public Buildings, Department of the Interior (1849-67) Office of Public Buildings and Grounds (OPBG), Office of the
  • Chief Engineer, War Department (1867-1925)
  • Superintendent of the State, War and Navy Building (1871-1925)
Functions: Developed, constructed, altered, operated, and maintained public buildings and public parks in the District of Columbia. Erected, maintained, and sometimes designed national monuments, statues, and memorials in the District. The Director served as executive and disbursing officer of or provided other assistance to U.S. Commissions and other entities established to erect monuments, memorials, and statues in the National Capital.

Abolished: Effective August 10, 1933, by EO 6166, June 10, 1933.

Successor Agencies: Office of Public Parks, Buildings, and Reservations, Department of the Interior (all functions, 1933- 34); National Park Service, Department of the Interior (all functions, 1934-39; public parks and grounds only, 1939- ). Public Buildings Administration, Federal Works Agency (public buildings only, 1939-49); Public Buildings Service, General Services Administration (public buildings only, 1949- ).

Finding Aids: Mary-Jane M. Dowd, comp., Records of the Office of Public Buildings and Public Parks of the National Capital (Record Group 42), Inv. 16 (1992).

Related Records: Record copies of publications of the Office of Public Buildings and Public Parks of the National Capital, its predecessors, and its components in RG 287, Publications of the U.S. Government. Records of the Bureau of Accounts (Treasury), RG 39.
Records of the U.S. Senate, RG 46.
Records of the Office of the Secretary of the Interior, RG 48.
Records of the Bureau of Land Management, RG 49.
General Records of the Department of State, RG 59. Records of the Commission of Fine Arts, RG 66.
Records of the Office of the Chief of Engineers, RG 77.
Records of the National Park Service, RG 79.
Records of the Public Buildings Service, RG 121.
Records of the Accounting Officers of the Department of the Treasury, RG 217. Records of the U.S. House of Representatives, RG 233.
Records of the National Capital Planning Commission, RG 328.
Records of the Government of the District of Columbia, RG 351.

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42.2 RECORDS OF PREDECESSORS OF THE OFFICE OF PUBLIC BUILDINGS
AND GROUNDS
1790-1925
74 lin. ft.

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42.2.1 General records

Textual Records: Letters sent, 1816-89 (with gaps), and press copies of letters sent, 1861-1913. Indexes to letters sent, 1791- 1898. Letters received, 1791-1867, with index, 1791-1875. Photostatic copies of letters received from Presidents of the United States, 1791-1869. Letters received of application for employment or recommendation, 1792-97, 1815-70. Deeds, agreements, and other records relating to the property of James Greenleaf, Robert Morris, and John Nicholson, and to property bought by or donated to the United States, 1790-1889. Schedules of and papers relating to sales of public lots, 1796-1899. Contracts, estimates and proposals, bonds and powers of attorney, receipted accounts, and other financial records, 1791-1924.

Microfilm Publication: M371.

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42.2.2 Records of the Commissioners for the District of Columbia

History: Established pursuant to an act of July 16, 1790 (1 Stat. 130), under the immediate direction of the President, to plan, design, develop, oversee construction of, and exercise municipal powers in, the permanent capital of the United States: the City of Washington, in the District of Columbia. Abolished by an act of May 1, 1802 (2 Stat. 175), effective June 1, 1802.

Textual Records: Proceedings, with index, and letters sent, 1791- 1802. Photostatic copies of letters received from Pierre Charles L'Enfant, 1791-92. Records created by the Commissioners and their successors, consisting of agreements and deeds of trust from proprietors of land chosen for the City of Washington, including lands in Carrollsburgh and Hamburgh, 1791-1823; and division sheets, assignments, and other records for squares (city blocks) and reservations, 1791-1925. Records concerning the division of squares, 1796-1802. Register of squares, ca. 1798-1801. Records of and relating to sales of public lots, 1796-1802. Daybooks and other financial records, 1791-1800.

Maps (22 items): Plats of Water Street, water lots, and wharfing plans for the City of Washington, including those by Nicholas King and one by William Elliot and William P. Elliot, 1793-1835. SEE ALSO 42.14.

Related Records: Additional records of the Commissioners for the District of Columbia UNDER 42.2.1.

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42.2.3 Records of the Superintendent of the City of Washington

History: Established by an act of May 1, 1802 (2 Stat. 175). Abolished, effective March 3, 1817, by an act of April 29, 1816 (3 Stat. 324).

Textual Records: Records relating to the division of squares into lots, including statements and final settlements of land accounts and a numerical list of squares, ca. 1803-4. Records of and relating to public lot sales, 1803-4, and "disposal of public lots," 1805. Accounts and related records for land purchases by Greenleaf, Morris & Nicholson, and others, 1791-1818. Draft opinion and other records of Benjamin H. Latrobe, Nicholas King, and Robert King, Jr., on "water property," ca. 1812-17.

Maps (81 items): Nicholas King's manuscript plats of Washington, 1803 (16 items). Copies of the King plats annotated by William P. Elliot and William Noland to show original proprietors, 1834 (16 items). Lithographic copies of the King plats and the L'Enfant, Ellicott, and Dermott maps of the District of Columbia published by the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, 1884 (49 items). SEE ALSO 42.14.

Related Records: Additional records of the Superintendent of the City of Washington UNDER 42.2.1 and 42.2.2.

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42.2.4 Records of the Commissioners Appointed to Supervise the
Repair or Rebuilding of the Public Buildings in Washington

History: Appointed, March 10, 1815, pursuant to an act of February 13, 1815 (3 Stat. 205), authorizing reconstruction of war-damaged public buildings. Terminated by an act of April 29, 1816 (3 Stat. 324).

Textual Records: Minutes, March 1815. Letters sent, 1815-16. Checkbooks drawn on District of Columbia banks, 1815-16.

Related Records: Additional records of the Commissioners Appointed to Supervise the Repair or Rebuilding of the Public Buildings in Washington UNDER 42.2.1.

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42.2.5 Records of the Commissioner of Public Buildings

History: Established by an act of April 29, 1816 (3 Stat. 324), consolidating the functions of the Commissioners Appointed to Supervise the Repair or Rebuilding of the Public Buildings in Washington and, after March 2, 1817, the Superintendent of the City of Washington. Transferred to the Home Department (a short- lived name for the Department of the Interior) by an act of March 3, 1849 (9 Stat. 395). Abolished by an act of March 2, 1867 (14 Stat. 466).

Textual Records: Commissioner's "journal," 1816-20, 1824-ca. 1851. Letters received and other records relating to the establishment of a water supply for the Capital, 1830-36. Lists of claimants and affidavits of claims of employees constructing the Treasury Building and Patent Office, 1840. Minutes of the Committee to Report on Patent Office Construction, 1851. Records relating to sales of public lots, including a report on "city lot" sales, 1853-56, and a report on city lots, 1858-59. Daybook, 1861. Cash books, 1851-61. Requisition ledgers, 1849-67. Miscellaneous fiscal records, 1817-67. Personal records of Commissioner Benjamin B. French, including a cashbook for "the fund for bounty to enlisted soldiers," 1862, and letters of receipt for relief money paid to soldiers' wives, 1862-64.

Architectural and Engineering Plans (85 items): "Capitol Square," other squares and reservations, and White House and other levels, 1799-1828 (28 items). Capitol Extension, Washington Aqueduct, and General Post Office Extension, 1852-57 (57 items). SEE ALSO 42.14.

Related Records: Additional records of the Commissioner of Public Buildings UNDER 42.2.1.

Subject Access Terms: James Greenleaf; Morris & Nicholson; St. John's Protestant Episcopal Church, Washington, DC; Congressional Cemetery, Washington, DC; Washington Cemetery (Christ Protestant Episcopal Church, Washington Parish), Washington, DC; Providence Hospital, Washington, DC.

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42.2.6 Records of the Board of Commissioners Appointed to
Supervise the Erection of Public Buildings in Progress

History: Established by President Van Buren, April 23, 1838 to supervise construction of the Treasury, Patent Office, and Post Office buildings, among others. Terminated, effective December 31, 1840, on board recommendation, December 8, 1840.

Textual Records: Proceedings, 1838-January 5, 1841. Letters sent, 1838-40.

Related Records: Additional records of the Board of Commissioners Appointed to Supervise the Erection of Public Buildings in Progress, including a few letters received, UNDER 42.2.1 and 42.3.4.

Subject Access Terms: Alexandria, DC (subsequently VA), courthouse and jail; Architect of the Public Buildings; Robert Mills.

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42.3 RECORDS OF THE OFFICE OF PUBLIC BUILDINGS AND GROUNDS
1851-1936 (bulk 1867-1925)
153 lin. ft.

History: Established under the Office of the Chief of Engineers, pursuant to the act of March 2, 1867 (14 Stat. 466), transferring functions of Commissioner of Public Buildings to the Chief Engineer of the Army. Consolidated with the Office of the Superintendent of the State, War and Navy Building to form the Office of Public Buildings and Public Parks of the National Capital, 1925. SEE 42.1.

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42.3.1 General records

Textual Records: Letters received, 1871-1906, with indexes and registers. Rough drafts of letters sent, 1871, 1873. Personal and semiofficial correspondence of officers in charge Col. A.F. Rockwell, 1881-85, and Col. Charles S. Bromwell, 1904-9; and a scrapbook on the career of Col. Spencer Cosby as Engineer Commissioner of the District of Columbia and Officer in Charge, 1908-10. General correspondence, 1907-25, with indexes. Annual reports, 1884-1902. Monthly reports of operations, 1899-1929. Monthly personal reports of officers and estimates of funds required, 1913-33. Register of employees, 1872-1918.

Glass Plate Negatives (16 images): Maps of European areas, 1918 (MM). SEE ALSO 42.15.

Related Records: Additional general records of the Office of Public Buildings and Grounds, including copies of letters sent and accompanying indexes, UNDER 42.2.1.

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42.3.2 Financial records

Textual Records: Appropriation ledgers and accounts, 1877-85, 1906-25. Records of expenditures on public projects, including those for the period 1836-68 on the Long Bridge over the Potomac, 1868; the 14th Street highway bridge, 1901-7; Army Medical Museum and Library, 1885-89; Old Government Printing Office Building, 1895-96; and Washington Aqueduct, 1898-99. Statements of account, 1861-66, 1881-1910. Timebooks, 1867-68, 1880-98. Schedules relating to gas lamps, 1879-1904, and gas and electric lamps, 1907-10. Miscellaneous fiscal records, 1867-1927.

Related Records: Additional financial records of the Office of Public Buildings and Grounds, including contracts, UNDER 42.2.1.

Subject Access Terms: Chain Bridge, Washington, DC.

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42.3.3 Records relating to the White House and the President

Textual Records: Inventories of public property in and about the White House, 1869, 1875. Abby Gunn Baker's catalog of the White House Presidential china collection, ca. 1921. Lists of and correspondence concerning military aides to the President, 1903- 20. Records relating to "social-official" functions at the White House, including letters sent, 1898-1902; letters received, 1898- 1917; and "Official Functions," a profusely illustrated record of White House social and general activities, together with the "Official Diary of the President," 1902-16. Programs of and other records concerning White House receptions and dinners, 1898-1909, 1912. Records relating to construction, remodeling, and maintenance of the White House and White House Office Building, 1877-1907. Fiscal records concerning the White House Police, 1922-25. Correspondence relating to the White House, 1923-30, with index.

Maps (3 items): Inaugural parade formations and routes, 1909-13. SEE ALSO 42.14.

Architectural and Engineering Plans (59 items): White House and grounds, ca. 1877-1903. SEE ALSO 42.14.

Photographic Prints and Glass Plate Negatives (21 images): White House rooms and china, 1917 (M). SEE ALSO 42.15.

Finding Aids: Kenneth W. Munden, comp., and Mary-Jane Dowd, rev., "List of Records Relating to the White House in the Records of the Office of Public Buildings and Grounds (Record Group 42)," NC 30 (July 1963).

Subject Access Terms: U.S. Grant III; Cary T. Grayson; Douglas MacArthur; U.S. Marine Band, White House performances.

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42.3.4 Records relating to bridges, buildings, statues and
memorials, and parks

Textual Records: Specifications for construction, repairs, and supplies, 1887-1901. Proposals and specifications for Navy Yard (Anacostia) Bridge, 1869-75; and the new Chain Bridge, 1872-75. Correspondence and other records relating to the Army Medical Museum and Library, 1885-89; the "New" Government Printing Office, 1894-96; and the Army War College, 1902. Contracts and other records pertaining to the Arlington Memorial Amphitheater, Lincoln Memorial, and Memorial to Women of the Civil War (American Red Cross, National Headquarters Building), 1913-27; and records concerning statue unveilings and monument dedications, 1900-36. Correspondence relating to the Garfield Monument, 1884-87. Correspondence and other records pertaining to Thomas Jefferson's grave, 1882-84, 1886-89, 1892, 1895. Proposals and other records relating to the statue pedestal or statue of Lincoln in Lincoln Square, 1875; Maj. Gen. James B. McPherson, 1875-76; Gen. John A. Rawlins, 1872-74; and Gen. Winfield Scott, 1871-72. Records concerning the monuments at Washington's Birthplace at Wakefield, VA, 1882-1930, and Washington's Headquarters at Newburgh, NY, 1882-1902. Time books for work done on the public grounds and parks, 1888-98; notes of gardening and landscaping at Smithsonian Park and other parks, 1892-94, 1901- 06, 1909; and reports on the building of Meridian Hill Park retaining walls, 1915-16. Park Police Division records concerning park policemen, arrests, ill and injured citizens, and motor vehicle accidents, 1899-1925.

Architectural and Engineering Plans (342 items): Public buildings, including Patent Office (now the National Portrait Gallery and National Museum of American Art), General Post Office Extension, and Pension Office Building (now the National Building Museum), 1851-1923; and competition designs for the Arlington Memorial Bridge, 1899-1901 (300 items). District of Columbia Filtration Plant, 1922-25 (42 items). SEE ALSO 42.14.

Photographic Prints and Glass Plate Negatives (759 images): Statues, memorials, monuments, parks, and buildings in Washington, DC, 1897-1933 (SPB, PR; 550 images), including models for the Grant and Francis Scott Key Memorials and the statue of Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan; Mount Vernon Memorial Parkway landscaping; and the White House (WH, WHA; 180 images). Portraits of Brig. Gen. Robert Anderson, 1864; views of Paris, ca. 1900, and of the Army War College, n.d.; Woodrow Wilson at cavalry review, n.d.; and U.S. Capitol Police, 1932 (M, 29 images). SEE ALSO 42.15.

Lantern Slides (397 images): Historic sites, bridges, federal buildings, and parks, mainly in Washington, DC, but including other localities, 1859-1920 (MS). SEE ALSO 42.15.

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42.3.5 Records relating to land and water property

Textual Records: Case files of corrections of land records, 1899- 1905. Reports on applications for projections beyond the building line, 1897-1906. Records of the U.S. Surveyor and Custodian of Records, including letters received relating to wharfing privileges and water property, 1867-86, and John Stewart's annotated copies of his maps of U.S. reservations in the City of Washington, 1887, 1894. Schedules of the sale of public lots, ca. 1895, and a list of the lots in Washington City sold by the government and the squares and lots assigned to the original proprietors, 1900.

Maps (1,489 items): Multisheet maps of the City of Washington by Babcock, 1871 (7 items), Peterson and Enthoffer, 1872 (10 items), and Greene (statistical maps), 1880 (15 items); panoramic view of the Mall and central city, 1878 (1 item); Mall-area street plans, ca. 1900 (2 items); proposed Botanical Garden soil maps with examples of foreign arboretums, 1917 (33 items); Mall-area buildings occupied by the War Department, 1918-19 (1 item); plats of government reservations, 1883 (48 items); and published map of the City, 1915, based on information from the Commission to Investigate the Title of the U.S. to Lands in the District of Columbia (41 items). Plats contained in an annotated copy of Real Estate Directory...of Washington [City], 1874 (ca. 1,200 items, in Washington Area). Plats of Georgetown, 1883 (131 items, in Washington Area). SEE ALSO 42.14.

Related Records: Additional records of the Office of Public Buildings and Grounds relating to land and water property, including deeds and agreements and additions and corrections to division sheets, UNDER 42.2.1. and 42.2.2.

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42.4 RECORDS OF THE COMMISSION TO INVESTIGATE THE TITLE OF THE
UNITED STATES TO LANDS IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
ca. 1909-16
36 lin. ft.

History: Established by the Public Buildings Act (35 Stat. 543), May 30, 1908. Terminated upon submission of its fifth report, April 24, 1916.

Textual Records: "Section" reports, ca. 1909-16. Index to "section" reports and to squares 1-6300, ca. 1909-16.

Subject Access Terms: McMillan Commission.

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42.5 RECORDS OF THE ROCK CREEK PARK COMMISSION AND THE BOARD OF
CONTROL OF ROCK CREEK PARK
1890-1918
3 lin. ft.

History: Rock Creek Park authorized by act of September 27, 1890 (26 Stat. 492), which created the Rock Creek Park Commission to select site and acquire land. Engineer Commissioner of the District of Columbia and Chief of Engineers of the Army were subsequently designated as administrators. Administration delegated to Board of Control, 1894. Responsibility for park transferred to Office of Public Buildings and Grounds, 1918.

Textual Records: Proceedings of the Rock Creek Park Commission, 1890-98; and of the Board of Control, 1894-1917. Letters received, 1891-1908. Correspondence, 1897-1918. Land acquisition records, 1891-94. Records of the assistant engineer in charge of Rock Creek Park, 1907-18.

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42.6 RECORDS OF THE OFFICE OF THE SUPERINTENDENT OF THE STATE,
WAR AND NAVY BUILDING
1854-1933 (bulk 1871-1925)
126 lin. ft.

History: Building authorized by an act of March 3, 1871. Supervising Architect of the Treasury served as superintendent of construction until March 3, 1875, when responsibility for construction was transferred to Army Corps of Engineers, under the general supervision of the Secretary of War. An act of March 3, 1883 (22 Stat. 553), provided for a superintendent for the completed parts of the building appointed from the Engineer Corps of the Army or Navy. Responsibility gradually expanded to include many additional buildings, especially in the World War I era. The Officer in Charge of Public Buildings and Grounds detailed after March 1, 1915, to serve as Superintendent of the State, War and Navy Building, but the two offices operated separately until consolidated to form the Office of Public Buildings and Public Parks of the National Capital, 1925. SEE 42.1.

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42.6.1 Records of the Officer in Charge of Construction

Textual Records: Annual reports, 1878-87. Monthly reports, 1871- 88. Letters sent, 1871-88, with index. Letters received, 1875-88, with indexes and registers. Timebooks, 1871-88. Schedules of granite blocks and granite cutting and of other materials, 1871- 88. Miscellaneous fiscal and accounting records, 1873-88.

Subject Access Terms: Alfred B. Mullett; Thomas Lincoln Casey.

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42.6.2 Records of the Superintendent

Textual Records: Monthly reports, 1883-85. Quarterly reports, 1895-1913. Building regulations, 1897, 1923-25. Letters sent, 1883-1909, and received, 1882-1909, both with index. General correspondence, 1910-25, with index, 1910-17. Records relating to World War I "temporary buildings," including correspondence concerning their construction, maintenance, and repair, 1917; leases and related correspondence, 1918-23; and records of land acquisition, 1922-23. Appropriation ledgers, 1883-1906, 1908-24. Other fiscal records, 1883-1925.

Architectural and Engineering Plans (1,150 items): Scale drawings, tracings, and blueprints of the State, War and Navy Building; a drawing of floor plans, probably of the old War Department Building; and a drawing of floor plans and a site plat for a new War Department building that was never built, 1868-1916 (200 items). Large architectural and structural drawings and plans of the State, War and Navy Building, 1854-1915, including drawings of a new War and Navy building, 1854, and a design for a new War, Navy, and State Departments building, 1870; and drawings of temporary and other buildings under the supervision of the Superintendent, 1917-33 (920 items). Floor plans for buildings under the Superintendent's control, ca. 1922-23 (30 items). SEE ALSO 42.14.

Photographic Prints (149 images): Old War and Navy Department buildings, 1870-84 (M, 3 images). State, War and Navy Building, 1907-13 (M, 146 images). SEE ALSO 42.15.

Subject Access Terms: Old Executive Office Building; Presidential Inaugurals, March 1913.

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42.7 RECORDS OF THE OFFICE OF PUBLIC BUILDINGS AND PUBLIC PARKS
OF THE NATIONAL CAPITAL
1900-35
16 lin. ft.

Textual Records: General and personnel orders of the Director, 1925-32. Photograph of the Healy portrait of Lincoln, with related correspondence, 1932. Reference file concerning buildings, parks, monuments, memorials, and office history, ca. 1900-33. Correspondence, reports, and other records relating to the development and construction of Meridian Hill Park, 1922-35; and to construction of the Memorial to Women of the World War (American Red Cross, Washington Chapter Building) and the American Red Cross Building, 1927-34. Correspondence and other records of the Construction and Major Alterations Section, 1918- 28. Reports and other records of the Protection Division, 1931- 33. Appropriation accounts, 1925-33. Other fiscal records, 1925- 32.

Photographic Prints (158 images): Memorial to Women of the World War under construction, 1928-30 (PR). SEE ALSO 42.15.

Finding Aids: Kenneth W. Munden, comp., and Mary-Jane Dowd, rev., "List of Records Relating to the White House in the Records of the Office of Public Buildings and Grounds (Record Group 42)," NC 30 (July 1963).

Subject Access Terms: Presidential Inaugural Committees; Franklin D. Roosevelt, First Inaugural.

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42.8 RECORDS OF THE CHAIRMAN OF THE COMMITTEE FOR THE
INAUGURATION OF HERBERT HOOVER AS PRESIDENT
1929
3 lin. in.

History: U.S. Grant III, Director of the Office of Public Buildings and Public Parks of the National Capital, was chairman of the Committee for the Inauguration of Herbert Hoover as President, March 4, 1929.

Textual Records: Scrapbook of samples of printed materials, including invitations and programs, used by the committee and its subcommittees, and other records concerning the committee's activities, March-April 1929.

Related Records: National Archives Collection of Records of Inaugural Committees, RG 274.

Subject Access Terms: Presidential Inaugural Committees.

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42.9 RECORDS OF THE ROCK CREEK AND POTOMAC PARKWAY COMMISSION
1913-33
9 lin. ft.

History: Established by an act of March 4, 1913 (37 Stat. 885), to acquire land for a parkway connecting Rock Creek, Zoological, and Potomac Parks. The Officer in Charge of Public Buildings and Grounds and the Director of Public Buildings and Public Parks of the National Capital served successively as executive and disbursing officer. Commission abolished, effective August 10, 1933, by authority of EO 6166, June 10, 1933, with functions transferred to the Office of Public Parks, Buildings, and Reservations, Department of the Interior.

Textual Records: General records of the executive and disbursing officer, 1923-33. Land acquisition records, 1913-33. Accounts, 1915-26. Reference material concerning the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, which terminated near the mouth of Rock Creek, 1926-30.

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42.10 RECORDS OF THE OFFICE OF THE COORDINATOR OF MOTOR TRANSPORT
FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
1921-30
4 lin. ft.

History: Established as part of the Federal Coordinating Service of the Bureau of the Budget, 1921, to obtain transportation for agencies that had only occasional needs and to coordinate repairs and supply acquisition. The Officer in Charge of Public Buildings and Grounds and the Director of Public Buildings and Public Parks of the National Capital served successively as coordinator.

Textual Records: Letters sent and received, and other general records, 1921-30.

Related Records: Records of the Federal Coordinating Service in RG 137, Records of the Federal Supply Service.

Subject Access Terms: Bureau of the Budget.

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42.11 RECORDS OF THE PUBLIC BUILDINGS COMMISSION
1926-31
3 lin. in.

History: The third Public Buildings Commission was established by an act of March 1, 1919 (40 Stat. 1269), to control and allot space in buildings owned or rented by the U.S. Government in the District of Columbia. An act of May 25, 1926 (44 Stat. 634), gave it supervision over the public building program in the National Capital. The Officer in Charge of Public Buildings and Grounds and the Director of Public Buildings and Public Parks of the National Capital served successively as executive and disbursing officer. Commission abolished, effective August 10, 1933, by EO 6166, June 10, 1933, with functions transferred to the Office of Public Parks, Buildings, and Reservations, Department of the Interior.

Textual Records: Personnel orders, 1926-31.

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42.12 RECORDS OF STATUE AND MEMORIAL COMMISSIONS
1863, 1889-1941
71 lin. ft.

History: The Officer in Charge of Public Buildings and Grounds and, later, the Director of the Office of Public Buildings and Public Parks of the National Capital often served as executive and disbursing officer of, or performed other duties for, commissions established to supervise site selection, design and construction, and expenditures for statues and memorials.

Textual Records: Minutes, correspondence of commission secretaries and executive and disbursing officers, work and time reports, fiscal records, and records concerning dedication or unveiling ceremonies of the following commissions: Arlington Memorial Amphitheater Commission, 1913-33; Arlington Memorial Bridge Commission, 1923-41; Barry Statue Commission, 1906-17; Columbus Memorial Commission, 1907-17; Grant Memorial Commission, 1901-28; Hancock Statue Commission, 1889-1908; John Paul Jones Statue Commission, 1907-12; Kosciuszko Statue Commission, 1902- 18; Lincoln Memorial Commission, 1863, 1911-27; Logan Statue Commission, 1891-1902; Longfellow Statue Commission, 1906-13; McClellan Statue Commission, 1899-1910; Meade Memorial Commission, 1927; Pulaski Statue Commission, 1903-13; Sheridan Statue Commission, 1901-20; Sherman Statue Commission, 1894-1905; Stephenson Statue Commission, 1907-12; Von Steuben Statue Commission, 1903-17; Witherspoon Statue Commission, 1908-9; and Commission on Memorial to Women of the Civil War (American Red Cross, National Headquarters Building), 1913-24.

Architectural and Engineering Plans (37 items): Arlington Memorial Bridge scale drawings, ca. 1930 (7 items). Lincoln Memorial, designs submitted by Henry Bacon and John Russell Pope, 1911-15 (30 items). SEE ALSO 42.14.

Photographic Prints and Negatives (649 images): Arlington Memorial Bridge, 1926-33 (AMB, 566 images). Grant Memorial Commission members, sculptor Henry Merwin Shrady, sections of the memorial, and the dedication parade, 1902-22 (PR, 55 images). Installation of the Lincoln Memorial statue, 1922 (M, 2 images). Models of the Von Steuben statue submitted by competing sculptors, n.d. (SPB, 26 images). SEE ALSO 42.15.

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42.13 RECORDS RELATING TO THE WASHINGTON MONUMENT
1833-1951
27 lin. ft.

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42.13.1 Records of the Washington National Monument Society

History: Organized, September 26, 1833, as a private association to build a monument to the memory of George Washington. Construction began, July 2, 1848, pursuant to a resolution of January 31, 1848 (9 Stat. 333), authorizing the Society to erect the Washington Monument on public grounds. After responsibility for construction was transferred to the Joint Commission for the Completion of the Washington Monument (SEE 42.13.2), 1876, the Society continued to solicit contributions and advised the Joint Commission.

Textual Records: Proceedings, 1833-59, 1865-66, 1868, 1876-1934. Proceedings of the Board of Managers, 1834-58. Organizational and administrative records, 1833-87. Letters sent, 1858-83. Letters received, 1835-89, 1919-25. Letters received and other records concerning control of the Society and the monument by the "Know Nothing" Board of Managers, 1855-58. Letters received relating to membership, 1833-94, 1920-26, 1934-41; and employees, 1853-68. Correspondence, 1923-44. Records relating to design and construction, 1836-90; to repair and refacing, 1934-46; to the "Pope's Stone" and other donated memorial stones, 1849-1951; to contributions, gifts, and benefit performances, 1835-87; and to Congressional relations, 1836, 1860-80. Records of general and special agents Elisha Whittlesey, 1847-55; J.C. Ives, 1859-64; and Frederick L. Harvey, Sr., 1874-76. Records of the Building Committee, 1848-53; the Committee of Arrangements, 1848; and the Executive Committee for the centennial of the laying of the cornerstone, 1948. Correspondence and accounting records of the treasurer, 1834-92.

Architectural and Engineering Plans (34 items): Washington Monument, 1836-ca. 1885. SEE ALSO 42.14.

Photographic Prints (69 images): Society officers, ca. 1860-1900 (M, 7 images). The monument and its construction, 1879-1934, including some views of Washington, DC, n.d. (M, 62 images). SEE ALSO 42.15.

Subject Access Terms: American Party; Great Falls Manufacturing Co.; Ladies Washington National Monument Society; Robert Mills.

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42.13.2 Records of the Joint Commission for the Completion of the
Washington Monument

History: Established by an act of August 2, 1876 (19 Stat. 123), to direct and supervise completion of construction of the Washington Monument. Abolished by an act of October 2, 1888 (25 Stat. 553).

Textual Records: Proceedings, 1876-88. Letters sent, 1876-88. Letters received, 1876-88, with a register. Building committee proceedings, 1879-84; and letters sent and received, 1879-88. Letters sent and received, schedules of marble and granite cutters and rubbers, and other records of the Engineer in Charge, 1876-92.

Subject Access Terms: Thomas Lincoln Casey.

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42.13.3 Records of the Joint Commission on the Dedication of the
Monument

History: Established by Joint Resolution 25 of May 13, 1884 (23 Stat. 272), to make arrangements for the dedication on February 21, 1885.

Textual Records: Proceedings, 1884-85. Report of the commission, including texts of speeches and prayers given, 1885.

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42.13.4 Records of the Engineer in Charge of the Monument

History: An act of October 2, 1888 (25 Stat. 553), charged the Secretary of War with the custody, care, and protection of the monument. The Officer in Charge of Public Buildings and Grounds represented the Chief of Engineers as Engineer in Charge of the Monument. These responsibilities passed to the Director of Public Buildings and Public Parks of the National Capital and, in 1933, to the National Park Service.

Textual Records: Diagrams of the movement of the plummet and related letters received, 1893-98. Readings of the plumb line, 1898-1921. Records of the custodian of the monument, including rough schedules for marble and granite and other records of construction, 1879-89; monthly reports of operations, 1888-1907; monthly schedules of visitors to the monument, 1888-1925; and records concerning the monument's maintenance, 1884-1922.

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42.14 CARTOGRAPHIC RECORDS (GENERAL)
1797-1927
177 items

Maps: Maps and building plans ("Numbered Map File"), 1797-1927, including those showing the City of Washington, Hamburgh, Carrollsburgh, and County of Washington outside the original City limits; Water Street, by Nicholas King, 1797; part of the City, by James Dermott, 1799; canal improvements near the Capitol and near the Washington Monument and White House; leasing of wharves; public reservations under control of the Office of Public Buildings and Public Grounds, 1894; Rock Creek Park; and the Treasury Building, old Department of State building, Old Jail, and Alexandria, DC (subsequently VA), courthouse.

SEE Maps UNDER 42.2.2, 42.2.3, 42.3.3, and 42.3.5. SEE Architectural and Engineering Plans UNDER 42.2.5, 42.3.3, 42.3.4, 42.6.2, 42.12, and 42.13.1.

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42.15 STILL PICTURES (GENERAL)

SEE Photographic Prints UNDER 42.6.2, 42.7, and 42.13.1. SEE Photographic Prints and Negatives UNDER 42.12. SEE Photographic Prints and Glass Plate Negatives UNDER 42.3.3 and 42.3.4. SEE Glass Plate Negatives UNDER 42.3.1. SEE Lantern Slides UNDER 42.3.4.


Bibliographic note: Web version based on Guide to Federal Records in the National Archives of the United States. Compiled by Robert B. Matchette et al. Washington, DC: National Archives and Records Administration, 1995.
3 volumes, 2428 pages.

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This Web version is updated from time to time to include records processed since 1995.


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