Collection context
Summary
- Creator:
- Aldrich, Chester Holmes, 1871-1940, Aldrich, Amey Owen, and Farquhar, Robert D., 1872-1967
- Extent:
- 260 items
- Language:
- English .
- Preferred citation:
Chester A. Aldrich correspondence. Located in the Dept. of Drawings & Archives, Avery Architectural & Fine Arts Library, Columbia University, New York, NY.
Background
- Scope and Content:
This collection primarily contains original correspondence--including letters, telegrams, and postcards-- to California architect Robert D. Farquhar from Chester A. Aldrich. Also included is a small group of letters from Amey Owen Aldrich to Farquhar. Most letters are accompanied by envelopes; a very few contain photographs, clippings and other ephemera. Matters discussed in the correspondence vary widely from intimate personal subjects to observations and reports on the work of Carrère & Hastings and Delano & Aldrich, the American Red Cross and its work with soldiers in Italy during World War I, the rise of Fasicsm in Italy, economic hardships during the Depression, and the state of American and European architecture.
- Biographical / Historical:
Born in Providence, Rhode Island, in 1871, Chester H. Aldrich received his degree in architecture from Columbia University in 1893. Between 1895 and 1900, Aldrich studied architecture at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris, recieving his diploma in 1900. Upon his return to New York, Aldrich reentered the firm of Carrère & Hastings, for whom he had worked briefly between 1898 and 1900. In 1903, Aldrich opened a private practice with William Delano, a colleague from the Carrère & Hastings office. The firm of Delano & Aldrich was largely known for its significant designs of Beaux-Arts-style country houses, cultural institutions, commercial, and civic buildings throughout the East Coast. In addition, from 1917 to 1919, Aldrich was the head of the Red Cross refugee relief program in Italy. He returned to Rome in 1935 to serve as head of the American Academy in Rome, a position he held until his death in 1940.
- Acquisition information:
- Source of acquisition--Purchase from private dealer; originally from the Estate of Robert D. Farquhar. Date of acquisition--2006. Accession number--2006.008.
- Processing information:
Papers Processed JSP, DF 2007.
- Arrangement:
Materials are arranged chronologically, with undated items listed at the end of the inventory.
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Indexed Terms
- Subjects:
- Architecture -- United States -- History -- 19th century
Architecture -- United States -- History -- 20th century
World War, 1914-1918 -- Personal narratives, American
Clippings (Information Artifacts)
Correspondence - Names:
- American Academy in Rome
American Red Cross
Carrère & Hastings
Delano & Aldrich
École nationale supérieure des beaux-arts (France)
Delano, William Adams, 1874-1960 - Places:
- New York (N.Y.) -- Buildings, structures, etc
Access
- RESTRICTIONS:
-
This collection is available for use by appointment in the Department of Drawings & Archives, Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library, Columbia University. For further information and to make an appointment, please email avery-drawings@library.columbia.edu.
- PREFERRED CITATION:
-
Chester A. Aldrich correspondence. Located in the Dept. of Drawings & Archives, Avery Architectural & Fine Arts Library, Columbia University, New York, NY.
- LOCATION OF THIS COLLECTION:
-
300 Avery Hall1172 Amsterdam Avenue M.C. 0301New York, NY 10027, United States
- CONTACT:
-
212) 854-6199avery@library.columbia.edu