Many items in Rhode Island's archives are at risk of damage

PROVIDENCE — An assessment of the Rhode Island state archives has found that the state's copy of the Bill of Rights and other historically important items are at risk of damage because there isn't enough space to store them properly.

Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea on Tuesday released the assessment by the Northeast Document Conservation Center in Andover, Massachusetts, and suggested constructing a new building for the archives. The Archives is home to more than 10 million items in a variety of formats dating back to 1638.

The report's authors found 35% of the collection was at "high priority" for conservation, meaning that in its current state, the item is too fragile to be handled and damage will occur during its next use. In addition to the Bill of Rights, other notable "high risk" items include:

• The Gaspee Commission papers related to the 1772 burning of the British schooner
• Declaration of Independence, Stone Printing, 1823 
• Battle of Rhode Island Map, General Sullivan's Expedition, 1778
• The Dorr Rebellion Map of Roads Leading to Chepachet, 1842

The collection is in a rented office building at 337 Westminster St., Providence, since 1990. The building is an office space located in a geographic flood plain. Gorbea said it was meant to be a temporary location because archival facilities require highly specialized electrical systems, climate and light control and security.

Gorbea is advocating for $52 million to construct a new building for the archives. She would like to display the Bill of Rights, which is currently in a wooden box in storage.

Gorbea asked for $5 million to be included in the fiscal year 2020 budget to begin the architectural and engineering work for a new building across from the Statehouse. She made the same request last year and didn't get the money. Instead, the governor included just $100,000 in the fiscal year 2022 capital budget for the archives and asked Gorbea to explore the possibility of rehabilitating another state building.

Gorbea said she'll look into it, but it may not be feasible to make that building conform to archival and museum standards.

"We have really important documents that tell the story of the making of the U.S. and of Rhode Island and we have an amazing opportunity to not only share these with our children and visitors to the state, but to really make this an anchor for cultural and historic tourism. These are assets that other states don't have," Gorbea said in an interview Tuesday. "I've made it a priority to make sure that we finally tackle their preservation and exhibition."