Alabama Department of Archives and History
The central block of the archives building in 2009
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| Formation | 1901 |
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| Type | Government organization |
| Purpose | Archive |
| Headquarters | 624 Washington Avenue Montgomery, Alabama |
| Coordinates | 32°22′32″N 86°18′1″W / 32.37556°N 86.30028°WCoordinates: 32°22′32″N 86°18′1″W / 32.37556°N 86.30028°W |
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Region served
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Alabama |
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Director
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Steve Murray |
| Website | www.archives.alabama.gov |
The Alabama Department of Archives and History (ADAH) is the official repository of archival records for the U.S. state of Alabama. It was created by an act of the Alabama Legislature on February 27, 1901 with a primary mission of collecting and preserving artifacts relating to the history of the state. It was the first publicly funded, independent state archives agency in the United States. It subsequently became a model for the establishment of archives in other states. Today the agency identifies, preserves, and makes accessible records and artifacts significant to the history of the state and serves as the official repository for records created by Alabama's state agencies.
The Department of Archives and History was housed in the old Senate cloak room at the Alabama State Capitol after its establishment in 1901. It was then moved to the Capitol's new south wing upon its completion in 1906. A separate building was first conceived of in 1918 by Thomas McAdory Owen, the first director of the Archives. However, funding did not become available until the 1930s, when the next director, Marie Bankhead Owen (wife of Thomas), was able to secure the necessary capital from the Works Progress Administration.
The three-story Neoclassical building was built from 1938–40. An east wing was completed in 1970 and a west one in 2005. The west wing added 60,000 square feet (5,574 m2) of new space to the building. The original Washington Avenue bronze entrance doors to the building were designed by artist Nathan Glick. They depict eight scenes from Alabama history. Following many years of wear they were relocated to the Ocllo S. Malone Lobby in the new west wing. The first and second floors of the Archives building features walls clad in white Alabama marble.
The first floor contains the original Washington Avenue entrance lobby, which features a coffered ceiling with gilt moldings and ceiling medallions. Other features of the first floor are the Statuary Hall, the Research Room, several auditoriums, a gift shop, and the Ocllo Malone Lobby.
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