Replacement Facility Will Be Largest Government Archive Outside the District of Columbia
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| Existing National Archives military records center on Page Avenue, St. Louis |
Developers have secured financing for construction of the $100 million National Archives and Records Administration federal personnel records center in St. Louis, MO. The 474,690-square-foot records center, which will retain 800 jobs in the region, "is just months away" from breaking ground, with the first phase slated for completion in May 2011.
The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) 15 months ago awarded the contract to secure 23.5 acres of land at 1829 Dunn Road for the construction of the National Personnel Records Center, which will be the largest national archives facility outside of greater Washington, D.C., with a central repository of personnel-related records for both military and civil service employees.
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Despite the tight environment for commercial lending for large-scale projects, Barry Real Estate Cos. was able to bring in Las Vegas-based Molasky Group to secure the project financing, according to the St. Louis County Economic Council. The project will be built by a joint venture of Hardin Construction Company of Atlanta, GA and St. Louis-based Tarlton Corporation and designed by HKS of Dallas, TX.
Most National Archives operations will relocate from the Federal Records Center at 9700 Page Ave. to the new building, which will be located on land previously owned by North County automotive dealer Johnny Londoff. Other local National Archives facilities also will move to the facility.
The facility contains military records of millions of Americans, including Elvis Presley, Presidents John F. Kennedy and Dwight D. Eisenhower, and sports legends Roberto Clemente and Jackie Robinson. It's a repository of records for military veterans, former civilian federal employees, family members, as well as researchers and historians. It handles more that 1 million record requests annually.