Prairie School Press Archives, 1887-1991

In 1961, Wilbert Hasbrouck and wife Marilyn Hasbrouck established the Prairie School Press and the Prairie Avenue Bookshop, located in Chicago, Illinois. These endeavors sought to publish and distribute important but out-of-print architecture sources on or by the Chicago School, Prairie School, Organic, and other Midwestern architects and designers of the same aesthetic. The Prairie School Press published facsimile editions of numerous titles, including Louis Sullivan's A System of Architectural Ornament According with a Philosophy of Man's Powers, Frank Lloyd Wright's Ausgeführte Bauten und Entwürfe (widely known as the Wasmuth Portfolio), and The House Beautiful, by William C. Gannett and illustrated by Frank Lloyd Wright.

In addition to facsimile editions, the Prairie School Press also issued important original scholarly works on many previously unstudied Prairie architects and artists such as Walter Burley Griffin, Alfonso Iannelli, George W. Maher, and Purcell and Elmslie. Other original Prairie School Press publications include monographs on H.H. Richardson, John Wellborn Root, Frank Lloyd Wright, and the 1966 Historic American Buildings Survey. The Hasbroucks' journal, The Prairie School Review, was the only independently-run architectural journal in the nation at its time. Published from 1964 to 1981, it featured illustrated articles on various Prairie School architects and projects, reviews of current publications, and preservation news.

Wilbert Hasbrouck was born in 1931 in Mapleton, Iowa. After receiving an architectural engineering degree from Iowa State College in 1954, Hasbrouck began working for the Illinois Central Railroad where he would stay until 1968. In 1970, Hasbrouck established his own architectural practice in Chicago, where he served as the executive director of both the Chicago Chapter and the Illinois Council of the American Institute of Architects from 1968 through 1975. By 1975 Hasbrouck had developed an expertise in historic preservation and became known as one of the pioneers in the field. His work on the restoration of landmark buildings by such architects as Louis Sullivan, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Burnham & Root has received numerous preservation awards. In 1986, he was named Preservationist of the Year by the Chicago Coordinating Council for Landmarks Preservation. The Hasbroucks continue to run the Prairie Avenue Bookshop currently located in Chicago's Loop district.

This archive, consisting of six series, contains published and unpublished manuscripts, correspondence with authors and architects, photographs, negatives, research notes, business papers, and production files, most relating to the publications and operation of the Prairie School Press and the Prairie Avenue Bookshop. Perhaps the most notable highlight of this archive are the roughly 1800 black and white and color photographs, many unpublished even in the Prairie School Review, which extensively document extant, demolished, and unbuilt Prairie School structures, projects, sculpture, and furnishings throughout the United States and, to a lesser degree, abroad. Though predominantly consisting of exterior built views, a moderate amount of interior views may also be found among these images, along with a modicum of plans, renderings, and construction views. While a variety of Chicago and Prairie School architects, both celebrated and obscure, are found in these visual records, those represented most abundantly include Barry Byrne, Walter Burley Griffin, John Van Bergen, and Frank Lloyd Wright. These photographs are distributed throughout the archive, but are concentrated in Series I and Series IV. The remainder of Series I, Prairie School Review Manuscript Files, contains typescript and manuscript drafts of articles, editorials, and book reviews submitted for publication in the Prairie School Review, as well as copious ancillary materials such as photographs, correspondence, and printed matter. Much of this material remains unpublished to this day.

The second series, Correspondence, is comprised of letters relating to architectural research and preservation efforts, Prairie School Press publication critiques, professional organizations, and the business operations of both the Press and the Prairie Avenue Bookshop, as well as a small portion of photographic and printed material as original attachments. Notable highlights, though of a modest volume, are originals and reproductions of letters to, from and regarding distinguished architects, architectural historians, and photographers such as Reyner Banham, Barry Byrne, Carl Condit, Allan Gelbin, Bruce Goff, Philip C. Johnson, Richard Nickel, Lawrence Perkins, William Gray Purcell, Homer Grant Sailor, Benjamin Weese, Frank Lloyd Wright (see Series IV), and L. Morgan Yost. Hasbrouck also corresponded with the descendants and spouses of architects and property owners such as Alan M. Drummond (son of William Drummond), Paul Guenzel (son of Louis Guenzel), Catherine Wright Baxter, Olgivanna Lloyd Wright, John Lloyd Wright, and the daughter of William H. Winslow (of Wright's Winslow Residence, River Forest, IL).

Series III, the Wilbert and Marilyn Hasbrouck Papers, is the only series to encompass materials unrelated to the business of the Prairie School Press. Manuscripts, correspondence, candid photographs, event memorabilia, and miscellaneous printed matter relating to Wilbert and Marilyn Hasbrouck's scholarly endeavors and personal interests make up the bulk of this series. Also included are papers regarding the genesis and history of the Prairie School Press.

Research Files, Series IV, is very similar in composition to Series I, Prairie School Review Manuscript Files, with the exception that these files do not relate to specific articles or publications of the Press, but rather are the result of a filing system devised by the Hasbroucks to organize subject-similar materials. As with Series I, the photographs, correspondence, manuscripts, and printed matter in Series IV document a variety of both renowned and unsung Chicago and Prairie School architects, their designs, and primarily, their built work. A good portion of the photographs described above reside in this series.

Series V, Business and Financial Papers, is comprised of legal documents such as certificates of incorporation and copyright claims, promotional matter and advertisements, financial records such as invoices, bills and expense ledgers, subscription data, blank letterhead and documents regarding a proposed 1985 expansion of the Prairie Avenue Bookshop into the Kansas City, Missouri, market.

Series VI, Production files, and Series VII, Negatives, are both restricted series. The former consists of layout boards and film negatives used in the production of the Prairie School Review as well as several Prairie School Press monographs, while the latter contains original negatives for many prints located elsewhere in the archive.

SERIES I: PRAIRIE SCHOOL REVIEW MANUSCRIPT FILES. Materials are first separated into three subseries: articles, book reviews, and miscellaneous writings. Articles, which constitute the majority of the series, are further arranged alphabetically according to author, then medium and finally, either by project name (photographs and drawings) or by date (manuscripts, correspondence, and printed matter). Book reviews and miscellaneous writings are arranged strictly chronologically.

SERIES II: CORRESPONDENCE. Materials are first separated into three subseries: general correspondence, letters to the editor, and unidentified correspondence. Subseries are organized alphabetically by author of letter, or recipient if author is unknown.

SERIES III: WILBERT AND MARILYN HASBROUCK PAPERS. Materials are first separated into five subseries: history of Prairie School Press, conference and event memorabilia, manuscripts, correspondence, photographs, and printed matter. Subseries are arranged chronologically.

SERIES IV: RESEARCH FILES. Materials are arranged alphabetically by subject. Most subject headings are geographic or proper names (may be cities, states, countries, individuals, or firms). Further organization is according to medium and then and by either project name (photographs and drawings) or by date (manuscripts, correspondence, and printed matter).

SERIES V: BUSINESS AND FINANCIAL PAPERS. Materials are first separated into six subseries: legal documents, advertising and promotion, financial documents, orders and subscriptions, Prairie Avenue Bookshop expansion, and miscellany. Subseries are arranged chronologically.

SERIES VI: PRODUCTION FILES. Materials are separated into Prairie School Review and other Prairie School Press publications subseries, then arranged chronologically according to date of original publication.

SERIES VII: NEGATIVES As this series is comprised of the original negatives of prints found throughout this entire archive, the arrangement of the materials in this series mirrors that of the series arrangement as a whole (i.e. negatives for prints in Series I, followed by Series II, the Series III, etc.).

• Names
  • Prairie School Press.
  • Prairie School Press--Archives.
  • Prairie School Review--Archives.
  • Hasbrouck, Marilyn Whittlesley.
  • Hasbrouck, Wilbert R., 1931-
  • Adler and Sullivan.
  • Beman, S. S. (Solon Spencer), 1853-1914.
  • Bock, Richard W., 1865-1949.
  • Burnham and Root.
  • Byrne, Francis Barry, 1883-1967.
  • Drummond, William, 1876-1946.
  • Elmslie, George Grant, 1871-1952.
  • Griffin, Marion Mahony, 1871-1962.
  • Griffin, Walter Burley, 1876-1937.
  • Iannelli, Alfonso, 1888-1965.
  • Jenney, William Le Baron, 1832-1907.
  • Maher, George Washington, 1864-1926.
  • Purcell, William Gray, 1880-1965.
  • Roberts, E.E. (Eben Ezra), 1866-1943.
  • Sullivan, Louis H., 1856-1924.
  • Van Bergen, John, 1885-1969.
  • Wright, Frank Lloyd, 1867-1959.
• Subject
  • Prairie School (architecture)
  • Architecture--Illinois.
  • Architecture--Illinois--Chicago.
  • Architecture--Middle West.
  • Arts and Crafts Movement.
  • Chicago School of Architecture (movement)
  • Organic Architecture.
  • Small presses--Illinois--Chicago--History--Sources.

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Dankmar Adler papers, 1952.2.

Solon S. Beman and Spencer S. Beman collection, 2001.6.

Daniel H. Burnham collection, 1943.1.

Francis Barry Byrne collection, 1992.4.

Dana/Thomas House Restoration: plans and documents, 1995.2.

First National Bank of Dwight collection, 1969.1.

Allan J. Gelbin papers, 1995.6.

Bruce Goff archive, 1990.1.

Griffins in Australia collection, 2001.4.

Herbert and Katherine Jacobs-Frank Lloyd Wright collection, 1977.1.

Historic Architecture and Landscape Image collection, 00.20.

Magic of America, 1949.1.

Homer Grant Sailor papers, 1972.1.

Schmidt, Garden and Martin records, 00.17.

Sullivaniana collection, 1931.1.

Thomas Eddy Tallmadge collection, 00.11.

John S. Van Bergen collection, 1998.2.

Arthur Woltersdorf collection, 1997.5.

Frank Lloyd Wright in Michigan collection, 1995.5.

Wrightiana collection, 2001.3.

Yost and Taylor collection, 1991.1.

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.

Prairie School Press Archives, Ryerson and Burnham Art and Architecture Archives, The Art Institute of Chicago.

The majority of this archive was a gift from Wilbert R. and Marilyn Whittlesey Hasbrouck to the Ryerson and Burnham Archives in 1992. Additional materials were donated in 2013.

This collection was processed by Ryerson and Burnham Archives staff in 1998. The collection was re-processed and this finding aid was revised and expanded by Nathaniel Parks in 2003 and Jessica Heim in 2016.

Restricted items in Series VII may have photographic print surrogates available, as noted in the series inventories.