In July and August 2021, Gray & Pape, SmithGroup, and photographer Rob Tucher had the honor of conducting two Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) Level 2 documentations for Buildings 29 and 29A on the National Institute of Health (NIH) Bethesda, Maryland, campus. Buildings 29 and 29A were built in a utilitarian style, unlike their neighbors, which are mostly Georgian Revival. The scientific advancements achieved in these buildings changed the course of twentieth-century public health. The NIH and then the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) staff helped to conquer some of the deadliest infectious diseases. In their regulatory role, they had the national responsibility to license vaccines, antitoxins, blood products, and other biologics to ensure their safety and effectiveness. To support this role, they did scientific research which resulted in the development of important standards and even new vaccines. The people who worked in Buildings 29 and 29A are some of the most well-known scientists and their support staff at the NIH and FDA.
This collaborative project with SmithGroup allowed Gray & Pape staff to not only work with an amazing team of individuals at the NIH and the FDA, but provided them the opportunity to record two buildings that are extremely significant to our nation’s history. The HABS documentation and the research on the two buildings culminated in an exhibit (https://buff.ly/3snmmQ6) hosted by the Office of NIH History and the Stetten Museum.
For more information, please see a recently published article authored by Gray & Pape Principal Investigator, Katie Watts, and the NIH Federal Preservation Officer, David Derenick. https://buff.ly/3FvLzNm
