Architectural Records

Collection — Multiple Containers

Identifier: RG 53

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The architectural records at the Oberlin College Archives relate to the architecture or built environment of the College and the City of Oberlin from the 1830s to the present, except for a handful of isolated references to other places. The buildings which make up the Oberlin College campus, as well as those which are now gone, constitute a rich artifactual document of institutional growth since the founding of Oberlin in 1833. Oberlin’s architectural history is one of eclecticism – a mixture of styles from Greek Revival, Gothic Revival, Romanesque Revival, Mediterranean Romanesque, Italianate, Queen Anne, Usonian, Utilitarian, Modern, Postmodern, and, more recently, sustainable structure design.

The records are arranged into flat files, roll boxes, flat boxes, and manuscript boxes.

Dates

Creation: 1842-2008, undated
Other: Date acquired: 1976

Creator

various (Person)
Gilbert, Cass (Person)
Minoru Yamasaki and Associates (Organization)
Dagit Saylor Architects (Philadelphia, PA) (Organization)
Kimball, Richard A. (Person)
Patton, Normand S. (Person)
Austin Company (Cleveland, Ohio) (Organization)
Gunnar Birkerts & Associates (Organization)
Westlake, Reed, Leskosky (Cleveland, OH) (Organization)
Potter, Tyler, Martin & Roth (Organization)
Smith, Julian S. (Person)
Gwathmey, Charles (Person)
Snyder, Eldredge (Person)
Weary and Kramer (Akron, OH) (Organization)
Harrison, Wallace Kirkman (Person)
Bond, Richard (Person)
Blythe, Walter (Person)
Oberlin College (Organization)
Eichstedt & Grissam, Landscape Architects (Organization)
Hahn, Alfred A. (Person)
Mellenbrook, Foley and Scott (Organization)
Moore and Hutchins (Organization)
Scott, Kluth, Schaefer and Associates, Architects (Organization)
Saarinen, Eliel (Person)
Olmsted Brothers, Landscape Architects (Organization)
Payette Associates (Organization)
Schulte, Edward J. (Person)
Murphy, Henry Killam (Person)
Dagit Saylor, Architects (Organization)
Van Dijk, Johnson and Partners (Organization)
Wright, Frank Lloyd, 1867-1959 (Person)

Conditions Governing Use

Some drawings and records cannot be photographed or othewise copied; consult College Archivist. Brittle drawings are closed, as noted on inventory.

Extent

523.02 Linear Feet

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Arrangement Note

Records are arranged alphabetically by building or project name.

Method of Acquisition

Most of the records were transferred from the Oberlin College Office of Facilities and Planning, with over half the records received between 2011 and 2016.

Accruals and Additions

Accession Nos: 1976/017, 1988/095, 1988/157 (microfiche), 1989/013, 1989/048, 1991/036, 1995/125, 1995/149, 1995/152, 1996/089, 1996/120, 1997/026, 1997/071, 1998/052, 1998/090 (unprocessed), 1998/131, 1998/143, 1999/003 (unprocessed), 1999/025, 1998/028, 1999/037, 1999/049, 1999/066, 2000/003, 2001/033, 2002/134, 2006/097, 2006/100, 2010/047, 2010/071, 2011/038, 2011/068, 2011/070 (separate inventory, digital surrogates), 2013/022, 2013/064, 2016/040, 2016/046, 2017/015, 2017/027, 2020/009.

Related Materials

College General (RG 0), Series 24. Buildings and Dedications

Office of the President (RG 2)

Office of the Secretary (RG 5)

Records of the Office of Business & Finance (RG 6)

Geoffrey Blodgett Papers (RG 30/263)

Cass Gilbert Papers (RG 30/124)

Clarence Ward Papers (RG 30/158)

City of Oberlin Records (RG 31/5)

Photographs: Buildings (RG 32/4)

Sound Recordings (RG 37)

Related Publications

Guide to the Architectural Records in the Oberlin College Archives, by Roland M. Baumann, General Editor; Roland M. Baumann, Jessica G. Broadwell, and Michael Morgenstern, compilers (Oberlin: Oberlin College, 1996).

Architecture of Oberlin College, Oberlin College Archives website (Oberlin College Libraries, 2015).