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.

Small House Designs from the Architectural Guild of Indianapolis

The popularity in the United States of mail order house kits and plans from companies such as Sear's, Roebuck and Company, Stickley, and the Aladdin Company prompted architects to create organizations that addressed the need for good design in small, modest houses. These catalogs enabled homeowners to order a house design inexpensively and, in the case of Sear's, one could order the entire house kit which would just need to be put together. It sounds a lot like IKEA shopping, only on a much larger scale.

Architects felt the popularity of mail order house plans encroaching on their profession and considered the house designs produced by these coporations as inferior to those made by trained architects. To address these issues, architects formed organizations that catered to average people who needed to build small houses and couldn't afford the traditional architect's fees. Nationally,the American Institute of Architects (A.I.A.) created the Architects' Small House Service Bureau (ASHSB), which was based in Minneapolis. Locally, we had the Architectural Guild of Indianapolis, which was led by some of the leading architects in the city.

This undated brochure from the early 1940s depicts three Guild designs: "The Cottage Beautiful" by the firm Pierre & Wright, "The Little Homestead" by architects M. Carlton Smith and Virgil C. Hoagland, and "The Ranch House" by architect Frederick Wallick. The ideal convergence of good design and value is stressed on nearly every page.

These houses were likely built in Indianapolis, or in neighboring communities. Do you recognize any of the three houses in your neighborhood?

Images: Three New Guild Homes, ca. 1940. (34-9) Fran E. Schroeder Architectural Records Collection. Drawings + Documents Archive, Archives and Special Collections, Ball State University Libraries.

Indiana State Library + Locavore Architecture

From the Pierre & Wright Architectural Records Collection, we have a wonderful collection of drawings and photographs of the impressive Indiana State Library, which was built while the country faced the Great Depression. In the construction photograph, above, you can see the Indiana State House in the background. The inverted photostat depicts wall shelving units for books with an overhead mural depicting scenes from Indiana's history. Designed by local architects and largely built with local materials, the State Library could be considered a good example of what we might call "locavore architecture" today.

From the Indiana State Library's website:
The General Assembly in 1929 authorized a special levy of two cents spread over three years in the expectation of raising about one million dollars for the cost of site and building. Governor Harry G. Leslie appointed the Building Commission and a site at the corner of Senate Avenue and Ohio Street was acquired in the summer of 1931. An architectural competition was held under the direction of Mr. Arthur Bohn [of Vonnegut & Bohn] of Indianapolis in October, 1931, the jury of award consisting of Mr. Edgerton Swartwout and Mr. Raymond Hood of New York, and Mr. Mitton J. Ferguson of Brooklyn. Pierre and Wright of Indianapolis were the architects selected and plans were ready in March, 1932.

And about local construction materials:
Throughout the construction of the building every effort was made to use Indiana materials. The exterior is of Indiana limestone; on the interior, much use has been made of the Monte Cassina sandstone from St. Meinrad Abbey, and all of the interior woodwork and much of the furniture is of Indiana walnut. With reference to the walnut it is an interesting fact that for the four principal rooms in the first story, the veneers used in each one are from a single tree. The glazed blocks, with which the walls in the stacks and service hails and stairs are faced are an Indiana product.


Images: Indiana State Library construction photograph and photostat, Pierre and Wright Architectural Records Collection, Drawings + Documents Archive, Archives and Special Collections, Ball State University Libraries.

ecoREHAB Event

The ecoREHAB initiative

Date: Friday, June 24, 2011
Time: 3pm-5pm
Starting Location: 601 E. Washington Street, Muncie IN (Southeast corner of E. Washington St & Monroe St., across the street from Cornerstone Center for the Arts, the historic Masonic Temple designed by Cuno Kibele)

Program Description: Learn about the efforts of the ecoREHAB initiative through a presentation of ecoREHAB, its approach to sustainable rehabilitation for affordable housing, and visit 2 ecoREHAB projects. We will start at 601 E Washington Street where an overview of ecoREHAB will be presented. This
house was the 1st project completed by students at Ball State. We will then visit 522 S. Gharkey Street, a project currently under construction.

Following the program, you are invited to join us at a local establishment for some Friday evening refreshments.

Website: http://sncope.iweb.bsu.edu/485final/index.html

More information: The ecoREHAB initiative was established in 2009. Working collaboratively with Ball State University, the City of Muncie’s Department of Community Development and the local non-profit agency ecoREHAB of Muncie, Inc. This outreach program’s aim is to provide leadership in the ecologically sound, green and sustainable rehabilitation of existing and abandoned housing. This initiative benefits not only Ball State students, but also the communities of Muncie in taking steps to achieving the National Goals Towards Sustainable Development in the areas of environmental protection, economic prosperity and social equity.

Communities need resources to aid homeowners, neighborhood groups, and developers and a strategy for re-investment in the existing housing stock and older neighborhoods. These are some of the city’s greatest assets, but they are presently devalued and under-utilized. Affordability has often looked only at rents or first cost but ignore the ongoing costs of maintenance, utilities, and the long term impact on neighborhoods. The perception that costs traditionally associated with rehabbing older homes are higher than new construction leads to a desire for new housing. Yet, “the greenest building is the one that is already built,” and research shows that existing buildings have the potential to be far more energy efficient than commonly assumed. The green movement is creating an ever expanding toolbox of products, materials, and strategies that can be used to address these concerns.

Architecture students in the Mad Men era



As is happening in other college towns in Indiana, Muncie officials voted unanimously this week to ban smoking in restaurants and bars. While Ball State University banned smoking in classrooms a long time ago, we recently discovered this photograph of a 1960s architecture student lighting up during the class lecture. With what we know now about the health hazards of smoking, a scene like this can seem rather surprising! 

We found the image this summer while processing the CAP Images Collection, which illustrates the exciting history of the College of Architecture and Planning from its inception in the 1960s. 

Image: Student smoking in class, 1960s, CAP Images Collection, Drawings + Documents Archive, Archives and Special Collections, Ball State University Libraries.

Indiana Humanities and Indiana Landmarks award nearly $20,000 to 11 organizations for architectural guides, cultural experiences and more

INDIANAPOLIS (June 7, 2011)-Indiana Humanities and Indiana Landmarks have awarded grants of up to $2,000 to 11 nonprofit organizations. Grants were awarded to organizations across Indiana, from South Bend to Evansville. The grants will enable a variety of projects including a guide to sites of importance in South Bend's African American Civil Rights history, walking tour brochures for historic districts in Greencastle, New Albany and South Bend, and a four-day Native American Miami language and culture experience for children.

Indiana Humanities and Indiana Landmarks have each provided at least $10,000 annually to the program for more than 15 years.

2011 Historic Preservation Education Grantees are:

* Indianapolis Fire Station 32 Brochure; Broad Ripple Alliance for Progress, Indianapolis
* The Monon Depot: We're Still Here; Carmel Clay Historical Society, Carmel
* Washington Avenue Educational Brochure; Department of Metropolitan Development, City of Evansville, Evansville
* East Spring Street Historic District - Midtown Walking Tour Brochure; Develop New Albany, Inc., New Albany
* Then and Now: A Downtown South Bend Architecture Walking Tour; Downtown South Bend, Inc., South Bend
* Farmland Historic District Preservation Design Guidelines; Farmland Historic Preservation Commission, Farmland
* Greencastle Historic Districts Walking Tour Brochures; Heritage Preservation Society of Putnam County, Greencastle
* Indiana Lincoln Highway Interpretive Driving Guide; Indiana Lincoln Highway Association, South Bend
* South Bend African American Civil Rights Landmarks Tour; Indiana University, South Bend
* Architectural Tour of Historic Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College; Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods
* Kiikiionka Eewansaapita - Fort Wayne Language and Culture Experience; Whitley County Historical Society, Columbia City

Indiana Humanities provides two annual grant programs: Historic Preservation Education Grants, in partnership with Indiana Landmarks, which supports educational projects related to historic structures; and Humanities Initiative Grants, given to nonprofit organizations to conduct public programs emphasizing the humanities. Humanities Initiative Grants are awarded twice a year-the next deadline is Aug. 1.

Congratulations to all of this year's grant recipients!

World's Columbian Exposition Photographs Online

The Drawings and Documents Archive is pleased to announce the digitization of White City (as it was) and Jackson’s Famous Pictures of the World’s Fair two books of plates from official images taken by William Henry Jackson for the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition and produced by the White City Art Company. The collection of images is located in Ball State University Libraries' Digital Media Repository.

Also known as the Chicago World’s Fair, the event came to be considered as a defining moment for the youthful city in terms of exhibiting ambition, technology and, perhaps most importantly, architecture. Named the White City due to its prevalence of classical architecture made with white stucco and the effects of extensive electrical street lighting along the boulevards, the exposition brilliantly displayed the talents of the nation’s top architects and landscape architects. The one architect who strayed from the predominant Beaux-Arts style was Louis Sullivan, who designed the golden-hued Transportation Building depicted in the image above. Devoid of classical ornamentation, the building stood alone as an example of forward-thinking architecture at the fair.

William Henry Jackson, a photographer famous for capturing westward American expansion, was hired to create the official set of images for the Exposition. He treated the broad expanses of the lagoon, boulevards, and the midway much the same way he photographed the open environs of the American west. Most of the images were taken before the crowds arrived, and therefore, do not reflect the popularity of the exposition, which attracted over twenty-seven million visitors.

Images: Transportation Building and Art Palace exterior views, White City (as it was) and Jackson's Famous Pictures, (DOC 2010.001), Drawings + Documents Archive, Archives and Special Collections, Ball State University Libraries.

Westside Park, Muncie

Photographs of Westside Park, a municipal park in Muncie, Indiana, from Cuno Kibele's personal scrapbook, ca. 1910s, not long after the park was created. According to the city's website, the park's "historical roots go back to the development of a terminus for the trolley line during the early 1900's. Situated along the banks of the White River, the terrain slopes toward the river and is covered with many mature trees."

The suspension bridge and water park, featured prominently in the photos, are not extant.

Images: Cuno Kibele scrapbook, ca. 1910. Kibele and Garrard Architectiral Records Collection, Drawings + Documents Archive, Archives and Special Collections, Ball State University Libraries.

Green Roof Mortarboards

Ball State University is known for its innovative green designs, such as the nation's largest closed geothermal system. Here, in an undated photo circa 1990, are College of Architecture and Planning students wearing green roof mortarboards at graduation.

To all of this year's CAP graduates, congratulations!

Image: Graduation photograph, ca. 1990. College of Architecture and Planning Collection, Drawing + Documents Archive, Archives and Special Collections, Ball State University Libraries.

World Leisure Environments Symposium, 1975

In April 1975, the College of Architecture and Planning hosted the World Leisure Environments Symposium. Among the many discussions and lectures held over two days were The Environmental Psychology of Urban Leisure by Dr. David Canter, The Hotel as Part of the Landscape by Knud Friis, and Club Méditerranée's Philosophy and Organization as it Relates to its Physical Facilities by Linda Kundell.

The Archive is currently digitizing audio cassettes from the symposium, as well as other guest lectures from the 1960s-1990s. We just recently received these images of the event, the one above depicts the building's entrance decorated with cars, hang glider, and a banner, and the second picture, below, was taken around the corner and shows two horses with their riders near the building.

Images: World Leisure Environments Symposium, 1975. College of Architecture and Planning Collection, Drawings + Documents Archive, Archives and Special Collections, Ball State University Libraries.

Summer Hours

The Archive is open during the summer by appointment. Call 765-285-8441 or email the Archive to schedule an appointment.

Image: National Concrete Masonry Association's Pictorial, 1962. Trade Catalog Collection, Drawings + Documents Archive, Archives and Special Collections, Ball State University Libraries.

"Disappearing Muncie" appears in the paper

Check out today's article in the Muncie Star Press on our exhibit Disappearing Muncie: Our Lost Heritage. The exhibit is a collaborative project between Archives & Special Collections and Drawings and Document Archives, and includes architectural drawings, photographs and ephemera from both collections.

Visit the online article: http://bit.ly/lZmlBF

Downtown Muncie and the Courthouse Square, 1967

Prof. David Hermansen, founder of the Historic Preservation program at Ball State University, took these downtown Muncie photographs in the summer of 1967. Earlier in the year, the city tore down its courthouse that had been built in the 1880s. Other historic buildings had already been destroyed or would be soon.

The photos above are taken from the crater left by the courthouse. You can see the railing that surrounded the perimeter of the courthouse square. The building in the top right photograph is the Wysor Building, which was later torn down.

Built in 1904 by architect Cuno Kibele, the Wysor Building was razed in 1986 after a fire damaged the structure. The archive has drawings, photographs and building specifications in its Kibele and Garrard Architectural Records Collection. Note the interurban tracks in the street between the Wysor Building and the courthouse in the photograph below.

Images: Downtown Muncie photographs, 1967, (DOC 86.005) Documentation Collection, Drawings + Documents Archive, Archives and Special Collections, Ball State University Libraries.
Wysor Building, ca. 1904, (7-04.001) Kibele & Garrard Architectural Records Collection, Drawings + Documents Archive, Archives and Special Collections, Ball State University Libraries.