Collection ID: 15003427

Collection context

Summary

Creator:
Stoller, Ezra and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
Extent:
140 albums and 20 items
Language:
English .

Background

Scope and Content:

The collection consists of approximately 140 bound albums of photography by Ezra Stoller featuring buildings and interiors designed by Skidmore Owings & Merrill (SOM) and a small collection of project records. Projects represented include, among others, Albright Knox Art Gallery, American Republic Insurance Company, Banque Lambert, Beineck Library, Chase Manhattan Bank, Connecticut General Life Insurance Company, Ford Motor Company, HJ Heinz Research Center, John Hancock Building, Lever House, Lyndon Baines Johnson Library, and US Airforce Academy.

Biographical / Historical:

Founded in 1936, Skidmore, Ownings, & Merrill (SOM) pioneered modern architecture – in form, materials, and construction processes – in the United States, ultimately becoming one of the largest and most prolific international firms in history. Ezra Stoller was SOM's preferred architecture photographer for nearly forty years, from shortly after the firm was founded until Stoller's retirement c. 1980. Long-time head of design, Gordon Bunshaft, had a special relationship with Stoller and described the photographer's role at SOM as integral to the firm. Stoller photographed drawings, models, and completed buildings. The bulk of the photographs in the collection date from the 1950s and 1960s, SOM's period of high modernism, and include many of SOM's renowned buildings, such as Lever House , New York; Manufacturers Trust, New York; Chase Manhattan, New York; Union Carbide Headquarters, New York; and Pepsi Cola, New York. These albums form an important visual collection of SOM's work and were used for internal reference, for publicity, and shown to prospective clients.

Acquisition information:
This collection was donated by S.O.M. in 2020 (Accession 2020.001)

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, please email avery-drawings@library.columbia.edu.

LOCATION OF THIS COLLECTION:
300 Avery Hall
1172 Amsterdam Avenue M.C. 0301
New York, NY 10027, United States
CONTACT:
212) 854-6199
avery@library.columbia.edu