Radford Architectural Company Collection, c.1903

  • IdentificationPUBLIC "-//The Art Institute of Chicago::Ryerson and Burnham Art and Architecture Archives//TEXT(US::ICA::1994.6::RADFORD ARCHITECTURAL COMPANY COLLECTION, c.1903//EN" "ica199406.xml"
  • TitleRadford Architectural Company Collection, c.1903
  • PublisherArt Institute of Chicago Archives, Research Center, The Art Institute of Chicago,
  • Language
    • English.
    • English
  • Datec.1903
  • Physical Description
    • 1 oversize portfolio and flatfile materials
    • Architectural reprographic prints.
  • RepositoryRyerson and Burnham Art and Architecture Archives, The Art Institute of Chicago 111 S. Michigan Ave. Chicago, IL 60603-6110 archives@artic.edu https://www.artic.edu/archival-collections
  • AbstractThe Radford Architectural Company designed affordable residential and commercial architecture. The blueprints and specifications in this collection include house numbers 6560L, 6632L, 6537L, 6605L, 6542L (all for Armstrong Lumber Company), and 504, a three- bedroom, two-story house published in The Radford American Homes. Riverside, IL: Radford Architectural Company, 1903, pages 150-151.
  • OriginationRadford Architectural Company.
  • LocationThe collection is housed in the Art Institute of Chicago Archives’ on-site stacks.

The Radford Architectural Company, based in Chicago, provided plans for residential and commercial buildings to the American public. Their architects and designers created hundreds of options at various levels of affordability for families and entrepreneurs wishing to build an attractive structure without having to pay an architect's commission. The company published catalogues detailing the floor plans, showing finished renderings and presenting estimated building costs for each building design.

The blueprints and specifications in this collection include house numbers 6560L, 6632L, 6537L, 6605L, 6542L (all for Armstrong Lumber Company), and 504, a three- bedroom, two-story house published in The Radford American Homes. Riverside, IL: Radford Architectural Company, 1903, pages 150-151.

  • Names
    • Radford Architectural Company.
    • Radford Architectural Company--Archives.
    • Armstrong Lumber Company.
  • Subject
    • Architecture, Domestic--United States--History--Sources.
    • Architecture, Domestic--Designs and plans--History--Sources.

This collection may be accessed by users in the Reading Room of the Ryerson and Burnham Libraries at The Art Institute of Chicago. Collections maintained on-site are available for patron use without prior arrangement or appointment. Collections maintained in off-site storage will be retrieved with advance notification; please consult the Archivist for the current retrieval schedule. For further information, consult https://www.artic.edu/archival-collections/contact-usage-and-faq.

The Art Institute of Chicago is providing access to the materials in the Archives’ collections solely for noncommercial educational and research purposes. The unauthorized use, including, but not limited to, publication of the materials without the prior written permission of the Art Institute is strictly prohibited. All inquiries regarding permission to publish should be submitted in writing to the Director, Art Institute of Chicago Archives. In addition to permission from the Art Institute, permission of the copyright owner (if not the Art Institute) and/or any holder of other rights (such as publicity and/or privacy rights) may also be required for reproduction, publication, distribution, and other uses. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of any item and securing any necessary permissions rests with the persons desiring to publish the item. The Art Institute makes no warranties as to the accuracy of the materials or their fitness for a particular purpose.

Radford Architectural Company Collection, Ryerson and Burnham Art and Architecture Archives, The Art Institute of Chicago.

The materials related to house 504 were donated to the Ryerson and Burnham Archives in 1994 by Ms. Janet S. Bartow, who found the materials among her family's papers on Long Island, NY. The remainder of the collection was purchased by the Ryerson and Burnham Libraries in 2004.

The collection was processed by the staff of the Ryerson and Burnham Archives in 1996. This finding aid was revised and expanded by Annemarie van Roessel in 2002 and Nathaniel Parks in 2008.