Christopher John Chamales (1907-1993) Papers, 1919-1987

Christopher John Chamales was born November 11, 1907 in Chicago. Following his studies at the Armour Institute in Chicago, Illinois and the Fontainebleau School of Fine Arts in France, Chamales finished his architectural education at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), graduating with his BS and MA in 1931. During his time at MIT, he was awarded the Fontainebleau Prize in 1930 and a traveling fellowship after graduation. Around his travels, Chamales worked in Chicago for architects Burnham and Hammond (1931-1932) and for industrial designer Raymond Loewy (1934). He then worked for the Chicago architecture firms Holabird and Root (1935-1936) and Skidmore and Owings (1937). After being awarded the commission to design the master plan for Athens, Greece and its port, Piraeus, Chamales went to Cranbrook Academy (1939-1941) to study city planning with Eliel Saarinen. Following four years of service in the Air Corps during World War II, Chamales returned to Chicago and established his own firm in 1945. He is best known for designing churches and commercial structures in the Chicago area and for plans for the post-World War II suburbs. Chamales died in Chicago in 1993.

This collection, consisting of eight series, contains project files, business papers, professional and personal correspondence, personal papers, diaries and appointment books, photographs, slides, and negatives, most relating to the architectural education and projects and city planning of Christopher John Chamales. Although the majority of his work was in Chicago and its suburbs, there is documentation of projects in other states and internationally.

Series I, Project Files, documents Chamales's architectural career through built and unbuilt work. Files may include correspondence, including letters, memoranda and notes; financial papers; general contracts and bids; specifications; product brochures and price lists; publicity material and/or newspaper and magazine clippings; and drawings.

Series II, Business Papers, chronicles Chamales's career and architectural office. They consist of professional biographical information and certifications; firm brochures, forms, letterhead, business cards, and office equipment; material on consultants, vendors and employees; financial and legal papers; material relating to and produced by professional organizations and documenting their activity; and other miscellaneous brochures or clippings related to Chamales's professional life.

Series III, Correspondence, is divided into business and personal groups. Business correspondence covers all professional communication not directly related to a project. Likewise, personal correspondence contains all personal communication not related to a project or professional matter.

Series IV, Personal Papers, includes material from clubs, organizations and educational institutions Chamales attended; personal documents; family papers; and information on Chamales's hobbies and other areas of personal interest.

Series V, Diaries, contains diaries and appointment books kept by Chamales from 1945 to 1981. They list both professional and personal appointments as well as Chamales's personal notes and thoughts on any given day.

Series VI and VII, Photographs and Slides, respectively, are comprised of black and white and color images of Chamales's student and professional work, work by other architects, and personal images from throughout his life.

Series VIII, Negatives, is a restricted series. The majority of negatives includes those that Chamales took and filed for himself. Although they are predominately of Chamales's own architectural and planning projects, there are also images of work by other architects and personal scenes. All negatives have been scanned and prints can be found in Series VI, Photographs.

SERIES I: PROJECT FILES. Project files are arranged alphabetically by location; multiple projects in the same location are subsequently listed alphabetically. Projects for which a location is unknown are listed alphabetically at the end of the series.

SERIES II: BUSINESS PAPERS. Business Papers have been grouped by content type and are in the following order: biography, brochures, consultants/vendors, employees, financial papers, forms/letterhead/business cards, legal papers, office equipment, professional activities, professional practice literature, registrations/licenses, and miscellaneous, which contains brochures and newspaper clippings.

SERIES III: CORRESPONDENCE. Divided into business and personal subseries, both are arranged alphabetically by correspondent's last name or by affiliation, such as firm name, university, or professional organization. Letters with unidentifiable correspondents are filed chronologically at the end of each subseries.

SERIES IV: PERSONAL PAPERS. Materials have been grouped by type of content and are in the following order: clubs/organizations/educational institutions, documents, family papers, personal interest, and miscellaneous.

SERIES V: DIARIES. Diaries and appointment books are arranged chronologically.

SERIES VI: PHOTOGRAPHS. Photographs have been divided into five categories. Images of projects by Chamales are arranged alphabetically by city. Projects by Chamales without a known location are organized alphabetically by project name. Following work by Chamales is work by other architects, arranged alphabetically by location. Personal photographs have been divided into two groups: places and people. Both are arranged chronologically. Miscellaneous photographs fall at the end of the series.

SERIES VII: SLIDES. Slides have been divided into three categories. Images of projects by Chamales are arranged alphabetically by city. Following work by Chamales is work by others, arranged alphabetically by location. Unidentified slides fall at the end of the series.

SERIES VIII: NEGATIVES. The majority of the negatives are arranged in system devised by Chamales himself. Projects are first, designated with a D number and follow a rough chronology of his career. Next are images with a P number, which are more personal. Finally, his A numbers are a mix of work by others and his own projects. Any negatives not catalogued in this system are arranged alphabetically by location or name at the end of the series.

• Names
  • Chamales, Christopher John, 1907-1993
  • Chamales, Christopher John, 1907-1993--Archives.
  • Cranbrook Academy of Art.
  • Holabird And Root, (1928-1945)
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
  • Milles, Carl, 1875-1955.
  • Saarinen, Eliel, 1873-1950.
  • Skidmore and Owings.
• Subject
  • Architecture--United States--20th century.
  • City planning--Greece--Athens.
  • City planning--Greece--Piraeus.
  • City planning--Illinois.

AIC

BOX.FF

BPAA

c.

Flatf.

FSSC

MIT

n.d.

OP

Port.

RT

Other architectural drawings by Christopher John Chamales are held in the permanent collection of the Department of Architecture at The Art Institute of Chicago.

Portions of this collection are restricted; wherever possible, surrogate copies are provided for patron use, as noted in the series listings. The remainder of 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.

Christopher John Chamales Papers, Ryerson and Burnham Art and Architecture Archives, The Art Institute of Chicago.

The collection was a gift from Mrs. Margaret Goehst Chamales to the Ryerson and Burnham Archives in 1994. Additional materials were added to the collection in 2011.

This collection was processed by Natasha Derrickson and other Ryerson and Burnham Archives staff from 2002 through 2004.

New materials may be added to this collection on an irregular basis.

Some photographs have existing digital files, as indicated on the object. Copies of these images may be ordered through the Ryerson and Burnham Archives.