Page 94 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Washington, DC

92  W ASHINGT ON , DC AREA B Y AREA

were inspired by a fountain On display are all four pages of
seen in a public square in the Constitution of the United
the city of Genoa, Italy. On the States, as well as the Declaration
bottom of the largest basin, of Independence, the Bill of
the signs of the Zodiac are Rights, and a 1297 copy of
engraved in bas-relief. The the Magna Carta, which is on
Classical lines of the fountain indefinite loan from Ross Perot.
echo the archi tectural style Also in the National Archives
of the National Gallery of are millions of documents,
Art’s West Building. photographs, motion picture
film, and sound recordings
2 National Archives going back over two centuries.
There is enough material, in fact,
Constitution Ave, between 7th St & to fill around 250,000 filing
9th St, NW. Map 3 C4. Tel (866) 272- cabinets. The National Archives
6272. q Archives-Navy Memorial/ and Records Administration
Penn Quarter. Open 10am–5:30pm (NARA) are charged with
daily. Closed Thanksgiving, Dec 25. cataloging, managing, and
= 8 (877) 444-6777 to book. 7 conserving all this material.
The cascading water of the Classical-style ∑ archives.gov Much of the Archives’ information
Mellon Fountain is now stored on computer.
In the 1930s, Congress A permanent exhibition, “Public
1 Mellon Fountain recognized the need to Vaults,” offers people an inter-
preserve the country’s active opportunity to explore
Constitution Ave & Pennsylvania paper records before they a representative sample of
Ave, NW. Map 4 D4. q Archives- the Archives’ vast
Navy Memorial. deteriorated, were lost or
were destroyed. The collection. The
Situated opposite the National National Archives National Archives is
Gallery of Art (see pp60–63), building, created for of great importance
this fountain commemorates this purpose, was as a re search center.
the man who endowed the designed by John The Central Research
gallery with its collection. Russell Pope, Room is reserved for
Andrew Mellon was Secretary architect of the scholars, who can
of the Treasury and a financier National Gallery order copies of rare
and industrialist. At his of Art and the documents for study
death, his friends donated Jefferson Memorial; Statue outside the purposes. Copies of
$300,000 to build the fountain, it opened in 1934. National Archives military records,
which was dedicated on This impressive library immigration papers,
May 9, 1952. houses the most important slave transit documents, death
The three bronze basins historical and legal documents certificates, and tax information
with their cascades of water in the United States. are also available.

The impressive Neo-Classical facade of the National Archives Building

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