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 11 items.
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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
Chicago Surface Lines Drawings, 1880-1948
- Notes
- The street railway system began in Chicago around 1858 with horse-powered cars. In 1880 cable cars began replacing this slow and expensive method, and in the late 1880s new companies sprang up using the new electric "trolleys". The older companies soon followed. The 1890s and early 1900s saw the consolidation and reorganization of the numerous companies until the Unification Ordinance of 1913, which stipulated that all would come under the management of a single company, the Chicago Surface Lines (CSL). The CSL became the largest street railway system in the world
- Summary
- Blueprints and tracings of the Chicago surface railway system,1886-1926. The 15 blueprints are from the Chicago City Railway Company and the West Chicago Street Railroad Company (1891). The 192 tracings include plans of cars for Chicago Railway (1904-1916), Lake Street Elevated Railroad (1895), and the Chicago City Railway (1908-9). Plans of switches, track layouts, power stations, and other railroad structures for a number of companies, most being for the West Chicago Street Railroad Company (1888-1892). Also a single drawing from the Pennsylvania & West Virginia Railway, 1948
- Cite as
- Chicago Surface Lines Drawings, 1880-1948, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
- Date
- 1880
- 1880-1948
- creator
- Chicago Surface Lines
- collector
- Transportation, Division of, NMAH, SI
- creator
- West Chicago Street Railroad Company
- donor
- Chicago Transit Authority
- creator
- Chicago City Railway Company
- Pennsylvania & West Virginia Railway
- Subject
- Chicago Board of Traction Supervising Engineers
- Chicago Consolidated Traction Company
- Chicago Railways Company
- Chicago Union Traction Company
- D.T. Steelwork Company
- Garden City Construction Company
- Gilbert Car Manufacturing Company
- Lake Street Elevated Railroad (Chicago, Ill.)
- North Chicago Street Railroad Company
- United States Construction Company
- Data Source
- Archives Center - NMAH
- No Image Available
Cass Gilbert Collection, 1897-1936
- Notes
- American architect of commercial and public buildings, b. Zanesville, Ohio; educated in St. Paul, Minnesota. Firmly supportive of the European tradition and the eastern academic league of architects. Among his many familiar public buildings are the Treasury Annex and the Supreme Court, Washington, D.C., the state capitol buildings of West Virginia, Arkansas, and Minnesota, and the public libraries of St. Louis and Detroit. His most famous building is the Woolworth Building in New York (1913); with its 55 stories and Gothic ornament, it is considered Gilbert's greatest achievement
- Summary
- Correspondence (1919-1932), contracts, statistical data, news clippings, booklets, miscellaneous Gilbert papers, three volumes of specification data of the Supreme Court Buildings, twenty pencil and pastel sketchbooks of Gilbert's periodic travels in Europe, 1897-1932, and a box of miscellaneous unbound sketches, including many for the Supreme Court. The bulk of the collection consists of bound volumes containing photoprints of forty-one Gilbert buildings under construction
- Photographers include Belden & Company (45 Clinton Street, Newark, N.J.) and P. O. Valentine (33 Homestead Park, Newark, N.J.). The photographs are mounted on linen, in cloth-covered loose-leaf binders bearing building or project names. Most photograph volumes each contain more than 100 prints, including duplicates. For example, Vol. 49, on the Seaside Sanatorium (Waterford, Conn.) contains 149 prints from approx. 75 different negatives
- Cite as
- Cass Gilbert Collection, 1897-1936, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
- Date
- 1897
- 1897-1936
- 1890-1940
- 1900-1950
- 1880-1950
- artist.
- Gilbert, Cass 1859-1934
- collector
- Mechanical and Civil Engineering, Division of (NMAH, SI)
- photographer
- Belden & Company 45 Clinton Street, Newark, N.J.
- Valentine, P. O. 33 Homestead, Park, Newark
- Subject
- Woolworth Building New York (N.Y.)
- New York Life Insurance Building
- Supreme Court Building Washington (D.C.)
- Seaside Sanatorium Waterford, Conn
- Local number
- 239827 (NMAH Acc.)
- Data Source
- Archives Center - NMAH
- No Image Available
Bartlett Hayward Company Records, 1882-1950
- Notes
- The Bartlett-Hayward Company of Baltimore, Maryland, was founded in 1840 as Hayward and Friend, stove manufacturers. The company eventually expanded into the foundry, machinery, erection, and engineering fields and began manufacture of gas holders in 1876. It merged with Koppers Company in 1937
- Summary
- These records deal chiefly with the manufacture, erection, and sale of gas holders. They include record books of drawings, 1882-1906, 1912, 1918; design calculation books; 1904-1935; trade literature, 1945; order books, 1920-1921; order progress reports, 1926-1929, 1946-1950; specifications, calculations and data; notes; shipping records; records of drawing costs; lists of materials needed; a card file listing owner, location, and dimensions of gas holders built by the company, 1883-1946; a record of employee injuries, 1929; and photographs of coupling engines, gas holders and their erection, gas works, and plants
- Cite as
- Bartlett-Hayward Company Records, 1882-1950, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
- Date
- 1864
- 1864-1883
- 1882-1950
- 19th century
- 1860-1890
- author
- Bartlett-Hayward Company
- Koppers Company
- collector
- History of Technology, Division of, NMAH, SI
- Mechanical and Civil Engineering, Division of [former name], NMAH, SI
- Local number
- 2007.3095 (NMAH Acc.)
- Data Source
- Archives Center - NMAH
- No Image Available
Llewellyn N. Edwards Papers, 1925-1964
- Notes
- Edwards, bridge designer and engineer, worked from 1901 to 1943 for the Boston Bridge Works, the Boston and Maine Railroad, the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad, the Grand Trunk Railway of Canada, the Toronto Department of Works, the U. S. Bureau of Public Roads, and the Maine State Highway Commission. Edwards also was interested in the history of bridge engineering, particularly early American bridges
- Summary
- The papers include captioned photographs of dirt roads in North Carolina and Mississippi, 1913; articles, including reprints from engineering journals; typed and handwritten notes on bridges; a handwritten, bound bibliography on bridges; typed notes on bridges and bridge history, including some drawings; correspondence, most relating to his research on the history of bridges but also relating to other topics; reports on landslides in California; a partial manuscript (L-Z) for a glossary of terms relating to bridge engineering and construction; a typescript of "A Manual of Bridge Construction;" a manuscript of "Bridge Construction in America"; and extensive correspondence with J. P. Snow on the history of wooden bridges
- Date
- 1911
- 1911-1950
- 1925-1964
- 20th century
- author
- Edwards, Llewellyn N. 1873-1952
- collector
- 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
- 2007.3077 (NMAH Acc.)
- Data Source
- Archives Center - NMAH
- No Image Available
Roland C. Hawes Papers, 1908-1997
- Notes
- The career of Roland C. Hawes, born Oct. 4, 1908, Riverside, California, began in chemical analysis and led him into the scientific apparatus and instruments industry, where he worked in the field of spectrophotometry. B.S., chemistry, California Institute of Technology, 1930. He died in 1999
- Summary
- Correspondence, handwritten notes and sketches, memorandum reports, catalogs, printed material, patent documents, drawings, blueprints (original and diazo copies), and photographs document Hawes's work in the field of immunnassay, spectrophotometry, scientific apparatus and instruments industry, and administrative duties at Applied Physics Corporation/Cary Instruments
- The bulk of the papers consist of materials found in Series 2: Research files A-Z, 1913 (1927-1990) (4.5 cubic feet). Series 5: Cary Instruments 1937-1992 (4 cubic feet) and Series 6: Consulting, 1908-(1939-1992) (3.5 cubic feet)
- Cite as
- Roland C. Hawes Papers, 1908-1997, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
- Date
- 1908
- 1997
- 1908-1997
- 20th century
- 1930-1950
- 1890-1920
- creator
- Hawes, Roland C. 1908-1999
- author
- Applied Physics Corporation
- Cary Instruments
- Subject
- Cary, Howard
- Beckman, Arnold O
- George, Kenyon
- Duffield, Jack J
- National Technical Laboratories
- Beckman Instruments, Inc
- Applied Physics Corporation
- Cary Instruments
- Varian Associates
- Aviv & Associates, Inc
- Local number
- 1997.3139 (NMAH Acc.)
- Data Source
- Archives Center - NMAH
- No Image Available
Alaskan Railroad and Bridge Construction Collection, 1909-1910
- Summary
- Photographs of the Miles Glacier, 1909; Copper River and Northwestern Railway; and the Copper River Railway. Also includes the Copper River Bridge Engineer's Report, 1910, with drawings, notes, and date
- Date
- 1864
- 1864-1883
- 1909-1910
- 20th century
- 1900-1910
- 19th century
- collector
- History of Technology, Division of, NMAH, SI
- History of Technology, Division of, NMAH, SI
- Mechanical and Civil Engineering, Division of [former name], NMAH, SI
- Subject
- Copper River Railway
- Copper River and Northwestern Railway
- Data Source
- Archives Center - NMAH
- No Image Available
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Records, 1826-1880s, 1951 (bulk 1860s-1940s)
- Notes
- The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) was the nation's first extensive steam powered railroad. It was founded by Baltimore merchants in 1827 as a means of promoting trade and making Baltimore competitive with other east coast ports. The original intent of the founders was to provide direct and fast access to the Ohio River, and the markets that the river reached. The railroad, however, went beyond the Ohio River and its lines went as far west as St. Louis and Chicago. The B&O was also known for its use of an electric locomotive in the mid 1890s. It also had a completely air conditioned train, and it was a forerunner in the use of diesel-electric locomotives. Company activities paralleled those of other American railroads and over the course of its life included expansion, near bankruptcy, innovations, regulations, and finally buyout. In February 1963, the Chesapeake and Ohio (C&O) completed its purchase of the B&O. Today B&O is part of the CSX Transportation (CSX) network
- Summary
- The main collection consists of correspondence, invoices, drawings, photographs, and negatives and other printed literature documenting the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad from its inception in 1827 to its merger with the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad in the 1960s. It includes records dealing with the engineering, construction, and maintenance operations of the railroad: correspondence and other material on routes, land surveys, and construction, circa 1826-1861; specifications, cost statements, bids, drawings, tracings, and blueprints concerning construction, repair, and upkeep of bridges, trestles, shops, depots, and other structures, ca. 1858-1943; maps and profiles, 1850, 1853, 1890, 1899-1900, 1911; and negatives and prints of construction, buildings, structures, and track, 1913-1914, 1921-1930. Also, correspondence of John W. Garrett (1820-1884), president of B&O, 1858-1884, concerning Ohio River bridges, requests for employment, and bridges, trestles, and tunnels, 1858-1880; and correspondence of Benjamin H. Latrobe as president of the Pittsburgh and Connelsville Railroad, 1861-1865
- 1961 gift: Six railroad car drawings
- 1979 gift: An album of cyanotype photographs depicting all bridges, stations, and other structures along the B&O's Philadelphia Division, 1891
- Second 1979 gift: Letters, 1829, 1871, 1872, and 1874, mostly relating to bridges
- Cite as
- Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Records, 1826-1880s, 1951 (bulk 1860s-1940s), Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution
- Date
- 1826
- 1880
- 1826-1880s, 1951 bulk 1860s-1940s
- 19th century
- 1860-1890
- 20th century
- donor
- Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company
- O'Connell, Rosalie
- author
- Latrobe, Benj. H (Benjamin Henry) 1807-1878
- Garrett, John W (John Work) 1820-1884
- collector
- History of Technology, Division of, NMAH, SI
- Mechanical and Civil Engineering, Division of [former name], NMAH, SI
- Local number
- 236163 (NMAH Acc.)
- 1979.0895 (NMAH Acc.)
- 1979.0912 (NMAH Acc.)
- 2007.3209 (NMAH Acc.)
- Data Source
- Archives Center - NMAH
- No Image Available
Robert F. Olds Collection, 1918-1948
- Notes
- Olds was a civil engineer of dams, hydroelectric plants, steam plants, water supply systems, and sewage systems
- Summary
- Material from fourteen dam construction projects (1918-1946), including notes, blueprints, reports, drawings, and correspondence, etc
- Cite as
- Robert F. Olds Collection, 1918-1948, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
- Date
- 1918
- 1918-1948
- 1900-1950
- collector
- Olds, Robert F (civil engineer) 1881-
- Mechanical and Civil Engineering, Division of [former name], NMAH, SI
- Data Source
- Archives Center - NMAH
- No Image Available
Engineering Notebook Collection, 1835-1930
- Notes
- The notebook of J. Parker Snow has been transferred to the J.Parker Snow Wooden Bridge Collection, No. 225
- Summary
- Mainly personal notebooks of engineers, although one is a listing of products of a manufacturer of gears and another is a compilation of shop orders for various products of a manufacturer. They generally contain technical descriptions, drawings, specifications, and financial data
- Cite as
- Engineering Notebook Collection, 1835-1930, Archives Center, NMAH
- Date
- 1835
- 1835-1930
- collector
- Engineering and Industry, Division of, NMAH, SI
- Subject
- Bennett, C
- Blaisdell, Alfred O
- Gordon, W. F
- Reed, James
- Richardson, William J
- Sheldon, Frank P
- Snow, J. Parker
- Ames Iron Works
- Hendrick Manufacturing Company
- Woodruff and Beach Iron Works
- Data Source
- Archives Center - NMAH