Burnham Library-University of Illinois Project to Microfilm Architectural Documentation Records, 1950-1952

  • IdentificationPUBLIC "-//The Art Institute of Chicago::Ryerson and Burnham Art and Architecture Archives//TEXT(US::ICA::1952.1::BURNHAM LIBRARY-UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS PROJECT TO MICROFILM ARCHITECTURAL DOCUMENTATION RECORDS, 1950-1952)//EN)" "ica195201.xml"
  • TitleBurnham Library-University of Illinois Project to Microfilm Architectural Documentation Records, 1950-1952
  • PublisherArt Institute of Chicago Archives, Research Center, The Art Institute of Chicago,
  • Language
    • English.
    • English
  • Date1950-1952
  • Physical Description
    • 0.2 linear feet (1 box)
    • Bound daybooks.
  • 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
  • AbstractDaybooks document the activities of the Burnham Library Microfilming Project, a joint venture of The Art Institute of Chicago and the University of Illinois to record the drawings of noted Chicago architects including David Adler, D.H. Burnham, William LeBaron Jenney and Co., and Louis Sullivan.
  • OriginationReplinger, John G. Winteroud, George C.
  • LocationThe collection is housed in the Art Institute of Chicago Archives’ on-site stacks.

In the early 1950s, the Burnham Library of The Art Institute of Chicago and the University of Illinois co-sponsored a project to microfilm architectural drawings by Chicago architects or of Chicago buildings. Drawings were borrowed from architectural firms and building owners or managers. In the two years of concentrated activity, from September 1950 to August 1952, approximately 11,000 drawings representing over five hundred projects by sixty architects were filmed, as well as some photographs and written records. Among the architects represented are Adler and Sullivan; Burnham and Root, and subsequently D.H. Burnham and Co; Holabird and Roche; William LeBaron Jenney and Jenney and Mundie; S.S. Beman; Walter Burley and Marion Mahony Griffin; and Schmidt, Garden and Martin.

The two daybooks were kept by the Executive Associates, John G. Replinger, in 1950-1951 and by George C. Winteroud in 1951-1952. Most of the entries record the daily process of the microfilming project--including the selection, repair, and transportation of drawings--and the editing of the film. However, the Executive Associates also carefully documented the interviews they conducted during the process. Thus, conversations with George Elgh, chief draftsman at Burnham and Hammond; George B. Eich, an engineer who worked in the offices of Howard van Doren Shaw and David Adler; George Grant Elmslie, at age eighty; and Richard E. Schmidt, at age eighty-five provide unique insights into the activities and motivations of these master architects. The appended name index to the daybooks only records the more important or interesting comments about architects and buildings. It does not cite every appearance of a name if the reference is only to a meeting, phone call, letter, etc., and lacking additional information. Citations to individual buildings have been located at the architects' names. Additionally, two indexes of the Burnham Library-University of Illinois Project to Microfilm Architectural Documentation Records microfilm reels are appended to this finding aid. These appendices give a complete listing of architects, project names, and reel locations for all of the drawings found in this microfilm collection.

  • Names
    • Burnham Library of Architecture.
    • University of Illinois.
    • Replinger, John G.
    • Winteroud, George C.
    • Sullivan, Louis H., 1856-1924.
    • Adler, David, 1882-1949.
    • Beman, S. S. (Solon Spencer), 1853-1914.
    • Burnham, Daniel Hudson, 1846-1912.
    • Elmslie, George Grant, 1871-1952.
    • Feick, George, 1881-1945.
    • Griffin, Marion Mahony, 1871-1962.
    • Griffin, Walter Burley, 1876-1937.
    • Jenney, William Le Baron, 1832-1907.
    • Schmidt, Richard E. (Richard Ernest), b. 1865.
    • Adler and Sullivan.
    • Burnham and Root.
    • D.H. Burnham & Co.
    • Jenney and Mundie.
    • Schmidt, Garden and Martin.
  • Subject
    • Architecture--Illinois--Chicago--19th century.
    • Architecture--Illinois--Chicago--20th century.

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Architectural drawings by many of the architects represented in this collection--in some cases the same drawings that were microfilmed--are held in the permanent collection of the Department of Architecture and Design.

Architectural drawings by many of the architects represented in this collection--in some cases the same drawings that were microfilmed--are held in the permanent collection of the Department of Architecture and Design.

Architectural drawings by many of the architects represented in this collection--in some cases the same drawings that were microfilmed--are held in the permanent collection of the Department of Architecture and Design.

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.

Burnham Library-University of Illinois Project to Microfilm Architectural Documentation Collection Records, Ryerson and Burnham Art and Architecture Archives, The Art Institute of Chicago.

This collection was donated by the Executive Associates of the microfilming project to the Burnham Library in 1952.

The collection was processed by staff of the Burnham Library in 1989. This finding aid was revised and expanded by Annemarie van Roessel in 2003 and Nathaniel Parks in 2007.

This collection was transferred from the Ryerson and Burnham Libraries to the Ryerson and Burnham Archives in 1989.

Project name and architect indexes of the Burnham Library-University of Illinois Project to Microfilm Architectural Documentation Records microfilm reels (call no. 1973.1)—currently cataloged in the Ryerson and Burnham Libraries' collection—are appended to this finding aid.

Project name and architect indexes of the Burnham Library-University of Illinois Project to Microfilm Architectural Documentation Records microfilm reels (call no. 1973.1)—currently cataloged in the Ryerson and Burnham Libraries' collection—are appended to this finding aid.