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Category: HABS/HAER/HALS

People in HABS/HAER/HALS

Posted by: Kristi Finefield

The following is a guest post by Ryan Brubacher, Reference Specialist, Prints & Photographs Division. While chatting with a colleague some time ago, we realized our overlapping interest in finding faces in what the Prints & Photographs Division calls the HABS/HAER/HALS (Historic American Buildings Survey, Historic American Engineering Record, Historic American Landscapes Survey). She shared …

Here’s Looking at You, Mom

Posted by: Jan Grenci

The following is a guest post by Kate Fogle, Assistant Curator of Photography, Prints & Photographs Division. Mom. Simple to say, this monosyllabic version of ‘mother’ entered the American lexicon in the mid-1800s, and its ease of use has yet to waver, as moms throughout the U.S. can attest. It’s a palindrome that conveys comfort …

Faces in Unexpected Places

Posted by: Kristi Finefield

The following is a guest post by Aliza Leventhal, Head, Technical Services, Prints & Photographs Division. Have you ever walked by a building and seen the resemblance of a face? Once you start, it’s hard to stop! While faces are often easiest to see in a building’s exterior elements, they can also be found in …

Towering over the Landscape

Posted by: Kristi Finefield

Water towers dot the landscape, almost always the tallest structure in the nearby area. When taking long road trips, they catch my eye, especially ones where the tower has been painted to reflect something about the region or when the tower itself is an unusual shape. For example, the tower above, in Gaffney, South Carolina, …

2. REAR FACADE AND GARAGE FACADE - Arthur L. Rule House, 11 South Rock Glen, Mason City, Cerro Gordo County, IA. Photography by Robert Thall, 1977. //hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/hhh.ia0104/photos.066309p. From HABS IOWA,17-MASCIT,8-.

Women Architects and Designers in the HABS/HAER/HALS Collections

Posted by: Melissa Lindberg

The following is a guest post by Ryan Brubacher, Reference Librarian, Prints & Photographs Division. Preparation for an upcoming virtual orientation (details below) led me to explore the HABS/HAER/HALS (HHH) Collection with an eye towards finding women in the role of architect or designer. The Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS), Historic American Engineering Record (HAER), …

Documenting Historic American Landscapes – Challenge Accepted!

Posted by: Kristi Finefield

The following is a guest post by Ryan Brubacher, Reference Librarian, Prints & Photographs Division.  In late November, the winners of the 2021 HALS Challenge were announced. The announcement offers a good opportunity to highlight the Historic American Landscapes Survey (HALS) collection, including the historical reports found within this collection, as well as the National …

Interior showing windows with large shutters.

Exploring Buildings by Louis I. Kahn in the Historic American Buildings Survey

Posted by: Barbara Orbach Natanson

The following is a guest post by Ryan Brubacher, Reference Librarian, Prints & Photographs Division. One of my most favorite rabbit holes to find myself in as a librarian is the deep and wonderful collection of the combined Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS), Historic American Engineering Record (HAER), and Historic American Landscapes Survey (HALS), collectively …

Pointing North in the Historic American Buildings Survey Collection

Posted by: Kristi Finefield

What do a carousel horse, Theodore Roosevelt, and a lighthouse have in common? Look closely at the drawing below from the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) of the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial – can you spot two Roosevelts? There is, of course, the large drawing of the Roosevelt statue featured at the memorial on Theodore Roosevelt …