Arrangement follows original order, wherein files on individual building projects are organized into groups based on an architectural feature or theme, following a Roman numeral outline.

This subseries contains photographs, negatives, transparencies, architectural drawings and reproductions, sketches, and calculations, along with occasional project files, notes, and correspondence regarding a wide range of Félix Candela's building and design projects. Files on specific building projects are organized into twelve conceptual categories based on a topic, generally a specific architectural feature or theme, following their original organizational logic. Rather than providing complete project files, these files primarily visually document finished projects and projects under construction. Contents are mainly photographic in nature, accompanied by architectural drawings for some projects, and less often, paper files. Accordingly, materials in individual files are primarily photographic, unless otherwise noted at the file level.

While materials are listed in their intellectual order, they are boxed by size. Researchers should note that they may need to consult more than one box in order to view all materials related to a particular project. Oversize architectural drawings were stored flat in mylar when possible. Occasionally, large rolled architectural drawings that are too large or curled to store flat have been enclosed in mylar, wrapped around an archival tube for protection, and secured by a piece of cloth tape tied in a simple bow. Researchers consulting these drawings should take care to preserve this arrangement when returning these items to their containers.

10 boxes

Numerically arranged slides are followed by slides arranged alphabetically by subject, then negatives arranged alphabetically by subject.

This subseries includes slides and negatives documenting Candela's work that he arranged by medium type and kept separately from the photographic materials included in his conceptual files. The largest group of slides follows an original numerical order that corresponds to an accompanying inventory, which can be found in Box 8, Folder 20. Researchers should consult this inventory when searching the numerical slides for images of specific buildings. Although most slide sheets include pictures of several different buildings, their original order was maintained to preserve context. Also present are slides that Candela kept by topic, arranged alphabetically, as well as a group of photographic negatives of works by Candela and microfilmed copies of technical articles on various structural engineering concepts. Slides are primarily in color and often individually marked with their location, while negatives are mainly in black-and-white and occasionally in color. Negatives were often unmarked with any identifying information, although this information was preserved when it existed. While most slides and negatives were sleeved in archival preservers, a group of unsorted negatives that were too curled to be unrolled safely were stored separately in small bags within an artifact box. A small amount of nitrate film was segregated for cold storage.

It should be noted that slides used for research or publication in Félix Candela: Engineer, Builder, Structural Artist, which were physically removed from Candela's original arrangement, can be found in Subseries 1C.

5 boxes

Photographic materials are arranged topically, following the order in which they were arranged for the book.

This subseries contains photographs, slides, and negatives that are arranged based on their use as research materials or published images for Félix Candela: Engineer, Builder, Structural Artist, a scholarly book on Candela and his work by Princeton professors Maria Garlock and David Billington, which was published by the Princeton University Art Museum in 2008, in conjunction with an exhibition of the same title that ran from October 10, 2008 through February 22, 2009. While materials in this subseries also depict the construction and completion of many of Candela's major building projects, their arrangement reflects their use in the book rather than their original order in Candela's personal papers. This subseries includes a group of images published in the book, arranged by its authors by chapter and marked with the corresponding figure number. Occasionally, images are accompanied by notes about their location in the original arrangement. Also present are topical photographic files based on major projects or types of structures, which formed focal points for the book.

1 box

Files are arranged chronologically, following their original order.

This file group includes drafts, typescripts, and notes for lectures and papers given at various conferences and public events, and occasionally, clippings of later published versions of these works. Sometimes two files with the same title, one in English and one in Spanish, are present. This arrangement is original and reflects Candela's filing system, wherein he often kept his writings in Spanish separate from their English translations, and vice versa.

5 boxes

Original topical files were arranged chronologically.

This file group includes itineraries, receipts, correspondence, brochures, and other documents related to Candela's international travels to attend various architecture conferences, professional meetings, and other events.

2 boxes

Original order was maintained and does not follow any strict arrangement scheme.

This file group primarily contains drafts and typescripts of articles written or translated by Candela, which he kept alongside microfilm reproductions and copies of articles that he translated. Also included are some of his political writings, as well as copies of journals and clippings of magazine articles written by Candela.

1 box

Appointment books are arranged chronologically, with financial ledgers and address books at the end.

From 1968 until his death in 1997, Candela scrupulously kept daily appointment books, in which he often took notes in great detail on his day-to-day activities, primarily regarding his personal life, but also pertaining to some professional meetings and events. This subseries contains a comprehensive set of these appointment books covering a span of almost 30 years. While appointment books for some years contain more sparse notes, most contain frequent and detailed descriptions of Candela's meals, travels, phone conversations, progress with construction and renovation work on his home, personal relationships, and other matters. Also included are occasional notes about his travels to give lectures and presentations at universities and conferences around the world, his deadlines for providing drawings for design projects and collaborations, and financial matters regarding payment for his work. In addition to appointment books, this subseries also includes two expense ledgers that Candela kept alongside his daily planners, regarding his properties and his children, as well as several address books and loose pages from address books, which are filled with information about his personal and professional contacts.

4 boxes

Arranged chronologically.

This subseries includes materials related to Candela's education in architecture and structural engineering, including his preparatory drawing examinations along with notes and study guides for college courses that he took in Spain in the early 1930s. Of note are Candela's class notebooks, which contain his calculations and transcriptions from D. Luis Vegas's "Resistance of Materials" course on the theory of elasticity, which Candela took in his third year of study at La Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura de Madrid. He was an exceedingly successful student in the class and later served as an assistant to the professor for the same class the following year. He also tutored other students on topics from his "Descriptive Geometry" class. Candela's notes from some of these university courses are included in this subseries, as well as study guides that he wrote based on Vegas's curriculum for "Resistence of Materials", in collaboration with his classmate, Alejandro Herrero. Also included is a portfolio of statue and figure drawings in charcoal that Candela completed as part of a preliminary examination required for entry into the architecture college, which display his artistic abilities.

3 boxes

Files are not arranged according to any arrangement scheme.

Félix Candela wrote an autobiography in the 1990s, which was never finished. This subseries contains a copy of the complete draft of the existing autobiography, along with preliminary materials, including detailed chronologies of life events and professional projects, early chapter drafts, selected bibliographies of writings by and about Candela, lists of completed architectural works, and clippings regarding Candela and his life's work. Autobiography drafts are primarily print-outs of documents typed on a computer, for which the corresponding digital files are not a part of the collection. Also present are a transcript of an extensive recorded interview with Rafael López Palanco in 1985, several unattributed cartoon sketches of Candela, and a group of identification papers, including passports, citizenship papers, and other official documents and copies. Researchers should note that these materials are primarily in Spanish.

1 box

Arranged chronologically by topic, with general categories at the end.

This subseries contains personal and travel photographs of Félix Candela, often with his family, including early black-and-white photographs, contemporary color photographs, occasional negatives and slides, and several photograph albums. Early photographs albums from the 1920s-1940s show Candela as a young athlete during his school days in Spain, as well as his trips throughout Spain and Mexico with his first wife, Eladia Martín, and their family. Prior to the Spanish Civil War, Candela was a competitive athlete in Spain, playing for the national rugby team and winning championships in both pole-vaulting and ski-jumping. Of note in this subseries is a group of photographs showing Candela competing in these and other sports, including skiing, mountain-climbing, pole-vaulting, and rugby. Also present are travel shots of Candela in later years, often accompanied by his wife, Dorothy Candela, also an architect, in locations such as British Guiana, the United States, Spain, Iran, Peru, Argentina, Armenia, Bulgaria, and England. Candela's interest in regional design styles is also reflected in his travel photographs, which include many shots of local architecture, ruins, and churches in the various countries he visited. Photographs of Candela at several gallery openings and exhibitions are also present, along with photographs of him with other architects, including Fernando Higueras.

3 boxes

Arranged chronologically.

This subseries includes awards, certificates, honorary diplomas, and plaques that Candela received throughout his career recognizing his contributions to the field of architecture. Beginning in the 1960s, Candela garnered an increasing amount of attention and publicity for his work in thin-shell concrete design that lasted throughout his life as he continued to travel and lecture publicly. Although Candela never managed to continue his formal studies following his years in Madrid, he received honorary doctorates from the University of New Mexico, the University of Illinois, and Universidad de Sevilla, as well as an honorary plaque in the 1990s, recognizing his achievements, from La Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura de Madrid, where he completed his education in the 1930s. Most awards and certificates on paper are described at the folder level, with three-dimensional wooden and stone plaques, requiring separate housing due to their size and weight, described individually. A partial inventory of awards present in these files, which was received with the collection, can be found in Box 4, Folder 7.

5 boxes

Subject files are arranged alphabetically by topic.

Includes topical reference clippings on various architectural themes and styles.

4 boxes