Happy New Year 1948

Architect Leslie Ayres drew a sketch of the Columbia Club, located prominently on Monument Circle, for this New Year's card to ring in 1948. It was likely commissioned by Pelham Blue Print & Supply, Inc., due to the logo on the back, and intended to advertise their services to architects and engineers. This card can be found in the Fran Schroeder Architectural Records.

Image: New Year's card, 1948. (34-6) Fran E. Schroeder Architectural Records, Drawings + Documents Archive, Archives and Special Collections, Ball State University Libraries.

Holiday Archives

This lovely undated holiday card from architect Francis [Fran] Schroeder is printed on blueprint but handcolored to add depth. A clever use of the negative space makes it look like snow falling on this sweet cottage scene.

Image: Francis Schroeder Christmas Card, n.d. (34-6). Fran E. Schroeder Architectural Records Collection, Drawings + Documents Archive, Archives and Special Collections, Ball State University Libraries.

The Holiday Office Party

While the Holiday Office Party is a tradition that continues on today, thankfully it doesn't usually occur on the morning of Christmas Eve like it did for the Pierre & Wright office in circa 1928. At that time Pierre & Wright, like other architectural firms, operated their office out of the Hume-Mansur Building located at 23 East Ohio Street. The invitation, wittily printed on blueprint, depicts two men moving a stack of drawings to clear out the office and calls for other firms to join their party on December 24th.

Image: Pierre & Wright Christmas Party Invitation, ca. 1928 (34-6). Fran E. Schroeder Architectural Records Collection, Drawings + Documents Archive, Archives and Special Collections, Ball State University Libraries.

Holiday Archives

Images: Leslie F. Ayres Christmas Cards, 1941-47 (34-6). Fran E. Schroeder Architectural Records Collection, Drawings + Documents Archive, Archives and Special Collections, Ball State University Libraries.

Holiday archives

Leslie Ayres (1906-1952) was an accomplished architect and illustrator responsible for many of the beautiful presentation drawings in our collections. If you've appreciated the color renderings in the Pierre and Wright Architectural Records Collection, you've likely seen his work. As an innovative architect, he's also responsible for the fascinating, Art-Moderne T. G. Wilkinson house here in Muncie.

Born in Indianapolis and educated at Arsenal Technical High School, Ayres began working at Pierre and Wright as a delineator while he was still in high school. Winning the 1926 Princeton Prize in Architecture allowed him to study architecture at Princeton University, and he credited his year of study for developing his understanding of modern design.

The holiday cards above represent our earliest cards from Ayres. More will follow. But these represent a significant period in his life--you will notice the first one, from 1936, is signed with his name but there's an addition of Mr. and Mrs. in 1938. Unfortunately, we don't have the card from 1937, the year he and Edna Carolyn Silcox married.

Leslie Ayres seemed to enjoy sketching scenes of Indianapolis that place impressive churches, such as Christ Church Cathedral seen above in the cards from 1936 and 1940, within the larger context of the cityscape for his Christmas card designs. As an ardent Modernist, perhaps he is showing how the traditional and the contemporary can coexist? Tomorrow we'll post Ayres' cards from the years 1941-1947

Images: Leslie F. Ayres Christmas Cards (34-6) Fran E. Schroeder Architectural Records Collection, Drawings + Documents Archive, Archives and Special Collections, Ball State University Libraries.

Holiday Greetings

 Indianapolis architect Fran Schroeder (1908-1988) appears to be working out the details from his ca. 1930 holiday card design  by printing them on different papers and with different inks. The fanciful castle architecture combined with stylized art-deco clouds and a banner declaring "Greetings" that is largely obscured by the structure make for a rather interesting holdiay card from this young architect.

Images: Fran Schroeder Christmas Card designs, ca 1930. Fran E. Schroeder Architectural Records Collection, Drawings + Documents Archive, Archives and Special Collections, Ball State University Libraries.

Holiday Archives

Every year we explore the collections for holiday cards that architects sent to clients, staff, and family. This year we discovered a wonderful collection of cards in the Fran E. Schroeder Architectural Records Collection. Schroeder (1908-1988) worked in the Pierre & Wright architectural firm from 1929-40, then the Curtis-Wright Corporation during World War II. After the war her joined McGuire & Shook before starting his own firm in Indianapolis, known as Fran E. Schroeder and Associates. He also enthusiastically participated in the Indiana Society of Architects, the Architectural Guild of Indianapolis, and the American Institute of Architects. The collection contains holiday cards that he received from fellow architects and firms, such as Ed Pierre, Leslie Ayres, and Pierre & Wright, as well as cards he designed.

To start off our blog celebration of holiday cards is this undated card from Edward Pierre and family with a gatefold design on blueprint. As is often found in the Pierre & Wright collection, Pierre seems to have drawn portraits of himself, his wife Louise, and their daughter caroling at the gate to their house. It exemplifies the creativity and familial joy that can typically be found in Pierre's sketches.

Front:

Center, open:

Back:

Images: Christmas card from Edward Pierre and Family, n.d. (3-117C) Pierre & Wright Architectural Records Collection, Drawings + Documents Archive, Archives and Special Collections, Ball State University Libraries.

Unity + Utopia: The 1893 World's Columbian Exposition

Our latest exhibit Unity & Utopia: The 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition is currently on display in the Ball State University College of Architecture & Planning Gallery. The photographic profile features photogravure plates selected from William Henry Jackson’s The White City (as it was) and Jackson’s Famous Pictures of the World’s Fair, published in 1894 and 1895. Both publications are part of the archival collections of the Drawings + Documents Archive.

Augmenting this photographic tour of the fair is a series of HD 3D animations developed by the Urban Simulation Team, School of the Arts and Architecture, UCLA. These were created from original building, site and landscape construction documents for the Exposition and present a fascinating and colorful contrast to the detailed black and white photography in the Jackson publications. The trips through the exhibition are accompanied by Dvorak’s Symphony # 9, The New World Symphony, first performed in 1893.

The exhibit is a joint project of the University Libraries’ Drawing + Documents Archive and the CAP Exhibits Program. It continues through December 7th.

The CAP gallery is located in Architecture Building room 121 and is open M-F 8-4:30. Please visit.

Images: Golden Door of the Transportation Building and Ferris Wheel, 1894 and 1895 (G 2010.001 and G 2010.002). Drawings + Documents Archive, Archives and Special Collections, Ball State University Libraries.

Ed Gibson (1925-2011), Indiana's first African-American architect

It is with great sadness we heard the news that architect Ed Gibson died last week. He was a man of many firsts--first African-American architect registered in the state of Indiana, first African-American architect to hold the position of Indiana's State Architect, and the first African-American architect to have his own architectural firm in Indiana. To say he broke new ground in Indiana is an understatement.

A graduate of Crispus Attucks High School in Indianapolis, Gibson went on to the University of Illinois where he received Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in Architectural Engineering.

His long career, which spanned from 1945 to 2002 included work in both the public and private sectors. Some of the buildings he designed or renovated were located at Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis, Evansville State Hospital, Central Elementary in Plainfield, Broad Ripple Library, renovations at Central Library in Indianapolis, IUPUI, IU Bloomington, including renovation of Ernie Pyle Hall, Hudnut Plaza and other HUD projects throughout Indiana. 

When Gibson closed his private practice in 1987 to work exclusively for Methodist Hospital, the Drawings + Documents Archive received a small collection of drawings that were left. Unfortunately most of the drawings in the office had already been discarded. But today we are glad to have a small but representative collection of the work of a man who broke tremendous ground and altered our built environment.


Edwin Gibson's obituary from the Indianapolis Star can be found here:
http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/indystar/obituary.aspx?n=edwin-a-gibson&pid=154741286

86, died in Danville, Indiana on Sunday, November 20, 2011. Born June 2, 1925, in Cumberland, Maryland, as a youth he moved to Indianapolis. Ed graduated in the top five percent of his class from the University of Illinois where he received Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in Architectural Engineering. Ed enjoyed a long career as an Architect. His first job as an architect was in Ft. Wayne, Indiana until he returned to Indianapolis in the mid-40s. He was the first African-American architect to be registered in the state of Indiana, to be appointed to an Indiana State Government position and to open his own architectural firm in the state of Indiana.

The family of Ed and Mary E. Gibson (deceased) include his sons, Edwin A. Gibson, Jr. (deceased), and Gary A. Gibson; his daughter Eve. M Williams; and five grandsons, Edwin A. Gibson, Elliott A. Gibson, Jason P. Gibson, Delford G. Williams IV, and Brenton P. Williams. He is also survived by his daughter-in law, Elizabeth Booth-Gibson, and two step granddaughters, Laura E. Hanley and Melinda L. Hanley.


Images: Hudnut Plaza, 1985 (22-10) and IMCPL renovation, 1970s (22-6), Ed Gibson & Associates Architectural Drawings Collection, Drawings + Documents Archive, Archives and Special Collections, Ball State University Libraries.

Mid-Century Modern Edward Pierre

Edward Pierre, like many Indianapolis architects, participated in the Indianapolis Home Show for numerous years throughout his career. His design for the 1954 ranch-style show home is well documented in the Pierre & Wright Architectural Records Collection with drawings, boards, and the above photograph of the house installed in the exhibition hall. You can find them online in the Ball State University Libraries' Digital Media Repository

Images: Indianapolis Home Show presentation board and photograph, 1954. [3-123] Pierre & Wright Architectural Records Collection, Drawings + Documents Archive, Archives and Special Collections, Ball State University Libraries.

Blueprints Assist in Creating Virtual World

Our patrons and partners are constantly coming up with innovative ways to utilize architectural drawings in our collections. We recently provided Ball Brothers' factory and office blueprints from the Kibele and Garrard Architectural Records Collection to Ball State University's Center for Middletown Studies and Institute for Digital Intermedia Arts (IDIA), who used them to map a virtual world in Blue Mars.

According to James Connolly, director of the Center for Middletown Studies and professor of history, "the key that unlocked the whole reconstruction came from Cuno Kibele's original drawings for the main offices of the Ball Brothers plant, which are held in BSU's Drawings and Documents Archive. While we had an array of source materials, including plant maps and photographs, only the Kibele blueprints had precise scale measurements. The designers used them, along with photos, to reconstruct that building. From there, they used the digital model of the office building as the point of comparison to determine the height, length, and width of Factory No. 1 and its constituent parts, along with the scale of the other structures that are part of the virtual plant."

More information about the project from IDIA:

The Virtual Middletown Living Museum Project, which brings to life aspects of the 1929 and 1937 Lynd Study of Middletown America, is now live in the virtual world of Blue Mars. The project, which simulates the Ball Glass factory, incorporates various modes of learning and interaction while maintaining an immersive experience. Life and conditions in the factory were one of the key elements of the Middletown Studies by Robert S. and Helen Merrell Lynd in their landmark studies Middletown (1929) and Middletown in Transition (1937). These in-depth accounts of life in Muncie, Indiana, became classic sociological studies and established the community as a barometer of social trends in the United States. In the years since, scholars in a variety of fields have returned to Muncie to follow up on the Lynds’ work, making this small
city among the most studied communities in the nation.

This simulation of industrial life, built as a prototype for a much larger project dealing with all aspects of the Lynd Study, has aimed to create a virtual living museum experience expanding the opportunities for both learning and interpretation. The approach to interactive design embeds learning and navigation experiences subtly into the project to maintain the sense of immersion. IDIA has prototyped several techniques to accomplish this - including interactive objects that allow for close up inspection, objects that when clicked bring up web-based content, and annotated plans or photographs used in the interpretation.

Also, non-player character factory workers, a live interactive avatar of Frank C. Ball who greets visitors and introduces them to the factory, video and audio files of factory experts, and archival films - all assist in bringing the project to life. IDIA designed an in-world interactive Heads-Up-Display (HUD) that provides deeper investigation and navigation throughout the factory as well as a supporting webpage with complete documentation on all resources used in this interpretation. Project partners include the Center for Middletown Studies and University Libraries. This project was funded by the Emerging Media Initiative at Ball State University.

Video walkthrough here: http://www.youtube.com/user/IDIALab#p/u/2/MYT4TRnRzqcTo download the Blue Mars client, create an account and tour Virtual Middletown, please visit: http://blink.bluemars.com/City/IDIA_IDIALabExhibitions/

Losing Edward Pierre

As many of you know, our collection of Pierre and Wright Architectural Records is one of our most important collections at the Drawings + Documents Archive. It gets that distinction not just from the quality of materials in the collection itself, but what it represents of the architecture in Indianapolis from the early 1920s to the 1960s. From art deco to the birth of the cool; that's when the architectural fabric of Indianapolis was largely built. And Edward Pierre and George Wright were committed to doing it well.

They were also committed to civic engagement. We can thank them for having the idea of decorating the circle at Christmas, for designing gracious estates as well as small houses that were affordable to all, and for trying to make Indianapolis a greater city. Another one of their gifts to generations of Indiana residents is the elegant Indiana State Library.

AIA Indiana's website describes Edward Pierre as "a crusader for the welfare of children, decent housing for all, peace and progressive urban planning. He was honored repeatedly for his outstanding service to the architectural profession and the public." The yearly AIA Edward D. Pierre Award is meant to honor contemporary architects who display the same commitment to public service.

The recent photograph and historic architectural rendering above show an example of the architecture from Edward Pierre's later years: a graceful solution to the modest problem of needing to change into tennis attire in Tarkington Park, at 40th and Meridian. Pierre didn't cling to outdated styles during his career, but embraced the best of every era. Built in 1957, the tennis shelter's lowslung modernist design offers both privacy and openness while mirroring the architectural character of the neighborhood. Unfortunately, we just heard the news that this building was torn down yesterday. 1957-2011.

Images: Tarkington Tennis Shelter, 2011, photograph courtesy of Vess von Ruhtenberg
Tarkington Tennis Shelter architectural rendering, 1957, photostat, Drawings + Documents Archive, Archives and Special Collections, Ball State University Libraries.

Photos from the CAP Images Collection

Images: College of Architecture & Planning students, 1960s-1980s, CAP Images Collection, Drawings + Documents Archive, Archives and Special Collections, Ball State University Libraries.

Some Assembly Required: Mail-order Houses in Indianapolis

The Archive is participating in Indiana Landmarks' program titled Some Assembly Required: Lectures, Lunch and Tours of Mail-order Houses in Indianapolis, which will take place October 1, 2011. In addition to all of the interesting talks on mail-order houses, Lustrons, and historic paint colors, I will be talking about the obscure history of the Architectural Guild of Indinapolis.

You may recall a post a few posts back that discussed the Architectural Guild. For the presentation, I'll go into more detail and show some architectural models and drawings that were used for this home-grown yet short-lived service in Indianapolis.

Hope you can join us for an interesting day discussing catalog homes.

The Scandal Sheet

Used as a design template for announcements and other club information, the Scandal Sheet was reproduced as a blueprint for distribution within the Indianapolis Architectural Club (I.A.C.) during the 1930s. The example above is titled Representing Architectural Letters and illustrates five different architects' styles of lettering for architectural drawings. Those who are familiar with the Pierre & Wright Architectural Records Collection may recognize the distinctive lettering styles of Francis (Fran) Schroeder and Charles Soltau who drafted the first two columns of letters.

The design for the Scandal Sheet was, naturally, born out of a seemingly friendly design competition amongst the membership of the I.A.C., shown here in front of the Indianapolis War Memorial:

Also located in the same folder as the items above, is the sheet from 1930 that establishes the design competition criteria, below. The awards are listed as "Don't worry too much about the reimbursements--merely consider that you'll catch Hell if you don't participate in this, the first competition of the year 1930."

Images: Indianapolis Architectural Club Scandal Sheet, vol. 3, no. 11 and Competition for A Title Block for "The Scandal Sheet" (34-16A23, 34-16A16, 34-16A18), Fran E. Schroeder Architectural Records Collection, Drawings + Documents Archive, Archives and Special Collections, Ball State University Libraries.

Oberly House by A. M. Strauss in Fort Wayne, Ind.

A recent request brought out the drawings for the Oberly House located in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Designed by architect A. M. Strauss (1895-1958) in 1940-41, the house is a fascinating example of stylish art deco designs (note the stair railing in the blueprint) and traditional elements, such as the paneled library and Tudor revival exterior.


Images: C. C. Oberly House stair and library details, 1940 (32-849) Strauss Architectural Records Collection, Drawings + Documents Archive, Archives and Special Collections, Ball State University Libraries.

William Conner Farm Architectural Drawings now online

The Drawings + Documents Archive is pleased to announce the latest digitized collection that is available online for research in Ball State University Libraries' Digital Media Repository, the collection of William Conner Farm Architectural Drawings. The collection consists of 36 sheets by Robert Frost Daggett, including topographical maps, elevation drawings and plans, relating to the restoration of the Conner house and construction of new buildings on the property that is now known as Conner Prairie Interactive History Park. 

In 1934, when pharmaceutical executive Eli Lilly purchased the early 1800s William Conner house and farm in Fishers, Indiana, the house required immediate preservation work to stabilize it structurally and preserve its rich historical details. Lilly, a wealthy and devoted advocate for historical preservation, hired Robert Frost Daggett, a prominent local architect who had designed Lilly’s home just a few years earlier, to oversee the structural work on the farm house.

In addition to restoring the Conner house, Daggett was also commissioned to build other homes and outbuildings on the property during the time Lilly operated the property as a working farm. The drawings in this collection reflect Daggett’s projects on the property, including the Conner house, a garage, well house, and a brick cottage built for the farm's foreman, Tillman Bubenzer.

Image: Restoration of the Conner House: stair details, 1934. William Conner Farm Architectural Drawings, Drawings + Documents Archive, Archive and Special Collections, Ball State University Libraries.

Indiana State Library receives NEH grant to digitize historic Indiana newspapers

This will be a boon to architecture historians who currently have to squint through viewing reels of microfilms, or worse, turn the crumbling pages of 100 year-old newspapers, to find information on the structures reported on in the papers. Representatives from Ball State University Libraries will be on the project's advisory group.

From the Indiana State Library's press release:

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has awarded a $293,157 grant to the Indiana State Library to digitize Indiana’s historically significant newspapers. Indiana joins 25 states participating in the National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP), a partnership between the NEH, the Library of Congress and participating states to provide enhanced access to American newspapers published between 1836 and 1922. Newspapers digitized as part of this two-year project will be included in the Library of Congress’ Chronicling America Database (http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/).

“This grant is crucial to the State’s efforts to provide optimal public access to Indiana’s historical documents and cultural heritage,” said Jim Corridan, State Archivist and Associate Director of the Indiana State Library. “The State Library houses millions of copies of historic Hoosier newspapers and this initiative will enable Hoosiers instant access to these collections via the internet.”

The Indiana State Library will be assisted on the project by an advisory group of representatives from the Indiana Commission on Public Library, the Indiana Historical Bureau, Ball State University, the Hoosier Press Foundation, the Indiana Historical Society, the Indiana University School of Journalism and Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis. The advisory group will develop criteria for inclusion of historic papers and ultimately select the newspapers to be digitized.

In addition to the Indiana papers presence in the Chronicling America Database, the digitized papers will also be available through Indiana Memory (http://www.indianamemory.org/) – a collaborative effort to provide access to the wealth of primary sources in Indiana libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions. Indiana Memory's mission is to create and maintain a digital library that enables free public access to Indiana's unique cultural and historical heritage. Through information and pictures found in digitized books, manuscripts, photographs, newspapers, maps, and other digital materials available on the Indiana Memory website, the program seeks to enhance education and scholarship of Indiana's past. As a portal to the collections, Indiana Memory assists individuals to locate materials relevant to their interests and to better appreciate the connections between those materials.

Indiana Landmarks releases guide to historic architecture of Carroll County

The Drawings + Documents Archive is proud to contribute images from its collections to the upcoming official guide to historic architecture in Carroll County, Indiana, which will be released by Indiana Landmarks and Indiana's Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology next month. Researchers from Ball State University's Center for Historic Preservation explored our collections to discover historic photographs of structures in the county, like the image above of the Adams Mill Bridge in 1941 from our Alvin W. Holmes Covered Bridge Photographs, to include in the report. If you'd like to see other images from the collection, they are available online in our Digital Media Repository.

Representatives from Indiana Landmarks and BSU's Center for Historic Preservation will present their findings at the debut of the report. Here's more information from Indiana Landmarks about the upcoming event:

WHAT: Free presentation on historic architecture of Carroll County and debut of illustrated report, Carroll County Historic Sites and Structures Inventory
WHEN: Wednesday, August 10, 2011, 7:00 p.m.
WHERE: Wabash & Erie Canal Park Conference Center, 1030 North Washington Street, Delphi
WHO: Speakers include Tommy Klecker, director of Indiana Landmarks' Western Regional Office in Terre Haute, and Amanda Jones Taylor, project coordinator for Ball State Center for Historic Preservation

Architectural surveyors from Indiana Landmarks spent over a year driving throughout Carroll County to document historic places. The Carroll County Historic Sites and Structures Inventory records well-known landmarks and less recognized structures such as the Murphy Drinking Fountain in Delphi, the Greenup Brothers Farm in Tippecanoe Township, and the Camden Auto Company in Camden.

The public is invited to a free illustrated presentation on the inventory's findings Wednesday, August 10, 7:00 p.m. The presentation will be held at The Wabash & Erie Canal Park Conference Center, 1030 North Washington Street, Delphi. The 152-page inventory report-featuring historic and contemporary photos and maps-may be purchased at the event for $20.

Ball State Center for Historic Preservation Project Coordinator Amanda Jones Taylor will present a brief program showing architectural highlights of the county as well as overlooked gems documented by surveyors. Tommy Kleckner, director of Indiana Landmarks' Western Regional Office, will discuss services available to assist those interested in saving and celebrating Carroll County's landmark heritage.

Indiana Landmarks welcomes questions about the Carroll County survey and its findings: contact Suzanne Stanis, Director of Education, 317-639-4534 or 800-450-4534, sstanis@indianalandmarks.org. To learn more about the Indiana Historic Sites and Structures Inventory program, call state's Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology, 317-232-1646.

Image: Adams Mill Bridge, April 13, 1941. Alvin W. Holmes Covered Bridge Photograph Collection, Drawings + Documents Archive, Archives and Special Collections, Ball State University Libraries.

High School Honors students learn about historic Indiana theaters.

High school students in the two-week High School Honors program here at Ball State University's College of Architecture and Planning learned about the secondary resources available to them in the Architecture Library, as well as the primary resource documents in the Drawings + Documents Archive. These students are among the brightest in the state and show interest in pursuing careers in architecture, landscape architecture and planning.

The students explored original drawings and blueprints from three theaters in Indiana that we have in the collection: the 1891 Wysor Grand Opera House in Muncie, the 1920s art deco Speedway Picture Theater, and the 1952 Lafayette Road Drive-in Movie Theater in Indianapolis.

Image: High School Honors presentation, 2011. Drawings + Documents Archive, Archives and Special Collections, Ball State University Libraries.

Jessie Tarbox Beals: first woman photojournalist and architecture photographer

The Drawings + Documents Archive shares quite a few things with the Library of Congress. These are mostly drawings from the Historic American Building Survey (HABS) that were created by architecture students in the 1970s and 80s, but also photographic images by Jessie Tarbox Beals (1870-1942), a pioneering woman photographer who is known as being the first credited woman photojournalist.

In addition to news photography, she was also commissioned by architects to photograph their buildings, as represented above in this airy photograph depicting a sun-drenched patio at a Russell Walcott house which was most likely in northern Illinois or Michigan. To see more of her architecture images, browse our online collection. To learn more about Jessie Tarbox Beals and her interesting life, as well as to see some of her other work, visit the Library of Congress' website for an essay and selected images.

Image: Russell Walcott house exterior, ca. 1935. Trowbridge and Beals Photographs Collection, Drawings + Documents Archive, Archives and Special Collections, Ball State University Libraries.

The Other CSI

The Indianapolis chapter of the Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) just held its annual awards banquet last night. Above is a photograph of the CSI 5th anniversary awards ceremony, held February 17, 1966. Holding awards are Fran E. Schroeder (wearing glasses), John B. Price and John C. Fleck, three of the original members who created CSI.

Schroeder (1908-1988) was active in many organizations for architects and builders, including American Institute of Architects, the Indiana Society of Architects, the Construction League of Indianapolis, among others. He served as the CSI president and vice president, as well as the chapter historian. Our Fran E. Schroeder Architectural Records Collection consists of drawings,  documents, photographs, and ephemera pertaining to his projects and the projects of firms where he worked, from the 1920s-1970s.


From the CSI webpage:
On a hot Wednesday, August 17, 1960, a small group of seven determined individuals met at the Construction League for the expressed purpose of organizing a Chapter of the Construction Specifications Institute of Indianapolis. This team consisted of Charles E. Edmonds, John C. Fleck, John B. Price, Harry I. Reynolds, Fran E. Schroeder, Donald A. Stackhouse, and Charles A. Weaver.


Image: CSI Fifth anniversary awards photograph, February 17, 1966. Fran E. Schroeder Architectural Records Collection, Drawings +  Documents Archive, Archives and Special Collections, Ball State University Archives.

Why are these people so happy?

Is it the dancing ladies in the background, the fancy picnic, or the fact that the Drawings + Documents Archive's blog just exceeded 10,000 page views? It may be a small number for a lot of the blogs out there, but for a niche archive, it feels like a milestone. Thank you for being interested in the Archive and for reading our posts.


Image: Indianapolis Home Show Garden Party, ca. 1934. Schuyler Nolan Landscape Architectural Records Collection, Drawings + Documents Archive, Archives and Special Collections, Ball State University Libraries.