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Department of Grounds and Buildings Technical Correspondence Records
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Held at: Princeton University Library: University Archives [Contact Us]
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Princeton University Library: University Archives. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.
Overview and metadata sections
The responsibility for supervising the construction and maintenance of new and existing buildings originally fell within the provenance of the financial officers of the College of New Jersey and the Finance Committee of the Board of Trustees, which organized an ad hoc committee for each new project. It was not until 1865 that the Trustees created the Standing Committee on Real Estate to oversee the development of new structures on campus. This became the Committee on Grounds and Buildings in 1876. The chairpersons of that committee have been:
Within the administration, the position of Curator of Grounds and Buildings was separated from that of Treasurer in 1901. The incumbent of the office was James MacNaughton Thompson, who held that position from 1901 until 1904. He was succeeded by Henry Conrad Bunn (1904-1910) and Alfred Buelt Mullett Hoffman (1910 - 1912). In 1912, the title was changed to Superintendent of Grounds and Buildings. The following people have held this office:
Beginning in 1912, duties were divided between the Superintendent and the new Secretary of Business Administration, George Wintringer. He served as Secretary of the Department of Business Administration from 1912 until 1921, and Controller from 1921 until 1941. In that year, Edward MacMillan assumed the entire management of the Physical Plant.
In 1965, Robert Johnstone became General Manager of the Division of Property and Physical Facilities. He reported to the Financial Vice-President of the University. He hired John P. Moran, an architectural engineer, as his assistant. Moran replaced Johnstone in 1967 and became the General Manager of Planning, Plant and Property. He was later promoted to Vice-President for Facilities and in 1974, the name of the office was changed to the Office of Facilities. C. Harrison Hill assumed Moran's position as assistant in 1967, and in 1969, he was succeeded by Jon Hlafter. Hlafter, in turn, became director of physical planning in 1986.
Since 1907, the University also employed the services of a consulting or supervising architect. The first of these, Ralph Adams Cram, was responsible for developing the first long-term master plan for the expansion of the campus. The following people have served in this capacity:
This position, under Belluschi and Warner, was modified into one in which the architect provided advice to Trustees and administrators, but was not in charge of day-to-day planning.
The collection consists largely of correspondence among architects, contractors, donors, and university officials, as well as inter-office memos concerning the construction, maintenance, and removal of buildings. Although many of the documents are of a desultory nature, in some instances they provide detailed information about the design of a building and the process by which an idea was transformed into concrete reality. In several cases, these files contain the only record of unrealized building projects.
For the most part, the letters concern the supply of designs and materials in the building process. Unfortunately, many of the letters are represented only in copies in which the sender's name and signature have not been preserved. Also frustrating is the fact that the letters make reference to enclosures that are no longer extant.
The materials within each file are by no means exhaustive, but every major campus building is represented within this collection. The files tend to contain information about particular building or renovation campaigns, and do not cover the life span of the building.
Organized into the following series:
The first series is arranged alphabetically by building name, and the second and third series are arranged alphabetically by topic. The buildings are filed according to their official names, rather than as they were known during the period of construction. For example, Class of 1903 Hall was alternately known as 1903-Walker, and what is today called Walker Memorial Dormitory is referred to as Joline Hall in the documents.
These records were generated by the various administrative offices that oversee the physical plant of the University. The organization of these offices has changed over the years, but the bulk of these records come from the Department of Grounds and Buildings. Materials dating from after 1964 are believed to have been artificially integrated into the collection.
For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.
This collection was processed by Sara Bush and Janet Temos in Spring 1995. Finding aid written by Sara Bush and Janet Temos in Spring 1995.
Appraisal information was not recorded at time of acquisition.
Organization
Subject
- Architects -- New Jersey -- Princeton. -- Correspondence -- 20th century
- Architecture -- New Jersey -- Princeton
- Buildings -- New Jersey -- Princeton
- College buildings -- New Jersey -- Princeton
- Landscape architecture -- New Jersey -- Princeton
- Nassau Hall (Princeton, N.J.)
- Outdoor sculpture -- New Jersey -- Princeton
Place
- Publisher
- University Archives
- Finding Aid Author
- Sara Bush
- Finding Aid Date
- 1997
- Access Restrictions
-
Collection is open for research use.
- Use Restrictions
-
Single copies may be made for research purposes. To cite or publish quotations that fall within Fair Use, as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission is required. The Trustees of Princeton University hold copyright to all materials generated by Princeton University employees in the course of their work. For instances beyond Fair Use, if copyright is held by Princeton University, researchers do not need to obtain permission, complete any forms, or receive a letter to move forward with use of materials from the Princeton University Archives.
For instances beyond Fair Use where the copyright is not held by the University, while permission from the Library is not required, it is the responsibility of the researcher to determine whether any permissions related to copyright, privacy, publicity, or any other rights are necessary for their intended use of the Library's materials, and to obtain all required permissions from any existing rights holders, if they have not already done so. Princeton University Library's Special Collections does not charge any permission or use fees for the publication of images of materials from our collections, nor does it require researchers to obtain its permission for said use. The department does request that its collections be properly cited and images credited. More detailed information can be found on the Copyright, Credit and Citations Guidelines page on our website. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us through the Ask Us! form.
Collection Inventory
No arrangement action taken or arrangement information not recorded at the time of processing.
Series 1, Buildings (1866-1972) contains information that relates to specific buildings on campus, or to specific unrealized building projects. A file may contain information about two buildings, if they were erected during the same construction drive. This series also contains files related to the five residential colleges.
The files concerning Library Planning are the result of twenty-five years of proposals, from the early 1920s until the mid-1940s, to increase the size of the University Library. Researchers will find much of value in these files.
Physical Description19 boxes
1 folder
(see: Museum of Historic Art and McCormick)
Physical Description1 box
(see: Butler Tract Housing)
Physical Description1 box
(see: University Power Company files in Series 2)
Physical Description1 box
2 folders
3 folders
1 folder
2 folders
1 folder
1 folder
(see also: Student Center, conversion of Chancellor Green Library)
Physical Description1 box
2 folders
7 folders
4 folders
(see: Frick Chemical Laboratory)
Physical Description1 box
1 folder
2 folders
(see also: Joline)
Physical Description1 folder
1 folder
2 folders
1 folder
(see: Water and Sanitation files in Series 2)
Physical Description1 box
2 folders
1 folder
2 folders
(see: Gymnasium, Dillon)
Physical Description1 box
(see: Brown and Dod)
Physical Description1 box
Includes individual rooms in Blair, Brown, Campbell, Cuyler, Dod, Edwards, Foulke, Hamilton, Henry, Holder, Joline, Laughlin, Little, Lockhart, Patton, Pyne, Walker, Witherspoon, '79, 1901, 1903
Physical Description1 folder
(see: Pyne Library)
Physical Description1 box
(see: Green)
Physical Description1 box
1 folder
(for references prior to 1970 see: Jones)
Physical Description2 folders
(Note: For early history of Firestone Library, see: files on Library Planning)
Physical Description1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
3 folders
1 folder
4 folders
1 folder
1 folder
(see: Observatory, FitzRandolph)
Physical Description1 box
(see: Class of 1904 - Howard Henry Memorial Dormitory and Class of 1905 - Walter L. Foulke Memorial Dormitory)
Physical Description1 box
1 folder
4 folders
3 folders
1 folder
3 folders
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
3 folders
2 folders
1 folder
4 folders
(see: Observatory, Halsted)
Physical Description1 box
(see: Class of 1904 - Howard Henry Memorial Dormitory and Class of 1905 - Walter L. Foulke Memorial Dormitory)
Physical Description1 box
1 folder
(see also: Class of 1903 and Walker Memorial Dormitory)
Physical Description4 folders
1 folder
1 folder
2 folders
(see: Class of 1901 - Laughlin)
Physical Description1 box
1 folder
1 folder
4 folders
2 folders
1 folder
5 folders
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
2 folders
1 folder
1 folder
2 folders
(see also: Museum of Historic Art)
Physical Description1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
(see: Green)
Physical Description1 box
(see also: McCormick)
Physical Description1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
4 folders
2 folders
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
(see: Eno)
Physical Description1 box
2 folders
2 folders
1 folder
2 folders
(see: Chapel, University)
Physical Description1 box
(see: Gymnasium, University)
Physical Description1 box
(see: University Power Company file in Series 2)
Physical Description1 box
(see: West College, Alterations and Additions)
Physical Description1 box
(see: Class of 1903 and Walker Memorial Dormitory)
Physical Description1 box
1 folder
Also see Corwin.
Physical Description1 folder
No arrangement action taken or arrangement information not recorded at the time of processing.
Series 2, Grounds, Campus Ornamentation, and Services (1902-1952) consists of information that relates to the landscaping and maintenance of the grounds and playing fields of the University. It also includes files related to campus ornamentation, including memorial archways, and to support systems providing water, sanitation, heat and electricity to the University.
Physical Description2 boxes
2 folders
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
No arrangement action taken or arrangement information not recorded at the time of processing.
Series 3, Housing and Real Estate (circa 1870-1988) contains information related to various real estate ventures and land acquisitions involving the University. Within these files, documents are separated into general sections.
The first of these sections, Faculty and Staff Housing, concerns several well-defined estates of individual houses built or subsidized by the University for faculty and staff members. The second, Real Estate, describes the piecemeal, mixed-use land acquisitions by the University in Princeton, principally of property contiguous to the campus. Researchers interested in the history of Prospect Avenue, William Street, Nassau Street, and the area now contained by University Place, Alexander Road, Mercer Street, and Nassau Street, would be well advised to consult the "General" files in this section. Additionally, several private realty companies later absorbed by the University are grouped separately under the heading of "Real Estate."
"Graduate Realty Company," was founded in April 1927 by a group of Princeton alumni with the aim of buying property on the west side of University Place and on both sides of Dickinson Street. The men involved in this undertaking intended to later donate the purchased real estate to the University. The Graduate Realty Company was signed over to the University in 1938.
"The Nassau Realty Company," included some men with University connections, and owned the old Nassau Inn and a parcel of land on the present-day Palmer Square. Related to the Nassau Realty Co. is the "Princeton Municipal Improvement Company." Both played a role in the development of the Palmer Square area, between 1922 and 1936.
"The 20 Nassau Street" corporation, originally a speculative venture, was acquired by the University in the 1920s. The documents in the file deal with the property while it was under University control, although reference to the property can also be found in the "Real Estate - General" files.
"The Pretty Brook Corporation" owned a tract of land along Pretty Brook Road in Princeton Township. Divided into allotments, the land was developed for suburban housing.
The file on "44 Washington Road" deals with the fate of a now-demolished house built by local architect Charles Steadman in 1832. It was variously used as a professor's house, an eating club (Arch Club), and for other University purposes.
Physical Description5 boxes
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
2 folders
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
7 folders
3 folders
1 folder
1 folder
2 folders
1 folder
1 folder
2 folders
1 folder
1 folder
No arrangement action taken or arrangement information not recorded at the time of processing.
Contains miscellaneous blueprints and drawings of buildings and locations on campus, as well as printed materials conerning proposed renovation projects.
Physical Description1 box
Includes a study for the restoration of Nassau Hall by Aymar Embury II, 1900, and an issue of SNIBBE about the Tennis Pavilion, New Grad College, Hibben-Magie, and the Guard Booth, 1986.
Physical Description1 box
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder