C. William Brubaker Papers, 1948-1999

Charles William "Bill" Brubaker was born September 28, 1926 in South Bend, Indiana. After briefly studying chemistry at Purdue University, Brubaker was drafted into the United States Navy in 1945. During his convalescence from rheumatic fever, contracted while serving in World War II, Brubaker became interested in architecture. He ultimately completed his undergraduate education at the University of Texas at Austin, where he received a Bachelor's degree in architecture in 1950. From 1947-1950, he spent summers in Chicago interning at the Perkins & Will firm, after which he was hired permanently. Brubaker became partner at Perkins & Will in 1958, served as President from 1968-1974, and retired in 1998. While Brubaker designed a number of commercial projects for Perkins & Will, including the First National Bank of Chicago, he was best known for his school designs. He authored many works on the topic of both school design and urban planning and received numerous civic and professional awards. He was elected to the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Architects in 1968. Brubaker died in Evanston, Illinois in 2002.

The professional papers of Charles William Brubaker consist of 2 portfolios and 30 linear feet of sketchbooks, architectural drawings, photographic material, correspondence, manuscripts, handwritten notes, and printed materials from dates 1948 [1963-1989] 1999. The collection's most comprehensive material focuses on Brubaker's many school design projects. The collection has been divided into six series as follows:

Series I, Project Papers, is the most substantial series in the collection and documents Brubaker's school and commercial projects both in Chicago and around the world as partner at Perkins & Will. Constituting the majority of these records are spiral-bound sketchbooks containing Brubaker's original notes, sketches, and architectural drawings. Also included are correspondence, printed materials, typescript, photographic material, and photocopies related to each project. General study and conference session topics are also documented within these sketchbooks.

Series II, Photographs, contains black and white and color photographic prints, black and white and color negatives, Photostats, and accompanying printed materials, the majority of which relate to Brubaker's school and commercial projects. Note that many are photographs of architectural drawings. Only a small portion of this series relates to photographs of Brubaker's personal life. The negatives are restricted to users.

Series III, Slides, contains 35mm black and white and color slides related mostly to Brubaker's school and commercial projects. A separate subseries documents presentations organized by Brubaker and presented at various conferences and meetings. Also included are notes and papers that accompany the slides and slide presentations.

Series IV, Writings, includes materials related to two unpublished manuscripts, Next Larger Dimension and Planning Flexible Learning Spaces, authored by Brubaker. A mix of correspondence, clippings, printed materials, typescript, manuscript, architectural drawings, photographs, and Photostats constitute the series.

Series V, Office Papers, consists of meeting notes, publications, and correspondence related to the operations of the Perkins & Will architectural firm.

Series VI, Personal Papers, contains personal-related material including correspondence with Brubaker's son and father, as well as various printed materials.

Series I: PROJECT PAPERS. Arranged first into four subseries: School Projects, Chicago Projects, Non-School Projects, and Urban Planning; named projects are organized alphabetically by state, city, and project; general and unidentified projects are organized alphabetically by project title and/or chronologically. School Projects is further divided into Chicago/Regional Schools, Elementary/High Schools, Universities and Colleges, QSpace Project, Surplus Schools, and Miscellaneous. Chicago Projects is further divided into Bicentennial Celebrations, City and Regional Planning/Development, First National Bank, Preservation, Stadium, Transit, and Clippings. Non-School Projects is further divided into Midwest Region, Other Regions, Energy, Transit, and Miscellaneous. Finally, Urban Planning is further divided into Proposals, Conference Notes, American Institute of Architects (AIA), and Printed Material.

Series II. PHOTOGRAPHS. Arranged first into five subseries: School Projects, Non-School Projects, Other Architects' Projects, Personal, and Negatives. School Projects is further divided into Elementary/High Schools, Universities and Colleges, Unidentified, and Miscellaneous. All named projects are organized alphabetically by state, city, and project title. Miscellaneous and unidentified projects are organized alphabetically by project title and/or chronologically. Note that negatives are restricted to users.

Series III. SLIDES. Arranged first into three subseries: School Projects, Non-School Projects, and Presentations. School Projects is further divided into Elementary/High Schools, Universities and Colleges, and Accompanying Papers. Named projects are organized alphabetically by state, city, and project with United States projects listed first. Miscellaneous and unidentified projects are organized alphabetically by project title and/or chronologically.

Series IV. WRITINGS. Arranged into two subseries: Next Larger Dimension and Planning Flexible Learning Spaces. Next Larger Dimension is further divided into Correspondence, organized chronologically; Research; Drafts; Completed Chapters; and Manuscript; all of which are organized alphabetically by title or assigned chapter number. Planning Flexible Learning Spaces further divided into Research/Draft and Illustrations, organized alphabetically by title or assigned chapter number.

Series V. OFFICE PAPERS. Arranged into three subseries: Meeting Notes, organized alphabetically by group then chronologically; Publications, organized chronologically; and Correspondence, organized chronologically.

Series VI. PERSONAL PAPERS. Arranged into two subseries: Correspondence, filed first alphabetically by correspondent, then chronologically; and Printed Materials, organized chronologically.

• Names
  • Brubaker, C. William.
  • Perkins & Will.
• Subject
  • Architecture--Study and teaching--United States--History--Sources.
  • Architecture--United States--20th century--Sources.
  • Architects--United States--Archives.
  • University of Texas at Austin.

AIA

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Chicago Architects Oral History Collection.

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.

C. William Brubaker Papers, Ryerson and Burnham Art and Architecture Archives, The Art Institute of Chicago.

This collection was donated in 2007 by Elizabeth Brubaker, C. William Brubaker's wife.

This collection was processed by Kim Krueger and Dana M. Lamparello in 2008.