8 collections related to Landscape architecture

The Edwin Gilbert Thurlow papers contain personal and professional correspondence and other material written and received during Thurlow’s term as Professor of Landscape Architecture at North Carolina State University, 1947-1974, as well as approximately 1,600 photographs and photographic postcards, circa the 1930s and 1940s. Letters make up the bulk of the written collection, with notable correspondence between Thurlow and Richard C. Bell, Carey Hoyt Bostian, Roberto Burle Marx, Lewis Clarke, Harold Dunbar Cooley, Garrett Eckbo, Frederick Edmundson, Sam J. Ervin, George Watts Hill, B. Everett Jordan, George Matsumoto, Rodrigo Velarde Ortiz, Hubert B. Owens, Bremer W. Pond, Robert Royston, Terry Sanford, Robert Walter Scott, Stanley White and many North Carolina garden clubs. Other written material includes Thurlow’s 1968 article History of Landscape Architecture at NC State University. The photograph and postcard collection focuses on architecture and landscape architecture in Europe and Asia, as well as in the northeastern United States, primarily Boston, Massachusetts. Edwin Gilbert Thurlow (1909-1997) received a B.S. in Landscape Architecture from North Carolina State College of Agriculture and Engineering (later North Carolina State University) in 1932, and received Master of Landscape Architecture from Harvard University in 1936. He joined the North Carolina State College faculty in 1947 as Professor of Landscape Architecture, and taught there until his retirement in 1974. He also served as Head of the Department of Landscape Architecture in the School of Design from 1947 to 1951. Less

The Jerome Robert Cerny architectural drawings for Truman and Annie Williams (1935-1938) contains twenty-four blueprints documenting the original architecture and landscape of the Williams residence, 910 Harvey Street, Raleigh, North Carolina. The drawings were created by architect Jerome Robert Cerny of Lake Forest, Illinois and Charles F. Gillette, a Raleigh-based landscape architect. Truman and Annie Williams commissioned the construction of this home in 1939. Mrs. Williams saw photographs in a magazine of a residence in Lake Forest, Illinois, created by Jerome Robert Cerny. The Williamses then commissioned Cerny to create a similar residence for them in Raleigh, North Carolina. Charles F. Gillette was the landscape architect on the project and several of his drawings, specifically created for the Williams residence, are included in this collection. Less

The North Carolina Buildings Collection includes drawings, specifications, construction contracts, and correspondence relating to individual buildings in North Carolina. Unbuilt projects are included. The finding aid contains a description for each project, including the name of the architect(s), a brief description of the project, and an inventory of documents. Projects are arranged by type of building. The late 19th century saw radical changes in building practices in North Carolina, brought about by the rise of professional architects and contractors, increased industrialization, and the standardization of building components. Population booms between 1900 and 1940 precipitated increased construction, and suburbs emerged where major cities doubled or tripled their populations during this period. Increasingly, professional architects were responsible for the design of housing, as well as commercial, industrial and civic buildings. In 1905, North Carolina became one of the earliest states to enact a uniform building code. The North Carolina Architectural Association (NCAA) was formed by a group of Charlotte architects in 1909. Their aims were ultimately to form a North Carolina Chapter of The American Institute of Architects (AIA) and to promote the passage of an architectural Practice Act Bill in the General Assembly. The North Carolina Chapter of AIA, chartered in 1913, regulated fees to eliminate unfair competition and provided a code of ethics for professional standards. The Practice Act Bill, ratified in 1915, provided for the examination and licensing of architects. A similar "Act to Regulate the Practice of General Contracting," passed in 1925, regulated the construction industry. Regulation of architectural and building industries led to increased uniformity in working drawings and specifications for buildings, as national industry standards for drafting and construction were followed. Still largely rural and conservative following World War II, North Carolina nevertheless made rapid economic and architectural progress. The 1950s found the state on the cutting edge of architectural development, as the internationally renowned faculty of the School of Design at North Carolina State College vigorously promoted modernism as the only "correct" style. Modernism was embraced for governmental and institutional buildings, while housing remained, for the most part, rooted in traditional forms. Less

The records of the North Carolina State University, Construction Services Records contain correspondence, plans, drawings, and other documentation related to the construction, renovation, and repair of buildings and other structures on the North Carolina State University campus. In 1960 North Carolina State University established what was formerly known as the Campus Planning Office, which updated the 1958 plan. The Campus Planning Office was renamed the Design and Construction Services Department, located under the authority of the Facilities Division in the Office of Finance and Administration. As of 2020, the name of the unit is Construction Services (https://facilities.ofa.ncsu.edu/about-us/all-facilities-departments/fs/construction-services/, accessed 4/29/2020). Services offered include project development, construction shop, contract construction, FCAP/warranty shop, and in-house construction. Less

This collection contains blueprints, drawings, notes, sketches, memoranda, surveys, photographic slides, and master plans relating to projects and initiatives undertaken by the Office of the University Architect. The majority of materials correspond to Edwin F. Harris’s tenure as Campus Planning Consultant, beginning in 1966, and later as director of Facilities Planning Division, a title which eventually became University Architect. However, the collection includes materials that pre-date Harris, as well as more recent additions to the collection. The University Archives contains architectural plans, drawings, and other materials for university buildings; however, federal and state law restricts access to certain types of documents in these categories. The Special Collections Research Center of the NC State University Libraries will handle access requests for those materials on a case-by-case basis, with the intention of providing as much access as possible to researchers. To support the university’s mission and goals, the Office of the University Architect leads campus master planning, capital planning, space planning, campus design, and facilities data management efforts, which include the building floor plans, campus maps, GIS, and plan library. Services offered by the Office include capital project programming, committee involvement, facilities information management, and planning activities (https://facilities.ofa.ncsu.edu/about-us/all-facilities-departments/oua/, accessed 5/8/2020). Less

The Chinqua-Penn Plantation records contain the papers of the Penn family (1863-1975, bulk 1923-1946) as well as the records of the management of the property by the University of North Carolina, Greensboro, North Carolina State University, and the Chinqua-Penn Foundation (1921-1926, 1957-2002, bulk 1965-2002). This collection includes correspondence, reports, financial records, property and animal records, architectural drawings, photographs and scrapbooks, audio-visual materials, newspaper clippings, marketing materials, and inventories of the art, artifacts, and furniture collections, among other items. Within the materials dating from the management period are extensive records from research conducted on the property and the Penn family. Named for the chinquapin, a dwarf chestnut tree, Chinqua-Penn Plantation was built by Thomas Jefferson "Jeff" Penn and Margaret Beatrice "Betsy" Schoellkopf (Schwill) Penn during the 1920s. The large house reflected their lifestyle of entertaining and traveling, and it showcased the art and furniture they collected from around the world. The plantation's grounds evolved into an exotic horticultural collection of both native and imported plants. Chinqua-Penn was maintained by the University of North Carolina, Greensboro from 1965 to the late 1980s. NC State University took over its management and reopened it shortly thereafter. In 1991, the Chinqua-Penn Foundation was formed to preserve the house and open it to visitors. The foundation secured the plantation's status as a National Historic Landmark. Although NC State University continues to administer the Betsy-Jeff Penn 4-H Center on the mansion grounds, further funding problems forced the foundation to close the museum's doors. NC State University sold the house to a private owner in 2006. Less

The Reginald D. Tillson Landscape Architecture Papers contains drawings, sketches, specifications, correspondence, notes, plant guides, and other materials that document the landscape design work of Tillson from the 1920s to the 1970s. The collection also contains an oral history interview of his son, David Tillson, in 2016. These materials encompass Tillson's work as a landscape architect, creating designs for small-scale residential locations, large-scale private subdivision, public parks, public housing projects, schools, churches, and hospitals. The collection represents Tillson's work throughout the southeastern United States, with the majority of the projects based in North Carolina's Piedmont Triad region. The earlier materials from 1906 to 1928 demonstrate Tillson's beginnings in landscape architecture while gaining knowledge and experience in the field. The bulk of the collection covers Tillson's career as a practicing landscape architect between 1928 and 1969. The collection ranges from 1906 to 2016. Reginald D. Tillson was a landscape architect in High Point, North Carolina, who designed significant improvements to the built environment of High Point and other communities of the Piedmont Triad area. His early career focused on residential design work for the wealthy and upper-middle-class residents of High Point, which at the time was a prosperous center of the textile and furniture industries. In the 1950s and following decades, as North Carolina's population grew and planning and development trends evolved, Tillson's work grew in scale and complexity. He designed dozens of subdivisions and grounds for schools, churches, and hospitals. Overall, his career provides a unique view into planning and landscape architecture practice in the Southeast during decades of immense technological and social change. Less