Historic American Buildings Survey 1933-2023

Most of us in the traditional building field know about the Historic American Buildings Survey or HABS, an archive of drawings and measurements that document America’s architectural heritage. But what we might have missed is the 90th anniversary of HABS 1933-2023, a milestone which is celebrated with an exhibition produced by the National Park Service and the AIA Historic Resources Committee.

Stored by the Library of Congress, HABS is a collection of period-specific architectural drawings, photographs, and documents that “aid in the restoration and rehabilitation of historic properties as well as new designs based on historic precedents. It is a complete resume of the builder’s art.”

The idea for recording historic structures, both high-style and vernacular, came from the AIA in 1918. And architects trained at the École des Beaux Arts were also in support of documentation; they prepared drawings of historic places like Colonial Williamsburg to better understand historic architecture.

Just prior to the creation of HABS, there had been a “groundswell of interest” in Colonial Revival architecture advocated in part, by scholars at Colonial Williamsburg and the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities, now Historic New England. Each had its own methodology for interpreting historic artifacts and architecture.

Then came the Great Depression and the New Deal which provided the opportunity to form a federal program to standardize documentation, with large format black and white photographs and measured drawings. During the depression, HABS put out-of-work architects in the field to help create the library, updated ever since, which exists today. “It was the first significant boon to historic preservation at the national level,” according to the National Park Service.

HABS provides guidance for understanding the Secretary of Interior’s Standards for the rehabilitation of historic buildings.

HABS also helps train preservationists: architects, architectural historians, and students. One example is The National Park Service’s Peterson Prize, a competition which encourages measured drawings and recognizes student excellence with cash scholarships, up to $10,000 for the winning drawings. These Peterson Prize entries augment the HABS collection, now 7,200 sheets of drawings. The prize is named after Charles E. Peterson FAIA (1906-2004), the program’s founder.

The 2024 Peterson Prize entry deadline was June 30, 2024. The winners will be announced at the annual NPS Peterson Prize ceremony, co-produced by the AIA Historic Resources Committee and held during the Traditional Building Conference in Savannah Georgia. October 23-24, 2024. A National Park Service Historic American Building Survey 90^th anniversary exhibition will be on display at the conference.

As part of the HABS Peterson Prize ceremony in Savannah, TRADITIONAL BUILDING will recognize the winners of the Raphael Awards, which recognizes excellence in architectural drawings by hand and watercolor rendering.