The Pennsylvania State Archives plans to relocate to this site on N. 6th Street.
History soon will have a new home, as the state Archives plans to relocate to a newly constructed building along the 6th Street corridor in Harrisburg.
The building will occupy a three-acre site along N. 6th Street flanked by Harris and Hamilton streets. The $24 million project will occupy almost three complete city blocks, with half of the site backing on to N. 7th Street.
Design is expected to begin soon, followed by a two-year construction phase that should be completed in 2019, said Howard Pollman, director of external affairs for the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.
“We will build a state-of-the-art building,” he said.
Footprint of the new Archives building.
The commission has been searching for a site for a new building for several years, as the Archives’ current home—a 20-story tower built in the mid-1960s at the Capitol complex—is bursting from more than 450 million documents.
“The building we have here is full,” Pollman said. “We also have issues with environmental concerns.”
The commission will retain and repurpose the tower, perhaps for collection storage, said Pollman.
Several years ago, the Department of General Services identified a site in Susquehanna Township for a new Archives building, said Troy Thompson, department spokesman. However, Thompson said, Mayor Eric Papenfuse successfully lobbied the Wolf administration to remain in the city.
“This is of great benefit to the city,” said Papenfuse. “It’s a terrific story of cooperation.”
The new building will represent a departure from the iconic tower on Forster Street. In addition to a location about a mile away, the structure is expected to be just two or three stories tall, with onsite parking.
Most of the land is owned by the Vartan Group and is already cleared, said Thompson. Land acquisition by the department will continue for the next several months, and the state may acquire a few additional parcels not owned by Vartan, including the American Legion building at Harris and Wallace streets, he said.
“We’re glad that no homeowners will be displaced,” said Papenfuse.
In addition to the state’s historical documents, the building will house the city’s archives, which currently are kept in a building in Reservoir Park that is not climate controlled or readily open to the public.
Papenfuse said the Archives project will continue the slow redevelopment of the 6th Street corridor. Once a bustling working class community, the neighborhood was devastated by the loss of industrial and railroad jobs following World War II.
Decades ago, developer John Vartan began buying and clearing much of the blighted land with the idea of turning into it into a new commercial corridor for Harrisburg. However, Vartan died before he could realize his vision, and his company still owns much of the empty land in the area.
In recent years, the area has shown some signs of redevelopment. The 1500 Condominium building is nearby, as are restaurants Crawdaddy’s and Café 1500, and the building is across the street from the proposed new federal courthouse.
The new Archives building will take the affected parcels off of the property tax rolls. However, Papenfuse said that, together, they currently generate only about $2,500 in revenue for the city. The city will make up that amount in local income taxes by retaining the 26 full-time positions at the state Archives, he said. Moreover, the new building may spur additional development and jobs, as some 2,100 people visit the Archives each year, many to conduct extended research projects, he said.
Residents will get a chance to weigh in on the project during a public meeting on Wednesday, May 4, at 4 p.m. at the city’s Sixth Street Fire Station, 1820 N. 6th St.
