Finding Aids

Architecture and Urban Planning

Archival Buildings File

The Archival Buildings File was established in order to provide a means of organizing information and ephemeral materials relating to University buildings and making them more readily accessible.

Block, Jean F. Papers

Jean Friedberg Block was a University of Chicago expert and a renowned scholar of the architecture and peopling of Hyde Park and the University. Block’s papers include general information about the University from the early-to-mid 20th century. Series I contains general correspondence and other information about the University’s development. Series II contains material pertinent to “The Uses of Gothic,” a 1985 exhibit in the Special Collections Resource Center, which was largely authored and coordinated by Ms. Block.

Burton, Ernest DeWitt. Papers

The papers of Ernest DeWitt Burton comprise 45 linear feet of personal and professional material. The papers document his career as a New Testament scholar at Newton Theological Institute and the University of Chicago as well as his interest in missionary work and religious education in east Asia. The collection consists primarily of correspondence as well as publications, addresses, and a small amount of course materials from the New Testament Department. From his involvement in missionary organizations and commissions, such as the Oriental Investigation Commission and the American Baptist Foreign Mission Society, there are minutes, correspondence, financial records, photographs, and reports. The collection also includes personal materials including family history, a large number of memorials and some journals and notebooks.

Cafferty, Pastora San Juan. Papers

Pastora San Juan Cafferty (1940-2013), professor in the School of Social Service Administration at the University of Chicago and urban planning researcher at the University and the National Opinion Research Center, with a focus on race and ethnicity in the United States. She also served as Special Assistant to the General Assistant Secretary in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and to the Secretary of Transportation in the U.S. Department of Transportation. The collection contains biographical materials, correspondence, publications, teaching materials, materials on urban planning, and the history and culture of the School of Social Service Administration.

Dunham. Allison. Papers

Allison Dunham (J.D.’39 Columbia University) began teaching at the University of Chicago Law School in 1951 as Arnold I. Shure Professor of Urban Law. Best known for his work on probate and property law, Dunham was also an expert in the field of urban studies and was appointed Director of the Center for Urban Studies at the University of Chicago in 1971. The Dunham Papers consist largely of research materials related to Dunham’s work on the Land Planning and Development Code. Additionally, the collection includes a small general files series which houses some student papers and several folders of miscellaneous research materials.

G. Cramer Plate Co. Lantern Slide Plates

Glass slide plates depict various buildings all of the Greco-Roman style.

Hooker, George Ellsworth.City Planning, Transportation and Housing. Collection

The collection contains bound materials related to urban planning and growth in the United States and abroad. Originally assembled by George E. Hooker between 1900 and 1925 in his capacity as Civic Secretary of the City Club of Chicago, materials in the collection explore aspects of urban growth and improvement pertinent to specific cities along with general information about city development.

Hyde Park, Kenwood, and Woodlawn Neighborhoods. Collection

The Hyde Park-Kenwood and Woodlawn Records contain articles, journals, small publications, brochures, correspondence, neighborhood directories, flyers, newsletters, advertisements, neighborhood guides, pamphlets, proposals, reports, and newspapers concerning the history of Hyde Park and its surrounding neighborhoods, as well as the urban renewal movement.

Hyde Park-Kenwood Razed Buildings. Collection

This collection is the result of a circa 2006 study of buildings in the Hyde Park-Kenwood neighborhood in Chicago, most of which were demolished as part of the mid-20th century urban renewal movement. This collection contains copies of photographs and illustrations of the Hyde Park-Kenwood area, along with supporting material used to develop the collection and research the images. The images represent individual structures, street scenes, aerial views, and panoramas showing businesses and properties that were relocated, repurposed or vacated during the urban renewal period. Research files in the collection include descriptions and notes on the projects; lists and indexes of addresses, street names, properties and businesses; and photocopies of architectural records produced by the Department of Urban Renewal.

Klutznick, Philip M. Papers

Philip M. Klutznick, businessman, philanthropist, diplomat, government official and Jewish leader. The Philip M. Klutznick Papers comprise 175.5 linear feet and include correspondence, manuscripts, notes, published materials, photographs, scrapbooks, architectural plans, awards and mementos and audio and video recordings. The papers document Klutznick's career as a real estate developer, philanthropist, United Nations representative in the 1950s and 1960s, President of B'nai B'rith, 1953-59 and the World Jewish Congress, 1977-1979, U.S. Secretary of Commerce, 1979-1981 and leader of the American and international Jewish community.

Kramer, Ferdinand. Papers

Ferdinand Kramer (1901-2002), real estate developer, devoted much of his life to projects for urban renewal and housing integration on Chicago's South Side. The papers include correspondence and speeches on issues of urban development, as well as materials relating to his work as a member of Urban American Inc., and as a developer for the Dearborn Park development in Chicago's South Loop. The collection also includes an autograph collection, and a small amount of correspondence of Ferdinand Kramer's father, Adolf Kramer.

Mayer, Albert A. Papers

Albert Mayer (1897-1981) architect and city planner. The Albert Mayer Papers on India are a collection of personal papers, correspondence, reports, and reference materials which Mayer assembled in the course of his rural development and urban planning work in India. The three largest divisions of the Papers contain materials on the Pilot Development Project carried out at Etawah and other districts in the state of Uttar Pradesh, materials on Mayer's architectural and planning projects, and reference and background materials on development and planning in India. Mayer's papers on India represent only part of a long and varied career.

McDowell, Harold Louis. Collection of the Century of Progress Exposition

Photographs, film canisters, publications, souvenirs, and correspondence related to the Century of Progress International Exposition held in Chicago from 1933-1934. Harold Louis McDowell was hired by the exposition’s Department of Works in 1930 for architectural drafting, designing and rendering, holding the position until the end of the event in 1934.

Mead, Mildred. Photographs

The collection contains more than 1000 8x10 photographs and slides by the freelance photographer Mildred Mead. Between 1947 and 1962, Mead documented architecture and living conditions in Chicago, particularly on the south side.

Morris, Edward House. Collection

This collection consists of an album of photographs and a social invitation. The album contains 40 photographs of the Edward Morris House, located at 4800 S. Drexel Boulevard in Chicago. The photographs depict both interior and exterior views of the house, the garage, and the greenhouse. Some of the photographs focus specifically on the landscaping. The home was designed by Howard Van Doren Shaw and was completed in 1913. The landscape plan for the gardens has been attributed to Rose Standish Nichols. The invitation is dated 1919 and requests that Edward Morris, Jr., attend dinner at the Royal Canadian Yacht Club, Toronto, to meet the Prince of Wales.

Recueil Factice de Cartes et de Plans de Ville de l'Europe et Particulièrement de la France

Manuscript study of the geographical, political, and administrative character of urban centers in various countries over several periods in history. Primarily French urban geography, but also includes much of Europe, the British Isles, and Africa. Primarily the work of Joannem Janssonium (Amsterdam, 1588-1665), Jean Boisseau (Paris, fl. 1637-1658), Nicolas Berey (Paris, 1606-1665), Jodocus Hondius [II?] (Amsterdam, 1594-1629), Jacques Honervogt, and Jean le Clerc (Paris, 1560-1621).

Robie House Collection

Primarily account ledgers and specification books used by the H. B. Barnard Company for the construction of the Robie House. The collection is part of a 1978 donation which included blueprints with notes by architect Frank Lloyd Wright (now in the University of Chicago Architectural Drawings Collection) and photograph prints as well as the items listed here. To that initial collection a later transfer of 1912-1930 clippings from diary entries from a resident of the house was added. They were written by Isadora Wilber, who lived in the Robie House from 1912-1926. She very briefly described living in the house and Frank Lloyd Wright’s continued interest in the building. In addition, two 1993 conservation reports, one for the entire structure and one focusing on the windows, have been added to the collection.

Swift, Harold. Papers

The papers of Harold H. Swift, member of the Board of Trustees of the University of Chicago from 1914 to 1955, consist of correspondence, reports, and documents related to his activities as a member and later as chairman of the Board during this period of the University's history. There are a few letters which date as early as 1907, the year of Swift's graduation from the University, and material from the last seven years of his life (1955-62). The bulk of the collection dates between 1922 and 1948, when Swift was chairman of the Board. Few Universities have ever had such a devoted servant as the University of Chicago had in Harold Swift, and Swift served at a time in the University's history when it was still possible for one man to maintain contact with the many facets of the life of the institution.

Tribolet, Harold W. Archive on the Florence Flood

This collection consists of material on the 1966 Florence, Italy flood, the damage it caused, and the subsequent restoration that was undertaken.

Tuttleman Family, Edna S. and Stanley C. Collection of Nineteenth-Century Photographs

The Edna S. and Stanley C. Tuttleman Family Collection of Nineteenth-Century Photographs consists of 234 nineteenth century travel and topographical photographs of historic sites, natural environments, and scenes of everyday life. Regions represented include the Middle East, Greece, Italy, the United States, England and Scotland. Photographers include Abdullah Frères, Thomas Annan, Francis Bedford, Giacomo Brogi, Francis Frith, G. Lekegian and Company, Andrew J. Russell, Giorgio Sommer, Seneca Ray Stoddard, James Valentine, George Washington Wilson, and Zangaki.

University of Chicago. Center for Urban Studies. Records

The Center for Urban Studies was established by the University of Chicago in 1963. This collection contains reports from 1967-1968, when the Center was working with The Woodlawn Association (TWO) to develop the Woodlawn Model Cities Plan.

University of Chicago. Cityspace: The Past of Urban Renewal and the Future of Community Development. Records

"Cityspace: The Past of Urban Renewal and the Future of Community Development" was a conference hosted by the University of Chicago on April 9 and 10, 2004. The conference was designed to "combine perspective of both scholars and community activists and practitioners to uncover new and exciting ways of tackling the persistent challenges of racial and economic integration, access to knowledge, affordable housing and community revitalization." The collection includes publicity materials, broadsides, schedules, and digital documentation of conference proceedings.

University of Chicago. Department of Buildings and Grounds. Records

The Department of Building and Grounds Records, Series I, consists of the files of Lyman R. Flook (1889-1954), Superintendent of Buildings and Grounds from 1919 to 1953 and Superintendent of Construction from 1927 to 1932. Although some specifications for buildings completed before 1926 are included, the bulk of the collection consists of records of buildings erected during the University’s expansion program of 1926-1931. In addition to general and mechanical specifications, the collection contains records of the planning, daily building progress, furnishings, equipment, symbolism, and costs of individual structures. Series II documents the University’s efforts to start remodeling, re-tooling, and expanding after the Great Depression and World War II. They include correspondence, faculty minutes, construction records, and financial records pertaining to new buildings and records of alterations on older structures. They also include some files on projects that never came to fruition such as a University-built fraternity quadrangle, and a parking facility beneath the Midway Plaisance.

University of Chicago. Postcards.Collection

The collection contains postcards featuring the University of Chicago campus.

Wilcox. Delos Franklin. Papers

Delos Franklin Wilcox (1873-1928), Franchise and public utility expert. Correspondence, reports, analyses, articles, pamphlets, graphs, tables, and notes. Material relates to public utility issues.

Wirth, Louis. Papers

Sociologist. The collection contains correspondence, reports, minutes, manuscripts, lecture notes, reprints, manuscripts by others, reprints, reviews, and newspaper clippings. Includes a 1918 term paper on social pathology Wirth wrote as a student for Ernest Burgess. Correspondents include Horace Clayton, Karl Mannheim, Charles Merriam, Gunnar Myrdal, Melchior Palyi, Robert Park, Robert Redfield, Hans Speier, Leopold von Wiese, and others. Contains outline and manuscript chapters of incomplete work, The City. Also includes teaching materials, committee records, and administrative files from the Division of Social Sciences and Department of Sociology while Wirth was at the University of Chicago. Organizations highlighted include the American Sociological Society, the International Sociological Association, the Social Science Research Council, and the Chicago Crime Commission. Topics covered relate to city planning, urban problems, racial discrimination, housing, and education.