Contact Info
Archive, Manuscript & Rare Book collections are accessed in Olin Library at the Special Collections reading room.
HOURS: Monday - Friday 9:00-5:00 by appointment
LOCATION: Olin Library, 1st floor, Danforth Campus
REQUESTS / APPOINTMENTS: 314-935-5495 spec@wumail.wustl.edu
*collections stored offsite require advance notice for retrieval and use
Questions about a specific topic? Contact:
University Archives: Sonya Rooney
Rare Books: Cassie Brand
Manuscript: Joel Minor
Local History: Miranda Rectenwald
Modern Graphic History Library: Skye Lacerte
Film & Media Archive: Andy Uhrich
The Washington University Archives hold many architecture-related collections that document the St. Louis-area, such as:
- files from notable architects, many whom attended or taught at Washington University
- records about the College of Architecture (now a part of the Sam Fox School)
- original plans for buildings formerly owned by the Terminal Railroad Corporation: Eads Bridge and St. Louis Union Station
Several collections also include national and international topics, notably:
- 19th century photographs collected by Russel Sturgis
- urban planning work of Harland Bartholomew & Associates (HBA).
Finding Aids by Subject: Architecture
Local architects and firms:
- Harris Armstrong CollectionHarris Armstrong was an architect in St. Louis, 1930s-1960s. The collection includes architectural drawings for his residential and commercial projects, personal and professional development material, and publications featuring prominent architects etc.
- William Bernoudy CollectionWilliam Bernoudy was an architect in St. Louis, 1930s-1970s. The collection includes architectural drawings for his residential and commercial projects.
- George E. Kassabaum PapersGeorge E. Kassabaum founded the architectural firm of Hellmuth, Obata, and Kassabaum in St. Louis in 1955. This collection contains the speeches and professional association correspondence of George E. Kassabaum.
- Emmet Layton PapersLayton’s career as a landscape architect in St. Louis, Missouri spanned over thirty years. During this time he was in private practice with his first wife and business partner, Ruth Layton, operating under the name Layton, Layton and Associates.
- Maritz and Young CollectionRaymond E. Maritz and Ridgely Young were responsible for designing residences and commercial edifices primarily in St. Louis County, Clayton, Ladue, and University City, Missouri. This collection includes architectural drawings for their projects.
College of Architecture and related programs
- School of Architecture RecordsThis collection includes department files, corresponence, project design proposals, and student projects (1920s, 1950s).
- Publications (Architecture)This collection contains WashU publications relating to Architecture, including dept. newsletters and bulletins, info about events, graduate programs, and course descriptions.
- Washington University Technology Associates RecordsWashington University Technology Associates was a group that sought to document, restore, and preserve physical properties of 3-D artwork. The collection includes project files, correspondence, publicity, and related literature.
Washington University Campus Architecture
- Architectural Competition Information Files (Hilltop Campus, 1899)The collection includes material relating to the Washington University Hilltop campus (now the Danforth Campus) architectural competition in 1899, including background information, competition drawings, and more.
- Architectural Competition Information Files (Olin Library, 1956)The collection includes material relating to the Washington University Olin Library architectural competition in 1956, including background information, competition drawings, and more.
- Architectural Competition Information Files (Mudd and Eliot Hall, 1965)The collection includes material relating to the Washington University Mudd/Eliot Hall architectural competition in 1965, including background information, competition drawings, and more.
- Buford L. Pickens CollectionBuford L. Pickens was a WashU Architecture professor (1953-1974), Dean of the School of Architecture, and Director of Campus Planning. This collection contains primarily material from his presentation detailing examples of the WashU campus architecture.
Eads Bridge & Union Station
- Eads Bridge Drawings: Terminal Railroad Assocation and American Bridge CompanyThis collection consists of 570 additional drawings of the Eads bridge, formerly owned by the Terminal Railroad Association. The American Bridge Company collection consists of 93 original drawings of the Eads Bridge.
- St. Louis Union Station CollectionThe collection consists of approximately 1500 drawings document the construction of St. Louis Union Station and many subsequent modifications to the station up to the 1960s.
National and International focused collections
- Russell Sturgis Photograph CollectionThe collection consists of approximately 15,000 photos collected by Russell Sturgis, focusing primarily on architectural details, topographical views, sculpture, and paintings from all over the world, dating from the mid to late 1800s.
- Harland Bartholomew & Associates (HBA)Harland Bartholomew and Associates designed city plans for several hundred cities across the United States. The firm's projects in the St. Louis area included the 1920 Comprehensive Plan, the 1932 Major Street Plan, the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, and the 1920 Comprehensive Plan for University City.
History of Architecture Education At WUSTL
The Washington University School of Architecture was originally part of the School of Engineering and Architecture. The program was first housed in the Cupples I building, and the first professor of architecture was Frederick M. Mann.
In 1910, the School of Architecture was separated from the engineering program as a separate unit. It is one of the 10 founding members of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture. Twenty years later, Joseph Givens, whose father had been the architect for the university’s first (downtown) campus, donated money for the construction of a new building to house the School of Architecture -- Givens Hall, which opened in 1932. Since then, deans of the school have included Alexander Langsdorf, Joseph Murphy, and Constantine E. Michaelides, who served in that position from 1973 to 1993, becoming one of the longest-serving dean at the university. In 2005 the College of Architecture joined with the Art program as part of the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts.
For more history see:
[School of Architecture] Givens Hall, 1960-1993 : a personal journey by
Call Number: LD5795.G5 M52 2012 (Archive Ref)ISBN: 0972972315- The first hundred years, 1879-1979 : Washington University School of Fine Arts byCall Number: LD5807 D44