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Department of Grounds and Buildings Technical Correspondence Records, 1866-1988 (bulk 1930s-1940s): Finding Aid

AC035

A-Floor of Firestone Library with view of chapel, October 13, 1946.

Published in 1997

©2006 Princeton University Library

Summary Information

Creator:

Princeton University. Dept. of Buildings and Grounds.

Title and dates:

Department of Grounds and Buildings Technical Correspondence Records, 1866-1988 (bulk 1930s-1940s)

Abstract:

The Technical Correspondence Records, created by the Department of Grounds and Buildings, contain detailed information relating to the construction, maintenance, renovation, and demolition of buildings, and to the grounds and architects of Princeton University.

Size:

10.08 linear feet (24 archival boxes)

Call number:

AC035

Location:

Princeton University Library. Department of Rare Books and Special Collections.
Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library.
Princeton University Archives.
Princeton, New Jersey 08540 USA

Language(s) of material:

English.

Storage note:

This collection is stored onsite at the Mudd Manuscript Library.

History of Department of Grounds and Buildings

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:

• Henry M. Alexander, 1876 - 1885
• M. Taylor Pyne, 1886 - 1897
• James W. Alexander, 1898 - 1900
• Cornelius C. Cuyler, 1901 - 1905
• Archibald D. Russell, 1906 - 1908
• Henry B. Thompson, 1909 - 1927
• Franklin D'Olier, 1928 - 1941
• Dean Mathey, 1942 - 1948
• Sandford Etherington, 1949 - 1950
• Henderson Supplee, 1951 - 1973
• Richard Hough, 1974 - 1988
• Thomas W. Langfitt, 1989 -

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:

• Roswell Davis, 1912 - 1919
• Edward Allen MacMillan, 1921 - 1957
• George Roberts Meyers, 1957 - 1964

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:

• Ralph Adams Cram, 1907 - 1929
• Stephen F. Voorhees, 1930 - 1948
• Robert O'Connor, 1948 - 1954
• Douglass Orr, 1954 - 1966
• Pietro Belluschi, 1966 - 1975
• Charles Warner, 1973 - late 1980s

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.

Description

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.

Arrangement

Organized into the following series:

• Series 1, Buildings, (1866-1972)
• Series 2, Grounds, Campus Ornamentation, and Services, (1902-1952)
• Series 3, Housing and Real Estate, (circa 1870-1988)

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.

Access and Use

Access

Collection is open for research use.

Restrictions on Use and Copyright Information

Single photocopies may be made for research purposes. Permission to publish material from the collection must be requested from the University Archivist. Copyright is held by the Trustees of Princeton University.

Acquisition and Appraisal

Provenance and Acquisition

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.

Related Materials

Related Archival Material

Researchers are advised to consult the Historical Subject Files – Grounds and Buildings Subject Files as well as the following:

• Historical Subject Files, Grounds and Buildings Subject Files
• Princeton University Trustees Minutes, Committee on Grounds and Buildings
• Historical Photograph Collection, Grounds and Buildings
• Historical Subject Files (especially the files on student housing and the Princeton Borough)
• Oversize Architectural Drawings
• Alexander Leitch, A Princeton Companion (1978)
• Thomas Wertenbaker, Princeton, 1746-1896 (1946)
• Constance Grieff, Princeton Architecture (1967)
• Gerald Breese, Princeton University Land, 1756-1984 (1986)
• Library Records (especially those related to Firestone building projects)

Processing and Other Information

Processing Information

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.

Descriptive Rules Used

Finding aid content adheres to that prescribed by Describing Archives: A Content Standard.

Encoding

Machine-readable finding aid encoded in EAD 2002 by Techbooks and Cristela García-Spitz on November 03, 2006.

Finding aid written in English.

Preferred Citation

Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Department of Grounds and Buildings Technical Correspondence Records, Box and Folder Number; University Archives, Department of Rare Books and Special Collections, Princeton University Library.

Subject Headings

These materials have been indexed in the Princeton University Library online catalog using the following terms. Those seeking related materials should search under these terms.

• Princeton University -- Buildings -- History.
• Princeton University. Library
• Architects -- New Jersey -- Princeton -- 20th century -- Correspondence.
• 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.
• Princeton (N.J.) -- Buildings, structures, etc.
• Correspondence.
• Memoranda.

Browse other finding aids related to the following terms:

• Princeton University

Contents List

1. Series 1, Buildings, (1866-1972) Series Description 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.

2. Alexander, 1927-1953

   Box 1, Folder 1

3. Art Museum (see: Museum of Historic Art and McCormick)

   Box 1

4. The Barracks (see: Butler Tract Housing)

   Box 1

5. Boiler House (see: University Power Company files in Series 2)

   Box 1

6. Brown and Dod, 1889-1892

   Box 1, Folder 2-3

7. Butler Tract Housing, 1946-1947

   Box 1, Folder 4-6

8. Butler Tract Housing, 1947-1949

   Box 2, Folder 1

9. Butler Tract Housing, FPHA Regulations, 1946-1947

   Box 2, Folder 2-3

10. Campbell Hall, 1929-1931

    Box 2, Folder 4

11. Chancellor Green Library, Lighting Plant Installation, 1891-1892

    Box 2, Folder 5

12. Chancellor Green Library (see also: Student Center, conversion of Chancellor Green Library)

    Box 2

13. Chapel, University, 1923-1927

    Box 2, Folder 6-7

14. Chapel, University, 1927-1931

    Box 3, Folder 1-7

15. Chapel, University, 1931-1972

    Box 4, Folder 1-4

16. Chemical Laboratory or New Chemical Laboratory (see: Frick Chemical Laboratory)

    Box 4

17. Class of 1901 - Laughlin, 1923-1928

    Box 4, Folder 5

18. Class of 1903 and Walker Memorial Dormitory, 1927-1929

    Box 4, Folder 6-7

19. Class of 1903 and Walker Memorial Dormitory, 1930-1933 (see also: Joline)

    Box 5, Folder 1

20. Class of 1904 - Howard Henry Memorial Dormitory and Class of 1905-Walter L. Foulke Memorial Dormitory, 1921-1928

    Box 5, Folder 2

21. Class of 1915, 1945-1952

    Box 5, Folder 3-4

22. Clio, 1923-1934

    Box 5, Folder 5

23. Cloaca Maxima (see: Water and Sanitation files in Series 2)

    Box 5

24. Corwin, 1949-1954

    Box 5, Folder 6-7

25. Dickinson, 1927-1929

    Box 5, Folder 8

26. Dickinson, 1929-1930

    Box 6, Folder 1-2

27. Dillon Gymnasium (see: Gymnasium, Dillon)

    Box 6

28. Dod (see: Brown and Dod)

    Box 6

29. East Pyne (see: Pyne Library)

    Box 6

30. Engineering Building (see: Green)

    Box 6

31. Engineering Quadrangle, 1923-1953

    Box 6, Folder 3

32. Eno Fine, 1923-1953 (for references prior to 1970 see: Jones)

    Box 6, Folder 4-5

33. Firestone Library - Building Program, 1943 (Note: For early history of Firestone Library, see: files on Library Planning)

    Box 6, Folder 6

34. Firestone Library - A Laboratory Workshop Library for Princeton (brochure), 1944

    Box 6, Folder 7

35. Firestone Library - Assessment of Departmental Needs, 1945

    Box 6, Folder 8

36. Firestone Library - Allocation of Stacks

    Box 6, Folder 9

37. Firestone Library - Excerpts of the Faculty Library Committee on Course of Study meeting with the architects, 1945

    Box 6, Folder 10

38. Firestone Library - Architects' Program, 1945

    Box 7, Folder 1

39. Firestone Library - Architects' Specifications and Schedules, 1945-1948

    Box 7, Folder 2-4

40. Firestone Library - Index to Architects' Memoranda, 1945-1947

    Box 7, Folder 5

41. Firestone Library - General Correspondence, 1945-1948

    Box 7, Folder 6-9

42. Firestone Library - General correspondence, 1949-1968

    Box 8, Folder 1

43. Firestone Library - A Survey of the Firestone Memorial Library of Princeton University (M.A. thesis by Robert A. Colby, Columbia University), 1955

    Box 8, Folder 2

44. FitzRandolph Observatory (see: Observatory, FitzRandolph)

    Box 8

45. Foulke (see: Class of 1904 - Howard Henry Memorial Dormitory and Class of 1905 - Walter L. Foulke Memorial Dormitory)

    Box 8

46. Frick Laboratory, 1916-1926

    Box 8, Folder 3

47. Frick Laboratory, 1927-1928

    Box 8, Folder 4-7

48. Frick Laboratory, 1928-1930

    Box 9, Folder 1-3

49. Frick Laboratory - Architects' Certificates of Payment to Subcontractors, 1928-1930

    Box 9, Folder 4

50. Green, 1924-1947

    Box 9, Folder 5-7

51. Green - Hayes Addition, 1943-1953

    Box 10, Folder 1

52. Green School of Science, 1927-1929

    Box 10, Folder 2

53. Guyot Hall, 1907-1948

    Box 10, Folder 3

54. Gymnasium, University, 1924-1951

    Box 10, Folder 4

55. Gymnasium, Dillon, 1944-1947

    Box 10, Folder 5-7

56. Gymnasium, Dillon, 1948-1951

    Box 11, Folder 1-2

57. Graduate College - Special Committee Meetings, 1912-1913

    Box 11, Folder 3

58. Graduate College, 1911-1941

    Box 11, Folder 4-7

59. Halsted Observatory (see: Observatory, Halsted)

    Box 11

60. Henry (see: Class of 1904 - Howard Henry Memorial Dormitory and Class of 1905 - Walter L. Foulke Memorial Dormitory)

    Box 11

61. Henry House, 1925-1927

    Box 11, Folder 8

62. Joline Hall, 1930-1933 (see also: Class of 1903 and Walker Memorial Dormitory)

    Box 12, Folder 1-4

63. Joline, Clerk of the Works Reports, 1932-1933

    Box 12, Folder 5

64. Jones (formerly Fine), 1928-1929

    Box 12, Folder 6

65. Jones, 1929-1932

    Box 13, Folder 1-2

66. Laughlin (see: Class of 1901 - Laughlin)

    Box 13

67. Library Planning - Summary of Events and Notes, 1920-1940

    Box 13, Folder 3

68. Library Planning - Proposed Additions to Existing Library Buildings, 1920-1924

    Box 13, Folder 4

69. Library Planning - Proposals for a New Library, 1924-1933

    Box 13, Folder 5-8

70. Library Planning - Proposals for a New Library, 1934-1935

    Box 14, Folder 1-2

71. Library Planning - The New Princeton Library, 1935

    Box 14, Folder 3

72. Library Planning - Proposals for a New Library, 1936-1940

    Box 14, Folder 4-8

73. Library Planning - Proposals for a New Library, 1941-1943

    Box 15, Folder 1

74. Library Planning - Proposals for a New Library by Van der Gracht & Kilham, Harrison & Foulihoux, 1940-1942

    Box 15, Folder 2

75. Library Planning - Proposals for a Memorial or Bicentennial Library, 1944

    Box 15, Folder 3

76. Library Planning - A Laboratory - Workshop Library for Princeton, 1944

    Box 15, Folder 4

77. Library Planning - Undated Proposals

    Box 15, Folder 5

78. Little, 1898-1900

    Box 15, Folder 6

79. Lockhart, 1926-1927

    Box 15, Folder 7

80. Lockhart, 1927-1932

    Box 15, Folder 8

81. McCarter Theatre, 1927-1929

    Box 15, Folder 9

82. McCarter Theatre, 1929-1951

    Box 16, Folder 1-2

83. McCarter Theatre - Progress Reports, 1929-1930

    Box 16, Folder 3

84. McCosh Infirmary I, 1892-1893

    Box 16, Folder 4

85. McCosh Infirmary II, 1923-1936

    Box 16, Folder 5-6

86. McCormick, 1919-1920 (see also: Museum of Historic Art)

    Box 16, Folder 7

87. McCormick - Addition and Alterations; Proposal for a New Art Museum, 1930-1935

    Box 17, Folder 1

88. McCormick - Proposed Addition to Accommodate the Music Section of the Department of Art, 1940-1951

    Box 17, Folder 2

89. Mechanical Engineering Building (see: Green)

    Box 17

90. Museum of Historic Art, 1886-1887 (see also: McCormick)

    Box 17, Folder 3

91. Museum of Historic Art - Specifications Architect A. Page Brown, 1887

    Box 17, Folder 4

92. Museum of Historic Art - Alterations to Upper Galleries and Roof, 1927-1930

    Box 17, Folder 5

93. Nassau Hall - Interior Alterations, 1926-1972

    Box 17, Folder 6-9

94. Nassau Hall - Memorial Hall, 1923-1950

    Box 17, Folder 10-11

95. Naval Research Laboratory, 1945-1950

    Box 17, Folder 12

96. Observatory, FitzRandolph, 1927-1952

    Box 17, Folder 13

97. Observatory, Halsted - Correspondence and Accounts, 1866-1868

    Box 17, Folder 14

98. Observatory, Halsted - Letters from General N. Norris Halsted to Professors Alexander and Schanck, 1866-1868

    Box 17, Folder 15

99. Palmer Physical Laboratory, 1901-1952

    Box 17, Folder 16

100. Palmer Memorial Stadium, 1924-1954

     Box 18, Folder 1

101. Princeton Inn - Correspondence Regarding Planning, Construction, and General Operation, 1921-1927

     Box 18, Folder 2

102. Princeton Inn - New Addition and General Correspondence, 1927-1946

     Box 18, Folder 3

103. Psychological Laboratory, or New Psychological Laboratory, (see: Eno)

     Box 18

104. Pyne Library - Conversion to Pyne Administration Building, 1948-1950

     Box 18, Folder 4-5

105. Pyne Hall, 1917-1928

     Box 18, Folder 6-7

106. Student Center - Proposal for New Building(s), 1922-1931

     Box 18, Folder 8

107. Student Center - Conversion of Chancellor Green Library, 1941-1955

     Box 19, Folder 1-2

108. University Chapel, (see: Chapel, University)

     Box 19

109. University Gymnasium, (see: Gymnasium, University)

     Box 19

110. University Power Plant, (see: University Power Company file in Series 2)

     Box 19

111. University Store, (see: West College, Alterations and Additions)

     Box 19

112. Walker Memorial Dormitory, (see: Class of 1903 and Walker Memorial Dormitory)

     Box 19

113. West College - Alterations and Additions, 1922-1928

     Box 19, Folder 3

114. Woodrow Wilson, (see: Corwin)

     Box 19

115. Woodrow Wilson Memorial School of International and Public Affairs, Proposals, 1935-1940

     Box 19, Folder 4

116. Series 2, Grounds, Campus Ornamentation, and Services, (1902-1952) Series Description 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.

117. Dodge Memorial Gate and Eisenhart Arch, 1931-1952

     Box 19, Folder 5-6

118. Quarry, University, 1928-1949

     Box 19, Folder 7

119. Roads and Paths, 1923-1951

     Box 19, Folder 8

120. Rothschild Memorial Arch, 1929-1936

     Box 19, Folder 9

121. University Power Company, Including University Power Plant I (1903) and University Power Plant II (1924-5), 1902-1936

     Box 20, Folder 1

122. Water and Sanitation, 1919-1951

     Box 20, Folder 2

123. Series 3, Housing and Real Estate, (circa 1870-1988) Series Description 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.

124. Faculty and Staff Housing - General Discussion, Proposals and Reports, 1921-1985

     Box 20, Folder 3

125. Faculty and Staff Housing - Ferris Thompson Apartments, 1947-1950

     Box 20, Folder 4

126. Faculty and Staff Housing - Gray Farm, 1912-1988

     Box 20, Folder 5

127. Faculty and Staff Housing - Lakeside, 1952-1954

     Box 20, Folder 6-7

128. Faculty and Staff Housing - Lakeside, 1954-1956

     Box 21, Folder 1

129. Faculty and Staff Housing - Lakeside, Requisitions 1-4, 1954

     Box 21, Folder 2

130. Faculty and Staff Housing - Lakeside, Requisitions 5-6, 1954

     Box 21, Folder 3

131. Faculty and Staff Housing - Lakeside, Requisitions 7-9, 1954-1955

     Box 21, Folder 4

132. Faculty and Staff Housing - Proposed House for Dean Aldrich (Dean of the Chapel), 1949-1950

     Box 21, Folder 5

133. Faculty and Staff Housing - 6 McCosh Circle, 1928

     Box 21, Folder 6

134. Faculty and Staff Housing - 6 McCosh Circle, 1945-1953

     Box 21, Folder 7

135. Real Estate - General, Correspondence, 1873-1924

     Box 21, Folder 8

136. Real Estate - General, Correspondence, 1925-1936

     Box 22, Folder 1-7

137. Real Estate - General, Correspondence, 1937-1980

     Box 23, Folder 1-3

138. Real Estate - General, Summary Cost Accounts of University Buildings, circa 1870-1940,undated

     Box 23, Folder 4

139. Real Estate - General, Miscellaneous, undated

     Box 23, Folder 5

140. Real Estate - The Graduate Realty Company, 1926-1938

     Box 23, Folder 6-7

141. Real Estate - The Nassau Realty Company and the Princeton Municipal Improvement Company, 1922-1936

     Box 24, Folder 1

142. Real Estate - 20 Nassau Street, 1926-1948

     Box 24, Folder 2

143. Real Estate - The Pretty Brook Corporation, 1927-1954

     Box 24, Folder 3-4

144. Real Estate - The Pretty Brook Corporation, Minutes and Miscellaneous Papers, 1927-1980

     Box 24, Folder 5

145. Real Estate - 44 Washington Road, 1914-1962

     Box 24, Folder 6

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