Northwestern University Architectural Drawings and Models Collection
-
No requestable containers
Scope and Contents
This collection consists of architectural drawings (floor plans, elevations, perspective views, construction details), and models; chiefly of buildings on the Evanston and Chicago campuses of Northwestern University. It includes buildings that were constructed (whether or not they survive), and buildings that were projected but never built. This collection contains only a few photographs of buildings.
A notable element in this collection are drawings and plans from the office of the architect James Gamble Rogers, instrumental in the development of both the Evanston and Chicago campuses. The drawings also represent many other prominent architectural firms, notably Skdmore, Owings and Merrill. An important large group of pencil drawings and blueprints represents the Lake Shore Athletic Club and its original decorative scheme.
Dates
- 1866 - 2010
Conditions Governing Access
These materials are available to all researchers without restriction. Many parts of this collection are stored off-site and require two business days advance notice for retrieval. This collection is stored off-site and requires two business days advance notice for retrieval. Please contact the McCormick Library at specialcollections@northwestern.edu or 847-491-3635 for more information or to schedule an appointment to view the collection.
Extent
150 Boxes
190 folders
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
This collection consists of architectural drawings (floor plans, elevations, perspective views, construction details), and models; chiefly of buildings on the Evanston and Chicago campuses of Northwestern University. It includes buildings that were constructed (whether or not they survive), and buildings that were projected but never built.
Arrangement
Materials in this finding aid are arranged by the location of the buildings described: there are separate series for buildings in Evanston, Illinois, and for buildings in Chicago, Illinois. A final series describes buildings in other locations.
The Evanston and Chicago series are each divided into two sub-series: one for individual buildings, and one for groups of buildings and maps.
The series for individual buildings in Evanston and Chicago are arranged by the name of the building, or (if the building has no name) the address; materials for each building are arranged chronologically. Descriptions of maps and groups of buildings are arranged in chronological order
Custodial History
Materials in this collection were originally described in a spreadsheet, maintained by various hands over many years. In 2018, materials that had previously been rolled and stored in boxes (box numbers 1-54) were shipped to the Oak Grove Library Center for storage. In 2019, it was decided that a formal finding aid should be prepared, but that materials already stored remotely would not be recalled. This means that the descriptions of materials in boxes 1-54 are taken directly from the original spreadsheet; descriptions of these materials do not contain the same level of detail that could be provided for other materials.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Drawings in this collection come chiefly from the office of the University Architect (or its predecessors). These drawings are duplicates of drawings otherwise held by the Architect, or drawings that for any reason are no longer needed by that office. (For example, when a building is remodeled, the University Architect may release drawings that only describe the previous state of the building.) For these reasons, the drawings in this collection do not represent all buildings on either campus, and do not necessarily represent buildings in their current state.
General
The numbers recorded in notes as "local identifier" typically consist of three elements: an abbreviation for the name of the architect, designer or contractor; the contract or job number (or a sequential number with the prefix "NC" for "no contract"); and a sequential number. These numbers were assigned by an unknown party, and are recorded for whatever information they may contain. The sequential number in these numbers is slightly ambiguous; for example "1-5" may mean "drawing 1 of 5", or it might mean "drawings 1 through 5"
Source
- Title
- Guide to the Northwestern University Architectural Drawings and Models Collection
- Author
- Gary L. Strawn
- Date
- 2019-12-09
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Library Details
Part of the Northwestern University Archives Repository
Deering Library, Level 3
1970 Campus Dr.
Evanston IL 60208-2300 US
847-491-3635
specialcollections@northwestern.edu