Heritage Documentation Programs records: Historic American Buildings Survey and Historic American Engineering photographs (HABS) (HAER) , 1978-2014

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Historic American Engineering Record; Historic American Buildings Survey
Title
Heritage Documentation Programs records: Historic American Buildings Survey and Historic American Engineering photographs (HABS) (HAER)
Dates
1978-2014
Quantity
22.5 linear feet, (27 containers)
Collection Number
PH 314
Summary
The Heritage Documentation Programs records: Historic American Buildings Survey and Historic American Engineering photograph collection contains materials that document achievements in architecture, engineering, and design in the United States, and includes photographs, project narratives, and architectural drawings.
Repository
University of Oregon Libraries, Special Collections and University Archives
UO Libraries--SCUA
1299 University of Oregon
Eugene OR
97403-1299
Telephone: 5413463068
spcarref@uoregon.edu
Access Restrictions

Collection is open to the public.

Collection must be used in Special Collections and University Archives Reading Room.

Additional Reference Guides

See the Current Collection Guide for detailed description and requesting options.

Languages
English

Historical NoteReturn to Top

The Heritage Documentation Programs is a division of the United States National Park Service and administers the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS), Historic American Engineering Records (HAER), and Historic American Landscapes Survey (HALS). Each program is tasked with documenting historic sites and landmarks in the United States through the use of photographs, measured drawings, and written narratives to provide public record of each place.

The Historic American Buildings Survey grew out of the Depression and the Works Progress Administration. HABS was founded in 1933 by the National Park Service to provide jobs for architects, draftsmen and photographers. Charles E. Peterson, a Park Service landscape architect, developed the proposal. In addition to providing employment, HABS established a method by which detailed primary source documentation of structures representing America's rich architectural heritage could be gathered. The following year the Park Service entered a partnership with the American Institute of Architects (AIA) to provide professional counsel, and with the Library of Congress to preserve and provide public service for the records.

In 1969, the model was adapted to establish the Historic American Engineering Records to document significant engineering and industrial sites. The Park Service and Library of Congress partnered with the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), and additional support later came from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE), the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), and the American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical and Petroleum Engineers (AIME). A new program, the Historic American Landscapes Survey, is under development to record historic landscapes in the United States and its territories.

[Source: http://www.nps.gov/hdp/about.htm]

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The HABS and HAER collections represent national efforts to document monuments in American construction and engineering. Each file includes photographs, and may also include architectural drawings or more substantive textual information, such as a narrative about the site, or an index of the photographs.

Of particular interest are entries related to the United State's Over-the-Horizon Backscatter Radar Network. The project is unique among most HAER entries as the project spans across multiple states including California, Idaho, Maine, and Oregon. Each entry in the Over-the-Horizon Backscatter Radar Network details a specific radar transmission site and the various buildings that support it. A more detailed summary of the project can be found in the folder for HAER ME-98.

Entries within the HABS and HAER collections are indicated by a HABS or HAER number (e.g. OR-100).

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Architecture--Oregon--Photographs
  • Bridges, trestles and tunnels
  • Bridges--Oregon
  • Civil engineering--Oregon--Photographs
  • Engineering--Oregon--Photographs
  • Historic buildings--Oregon--Photographs

Form or Genre Terms

  • Architectural drawings--Oregon
  • Architectural photographs--Oregon