Heritage Documentation Programs
Heritage Documentation Programs administers
the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS), the Federal
Government's oldest preservation program, and its companion
programs: the Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) and Historic American Landscapes Survey (HALS). Documentation
produced through the programs constitutes the nation's
largest archive of historic architectural, engineering,
and landscape documentation. The HABS/HAER/HALS Collection is housed at the Library of Congress.
Latest News
- Online Exhibit Celebrates the National Historic Preservation ActWe've created an interactive map to celebrate historic preservation and the fiftieth anniversary of NHPA. We will add a new state to the map each week from November 2015 to November 2016. This week we feature Puerto Rico.Learn more...
- Holland Prize WinnersWe are pleased to announce the winner and honorable mentions for the 2016 Leicester B. Holland Prize for the best single-sheet measured drawing.Learn more...
- HALS Challenge WinnersWe are pleased to announce the winners of the 2016 HALS Challenge: Documenting National Register Listed Landscapes.Learn more...
- New Virtual Tour & Fly-through: Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery & MemorialWe are pleased to announce our new fly-through and virtual tour of this World War I cemetery in Romagne-sous-Montfaucon, France.Learn more...
- Peterson Prize WinnersWe are pleased to announce the winners of the 2016 Charles E. Peterson Prize for measured drawings.Learn more...
- Facebook Live Broadcast from Ellis IslandA field team of HABS architects (including some of our summer staff) did a Facebook Live broadcast from Ellis Island on August 11. Watch the recording to see hand-measuring and laser scanning in action, plus learn about the history of this important place.Visit our Facebook page.
- Virtual Tour: Ellis Island The Historic American Buildings Survey is working on a multiyear project to document Ellis Island. Take a virtual tour of areas on Ellis Island that aren't open to the public. Learn more...
- National Covered Bridges Recording ProjectThe Historic American Engineering Record and the Federal Highway Administration maintain a joint research and technology program for historic covered bridges.Learn more...
- New Virtual Tour: Santa Susana Field LaboratoryWe are pleased to announce our new virtual tour of the the Santa Susana Field Laboratory, which once served as a proving grounds for numerous Air Force and NASA rocket engines and components.Learn more...
- New Virtual Tour: Totem TrailWe are pleased to announce our new virtual tour of Sitka National Historical Park's Totem Trail, which includes eighteen standing totem poles and house posts.Learn more...
- New Virtual Tour: César E. Chávez National MonumentWe invite you to explore our newest virtual tour, which explores the former home and workplace of civil rights leader César E. Chávez.Learn more...
- New Virtual Tour & Fly-through: Flanders Field American Cemetery & MemorialWe are pleased to announce our new fly-through and virtual tour of this World War I cemetery in Waregem, West Flanders, Belgium.Learn more...
- New Virtual Tour: Pu`uhonua O Hōnaunau National Historical ParkWe are pleased to announce our new virtual tour of the Pu`uhonua O Hōnaunau, an important Hawaiian ceremonial site.Learn more...
- ASLA Outstanding Service AwardCongratulations to HALS Landscape Architect Chris Stevens! The American Society of Landscape Architects recently recognized him for exemplary service on the Society’s behalf. Chris "is a leading advocate for the Historic American Landscapes Survey’s mission to record historic landscapes in the United States and its territories," and "a crucial link between ASLA, NPS, and the Library of Congress."Learn more on ASLA's website...
- NASA and NPS Share Two Decades of Heritage PartnershipSince 1995, the National Park Service (NPS) has partnered with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to document many of the historic resources related to our Nation's space program.Learn more...
- HDP Presents Animated Fly-throughs of Historic Sites Heritage Documentation Programs has produced fly-through videos for a number of recently documented historic sites, including the U.S.S. Cairo at Vickburg National Military Park and the historic stairs at Carlsbad Caverns National Park. Learn more...
- HABS Guide to Field DocumentationThis Field Guide offers step-by-step instructions about how to observe, take field measurements, and create field notes and a short-form report about a historic site or structure to HABS standards. Learn more...
- Producing HABS/HAER/HALS Measured Drawings from Laser ScansThe pros and cons of using laser scanning for heritage documentation.Learn More...
