National Archives and Records Administration to close Chicago facility, prompting pushback
SW Side facility holds federal records from Great Lakes states, including records from Al Capone's tax evasion case
CHICAGO (WLS) -- The National Archives and Records Administration plans to close its facility in Chicago, prompting opposition from local archivists and lawmakers who say the move could make historical records unavailable.
The Southwest Side facility holds federal records from the Great Lakes states, including records from Al Capone's tax evasion case, transcripts from the Kent State shooting and naturalization documents. It also contains records related to the Eastland ship disaster and protests during the 1968 Democratic National Convention.
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Gretchen Neidhardt, chair of a committee of Chicago area archivists, said the facility contains about 33.4 miles of records.
"If you stacked them all ... it would reach from the Bean to Aurora," Neidhardt said.
Neidhardt said local archivists learned about the planned closure through an internal memo that leaked in late June.
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"Everyone was really taken by surprise," she said.
NARA also plans to close facilities outside San Francisco and Seattle. The agency did not respond to multiple requests for comment but updated its website with a statement saying the closures are intended to address "the growing volume of underutilized space resulting from the federal government's transition to electronic recordkeeping."
The agency also said the facilities, which are more than 50 years old, have aging infrastructure requiring significant upgrades that are "fiscally unviable for the agency."
Most of the Chicago facility's materials are expected to be transferred to Kansas City, with the remaining records divided among four other locations.
Neidhardt said there is no timeline or plan for the move or for what will happen to the facility's staff.
U.S. Rep. Jesus "Chuy" Garcia, whose district includes the archives facility, is co-sponsoring the National Archives Protection Act. The legislation would require congressional approval before NARA could close a location.
"You should involve stakeholders and people who will be impacted by the transference of historical documents," Garcia said. "It could result in the erasure of history."
No materials have started moving from the Chicago facility, according to archivists. More than 5,000 people have signed a petition opposing the closure.
