Hall of Records
You are here
Delaware Public Archives (Hall of Records)
1938, Martin and Jeffers. 1998–2000, Moeckel Carbonell Associates. Legislative Ave. and Duke of York St.
-
Delaware Public Archives (Delaware Postcard Collection, University of Delaware Library, Newark, Del) -
(Photograph by Matthew Aungst)
This was the second building in the modern capitol complex, one that remedied a notorious problem, the poor treatment of the state's historic archives. The Delaware Tercentenary (1938) brought attention to the value of these records, housed in cramped quarters in the Old State House basement (DV14). Wilmington architect Ralph Walbree Jeffers and then-assistant archivist Leon deValinger visited the National Archives and the new Maryland Hall of Records (1934–1935, Laurence Hall Fowler) to see the latest trends. Great Depression–era PWA funds made the hipped-roof, Colonial Revival brick building possible, with its many innovations, including vaults that featured a special air-conditioning and fumigation system. Fearing aerial bombardment during World War II, many state agencies moved their records here. Quarters became very cramped before the 80,000-square-foot addition was undertaken. DeValinger lived long enough to attend its topping-off ceremony.
Writing Credits
×
Data
-
Location: Dover, DelawareRegional Overviews:Architect:Styles:Materials:
What's Nearby
Citation
W. Barksdale Maynard, "Delaware Public Archives (Hall of Records)", [Dover, Delaware], SAH Archipedia, eds. Gabrielle Esperdy and Karen Kingsley, Charlottesville: UVaP, 2012—, http://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/DE-01-DV15.
Print Source
Buildings of Delaware, W. Barksdale Maynard. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2008, 255-255.
If SAH Archipedia has been useful to you, please consider supporting it.
SAH Archipedia tells the story of the United States through its buildings, landscapes, and cities. This freely available resource empowers the public with authoritative knowledge that deepens their understanding and appreciation of the built environment. But the Society of Architectural Historians, which created SAH Archipedia with University of Virginia Press, needs your support to maintain the high-caliber research, writing, photography, cartography, editing, design, and programming that make SAH Archipedia a trusted online resource available to all who value the history of place, heritage tourism, and learning.