Converted to EAD3 : Encoded Archival Description (EAD), Version 3 : Release: 1.1.1 : Release Date: 2019-12-16. Validating against latest version of schema.
Contact information: https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/mss.contact
Catalog Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/mm82075863
Collection material in English
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.
The papers of Nathaniel Alexander Owings, architect and engineer, were given to the Library of Congress by Owings in 1977. Additions were given in 1980, 1983, and 1984.
The Owings Papers were processed in 1994 by Michael McElderry. The finding aid was revised in 2010.
Items have been transferred from the Manuscript Division to other custodial divisions of the Library. Recorded tapes have been transferred to the Motion Picture, Broadcasting, and Recorded Sound Division. Photographic material has been transferred to the Prints and Photographs Division. All transfers are identified in these divisions as part of the Nathaniel Alexander Owings Papers.
The status of copyright in the unpublished writings of Nathaniel A. Owings is governed by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U.S.C.).
The papers of Nathaniel Alexander Owings 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.
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: Container number, Nathaniel Alexander Owings Papers, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
The papers of Nathaniel Alexander Owings (1903-1984) span the years 1911 to 1983, with the bulk of the material concentrated in the period 1960-1980. The papers pertain to Owings's business, public, and personal affairs, documenting his career as a founding partner of the architectural firm Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (1936-1983); as chairman of several public commissions responsible for the redesign of Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C.; as a member of various commissions relating to conservation, preservation, and redevelopment in California; and as an author whose articles and books reflect his concern with both the aesthetic and practical applications of architecture in contemporary life. The collection includes correspondence, memoranda, journals, drafts of speeches and writings, notes, charts, graphs, diagrams, drawings, poetry, clippings, photographs, printed matter, and other material. The collection is organized in seven series: Correspondence , Office File , Subject File , Speeches and Writings File , Miscellany , Addition , and Oversize .
The Correspondence series, 1939-1977, contains Owings's incoming and outgoing correspondence and appended material reflecting his interests as architect, businessman, conservationist, and civic-minded citizen Although the series contains business papers pertaining to his role as a partner in the firm of Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill, the major portion consists of personal correspondence relating to his many other activities and interests. Correspondents include Ansel Adams, Stephen Davison Bechtel, Jerry Brown, Wolf von Eckardt, Arthur J. Goldberg, Lady Bird Johnson, Robert Moses, Daniel P. Moynihan, Elwood R. Quesada, David Rockefeller, Nicholas Roosevelt, Wallace Stegner, and Stewart L. Udall.
The Office File , 1954-1969, consists mostly of correspondence and memoranda relating to business concerns in the offices of Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill. The reading file consists of copies of Owings's outgoing letters and memoranda arranged chronologically. Records included in the corporate memoranda and general office files provide detailed documentation of the firm's internal operations. The former includes memoranda exchanged between secretaries and executives at the San Francisco home office with their counterparts in field offices, as well as memoranda circulated within the San Francisco office.
The Subject File , 1934-1977, documents many facets of Owings's business and personal life. The file contains information relating to his work on various committees and commissions including the California Advisory Committee on a Master Plan for State Scenic Highways, the Monterey Coast Master Plan, and various organizations relating to the redevelopment of Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C. Owings was appointed chairman of the President's Advisory Council on Pennsylvania Avenue by John F. Kennedy and later occupied the same position of its successor organization, the President's Temporary Commission on Pennsylvania Avenue. These organizations were charged, through remodeling and development, to redefine the area of Pennsylvania Avenue that connects the White House with the Capitol and, by so doing, bring it more in accord with the design of the original city plan by Pierre Charles L'Enfant.
The Speeches and Writings File , 1944-1977, reflects Owings's interest in numerous architectural and urban planning topics. The series contains early speeches and writings relating to specific architectural problems, later works concerning broader topics such as urban planning and architectural theory, and drafts, production materials, and correspondence relating to his two books
The Miscellany , 1911-1976, series contains a wide variety of material, such as appointment calendars, bills and receipts, postcards, and scrapbooks. Scrapbooks contain correspondence, clippings, and photographs.
The Addition consists of correspondence received and sent, biographical material, speeches and writings, legal and financial papers, minutes and reports, photographs, printed matter, and other material. Correspondence in the Addition is chiefly personal and contains a large segment relating to Owings's winning the American Institute of Architects' Gold Medal in 1983. Other topics of interest include the Pennsylvania Avenue Development Corporation, including Owings's letter of resignation to President Ronald Reagan, and his extensive collection of kachina dolls made by Hopi Indians. A miscellany file contains a copy of Owings's speech at the American Institute of Architects Gold Medal dinner in 1983. Also of interest are writings and other material relating to the Hopi Indians and a draft of an article, "Back to Earth," by Daniel P. Moynihan.
The collection is arranged in seven series:
Letters received, copies of letters sent, memoranda, telegrams, and miscellaneous items.
The original reverse chronological filing order has been maintained.
Letters received, copies of letters sent, memoranda, telephone messages, telegrams, and miscellaneous items.
Arranged in reverse chronological order.
Letters received, copies of letters sent, printed matter, memoranda, financial and legal papers, telegrams, reports, architectural diagrams, and miscellaneous items.
Arranged alphabetically by subject.
Drafts of speeches and writings, correspondence, printed copies, galley proofs, production material, research material, notes, and miscellaneous items relating to Owings's articles, books, lectures, and speeches.
Arranged by type of material and chronologically thereunder.
Postcards, printed matter, awards and certificates, bills and receipts, cards and invitations, speeches and writings by authors other than Owings, appointment calendars, and architectural drawings and diagrams.
Arranged alphabetically by type of material.
Correspondence received and sent and miscellany including biographical material, speeches and writings, legal and financial papers, minutes and reports, photographs, printed matter, and clippings.
Organized alphabetically by type of material.
Oversize material consisting of scrapbooks, awards and certificates, architectural charts and diagrams, photographic proof sheets and layouts for Owings's book
Organized and described according to the series, folders, and boxes from which the items were removed.