The Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) started in 1933 as part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal to put architects, photographers, and historians back to work during the Great Depression. It officially became part of National Park Service in 1934 and was authorized by the Historic Sites Act in 1935. America’s preservation movement prior to the establishment of this program focused primarily on recording historic buildings of national significance. However, the HABS program records buildings that are both locally significant and of vernacular design. HABS involves written and photographic documentation, as well as documentary drawings. There are four performance standards for HABS documentation to follow – content, quality, materials, and presentation. The extent to which the content is recorded is gauged by four levels of documentation, with HABS Level VI the lowest level and Level I the most extensive. More information on HABS performance standards and the level of documentation for content is available on the National Park Service Website at http://www.nps.gov/history/local-law/arch_stnds_6.htm#s1.
