Pennsylvania's State Archives running out of space

HARRISBURG - The windowless 18-story tower across from the state Capitol is where millions of records containing pieces of Pennsylvania history have always been sent to be kept safe for posterity.

The 1681 charter from King Charles II granting William Penn the colony of Pennsylvania is stored there. So are records from Al Capone's stay at Eastern State Penitentiary.

But the Pennsylvania State Archives building is dangerously close to losing its distinction as the final destination for Pennsylvania's most important papers: It is running out of space.

"We are almost at 99 percent capacity right now," said David A. Haury, Pennsylvania's state archivist, who said more than 200 million pages of paper were stored in the tower. "We don't want to be in a position where we can no longer take in documents."

The archive, which receives several thousand new boxes of records every year, can accommodate records for another year, maybe two.

After that, the building either needs to be radically renovated and expanded, or abandoned for a newer and more functional facility, officials say.

"We're running out of options," Haury said.

Those who work for the archive, from archivists to staffers who assist the public in their searches, are overwhelmingly pushing for a new location.

They say the tower is not ideal for storing documents. Its vertical build means each of its floors is small. And the ceilings are crisscrossed with pipes that frequently leak.

Also, though the tower was built in the 1960s to hold records, it has little insulation in the walls to keep humidity out - and humidity is the enemy of a paper's longevity.

A few years back, the legislature dedicated $30 million in the capital budget for a new archival facility, but Gov. Rendell has not released the money because of the state's tight finances.

"There are other priorities for capital money right now, like projects that provide a stronger economic-development benefit or involve life and safety issues, like building new state prisons," Rendell spokesman Gary Tuma said.

Meanwhile, those who work in the building daily deal with the leaks and creaks of an aging building.

Though $300,000 is being spent to renovate some of the indoor public spaces, a section of the facade off the main entryway is collapsing.