Archives station
| Company type | Washington Metro station |
|---|---|
| Industry | Public transportation |
| Founded | April 30, 1983 |
| Headquarters | Washington, D.C. , United States |
Area served | Northwest Washington, D.C. |
| Products | Metro rail service (Green and Yellow Lines) |
Archives station is a Washington Metro stop situated in Northwest Washington, D.C., serving both the Green and Yellow Lines. Positioned on 7th Street between Pennsylvania and Indiana Avenues, it lies next to Gallery Place station, with both stations visible to each other through the connecting tunnel.
The station derives its name from the nearby National Archives, while its subtitle highlights the U.S. Navy Memorial and the adjacent Penn Quarter district. It functions as a primary entry point for visitors exploring the northern portion of the National Mall.
History
Operations commenced on April 30, 1983, aligning with the extension of rail service southward from Gallery Place to L'Enfant Plaza, continuing across the Potomac River to Pentagon station.
Initially called Archives, the name was changed by the WMATA Board in 1989 to Archives–Navy Mem'l in honor of the nearby United States Navy Memorial. In 2004, it was updated to Archives–Navy Mem'l–Penn Quarter to acknowledge the adjacent Penn Quarter neighborhood. By 2011, "Navy Mem'l" and "Penn Quarter" were moved to a subtitle position, reinstating "Archives" as the primary name effective June 18, 2012. Corresponding signage updates occurred in 2005 and again in 2012.
The station design includes accommodation for a potential second mezzanine at its southern end, marked by a removable panel on the south wall.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the station was closed from March 26 until June 28, 2020. It was also shut down from January 15 to January 21, 2021, for security measures during the 2020 presidential inauguration. Furthermore, Blue Line trains temporarily stopped at this station from October 12 to October 14, 2021, following a derailment near Pentagon Station.
Station layout
An island platform serves this station and can be accessed from the intersection of Indiana Avenue and Seventh Street NW.
Notable places nearby
- Department of Justice
- Embassy of Canada, Washington, D.C.
- Federal Trade Commission
- Ford's Theatre
- Grand Army of the Republic Memorial
- J. Edgar Hoover Building (FBI headquarters)
- Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center (housing the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies)
- National Archives
- National Gallery of Art
- National Mall
- National Museum of Natural History
- Temperance Fountain
In popular culture
The entrance to this station was featured in the 2004 Disney movie National Treasure as well as in the 2007 film Breach.
External links
- The Schumin Web Transit Center: Archives Station
- Pennsylvania Avenue entrance via Google Maps Street View