Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) photographs, audiovisual, and publications
Scope and Contents
This collection contains photographs, slides, film and a small number of paper records with materials such as press releases, public hearings, planning records, newspaper articles, and memoranda related to the construction of Metro. These records were produced by Larry Levine, Paul Myatt, and Phil Portlock while employed by WMATA as staff photographers. These materials cover the years 1944-2003. Additional materials were added to Series 1 that include publications about the Metro, produced by both WMATA and outside sources, which cover the years 1963 to 2014. These items were not necessarily created by Larry Levine during his time at WMATA.
Dates
- Creation: 1944-2014
Creator
- Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (Organization)
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
To the extent that the donor owns copyright, the donor has licensed their materials to be used according to the terms of the Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International license. Copyright in other items in this collection may be held by their respective creators. For activities that the researcher determines fall under fair use as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission to cite or publish is required. For re-use of materials in the collection not created by the donor, researchers are responsible for determining who may hold materials' copyrights, determining if the intended re-use falls under fair use, and obtaining approval from the copyright holder if the intended use does not fall under fair use. Researchers do not need anything further from The George Washington University Special Collections Research Center. Please contact Special Collections if the copyright status of the materials you wish to reuse is unclear. Staff will provide additional information.
Biographical / Historical
The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, WMATA, with central offices in Washington, DC, is the private agency charged with the coordination and operation of mass transit in the National Capital Region. This area includes Montgomery and Prince George's Counties in Maryland, Arlington, the District of Columbia, and Fairfax County in Virginia. The Interim Board of Directors of WMATA first met in mid-October, 1966, chaired by Brig. Gen. Jackson Graham, formerly Engineering Commissioner for the District. WMATA was formally established on February 20, 1967. WMATA formally received its charter in September 1967. WMATA superseded the National Capital Transportation Agency (NCTA); a federal agency established by President Eisenhower in 1960 and inherited the bus and rail plans of the NCTA. For bus operations, WMATA bought out the routes from the private bus companies operating within its purview (with the exception of Montgomery County's "Ride-On" system) and established a single operation, Metrobus, to serve in their place. For the creation of Metrorail, popularly known as "the Metro," routes, designs, and plans were finalized by the late 1960s. Work on the subway component began immediately upon the creation of WMATA. DeLeuw, Cather were retained as chief engineering consultants. The firm of Harry Weese and Associates were named chief architectural consultants. Weese was sent on a worldwide tour of subway systems, in order to draw inspiration and ideas for possible station architecture. The final design, agreed upon by a special committee that included the District of Columbia Board of Fine Arts and several artists and architects, was proposed in 1968. First ground was broken for the subway above the future Judiciary Square station on December 9, 1969. The Metro ran its first day of revenue service, on the abbreviated Red Line beginning at Dupont Circle, in June 1976. Public response was enthusiastic. The system was a highlight of the Bicentennial celebrations one month later, during which it transported thousands of visitors.
Extent
184 Linear Feet
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
This collection contains photographs, slides, film and a small number of paper records with materials such as press releases, public hearings, planning records, newspaper articles, and memoranda related to the construction of Metro. These records were produced by Larry Levine while employed by WMATA as a staff photographer. These materials cover the years 1944-2003. Additional materials were added to Series 1 that include publications about the Metro, produced by both WMATA and outside sources, which cover the years 1963 to 2014. These items were not necessarily created by Larry Levine during his time at WMATA.
Arrangement
Organized into 2 series: Photographic material and paper records and Audio/Visual material
Physical Location
Materials are stored off-site, and will require additional retrieval time. Please contact the Special Collections Research Center for more information.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of the Wasington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, 2018 (2018.026).
- Title
- Guide to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) photographs, audiovisual, and publications,1944-2014
- Author
- Special Collections Research Center, The George Washington University
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Finding aid written in English
Repository Details
Part of the Special Collections Research Center, The George Washington University Repository
George Washington University Gelman Library
2130 H Street NW
Washington DC 20052 United States of America
speccoll@gwu.edu
