Monday, August 20, 2012

Welcome Back!

We're so glad to see the students and faculty returning to the hallways of the CAP building today, the first day of classes. To welcome everyone back the Architecture Library, Visual Resources Collection, and the Drawings and Documents Archive are all hosting open houses for students today from 11 am to 1 pm. We're hosting an open house targeted toward the research needs of graduate students on Thursday from 11 am-1 pm. Join us for exhibits and light refreshments as you embark upon your academic year!

If you're unable to join us, enjoy a few images of CAP students and faculty that are part of our CAP Images Collection. If you are alumni, look closely as you may recognize a few familiar faces.




Thursday, August 9, 2012

Moveable Feast: Give to Grow, Grow to Give


Getting fresh produce into the hands of people who live in what we today refer to as "food deserts," apparently isn't a new problem. These drawings made in 1920 by Indianapolis architect Edward Pierre for Servu Stores Corporation show how he designed for the problems intrinsic to a travelling grocery store: sloped shelving that can be moved, cold storage, aisles for shopping, and a place for the cash register. It's not known if these vehicles ever hit the streets in 1920, but ones like it today are experiencing tremendous success.

An example of a modern-day version of Pierre's motor market is Chicago's Fresh Moves, which began in 2011. With a donated Chicago Transit Authority bus and design assistance from Architecture for Humanity, the Fresh Moves grocery store on wheels brings healthy food into local communities that need it.

To see the above drawing as well as plans for the motor market transportation routes in Indiana, visit our online Pierre & Wright Collection.


Image: Details of Motor Market for Servu Stores Corporation, 1920. Pierre & Wright Architectural Records, Drawings + Documents Archive, Archives and Special Collections, Ball State University Libraries.