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Press Release
Press Release · Tuesday, April 20, 2004

Press Release
April 20, 2004


National Archives Announces Purchase of Land for New Facility

Washington, DC. . .Archivist of the United States John W. Carlin announced today that the National Archives and Records Administration has signed a contract to purchase an 8.98 acre parcel of land on the southwest corner of Denali Street & East 40th Avenue adjacent to the Z. J. Loussac Public Library in Anchorage, Alaska, for the construction of a new Regional Archives and Records Center facility. The site, which was purchased from Eagle River Center LLC, cost $3,525,000 and is scheduled to transfer ownership to the Federal Government June 7, 2004.

The new facility will accommodate valuable records that are currently stored in facilities around the state. It will also have enhanced research facilities and appropriate space for exhibitions and public programs. The approximately 75,000 square foot facility will contain a 4,900 square foot lobby and exhibition area, a 2,216 square foot conference center for special events and education purposes, a 7,000 square foot research area, and more than 34,600 square feet for records storage. The new facility is expected to serve 5,000 federal and public researchers and thousands of students and other visitors each year.

"The new Anchorage facility will enable us to protect, preserve and ensure ready access to Alaska’s Federal records." said Archivist John W. Carlin. "We look forward to expanding our partnerships with state and city cultural organizations to sponsor exhibits and educational programs that will make the National Archives accessible to many more Alaskans of all ages."

The Regional Archives and Records Center facility in Anchorage, is currently located at 654 West Third Avenue. It is one of 15 National Archives facilities nationwide which preserves and makes available to the public the permanently valuable records of the federal government. The Regional Archives and Records Center facility in Anchorage preserves treasures relating to Alaskan history, dating from 1890 to the 1980s, with additional material added every year. Among these records are papers, photographs, maps, and drawings created or received by nearly 60 Federal agencies in Alaska, including Federal courts. The records are evidence of the impact of federal policies and programs on Alaskan history. Diverse in content, the records cover natural resources management, commerce, environmental issues, World War II and Cold War military operations, and U.S. relations with Alaska Natives. The records are filled with names of notable people, places and events, among them – the Aleuts, Athabascans, Eskimos, Tlingit-Haidas, and other Alaska Natives; missionaries such as Father William Duncan; the Pribilof Islands, Matanuska Colony, Tongass National Forest, and Yukon River; the Alaska Highway, and Alaska Reindeer Service; the supply ship North Star and the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act.

The Archives are open to all, scholars, students, teachers, genealogists, environmentalists, government officials, lawyers, veterans, and individuals seeking to substantiate their rights and claims.

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For press information, contact the National Archives Public Affairs staff at 202-501-5526 or 301-837-1700.

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