February 26, 2009

MEDIA CONTACT: Thai Phi Stone
tpstone@gwu.edu; (202) 994-6424

FINANCIAL RECORDS TELL STORIES OF U.S. PRESIDENTS AND NATION'S CAPITAL

PNC-Riggs Bank Archives at GW Open to Public

WASHINGTON--The Special Collections Research Center of GW's Gelman Library has announced that the PNC-Riggs Bank archives are now open to the public. At the time of The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc.'s donation to the University in Feb. 2007, the collection was the largest single gift ever received by Gelman Library.

Valued at $5.2 million, the unique collection of historical records includes ledgers documenting the accounts of 19th and early 20th century U.S. presidents, Cabinet and Congress members, and other prominent citizens. With material dating from 1809 to 2004, the records trace the development of the nation and its capital through the lens of Riggs Bank and its predecessors, including Farmers and Mechanics Bank, Lincoln National Bank, and Washington Loan & Trust.

The archives will serve as an invaluable tool for researchers interested in the growth of the financial services industry and the influence Riggs Bank had on economic life in Washington, D.C. Riggs Bank, acquired by PNC in 2005, played a large role in financing local and federal construction and development projects, including the construction of the Capitol dome and the development of Georgetown.

Meredith Evans Raiford, director of the Special Collections Research Center, notes, "This collection will provide insight into the relationships between businesses and the federal government, as well as important historical context regarding race relations in the nation's capital. The collection documents well-known clients, both individual and corporate, and other demographics."

The PNC-Riggs Bank archives augment the Special Collection Research Center's already substantial collections highlighting Washington's political, economic, social, and cultural history.

For more information about the Special Collections Research Center at Gelman Library, visit www.gelman.gwu.edu/collections/SCRC.

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