Commemorating 60 Years of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
An Archival Retrospective on Urban Policy and Public Housing, 1960s–1970s
Thursday, August 14th, 2025
12 NOON, EDT
Join us for a special event marking the 60th anniversary of the founding of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). This program will examine HUD’s foundational decades and its transformative influence on American urban development.
Please join the UHA in marking the 60th anniversary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for a presentation by the staff of the National Archives and Records Administration. Learn how to maximize the time you spend learning about the HUD holdings at the National Archives, gaining access to the digital assets, and your visit to Archives II in College Park, Maryland.
Featuring:
Archivists from the National Archives are presenting a rare selection of archival images pertaining to HUD’s 60th Anniversary and the construction of HUD’s headquarters in the Robert C. Weaver Federal Building, Washington, D.C. (completed in 1968), and those documenting HUD projects from the 1960s and 1970s.
Former staff from the administration of HUD Secretary Robert C. Weaver offering personal reflections and historical context behind the images and initiatives that shaped an era. This event will explore federal urban policy through both visual and oral history, highlighting the challenges, ambitions, and legacy of early HUD programs. It invites interdisciplinary reflection on race, housing, governance, and the built environment in postwar America.
This event will explore federal urban policy through both visual and oral history, highlighting the challenges, ambitions, and legacy of early HUD programs. It invites interdisciplinary reflection on race, housing, governance, and the built environment in postwar America.
Join us! Upon registration, you will receive an email to confirm your registration and a Zoom link for the event.
Kristin M. Szylvian, Moderator
Associate Professor of History and Library Science
Public History and Dual Degree Graduate Programs Coordinator
St. John’s University
Sarah Bseirani
Archivist at U.S. National Archives and Records Administration.
Kent Watkins and John Finch
Former HUD employees who worked in HUD HQ will respond to questions with an aim to analyze or interogate the images as historical evidence.