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Biologics Regulation and ResearchThe People and Work of Buildings 29 & 29A

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Exhibit Overview

Project Overview Page

Biologics Regulation and Research: The People and Work of Buildings 29 & 29A

"Science and Peace will triumph over ignorance and war, nations will unite, not to destroy, but to build, and the future will belong to those who will have done the most for suffering humanity"

  • —Louis Pasteur
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The DeWitt Stetten Jr. Museum of Medical Research preserves and interprets the material culture of the scientific work of the NIH. The museum is hosting this online exhibit, on Buildings 29 and 29A and the biologics research and regulation conducted there, bringing the materials to life to inform the public of the breadth and significance of research performed in the two buildings, conquering some of the world’s most deadly infectious diseases in the twentieth century. The Office of NIH History & Stetten Museum worked closely with the NIH Office of Research Facilities and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) History Office to document the two buildings for posterity.

Buildings 29 and 29A are nationally significant to the history of medicine and public health because within these laboratories, the NIH and then FDA staff helped to conquer some of the deadliest infectious diseases. In their regulatory role they had the national responsibility to license vaccines, antitoxins, blood products, and other biologics to ensure their safety and effectiveness. To support this role, they did scientific research which resulted in the development of important standards and even new vaccines. Some of the most well-known scientists and administrators of the twentieth century worked in these buildings, first for the NIH and then for the FDA.

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Bronze plaque installed in the entryway of Building 29/29A - Please review.

The FDA Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER) moved from the NIH to the FDA White Oak Campus in 2014. Since then, Buildings 29 and 29A have been vacant. NIH completed feasibility studies and determined in 2020 that it is not viable to reuse the buildings, and demolition is planned. As these are historic buildings on Federal property, Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) and its implementing regulations (36 CFR §800) must be followed. A Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) was entered into between the NIH and the State Historic Preservation Office, the Maryland Historical Trust (MHT), since demolition of buildings is an adverse effect to historic properties.

Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) architectural documentation of Buildings 29 and 29A at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is part of the efforts to mitigate the adverse effects of the planned demolition of the buildings. The HABS materials will be available on the Library of Congress website, in addition to portions of them being presented here. This online exhibition on Buildings 29 and 29A and the research conducted there is also a part of the mitigation process.


Biologics Regulation and Research: The People and Work of Buildings 29 & 29A

Buildings 29 and 29A are nationally significant to the history of medicine and public health because within the laboratories of Buildings 29 and 29A, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and then Food and Drug Administration (FDA) staff helped to conquer some of the deadliest infectious diseases. In their regulatory role they had the national responsibility to license vaccines, antitoxins, blood products, and other biologics to ensure their safety and effectiveness. To support this role, they did scientific research which resulted in the development of important standards and even new vaccines. Some of the most well-known scientists and administrators of the twentieth century worked in these buildings, first for the NIH and then for the FDA and 22 of them are profiled here in the biographies section. This online exhibition will share information about the research, regulations, and work conducted in these two laboratory buildings between 1960 and 2014. A variety of diseases, vaccines, and other biologics are discussed here, with links to articles and other websites for further research. While the buildings are no longer in use, their legendary staff and their important work lives on.

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