CAVE HABS Documentation for the Superintendent Building | P18AS00309

Opportunity Information: Apply for P18AS00309

The grant opportunity titled "CAVE HABS Documentation for the Superintendent Building" (Funding Opportunity Number P18AS00309) is a National Park Service cooperative agreement aimed at producing high-quality historic documentation for key buildings at Carlsbad Caverns National Park. It sits within the long-running Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) program, which has operated since 1933 in partnership with the National Park Service, the Library of Congress, and private-sector collaborators. HABS is one of the federal government’s primary tools for creating a permanent record of historically significant places, and over time it has generated extensive archives of measured drawings, large-format photographs, and written histories for tens of thousands of structures across the United States, spanning from Pre-Columbian sites through twentieth-century resources.

This specific project focuses on two historic buildings at Carlsbad Caverns National Park: the Superintendent Building and the Mission 66-era Six-Plex. The core purpose is physical documentation that meets HABS Standard I, Documentation Level 1, with an emphasis on producing materials that can be archived, referenced for preservation planning, and used for future research. In practice, that means the project is not just a photographic survey or a short narrative report. It is intended to generate a complete, professional documentation package consistent with HABS requirements, capturing the buildings’ design, construction, and historical significance in a way that is detailed enough to stand in for the resource if it is altered, damaged, or lost.

A major deliverable under this opportunity is a full set of measured drawings that depict existing or historic conditions. These drawings typically include plans, elevations, and sections, prepared with enough accuracy and completeness to describe the building form, layout, and significant architectural features. Supporting those drawings are required field notes gathered on site. The opportunity description specifies that the field notes must follow HABS standards: they are commonly hand sketches of floor plans, sections, and elevations that may not be drawn precisely to scale, but are based on measurements and must clearly show features in correct relationship and proportion. In other words, the field notes function as the structured raw data that later gets translated into final measured drawings, and they must be organized and thorough enough to document how the final drawings were derived.

In addition to measured drawings and field documentation, the project includes large-format photography. Within HABS practice, large-format images are used because they provide exceptionally high resolution and archival quality, allowing fine details of materials, workmanship, and architectural character to be preserved and studied over time. These photographs generally cover representative exterior and interior views, key character-defining features, important spaces, and contextual shots showing the buildings’ relationship to their surroundings. Alongside the visual and measured documentation, the project also requires a written historic context for the buildings and the site. This component typically summarizes the buildings’ historical background, their significance within local and national themes, and the context of their construction and use, including why the Mission 66-era Six-Plex is an important mid-twentieth-century park resource and how the Superintendent Building fits into the park’s administrative and residential history.

Administratively, the opportunity was offered by the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, as a discretionary award using a cooperative agreement rather than a standard grant, which usually signals a more hands-on federal role during the project and a closer working relationship with the Park Service as documentation is developed. The funding activity category is Natural Resources and the CFDA number listed is 15.945. Eligibility is limited to public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, which indicates the Park Service was seeking a university-based partner capable of providing technical expertise in documentation, architectural history, drafting, and archival photo methods, often through faculty-led teams, preservation programs, or associated research units.

The opportunity was created on June 11, 2018, with an original closing date of June 20, 2018, reflecting a short application window. The award ceiling was $535,517, with one expected award, meaning the Park Service anticipated selecting a single institutional partner to complete the full scope of work. Overall, the grant’s end goal is a comprehensive HABS documentation package for these Carlsbad Caverns National Park buildings, including measured drawings, supporting field notes, large-format photographs, and a well-researched historic context, all prepared to recognized federal archival standards.

• The Department of the Interior, National Park Service in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "CAVE HABS Documentation for the Superintendent Building" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.945.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jun 11, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 20, 2018. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $535,517.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education.

Apply for P18AS00309

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