Approved by the History and Heritage Committee on December 8, 2026
Approved by the Public Policy and Practice Committee on January 28, 2026
Adopted by the Board of Direction on July 21, 2026

Policy

The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) strongly supports the work of the Historic American Engineering Record (HAER), which includes:

  • Documenting many of the United States’ historic engineering, industrial, and technological landmarks.
  • Preserving a record of these works, explaining how they worked, and why what happened at these sites was important. 
  • Furthering preservation of historic engineering works through their identification and recording.
  • Furthering the study and knowledge of the history of the engineering profession and its role in the history and technology of the United States.
  • ASCE strongly urges that the HAER program be funded and staffed to support a future level of effort equal to its productivity during its first five decades (1969 to 2019). ASCE stands ready to serve as a continuing partner with the National Park Service (NPS) and the Library of Congress (LOC) in support of HAER.

Issue

HAER was created in 1969 through a tripartite agreement among the NPS, the LOC, and ASCE so that documentation on outstanding works of engineering, industry, and technological processes could be preserved. Each organization has had clearly defined roles. The NPS has administered the execution and processing of documentation surveys. The LOC has received complete drawings, histories, and photographs into its archives, and has maintained these collections and made them accessible without cost to the general public. ASCE has provided professional advice and support.

Over its five-decade life, HAER has documented over 10,730 sites, produced more than 124.000 large-format photographs, 116,000, data pages, and 7,000 measured and interpretive drawings. All of this documentation now resides in the LOC.

HAER’s staffing has decreased significantly over the past two decades and HAER’s program chief position has been unfilled since 2004. These conditions have decreased the program’s capacity to carry out its mission.

Rationale

The Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) and the Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) collections are among the largest and most heavily used in the Prints and Photographs Division of the Library of Congress.

When a federally funded project will demolish or substantially alter a work of engineering eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, the National Historic Preservation Act requires the federal government to document the impacted property for inclusion in the HAER collection. To successfully fulfill this requirement, HAER needs adequate resources.

Documentation of engineering, industrial, and technological landmarks and preserving records of these landmarks that are accessible to the general public at no cost, supports an understanding and appreciation of the history and heritage of civil engineering. These are integral components of education and professional practice.

ASCE Policy Statement 561
First Approved in 2020
See also:  ASCE Policy Statement 463 – History and Heritage