Navajo Nation Council Chamber

Navajo Nation Council Chamber
Location Window Rock, Arizona
Coordinates 35°40′58″N 109°2′54″W / 35.68278°N 109.04833°W / 35.68278; -109.04833Coordinates: 35°40′58″N 109°2′54″W / 35.68278°N 109.04833°W / 35.68278; -109.04833
Area 1.6 acres (6,500 m2)
Built 1935
Architect Mayers, Murray and Phillip (Goodhue); Navajo Craftsman
Architectural style Pueblo Revival, rustic
NRHP Reference # 04001155
Significant dates
Added to NRHP August 18, 2004[1]
Designated NHL August 18, 2004[2]

Navajo Nation Council Chambers (Navajo: Béésh bąąh dah siʼání) is the center of government for the Navajo Nation. The landmark building, in Window Rock, Arizona, is significant for its association with the 1930s New Deal, and its change in Federal policy for relations with Native Americans, as established in the Indian Reorganization Act. With its red sandstone façade and overall rustic architectural style, the chamber was designed to harmonize with its spectacular natural surroundings.

Built from 1934 to 1935, the chamber’s octagon shape and structural framework are meant to evoke a monumental hogan, the traditional building form of the Navajo people. Additionally, the building incorporates the Navajo ceremonial features of an east-facing main entrance and a windowless north wall. The Navajo artist Gerald Nailor, Sr. was commissioned in 1942 for a mural cycle depicting The History and Progress of the Navajo Nation, which is installed in the interior.[3]

The building was declared a National Historic Landmark in 2004.[2][4] It is "the only legislative headquarters in the United States owned by an American Indian tribe which has been continuously in use by that tribe and whose design incorporates indigenous materials and architectural traditions tied to the Navajo heritage."[3]

References

  1. ↑ National Park Service (2007-01-23). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
  2. 1 2 "Navajo Nation Council Chamber". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Retrieved 2007-09-27.
  3. 1 2 Navajo Nation Council Chamber, at National Park Service. This article incorporates public domain text from this US government website.
  4. ↑ Nation.pdf National Historic Landmark Nomination, 2004 at National Park Service
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