Historic American Landscapes Survey (HALS)

The Historic American Landscapes Survey (HALS) was established through an agreement between the National Parks Service, American Association of Landscape Architects, and the Library of Congress. The program’s mission is to record historic landscapes in the United States and its territories for the HALS Collection at the Library of Congress.

From the HALS website:

“Documentation is critical to preserving historic landscapes for the benefit of future generations.

Like its companion programs, the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) and the Historic American Engineering Record (HAER), HALS produces written and graphic records of interest to educators, land managers, and preservation planners as well as the general public.

HALS documentation is used for scholarly research, interpretation and education and often provides the basis for preservation easements. It may also act as a blueprint in case a disaster or neglect damages or destroys historic resources, permitting the repair and, if necessary, reconstruction.

HALS documentation is often the last means of preservation of a property: when a property is to be demolished, documentation provides future researchers access to valuable information that otherwise would be lost.”

From the HALS website:

  • Recorded sites may be common, familiar, natural, or designed landscapes. They may be rural, urban, agricultural, industrial, recreational, residential, public, or private.
  • Recorded sites may be any size and represent an entire landscape or a component of a larger landscape.
  • Recorded landscapes may be of any age, endangered or not.
  • Recorded landscapes may or may not reflect their original design or condition. In fact, HALS surveys have been prepared for sites lost long ago using historical information and oral histories.
  • Recorded landscapes may be threatened by development, demolition, or abandonment. HALS documentation will preserve their memory.
  • Recorded landscapes should be historic or culturally significant to the locality, state, or nation.

VISIT THE HALS WEBSITE