The Office of Public Records is mandated by DC Law 6-19 and the District of Columbia Municipal Regulations, Title 1, Chapter 15, to review and approve agency records retention schedules; train records officers in implementing the policies, procedures, and guidelines of managing records; collect, store, preserve, conserve and service historical records in the custody of the Archives; collect, store and service temporary records in the custody of the Records Center; and collect, store and service publications in the custody of the Library of Government Information.
Public Records and Archive Services is managed and administered through the Office of Public Records and Archives.
Service Details:
Research Building Permits and Architectural Plans
Related Services:
Library of Government Information
Service Contact:
Office of Public Records, Administrator
Contact Email: archives@dc.gov
Contact Phone: (202) 671-1105
Contact Fax: (202) 727-6076
Contact TTY: 711
Office Hours: Monday to Friday 8:15 am to 4:45 pm
Service Location:
GIS Address:
1300 Naylor Court, NW
Washington, DC 20001
Office Hours
Monday to Friday, 9 am to 5 pm
Connect With Us
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite 419, Washington, DC 20004
Phone: (202) 727-6306
Fax: (202) 727-3582
TTY: 711
Alternate Number: Notary: (202) 727-3117
Email: secretary@dc.gov
Ask the Secretary of the District of Columbia
Secretary of the District of Columbia
About LGBTQ+ History Month
"Rodney Wilson was a secondary government and history teacher in suburban St. Louis, Missouri, when in January 1994 he wrote a proposal to name that October as the first annual (then called) Lesbian and Gay History Month. Inspired by Black History Month (February in the USA) and Women’s History Month (March in the USA), Wilson sent his proposal to all LGBTQ organizations of the time and to notable historians and public figures asking for endorsements and support. In May 1994, he organized a national coordinating council, on which Johnda Boyce, Kevin Boyer, Jessea Greenman, and Kevin Jennings were key members with Wilson, along with Torey Wilson and Saralyn Chestnut. The committee created a curriculum packet with reading lists, activity suggestions, and ideas for marking the occasion. The Gerber/Hart Library and Archives in Chicago served as the first institutional home. Significant LGBTQ media coverage of the inaugural event in October 1994 helped to publicize the celebration in the community and proclamations from the governors of Oregon, Massachusetts, and Connecticut, and the mayors of Boston and Chicago, helped legitimize the endeavor nationally. The first institutional homes for LGBTQ History Month USA were the Gerber/Hart LGBTQ Library and Archive (Chicago); GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network); and GLAAD (Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation). Since 2006, Philadelphia’s Equality Forum has been primary organizer of the annual event, selecting 31 LGBTQ icons each October to highlight, one for each day of the month. Today, LGBTQ+ History Month USA is widely celebrated each October in the USA – in secondary schools, on college campuses, in the LGBTQ+ community, and in LGBTQ and mainstream media stories."
