Reply #14: From the National Archives... [View All]

[mcscajun]

Washington, DC. . . The National Archives Building, the home of the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and millions of other historically-valuable documents, in downtown Washington, DC, is undergoing a major renovation that began in February 2000. The research side of the building, located on Pennsylvania Avenue, between 7th and 9th Streets, NW, will remain open for business throughout the renovation. The exhibition side, on Constitution Avenue, closed for renovation on July 5, 2001 and will reopen in 2003.

The renovation of the Rotunda and the surrounding exhibition space will include: restoring the two oversized murals by Barry Faulkner depicting the presentation of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution; reconfiguring the display cases for the Charters of Freedom so that all four pages of the Constitution can be displayed (currently only the first and last pages can be displayed;) and so that the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights will be accessible to handicapped visitors; and constructing new exhibition space to showcase some of the highlights from the National Archives collection. While the Rotunda is under construction, the Charters of Freedom are being removed from their current encasements, examined by conservators, and re-encased in new airtight containers made of aluminum, titanium, and glass that will be filled with argon gas.

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The Charters are being examined and their current condition documented. Baseline photographs are being taken. This is the first opportunity to examine the documents outside the glass enclosure in 50 years. When their condition warrants it, the documents are receiving conservation treatment. Practice and experience with rehousing the transmittal page into the prototype has helped the process of examination, treatment, mounting, and encasing the remaining pages.

The documents are safe today, and the National Archives being what they are, I have no problem with secrecy surrounding the specifics of what was done to keep them safe on 9/11. That's the kind of thing security folk don't talk about. If I tell you now, I won't be able to it that way again.