Photographic slides, etc. of Harry Weese architectural projects, ca. 1956-1999.

 

Finding aid for the collection at Chicago History Museum, Research Center

By Diane Burant, August 2011

 

 

Please address questions to:

Chicago History Museum, Research Center

1601 North Clark Street

Chicago, IL 60614-6038

Web-site: http://www.chicagohistory.org/Research

 

 

© Copyright 2011, Chicago Historical Society, 1601 North Clark St., Chicago, IL 60614-6038

 

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Title: Photographic slides, etc. of Harry Weese architectural projects, ca. 1956-1999.

Main entry: Harry Weese and Associates.

Inclusive dates: ca. 1956-1999

Size:

Call#: 2010.0087 PCT:

ca. 5800 transparencies : col., slide ; 35 mm.

3 negatives : col.

Call#: 2010.0087 PNG:

33 photomechanical prints, etc.

 

Restriction: Advance appointment required to view color material in cold storage.

Accession numbers: 2010.0087.

Provenance statement: Gift of James Torvik, George Vrechek, and David Munson (2010.0087).

Terms governing use: Copyrights owned by James Torvik, George Vrechek, and David Munson to photography by staff of Harry Weese and Associates and by staff of Harry Weese Associates Architects were transferred to Chicago History Museum. Copyright to other materials in the collection may be retained by other creators of items, or their descendents, as stipulated by United States copyright law, unless otherwise noted.

Please cite this collection as: Photographic slides, etc. of Harry Weese architectural projects (Chicago History Museum) plus a detailed description, date, and box/folder number of a specific item.

 

This descriptive inventory contains the following sections:

Biographical/historical note,

Summary description of the collection,

Description of some material related to the collection,

List of online catalog headings about the collection,

List of contents of the collection.

 

Biographical/historical note:

Harry Weese, a Chicago modernist architect, was born in Evanston, Illinois, in 1915. He graduated from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1938 and in 1939 completed a fellowship in urban planning at the Cranbrook Academy of Art, a meeting place for modernist designers in the 1930s and 40s. Although his training at MIT was based on the classical architecture curriculum of the Ecole des Beaux Arts, his modernist aesthetic developed from several influences. At MIT, he studied under architect Alvar Aalto; as a student, he was exposed to modern architecture while traveling through Europe; and he collaborated with fellow designers at Cranbrook.

 

Weese returned to Chicago after serving as an engineer in the Navy during World War II. He established the firm of Harry Weese and Associates in Chicago in 1946, and began his architectural career working on residential and small commercial projects. A majority of the firm's high-profile commercial work was completed in the 1960s and 1970s. Most commissions were for work on buildings in Chicago and the Midwest, but his most famous project was the design of the Metro subway stations of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit System in Washington (D.C.).

 

Weese maintained a lifelong friendship and professional relationship with the architect I.M. Pei, his classmate at MIT. Among Weese's many awards, he was named a member of the College of Fellows by the American Institute of Architects in 1961. He retired from architecture in 1992 and in 1998 suffered from a stroke and died in Manteno, Illinois.

 

Summary description of the collection:

Photographic slides containing views of 223 projects of the Harry Weese architectural firms taken by staff of those firms or by outside photographers, including Balthazar Korab Studios, Hedrich-Blessing photography firm, and Lambros Photography. Slides are arranged alphabetically by the name of the project. Includes views of building interiors and exteriors; building sites, construction, and demolition; images of project drawings and models; and presentation slides. Projects include new buildings, transportation projects, and building restorations commissioned by commercial, residential, or government and institutional clients. Major projects in the collection include the Time-Life Building, Metropolitan Correctional Center, and the Auditorium Theater restoration in Chicago; Arena Stage, Union Station, and the Metro subway in Washington, D.C.; and Shadowcliff house at Ellison Bay, Wisconsin. The collection includes images of drawings submitted to competitions for proposed projects, most notably drawings and pre-construction site photographs for the Los Angeles Transit Authority. The Union Station, Washington (D.C.) project is represented by some photographic laser-printouts and manuscripts as well as slides.

 

Description of some material related to the collection:

Related materials at Chicago History Museum, Research Center, include a large collection of drawings, photographs, and other archives named the "Architectural records for buildings by Harry Weese and Associates" (1978.0246; 2001.0167). Models of buildings by that firm are part of the artifact holdings of Chicago History Museum.

 

The Art Institute of Chicago, Burnham Library, holds the Ben and Harry Weese papers.

 

List of online catalog headings:

The following headings have been made for this collection in the online catalog.

Subjects:

Harry Weese and Associates--Photographs.

Harry Weese Associates Architects--Photographs.

Weese, Harry, 1915-1998.

Arena Stage (Organization : Washington, D.C.)

Auditorium Theater (Chicago, Ill.)

Metropolitan Correctional Center (Chicago, Ill.)

Shadowcliff (Ellison Bay, Wis.)

Time-Life Building (Chicago, Ill.)

Union Station (Washington, D.C.)

Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.

Architectural firms--Illinois--Chicago--20th century.

Buildings--Illinois--Chicago--1950-1999.

Buildings--United States--1950-1999.

Buildings--Washington (D.C.)--1950-1999.

Interior decoration--United States--1950-1999.

Mass transit--United States--1950-1999.

Railroad stations--United States--20th century--Designs and plans.

Subway stations--Washington (D.C.)--1950-1999.

Chicago (Ill.)--Buildings, structures, etc.--1950-1999.

Washington (D.C.)--Buildings, structures, etc.--1950-1999.

 

Form/genre:

Architectural drawings.

Architectural photographs.

Exterior views.

Film negatives--Color.

Film transparencies--Color.

Interior views.

Photographic prints.

Photomechanical prints--Color.

Slides--Color.

 

Added entries:

Harry Weese Associates Architects.

Weese, Harry, 1915-1998.

Balthazar Korab Studios, Ltd., photographer.

Hedrich-Blessing (Firm), photographer.

Lambros Photography (Chicago, Ill.), photographer.

 

List of contents of the collection:

Call#: 2010.0087 PCT: ca. 5800 color slides and 3 negatives

box 1 of 7 (8 1/2 x 11 inches)

folders:

1-2       Actors Theatre

3          Adams/Wabash, Chicago

4          Amoco Des Moines

5          Amoco Research Center, Naperville

6          Amoco Raleigh

7          Arena Stage, Washington, D.C.

8          Arena II/Kreeger

9          Auditorium Theater, Chicago

10        Bank of Wheaton, Illinois

11        Banker's Trust

12        Bartholomew CC

13        Bartholomew Home for the Aged

14        Bernadin Parish Center

15        BNR trans. Control Center

16        British Consulate

17        Brown Foreman Warehouse "A"

18        Brown Foreman Warehouse "D"

19-20   Buckingham Fountain, Chicago

21        Carbondale Public Library, Illinois

22        Carleton College

23        Carmel Plaza

24        Carta Charleston, South Carolina

25        Case Bridge

26        Chanel Square

27        Chicago scenes

28        Chicago Federal Plaza

29        Chicago Public Schools

30-33   Chicago State University

34-35   Chinatown Square

36        Cornell College Commons

37        Cornell College Chapel

38        Cornell College Dorm

39        Prototype courthouses

40        Crown Center Hotel (Weston), Kansas City, Mo.

41        Cummins Building #60

42        Cummins Building #64

43        Cummins Cafeteria

44        Cummins Fostoria

45        Dade County Transit, Florida

46        Dart

 

box 2 of 7 (8 1/2 x 11 inches)

folders:

1          Dayton First National Bank

2          Dirksen Federal Building, Chicago

3          Donahue Building

4          Drake Dining Hall

5          Drake University Fine Arts

6          Drake University Married Housing

7          Drake University Master Plan

8          Drake University Men's Dorm

9          Drake University Student Center

10        Drake Hotel, Chicago

11        43 East Ohio Street, Chicago

12        East St. Louis Courthouse

13        Eisenhower presentation

14        ETZ Chaim

15        Euclid Place

16        Euro Tunnel

17        1100 Lake Shore Drive, Chicago

18        411 East Wisconsin, Chicago

19        540 North Michigan Avenue, Chicago

20        545 North Michigan Avenue, Chicago

21        Federal Triangle, Washington, D.C.

22        Fenwick

23        Fenwick High School

24        Fenwick Field House

25-26   Field Museum of Natural History

27        Field Museum, Ancient Egypt Exhibit

28        Field Museum, Maori & Pawnee

29        Field Museum, Traveling the Pacific

30        First Baptist Church, Columbus, Indiana

31        First National Bank of Albuquerque

32        Forest Park Community College

33        Formica Building

34        Francisco Terrace

35        Francis Xavier Warde School

36        Fulton House, 345 N. Canal Street, Chicago

37        Gale House

38        Gallaudet University, Washington, D.C.

39        Gary Library

40        Gary Multi-Modal

41        George Rogers Clark

42        Grace St. Elderly

43-44   Grand Central Station

 

box 3 of 7 (8 1/2 x 11 inches)

folders:

1          Grand Rapids Convention Center

2          Greenhill School

3          General Services Administration Social Security Admin.

4          General Services Administration Social Security Admin. Day Care

5          Habitat

6-7       Hamilton Transit Complex

8          Harbor Club

9          Heritage Landing

10        High Rise Building Study

11        Hubbard Street Dance Chicago

12        HWA Charts

13-14   Intercontinental Hotel

15        IBM Endicott

16        IBM Milwaukee

17        IL Center for the Visually Handicapped

18        Irwin Union Bank

19        Irwin Union Bank Hope Branch

20        Irwin Union Bank Everroad Branch

21        Jens Jensen School

22        Jens Jensen Studio

23        JFK exhibit

24        John Knox Home

25        Kansas City Music Hall

26        Korean Transit

27        Lake Michigan College

28        Latin School (high school), Chicago

29-31   LA Transit

32        Lincoln Center

33        Lincoln Heights

34        List Aerospace

35        Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery

36        Market Square

37        MAT New Orleans

38        Mayo Clinic Harwick

39        McCormick Theological Center

40        Mercantile Bank, Kansas City, Mo.

 

box 4 of 7 (8 1/2 x 11 inches)

folders:

1-3       Metra/C&NW, Chicago

4          Metropolitan Correction Center, Chicago,

            later known as the William J. Campbell United States Courthouse Annex

5          Middletown Civic Center

6          Midway Station CTA

7          Milwaukee Performing Arts

8          Mormon Temple, Logan, Utah

9          Mormon Temple, Salt Lake City, Utah

10        Mt. Carmel High School

11        Mt. Carmel Priory

12        Museum Square

13        Newberry Library, Chicago

14        New Frontier Transit

15        New Trier Gym

16        New York Public Library

17        Nimes Competition

18        999 Lake Shore Drive, Chicago

19        Northside Junior High School

20        Northwest Industries

21        NW Medical Arts Building

22        Northside Elementary (Schmidt) School

23        O'Hare International Airport, Chicago

24        150 Story Tower

25        199 East Lake Shore Drive, Chicago

26        Orchestra Hall, Chicago

27        Orlando Music Hall

28        Park Evanston

29        Pershing Square

30        Prairie State Convention Center

31        Purity Graphics

32        Q Street Bridge

33        Radisson Hotel Chicago

34-35   Raffles Hotel

 

box 5 of 7 (8 1/2 x 11 inches)

folders:

1          Reed College

2          River Cottages, Chicago

3          Riverbend

4          Rochester Institute of Technology

5          Saitama Hiroba Competition

6          75 East Wacker Drive, Chicago

7          Schwendener Interiors

8          Seventeenth Church of Christ, Chicago

9          Shadowcliff house, Ellison Bay, Wisc.

10        Sinai Temple

11        St. Mary's Freemont

12        Singapore

13        Southern University of Illinois School of Medicine

14        Smithsonian Institution

15-16   South Cove

17        Steelcase

18        St. Isaac Jogues

19        St. Louis Transit

20        St. Thomas Episcopal

21        SUNY Law & Jurisprudence

22        Swably Marina

23        Swiss Grand Hotel

24        Swissotel (Chicago?)

25        200 South Wacker, Chicago

26        227 East Walton Street, Chicago

27        2144 North Hudson Avenue, Chicago

28        Tangeman Island Home

29        Title slides

30        Terman Engineering Stanford

31        345 Fullerton Parkway, Chicago

32        Theatre plans

33-34   Time Life Building, Chicago

 

box 6 of 7 (8 1/2 x 11 inches)

folders:

1          Toronto Transit

2          Trans Union

3          Trizec Tower

4          Tyler Davidson Fountain

5          University of Chicago, Court Theatre

6          University of Chicago, Pierce Hall

7          University of Chicago, Pierce Hall II

8          University of Illinois, Faculty Center

9          UIC Business School

10        UIC Education & Communication Building

11        UIC Physical Education Building

12        UIC Planning

13-24   Union Station

25        Union Underwear

26        University of Dubuque

27-28   University of Wisconsin: Chazen Museum of Art, Humanities Building, Madison, Wisc.

29-30   US Embassy Housing (Ghana?)

31        United States Postal Service, Elmwood Park, Illinois

32        United States Postal Service, Roseland

33        United States Postal Service

34        Vail Terrace

35        Vienna South Competition

36        Virginia Railway Competition

37        The Washington Opera

38-39   Harry Weese Grand Plans

40        HWA Office

41        Weese Studio

42        Wheeler Opera House

 

box 7 of 7 (8 1/2 x 11 inches)

folders:

1          Whitehurst Freeway

2          Williams College Library

3          Willow Townhouses

4          Willowlake Center

5          Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, METRO, HW concept

6-7       Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority

8          Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority Family of Curves

9          Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority plans and sections

10        Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority charts/station

11        Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority world tour 1966

12        Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority maps

13        Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority models

14        Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority Anacostia

15        Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority Farragut Square connection

16        Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority Farragut North & West

17        Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority Forest Glen

18        Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority Fran./Spring.

19        Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority Grosvner

20        Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority Ft. Totten

21        Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority Metro Center

22        Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority Prince George's Plaza

23        Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority Shady Grove & New Carrollton

24        Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority Smithsonian

25        Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority Wheaton

26        Wolf Point Landing

27        World's Fair 1992

28        Zaiser House

 

Call# 2010.0087 PGN: non-graphic materials in 1 folder:

1 folder re. Union Station, Washington, D.C., containing 33 color laser prints, 44 p. of manuscripts, 1 vellum drawing, and 12 color slides.