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Cope and Lippincott Collection
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Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Architectural Archives [Contact Us]220 South 34th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19094
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the University of Pennsylvania: Architectural 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
Paul M. Cope, Jr. was educated at Westtown School prior to beginning studies at Haverford College in the Fall of 1939. As a Quaker and conscientious objector, Cope did humanitarian work in China during World War II. After receiving his B.A. at Haverford College in 1947, Cope went on to earn a B. Arch. and M. Arch. at the University of Pennsylvania in 1950. Before joining H. Mather Lippincott to form Cope & Lippincott in 1957, Cope worked for two prominent Philadelphia firms: Sweet & Schwartz (1950-52) and Vincent G. Kling (1952-57). Cope remained in practice until his death.
An active member of the Society of Friends, Cope served on the boards of many Quaker schools, including Westtown and Haverford, as well as Delaware Valley Friends School, Germantown Friends School, and Friends Central School; he also served as a member of the Meeting House Trust Funds Granting Group. Cope led the Philadelphia Chapter of AIA as president in 1979. He joined the national AIA in 1962.
Born in Philadelphia, the son of Sarah S. Lippincott and historian and author Horace Mather Lippincott, H. Mather Lippincott completed a B. S. at Haverford College in 1943 before earning an architecture degree at the University of Pennsylvania in 1948.
While Lippincott established an independent practice in 1948, he also worked full-time in the firm of Oskar Stonorov between 1948-51. There he met Robert Venturi--a future collaborator. Lippincott's partnership with Paul M. Cope, Jr. was formalized in February of 1957, and collaborations with Venturi started in 1958 with the commission for renovations to the James B. Duke House at New York University. Later collaborations include Venturi's landmark Guild House of 1958-66.
Lippincott was very active in the Quaker community, serving on a wide variety of boards and committees throughout his life. He also served as a board member and in various officerships for the local chapter of the American Institute of Architects, serving as President in 1969. Lippincott was a lecturer on architectural engineering at his alma matter, the University of Pennsylvania, between 1952-1965.
The Cope and Lippincott Collection contains drawings, project and office records, and photographic material related to the work of architects Paul M. Cope, Jr. and H. Mather Lippincott and their firm, dated from 1957 to 2006. The firm's work, which consisted of public buildings and private residences, was generally centered in the Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York areas, with a few notable exceptions. The firm worked with a number of Quaker meetings in the Philadelphia area, many of which are contained in this collection.
Projects with the most extensive holdings include the NYU Art Conservation Center, Friends Neighborhood Guild House (1961-1965), Philadelphia Yearly Meeting Friends Center Complex (1971-1979), and the Fred W. Noyes Foundation Museum (1979-1981). The firm collaborated with Robert Venturi on a number of projects including the Guild House, Foulkeways at Gwynedd, the NYU Art Conservation Center and Altschul House, and residences of the Dunn and Hart families.
I. Project and Office Records. II. Architectural Drawings. III. Photographic Materials.
Gift of H. Mather Lippincott, 2006.
The collection was processed and the finding aid prepared by John Giganti, Katie Marshalek, Heather Isbell Schumacher, Michael Shoriak, and William Whitaker.
- Publisher
- University of Pennsylvania: Architectural Archives
- Use Restrictions
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This collection is available for research by appointment only.
Collection Inventory
Series I is comprised of twenty four folders containing correspondence, bills, contracts, reference files, meeting minutes, and published material, related to Cope & Lippincott's projects and architectural firm. Projects represented in this series include: Media Friends School, Friends Guild House, Radnor Friends Meeting, Friends Center, Woodruff Emlen residence, Noyes Museum, and the Francis Cope house. Other holdings in this series consist of a job list, dated 1948 to 2006, as well as copies of partnership documents, dated 1957-59 and 1983.
Series II contains twenty one standard-size folders of architectural drawings for Cope & Lippincott's building projects which include design, presentation, and construction drawings. Materials are arranged chronologically with the job numbers used by the firm indicated within the container list.
2 drawings
4 drawings
2 drawings
4 drawings
4 drawings
4 drawings
3 drawings
7 drawings
8 drawings
4 drawings
5 drawings
2 drawings
3 drawings
10 drawings
30 drawings
13 drawings
5 drawings
3 drawings
3 drawings
8 drawings
2 drawings
13 drawings
2 drawings
3 drawings
13 drawings
7 drawings
2 drawings
6 drawings
9 drawings
6 drawings
10 drawings
13 drawings
8 drawings
2 drawings
12 drawings
1 drawings
7 drawings
17 drawings
2 drawings
2 drawings
4 drawings
9 drawings
14 drawings
20 drawings
5 drawings
72 drawings
9 drawings
8 drawings
19 drawings
5 drawings
1 drawings
9 drawings
45 drawings
1 drawings
8 drawings
14 drawings
2 drawings
4 drawings
5 drawings
16 drawings
3 drawings
5 drawings
43 drawings
2 drawings
20 drawings
14 drawings
6 drawings
1 drawings
13 drawings
8 drawings
1 drawings
1 drawings
2 drawings
3 drawings
9 drawings
4 drawings
6 drawings
9 drawings
8 drawings
4 drawings
9 drawings
12 drawings
16 drawings
12 drawings
4 drawings
4 drawings
15 drawings
6 drawings
2 drawings
3 drawings
14 drawings
13 drawings
7 drawings
8 drawings
15 drawings
5 drawings
4 drawings
6 drawings
13 drawings
9 drawings
3 drawings
5 drawings
20 drawings
3 drawings
9 drawings
6 drawings
51 drawings
10 drawings
5 drawings
13 drawings
9 drawings
18 drawings
21 drawings
39 drawings
13 drawings
5 drawings
1 drawings
19 drawings
12 drawings
12 drawings
15 drawings
9 drawings
3 drawings
8 drawings
10 drawings
3 drawings
2 drawings
7 drawings
16 drawings
14 drawings
4 drawings
Series III includes photography (photoprints, slides, and negatives) and is comprised of mainly as-built and graphic images of building projects. Other material includes photographs of Cope, Lippincott, and office staff as well as newspaper clippings. Images are arranged chronologically by job number.