Collection Summary
Edmund Randolph Purves
Papers
1916-1964
(bulk 1950-1964)
1916-1964
(bulk 1950-1964)
MSS31211
Purves, Edmund Randolph,
1897-1964
2,000
items
7 containers
2.8 linear feet
English
Collection material in
English
Manuscript Division, Library of
Congress
Washington, D.C.
Architect.
Correspondence, speeches, articles, appointment calendars, architectural
drawings, and printed material relating to Purves's career as director and
executive director of the American Institute of Architects.
Selected Search Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the LC Catalog. They are grouped by name of person or organization, by subject or location, and by occupation and listed alphabetically.
People
Chatelain, Leon, 1902-1979--Correspondence.
Purves, Edmund Randolph, 1897-1964.
Purvis family--Correspondence.
Wright, Frank Lloyd, 1867-1959--Correspondence.
Organizations
American Institute of Architects.
Subjects
Architecture--Societies, etc.
Architecture.
World War, 1914-1918--Personal narratives, American.
World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American.
Occupations
Architects.
Provenance
The papers of Edmund Randolph Purves, architect, were given to the
Library of Congress by his widow, Mary Carroll Purves, in 1970.
Processing History
The papers of Edmund Randolph Purves were arranged and described in
1971. The finding aid was revised in 2012.
Copyright Status
The status of copyright in the unpublished writings of Edmund Randolph
Purves is governed by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17,
U.S.C.).
Access and Restrictions
The papers of Edmund Randolph Purves are open to research. Researchers
are advised to contact the Manuscript Reading Room prior to visiting. Many
collections are stored off-site and advance notice is needed to retrieve these
items for research use.
Preferred Citation
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the
following information: Container number, Edmund Randolph Purves Papers,
Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
Biographical Note
Date
Event
1897, June 20
Born, Philadelphia, Pa.
1917
Member, French army, American Field Service
1917
1919
Member, American Expeditionary Forces
1920
B.S., University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pa.
1920
Finalist in Paris Prize design competition
1926
Married Mary Carroll Spencer
1927
Became practicing architect
1927
Cofounder with Kenneth M. Day of Purves and Day architectural
firm
1927
1932
Architect with Purves and Day
1932
1937
Dissolved partnership with Day in 1932 and practiced
independently
1937
1941
Member, architectural firm of Purves, Cope, and Stewart
1941
1945
Served in United States Army, Seventh Air Force
1941
1949
Director, American Institute of Architects (with leave of
absence for military service)
1949
1961
Executive director, American Institute of Architects
1961
1962
Consulting director, American Institute of Architects
1962
1964
Associate with Chatelain, Gauger, and Nolan
1964, Apr. 7
Died, Washington, D. C.
Scope and Content Note
The papers of Edmund Randolph Purves (1897-1964) span the period
1916-1964, with the greater part from 1950 to 1964. The collection consists of
correspondence, speeches, articles, appointment calendars, architectural
drawings, and printed material relating partially to Purves's career as
director (1941-1949) and executive director (1949-1961) of the American
Institute of Architects. The collection is organized into
[
Family
Correspondence
](famcorres),
[
General
Correspondence
](gencorresp),
[
Speech and
Article File
](speefile), and
[
Miscellany
](miscella) series.
Included in the
[
Family
Correspondence
](famcorres) are letters to members of Purves's family regarding a
memorial in England to his parents. In the General Correspondence are letters
of a congratulatory nature from other architects on his appointments as
director and executive director of the American Institute of Architects and on
his becoming an associate of the firm Chatelain, Gauger, and Nolan. Among the
correspondents are Leon Chatelain and Frank Lloyd Wright.
The
[
Speeches and
Articles File
](speefile) series contains copies of many of Purves's articles for the
AIA Journal. In the
[
Miscellany
](miscella) are papers relating to his military career
in World War I and World War II, appointment calendars, a few architectural
drawings, and printed matter, some of which relates to the British writer
Kenneth Grahame.
Arrangement of the Papers
This collection is arranged in four series:
-
[
Family
Correspondence, 1919-1963
](famcorres)
-
[
General
Correspondence, 1939-1962
](gencorresp)
-
[
Speech and
Article File, 1936-1961
](speefile)
-
[
Miscellany,
1916-1964
](miscella)
Container List
Container
Contents
1
Family
Correspondence,
1919-1963
1919-1963
Letters sent and received by family members.
Arranged alphabetically.
1
Purves, Alan C.
1
Purves, Austin
1
Purves, Dale
1
Purves, Edmund S.
1
Purves, John C.
1
Purves, Mary Carroll
1
Purves, Pierre
1-2
General
Correspondence,
1939-1962
1939-1962
Letters received and copies of letters sent.
Arranged alphabetically.
1
"A" miscellaneous
1
Architectural Forum
1
"Ba-By" miscellaneous
1
Biddle, Francis
1
Burelson, Omar
1
"Ca-Cu" miscellaneous
1
Chapman, Grosvenor
1
Chatelain, Leon
1
"Da-Du" miscellaneous
1
Day, Mabel
1
"E" miscellaneous
1
Eisenhower, Dwight D.
1
"Fa-Fu" miscellaneous
1
F. Stuart Fitzpatrick Memorial
Award
1
Fadiman, Clifton
1
Finley, David E.
1
Flanders, Ralph
1
"Ga-Gu" miscellaneous
1
"Ha-Hy" miscellaneous
1
Hays, Brooks
1
Howland, Richard H.
1
"I" miscellaneous
1
"J" miscellaneous
1
"Ka-Ko" miscellaneous
2
"La-Lu" miscellaneous
2
Literary Society
2
"Ma-Mu" miscellaneous
2
Mathias, Charles M., Jr.
2
Mills, Abbot L., Jr.
2
Morely, Felix
2
"N" miscellaneous
2
Nixon, Richard M.
2
"O" miscellaneous
2
"Pa-Pr"
miscellaneous
2
Quiller-Couch, Foy
2
"R" miscellaneous
2
Reynolds, Richard S.,
Jr.
2
"Sa-Su"
miscellaneous
2
Scheick, William H.
2
Scott, Hugh
2
Steinhardt, Joseph
2
"T" miscellaneous
2
Truman, Harry S.
2
Udall, Stewart L.
2
"V" miscellaneous
2
"Wa-Wu" miscellaneous
2
Widnall, William B.
2
Will, Philip, Jr.
2
Wright, Frank Lloyd
2
"Y-Z" miscellaneous
2
Unidentified
3-4
Speech and Article
File,
1936-1961
1936-1961
Handwritten and typewritten drafts and printed copies of speeches
and articles.
Arranged alphabetically by title, where possible, and
chronologically by year, otherwise.
3
Speeches
3
"Building and
Housing"
3
"The Institute, Legislation
and You"
3
"Our Profession,"
3
1954, Sept.
1954, Sept.
3
1954, Nov. 13
1954, Nov. 13
3
Its place in America's
future
3
"The Preservation of
Antiquity"
3
"The Profession Today"
3
"Who Runs the Construction
Industry?"
3
Untitled,
1948, 1950-1961
1948, 1950-1961
3
Articles
3
"Alleged Subversive Activities
of Certain Members of the A.I.A."
3
"The Architect and the
Superman Myth"
3
"The Architectural Museum"
3
"Beaux Arts Come Home All Is
Forgiven"
3
"Below the Tenth Floor"
3
"The Construction Industry and
the United States Government"
3
"The Construction Industry
Looks at the Government "
3
"Conventions"
3
"Divided We Stand"
3
"Federal Culture, Friend or
Foe?"
3
"A Few Recollections of the
White House"
3
"The Haven"
3
"The Importance of Federal
Culture"
3
"International
Venture"
3
"The Man in the Bag"
4
"Pineapple Army"
4
"The Preservation of
Antiquity"
4
"The Preservation of
Eccentricity"
4
"Reflections on a Juvenile
Republic"
4
"Security Problems in the
Seventh Air Force"
4
"Sentimental
Journeys"
4
"Some Preliminary Thoughts on
the Museum of Architecture"
4
"Spanish Sketches"
4
"Sultry Christmas"
4
"A Temporary
Status"
4
Untitled,
1957-1961, undated
1957-1961, undated
5-7
Miscellany,
1916-1964
1916-1964
Papers relating to Purves's military career during World War I and
World II, appointment calendars, bills and receipts, biographical papers,
photographs, and printed matter.
Arranged by type of material.
5
Agreement for dissolution of firm
of Purves and Day
5
Appointment calendars
5
Appointment and travel
schedules
5
Architectural
drawings
5
Bills and receipts
5
Biographical
material
5
Invitations
5
Military papers
5
Miscellaneous
5
World War I
6
World War I
7
World War II
7
Obituary
7
General miscellany
7
Printed matter
7
Relating to Kenneth
Grahame
7
Miscellaneous