Residents Question Bowser’s Priorities After Proposal to Defund D.C. Archives Building

July 2, 2025

Mayor Muriel Bowser's fiscal year 2026 budget proposal has redirected $50 million originally intended for a new District of Columbia Archives building at the University of the District of Columbia (UDC) campus. Instead of the planned archives facility, the mayor proposes using the funding and space for student housing, while relocating archives to the Charles Sumner School and a warehouse. This change has sparked opposition from archivists and advocates who argue that the decision endangers irreplaceable historical documents and fails to properly value DC's history.

Who is affected

District of Columbia Archives and its historical collections
University of the District of Columbia students and community
DC residents seeking access to historical records
DC Archives Foundation and other archives advocates
Researchers and historians utilizing DC's historical documents
The Office of the Secretary (which oversees the archives)

What action is being taken

Mayor Bowser is proposing to redirect $50 million from the archives project to student housing at UDC
The DC Council is considering the mayor's proposal ahead of a July 11 vote
The Committee on Executive Administration and Labor is recommending a feasibility study for alternative archive locations
Advocates are actively opposing the mayor's plan through public statements and letters to council members
The Office of the Secretary is being directed to continue engaging stakeholders as the project evolves

Why it matters

The archives contain irreplaceable historical records including birth/death records, wills, land records, and marriage records
The collection includes significant historical documents like the original wills of Alexander Graham Bell, Francis Scott Key, James Madison, and Frederick Douglass
Archives require specialized security, HVAC, and public access features that a standard warehouse cannot provide
The UDC location would have made the archives more accessible via public transportation
After being under federal jurisdiction until 1986, building a proper DC archives would represent a milestone for local governance
The archives reflect how the city values public transparency and historical preservation

What's next

The DC Council will hold its first reading and vote on the fiscal year 2026 budget on July 11
A feasibility study may be conducted for the Sumner School or other alternative locations
The Office of the Secretary is expected to continue engaging stakeholders with updates on construction, timeline for records transfers, and budget changes

Read full article from source: The Washington Informer