Site preparation for the new permanent home of The Archives of The Episcopal Church—the oldest denominational archives in the U.S.—is set to begin today in Oakwood, Georgia, with construction expected to be complete by spring 2027.
Larry Hitt II, chair of the Executive Council’s governance and operations committee, announced the timeline during the council’s June 15-17 meeting in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Hitt also chairs the archives advisory committee.
At the council’s October 2025 meeting, Hitt announced the purchase of 3.5 acres—formerly home to St. Gabriel’s Episcopal Church in Oakwood, about 45 minutes from Atlanta. Last week, he unveiled design plans for the building’s renovation, which will include offices, a reading room, some storage, and a new building containing shelving for storage. The two structures will be connected by a cloister walkway.
“The bottom line is we will have 75% more storage space than we have in Austin, Texas,” and 40% more building space, Hitt said, referring to The Archives’ leased warehouse location since 2021. Prior to that move, The Archives occupied space at Seminary of the Southwest in Austin for 60 years.
The anticipated cost of the construction project is $4.5 million, which will be funded out of the church’s cash flow and reserves, Hitt said.
Twenty years ago, the church’s General Convention passed a resolution initiating efforts to relocate The Archives, affirmed again in 2012. Describing the need as acute and urgent, the 81st General Convention in 2024 urged the Executive Council to decide on a permanent location by July 1, 2025. The Oakwood site was selected at the council’s June 2025 meeting.
Established by the General Convention in 1835, The Archives of The Episcopal Church is the repository for thousands of documents and artifacts spanning centuries of church history. Its online catalog includes more than 200 curated sections of the collections held by The Archives; and its digital archives contain General Convention resolutions and Executive Council resolves, among other offerings.