Collection is open for research; access requires at least 48 hours advance notice. Materials in this collection may not be reproduced without permission.
The Gordon H. Schenck, Jr. Photographs, circa 1960 - circa 2000, document the career of Gordon Schenck, a professional architectural photographer. This collection is arranged in four series: Negatives and transparencies, Prints, Slides, and Publications and Client Information. The collection consists primarily of Schenck’s photographs, including negatives and prints of various sizes, slides, and transparencies. Also included in the collection are magazines, catalogs, and clippings containing examples of Schenck’s work and his client file notes. Schenck’s subjects include residences, schools, malls, banks, historic structures, university campuses, churches, business campuses, and civic centers. Geographically, the photographs were taken across the Southern United States, with a particular focus on North and South Carolina, specifically the Charlotte-metro area.
Gordon H. Schenck, Jr. (1927-2009) was born in Greensboro, North Carolina. He earned a degree in engineering from North Carolina State University. After college, he worked as a Southern Railway engineer for thirteen years. In 1963, Schenck began his eponymous photography company. He worked for many mid-century architects in North Carolina, photographing both model projects and completed structures. Schenck also worked for companies, including Belk and Southern Bell, and did some commercial work, photographing both models and posed products. Schenck’s work appeared in magazines such as Progressive Architecture, Better Homes and Gardens, and Southern Living. His photographs of historic buildings are also included in the Historic American Building Survey. In 1984, Schenck earned a degree in Photographic Craftsmanship from the Professional Photographers of America. He was a member of the American Society of Media Photographers and the American Photographic Artists. His work was the subject of a traveling retrospective exhibit, “By Assignment and By the Way: Gordon Schenck Photographs Architecture, 1963-2008.” Schenck died in January 2009.
Gordon H. Schenck, Jr. (1927-2009) was born in Greensboro, North Carolina. He earned a degree in engineering from North Carolina State University. After college, he worked as a Southern Railway engineer for thirteen years. In September 1959, Schenck married his wife, Rebecca, who would become his professional partner. They settled in Charlotte, North Carolina, where, in 1967, they built a home designed by the modernist architect William Crutcher Ross.
In 1963, Schenck began his eponymous photography company. He worked for many mid-century architects in North Carolina, photographing both model projects and completed structures. Schenck photographed the exteriors and interiors of schools, museums, hotels, industrial centers, hospitals, shopping centers, and residences, among other projects. Schenck also worked for a number of companies; for example, he photographed nearly every Belk Department Store and Southern Bell Telephone and Telegraph Company building. In addition, Schenck did some commercial work, photographing both models and posed products. Schenck’s work appeared in magazines such as Progressive Architecture, Better Homes and Gardens, and Southern Living. His photographs of historic buildings are also included in the Historic American Building Survey.
In 1984, Schenck earned a degree in Photographic Craftsmanship from the Professional Photographers America. He also taught summer classes for the organization’s Chicago-based school. Schenck was a member of the American Society of Media Photographers and the American Photographic Artists. A traveling retrospective exhibit, “By Assignment and By the Way: Gordon Schenck Photographs Architecture, 1963-2008,” highlighted his life's work. Schenck died in January 2009, after a short battle with cancer.
The Gordon H. Schenck, Jr. Photographs, circa 1960-circa 2000, document the career of Gordon Schenck, a professional architectural photographer. This collection is arranged in four series: Negatives and Transparencies, Prints, Slides, and Publications and Client Information. The collection consists primarily of Schenck’s photographs, including negatives and prints of various sizes, slides, and transparencies. magazines, catalogs, and clippings containing examples of Schenck’s work and his client file notes. Schenck’s subject matters include residences, schools, malls, banks, historic structures, university campuses, churches, business campuses, and civic centers. Geographically, the photographs were taken across the Southern United States, with a particular focus on North and South Carolina, specifically the Charlotte-metro area. Schenck assigned categories to some of the images in this collection, e.g. Office Buildings, Houses - Apartments, Hospitals, and Stores and Shopping Centers. These categories are listed with some of the project titles.
The records of the Gordon H. Schenck, Jr. Photographs are arranged in four series:
Copyright is owned by Rebecca Schenck, all rights reserved. Special permission is required for those individuals seeking reproductions who are not associated with NC State University.
The materials from our collections are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright law. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source.
The NC State University Libraries generally claims only physical ownership of most Special Collections materials. These materials are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright law. Libraries staff are unable to advise on copyright and other legal matters; the user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Helpful resources for assessing copyright include Cornell Libraries' "Copyright Services: Copyright Term and the Public Domain" and copyright.gov. This collection may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information about identifiable living individuals, which may be protected under federal or state laws and regulations. Researchers are advised that there may be legal ramifications for disclosing this information.
The University Archives operates in accordance with the State Public Records Act, with unrestricted access to records not covered by state and federal statutes and regulations.
[Identification of item], Gordon H. Schenck, Jr. Photographs, MC 00404, Special Collections Research Center, North Carolina State University Libraries, Raleigh, NC
Deposited by Rebecca Schenck. Accession 2011.0055.
Processed by Amanda Allen, Matisha Wiggs, and Liz Bell; Finding aid written by Amanda Allen, Matisha Wiggs, and Liz Bell; Addition processed and finding aid updated by Shima Hosseininasab, 2020 November.
This collection was processed with support from the Council on Library and Information Resources Cataloging Hidden Special Collections and Archives program.
The collection is organized into five principal series:
Collection is open for research; access requires at least 48 hours advance notice. Materials in this collection may not be reproduced without permission.
For more information contact us via mail, phone, or our web form.
Mailing address:
Special Collections Research Center
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Phone: (919) 515-2273
[Identification of item], Gordon H. Schenck, Jr. Photographs, MC 00404, Special Collections Research Center, North Carolina State University Libraries, Raleigh, NC
Copyright is owned by Rebecca Schenck, all rights reserved. Special permission is required for those individuals seeking reproductions who are not associated with NC State University.
The materials from our collections are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright law. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source.
The NC State University Libraries generally claims only physical ownership of most Special Collections materials. These materials are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright law. Libraries staff are unable to advise on copyright and other legal matters; the user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Helpful resources for assessing copyright include Cornell Libraries' "Copyright Services: Copyright Term and the Public Domain" and copyright.gov. This collection may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information about identifiable living individuals, which may be protected under federal or state laws and regulations. Researchers are advised that there may be legal ramifications for disclosing this information.
The University Archives operates in accordance with the State Public Records Act, with unrestricted access to records not covered by state and federal statutes and regulations.