On the trail of architectural drawings
Did you know that expansion planning began as early as 1908, years before initial museum construction started? The archives has recently accessioned the museum's historical architectural drawings. Original pencil sketches on tissue of beautiful Tiffany light fixtures highlight the care with which the 1916 interior was designed. The ingenious lighting system designed by a committee headed by the director of General Electric’s Nela research laboratory can be seen in the drawings of louvers and skylights. The original planting plan for the Fine Arts Garden designed by the Olmsted Brothers firm lists every tree, shrub, and flower.
All told, about 7,500 blueprints and drawings cover all the major construction and renovation projects. We soon found that they are constantly in demand by the architects and contractors involved in our current renovation project. In order to locate drawings quickly we are in the process of indexing them. Nearly 2,000 have been completed. Not only can we now find the drawings, but we’re learning a great deal about architectural design and the nuances of structural steel and poured concrete.
We expect archives participation to continue throughout construction. When renovation of the 1916 building is complete, the architectural drawings will be housed on the mezzanine level where the archives office was formerly located. The space will also include study tables for large-format records.