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American Architectural Drawings
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Held at: Princeton University Library: Manuscripts Division [Contact Us]
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Princeton University Library: Manuscripts Division. 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
Christopher Grant La Farge was the eldest son of the artist John LaFarge, famous especially for his stained glass panels. La Farge and George Lewis Heins met at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and trained together in the Boston offices of Henry Hobson Richardson. In 1886 they opened their office, Heins & La Farge. Heins was the man on the site; LaFarge was the principal designer. Their firm is probably best known for its plans for original sections of the Cathedral St. John the Divine in New York City. LaFarge, a fellow of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) often served on advisory committees for the schools of architecture at Columbia University, M.I.T. and Princeton University, and also as trustee and secretary for the American Academy in Rome.
The collection consists of approximately 5000 early 20th-century American architectural drawings (blueprint and trace drawings), primarily by C. Grant La Farge and various firms with which he was associated, including Heins & La Farge, La Farge, Clark & Creighton, La Farge, Warren & Clark, La Farge & Morris, and La Farge & Son. There are also groups of drawings by the architects Wilson Eyre, Pennington Satterthwaite (Princeton Class of 1893), Robert Gibson, and a few miscellaneous firms.
La Farge's drawings (1896-1931) represent churches, homes, instituions, boathouses, and mausoleums, including plans for the Cathedral of St. John the Divine (New York City), St. Matthews Cathedral (Washington, D.C.), the U.S. Naval Hospital (Brooklyn), Caspar Whitney's home in Irvington, N.Y., and J. P. Morgan, Jr.'s home in Matinecock Point, N.Y. For Wilson Eyre, a noted Philadelphia architect, there are drawings (1903-1932) for Walter Jefford's house in Conn., and various other buildings. Satterthwaite's works (1901-1927) include architectural plans for the Princeton Club (New York City), the Nassau Club (Princeton), the boathouse at Princeton University, and A. C. Hencken's home in Greenwich, Conn. Also present are drawings and prints used by Robert W. Gibson in the competition for the plans of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in N.Y., and miscellaneous drawings by Carrere & Hastings, D. H. Faia, Robert Walters, C. P. Gilbert, and others.
The collection is organized in boxes: related rolls are housed together.
The collection was originally formed by Mrs. Carl F. Gould as a foundation for the Archives of American Architecture which was begun in 1942 at Princeton University Library.
Three additional boxes were transferred from the Princeton University Department of Art & Archaeology Visual Resources Collection in 2024 (AM 2025-042).
No AM given during initial processing.
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.
Folder inventory added by Nicholas Williams '2015 in 2012. Three additional boxes acquired, processed, and inventoried by Lauren C. Williams in 2024.
No appraisal information is available.
People
- Eyre, Wilson (1858-1944)
- LaFarge, Christopher (1897-1956)
- Morgan, J. Pierpont (John Pierpont) (1837-1913)
- Satterthwaite, Pennington (1870-1946)
- Whitney, Caspar (1862?-1929)
Organization
- Cathedral of St. John the Divine (New York, N.Y.)
- Princeton Club of New York
- Princeton University. Nassau Club.
Subject
- Architecture -- United States -- History -- 20th century
- Architecture, Domestic -- Designs and plans -- United States -- 20th century
- Church architecture -- Designs and plans -- United States -- 20th century
- Churches -- New York (N.Y.)
Occupation
- Publisher
- Manuscripts Division
- Finding Aid Date
- 2009
- Access Restrictions
-
The collection is open for research.
- 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. For instances beyond Fair Use, 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
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
Contains the following firms and artists: D. H. Faia & J. R. Aia; S. E. Gage & W. J. Wallace; Robert L. Walters; Jean M. Birr; C. P. H. Gilbert; École des Beaux-Arts
Physical Description1 folder
1 folder
1 item32" x 48"
2 items55" x 36"
1 item34" x 49"
1 item
1 item
1 item64" x 80"
1 item
1 item
1 item
1 item26" x 60"
Rolls 5 and 6 appear to contain 2 halves of 1 drawing.
Physical Description1 item23" x ? (Length undetermined- too fragile)
Rolls 5 and 6 appear to contain 2 halves of 1 drawing.
Physical Description1 item23" x ? (Length undetermined- too fragile)
1 item21.5" x 46"
1 item32" x 50"
Heins & LaFarge's architectural rendering in watercolors (40 x 56 inches) for the original Romanesque-Byzantine east end and crossing of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, New York, N.Y., this part having been designed and constructed by Heins & LaFarge, ca. 1892-1911.
Physical Description1 folder40" x 56"
Heins & LaFarge's architectural rendering in watercolors for the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, New York, N.Y.
Physical Description1 box66" x 52"
1 item
1 item32 " x 42 "
1 item40" x 96"
Very find detail drawings.
Physical Description1 item23" x 56"
1 item
1 item28" x 30"
1 item31" x 50"
1 item50" x 30"
1 item34" x 64"
1 item
No. 5 East 63rd St. New York City, NY.
Physical Description1 item19" x 33"
1 item22" x 40"
1 item
1 item35" x 42"
1 item78" x 30"
1 item
1 item66" x 41"
1 item36" x 29"
1 item32" x 25"
1 item28" x 42"
1 item32" x 42"
1 item34" x 36"
1 item32" x 23" as well as 5 full-scale detail drawings, folded- very large
1 item
1 item61" x 45"
1 item37" x 56"
1 item32" x 30"
1 item37" x 39"
1 item28" x 36"
1 item
1 item39" x 51"
1 item34" x 36"
1 item30" x 39"
1 item
1 item29" x 39"
1 item60" x 46" (from folded drawings)
1 item
1 item52" x 36"
1 item52" x 70" (from folded drawing)
1 item53" x 37"
1 item
1 item25" x 40"
1 item
1 item41" x 66"
1 item
1 item27" x 44"
1 item
1 item
1 item25" x 28"
1 item29" x 19"
1 item42" x 84"
1 item63" x 37"
1 item
1 item24" x 49"
1 item
1 item17" x 8"
1 item28" x 45"
1 item
1 item
1 item36" x 46"
1 item
1 item32" x 55"
1 item46" x 72"
1 item43" x 57"
1 item40" x 50"
1 item44" x 58"
1 item38" x 25"
1 item38" x 49"
1 item19" x 27"
1 item52" x 80"
1 item
1 item37" x 47"
1 item41" x 71"
1 item
1 item37" x 28"
1 item48" x 55"
1 item40" x 68"
1 item35" x 38"
1 item57" x 32"
1 item37" x 29"
1 item38" x 28"
1 item40" x 30"
1 itemInstead of being rolled, these papers have been accordian pleated and folded, and then rolled.46" x 80"
1 item22" x 36"
1 item51" x 35"
1 item38" x 32"
1 item28" x 35"
1 item
1 item31" x 68"
1 item18" x 24"
1 item34" x 52"
1 item26" x 36"
1 item26" x 40"
1 item27" x 33"
1 item45" x 54"
1 item30" x 38"
1 item24" x 32"
1 item24" x 27"
1 item24" x 44"
1 item68" x 34"
1 item29" x 39"
1 item55" x 36"
1 item
1 item39" x 42"
1 item28" x 36"
1 item27" x 42"
1 item28" x 33"
1 item
1 item22" x 30"
1 item28" x 34"
1 item39" x 29"
AIA stand for "The American Institute of Architects" and FAIA stands for "Fellow of the American Insitute of Architects."
Physical Description1 item37" x 50"
1 item47" x 28" (folded)
1 item25" x 37"
1 item24" x 28"
One ink drawing on medium paper and one graphite drawing on trace paper.
Physical Description1 item
1 item32" x 52"
1 item
1 item41" x 53"
1 item35" x 31"
Previously roll no. 182.
Physical Description1 item37" x 58"
1 item45" x 58"
1 item44" x 65" (estimated due to difficulty of unrolling fully)
1 item44" x 65"
1 item39" x 62"
1 item33" x 45"
1 item26" x 36"
1 item28" x 45"
1 item28" x 40"
1 item30" x 47"
1 item28" x 31"
1 item31" x 31"
1 item35" x 45"
1 item37" x 48"
1 item30" x 37"
1 item38" x 55"
1 item46" x 31"
1 item35" x 50"
1 item50" x 35"
1 item46" x 36"
1 item34" x 44"
1 item30" x 42"
1 item24" x 53"
These three drawings were pulled from Box 67, Item 117 to be unrolled and flattened for an exhibition. They are now filed in a box of flattened drawings.
Physical Description1 box19" x 22"
1 item38" x 55"
1 item31" x 26"
1 item42" x 62"
1 item36" x 40"
1 item38" x 48"
These three drawings were pulled from Box 70, Item 156 to be unrolled and flattened for an exhibition. They are now filed in a box of flattened drawings.
Physical Description1 box38" x 14"
1 item37" x 57"
1 item31" x 41"
1 item42" x 52"
1 item47" x 68"
1 item46" x 38"
1 item39" x 49"
1 item39" x 49"
1 item33" x 49"
1 item
87 items, 4 folders, housed in flat box
Physical Description1 item22" x 18"
110 items, housed in flat box
Physical Description1 item25" x 22"
A collection of prints, sketches, trace paper, mounted paper done in different mediums- ink, watercolor, charcoal, etc.
Physical Description1 item26" x 34"
1 item47" x 49"
1 item34" x 49"
1 item62" x 40"
Not an architect's drawing. Watercolor of a proposed building to Princeton University.
Physical Description1 item43" x 67"
1 item
Previously roll no. 90. Blueprints (2 rolls), drawings on vellum paper (4 rolls), drawings on tracing paper (3 rolls), watercolor (floor sample marble mosaic, 1 drawing). Highest numbered drawing is 296. Box 86E contains item no. 94.
Physical Description5 boxes68" x 44"
1 item
1 box28" x 42"
1 item
1 item
1 item
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 item
1 item23" x 28"
1 itemRoll 176 is divided between Box 95 and Box 96.
1 itemRoll 176 is divided between Box 95 and Box 96.
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 folder
1 itemRoll 174 is divided between Box 98 and Box 99.
1 itemRoll 174 is divided between Box 98 and Box 99.
1 box
1 box
1 box
1 box
The drawings are unattributed.
Physical Description1 boxpencil on paper
1 box
1 boxphotograph
1 box
Includes a set of shop drawings in blue print for the book cases supplied by Art Metal Construction Company of Jamestown, New York (circa 1922), which include a floor plan of the bookcases, as well as a drawing dated October 30, 1963, for the "Shadow Box" built in the Scheide Library in Firestone during the period from 1963 to 2016. These prints were evidently used by William H. Scheide for planning the reconstruction of the Scheide Library in Firestone starting in 1963.
Physical Description1 box
Christopher Grant La Farge was the eldest son of the artist John LaFarge, famous especially for his stained glass panels. La Farge and George Lewis Heins met at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and trained together in the Boston offices of Henry Hobson Richardson. In 1886 they opened their office, Heins & La Farge. Heins was the man on the site; LaFarge was the principal designer. Their firm is probably best known for its plans for original sections of the Cathedral St. John the Divine in New York City. LaFarge, a fellow of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) often served on advisory committees for the schools of architecture at Columbia University, M.I.T. and Princeton University, and also as trustee and secretary for the American Academy in Rome.
Physical Description3 boxes