Engineering, Building, and Architecture - Overview
Not many museums collect houses. The National Museum of American History has four, as well as two outbuildings, 11 rooms, an elevator, many building components, and some architectural elements from the White House. Drafting manuals are supplemented by many prints of buildings and other architectural subjects. The breadth of the museum's collections adds some surprising objects to these holdings, such as fans, purses, handkerchiefs, T-shirts, and other objects bearing images of buildings.
The engineering artifacts document the history of civil and mechanical engineering in the United States. So far, the Museum has declined to collect dams, skyscrapers, and bridges, but these and other important engineering achievements are preserved through blueprints, drawings, models, photographs, sketches, paintings, technical reports, and field notes.
"Engineering, Building, and Architecture - Overview" showing 6 items.
- No Image Available
Cummings Structural Concrete Company Records, 1884-1952
- Notes
- Robert A. Cummings (1866-1937) was a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania consulting civil engineer and an early advocate of reinforced concrete construction
- Summary
- Correspondence and business records documenting Cummings's firm, consulting work, and participation in professional associations, especially the American Society of Civil Engineers, 1892-1893, circa 1900-1939; technical data and publications on soils testing, 1900-1939; and drawings, blueprints, and photographs and glass negatives of construction projects
- Cite as
- Cummings Structural Concrete Company Records, 1884-1952, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
- Date
- 1884
- 1884-1952
- 1900-1950
- Creator
- Cummings Structural Concrete Company
- author
- Cummings, Robert A. 1866-1962
- collector
- Engineering and Industry, Division of, NMAH, SI
- History of Technology, Division of, NMAH, SI
- Mechanical and Civil Engineering, Division of [former name], NMAH, SI
- Subject
- American Society of Civil Engineers
- Data Source
- Archives Center - NMAH
- No Image Available
Marion John Hartung Mechanical Engineering Lab Reports, 1906-1907
- Notes
- Mechanical engineer, was president of the Maywood Chemical Works
- Summary
- Two bound volumes of mechanical engineering lab reports, written by Marion John Hartung while attending Cornell University. The reports describe experiements, procedures followed, equipment used, test data, and cyanotypes of equipment
- Cite as
- Marion John Hartung Mechanical Engineering Lab Reports, 1906-1907, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
- Date
- 1906
- 1906-1907
- 1900-1910
- creator
- Hartung, Marion John 1886-1978
- collector
- History of Technology, Division of, NMAH, SI
- Mechanical and Civil Engineering, Division of [former name], NMAH, SI
- Work and Industry, Division of, NMAH, SI
- Local number
- 1983.0627 (NMAH Acc.)
- Data Source
- Archives Center - NMAH
- No Image Available
J. G. Berger Papers, circa 1929-1936, 1952
- Notes
- New Jersey consulting engineer
- Summary
- These papers contain engineering reports from the estate of J. C. Berger, New Jersey consulting engineer, chiefly concerning highway relocation and railroad crossing appraisals
- Date
- 1929
- 1952
- circa 1929-1936, 1952
- 20th century
- 1920-1960
- author
- Berger, J. G
- collector
- History of Technology, Division of, NMAH, SI
- Mechanical and Civil Engineering, Division of [former name], NMAH, SI
- Data Source
- Archives Center - NMAH
- No Image Available
William Currie Photograph Album, 1904-1912
- Notes
- Civil engineer
- Summary
- Photograph album containing pictures both taken and collected by civil engineer William Currie. Includes photographs of three projects he worked on: construction of irrigation systems in the U.S. West, ca. 1904-1907; a sewage system for Louisville, Kentucky, ca. 1909-1910; and the Panama Canal, ca. 1911-1912
- Cite as
- William Currie Photograph Album, 1904-1912, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
- Date
- 1904
- 1904-1912
- collector
- Currie, William
- Work and Industry, Division of, NMAH, SI
- History of Technology, Division of, NMAH, SI
- Mechanical and Civil Engineering, Division of [former name], NMAH, SI
- Local number
- 1979.3087 (NMAH Acc.)
- Data Source
- Archives Center - NMAH
- No Image Available
Donald M. Burmister Papers, 1927-1974
- Notes
- Burmister, engineer and university professor, taught civil engineering at Columbia University from 1928-1963, specializing in soil mechanics and foundation engineering. He also worked as a consulting engineer beginning in 1936
- Summary
- Reports, studies, diagrams, and articles relating to consulting projects undertaken by Burmister concerning beach erosion, building and bridge foundations, airports, highways, docks, piers, bulkheads, and land development
- Cite as
- Donald Burmister Papers, 1927-1974, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
- Date
- 1927
- 1927-1974
- author
- Burmister, Donald 1895-
- collector
- History of Technology, Division of, NMAH, SI
- Mechanical and Civil Engineering, Division of [former name], NMAH, SI
- Local number
- 2007.3138 (NMAH Acc.)
- Data Source
- Archives Center - NMAH
- No Image Available
Montgomery C. Meigs Papers, 1870-1890
- Notes
- Montgomery C. Meigs, a native of Georgia, graduated from West Point in 1836. As an Army engineer, Meigs was responsible for the construction of the Washington Aqueduct and for overseeing construction of the wings and dome of the U.S. Capitol. During the Civil War he served as Quartermaster General for the United States Army. Meigs retired from the army in 1882, but remained active with various engineering projects in the Washington, D. C. area until his death
- Summary
- A book of drawings of the Washington Aqueduct, 1858-1859, illustrating reservoirs, tunnels, bridges, culverts, and other elements. Also included is a U.S.Senate document, 1864, relating to the Aqueduct construction. The cover is marked "Progress of the Washington Aqueduct, Profile, 1858-59, Capt. Montgomery C. Meigs, United States Engineers, Washington." 2007 addendum: Scrapbooks of Meigs, containing clippings from Washington, D. C. newspapers concerning the Washington Aqueduct and water supply, engineering projects, building construction, architecture, and other topics, including "Indian Wars."
- Cite as
- Division of the History of Technology, National Museum of American History
- Date
- 1870
- 1890
- 1870-1890
- 19th century
- 1850-1900
- creator
- Meigs, Montgomery C. 1816-1892
- collector
- History of Technology, Division of, NMAH, SI
- Engineering and Industry, Division of, NMAH, SI
- Mechanical and Civil Engineering, Division of [former name], NMAH, SI
- Work and Industry, Division of, NMAH, SI
- Subject
- Post Office Building (Washington, D.C.)
- United States Capitol (Washington, D.C.)
- Pension Building
- Local number
- 293,969 (NMAH Acc.)
- 317,915 (NMAH Acc.)
- 1994.0052 (NMAH Acc.)
- 2007.3204 (NMAH Acc.)
- Data Source
- Archives Center - NMAH