Architectural Collection, Miscellaneous
Scope and Content Note
The miscellaneous architectural collection includes an eclectic group of about ninety different projects. Most are located in Vermont, primarily in northern and central Vermont, and the greatest concentration is in Burlington. The dates range from 1896-1977, though over half are from 1910-1917. A small proportion of the collection consists of drawings of residences and apartments. Approximately a fifth of the projects are of public works, which date mostly from 1907-1917. These include a number of schools (both new and altered), as well as two state armory buildings, a hospital, bridges, power plants, waterworks, and a town clerk's office. Holdings also include drawings of the Chittenden County Court House and Jail, and the Washington County Court House. The greatest proportion of projects in the collection are of commercial buildings. There are plans for several new factories and mills (built 1913-1917), including ice cream, chocolate and maple sugar factories, and also a slate mill. Drawings of Burlington's Flynn Theater are in the collection as well as plans of steel ceilings for a few out-of-state theaters. There are also plans by various railroad companies, most notably Rutland Railroad blueprints (1911-1912), that show the location of railroad tracks, streets and businesses along the Burlington waterfront.
The guide consists of the inventory listing drawings in the order in which they are arranged i.e., alphabetically by town, and, in
Burlington, by street. It also lists the client, the type of building, the type of job, the date, and the architect, when known. Some architects listed here are further represented in the Louis S. Newton collection. For more in depth information on the drawings, there is an "Architectural Drawing Inventory" notebook (located in Special Collections). This is arranged by town and provides details such as the condition of the drawings, the type of plans, the number of pages, and whether or not specifications are included.
The Architects
The architects are known in about sixty percent of the projects in this collection, and thirty-six different architectural firms are represented. The architects are mainly from the Northeast---a number are from Boston and NYC. And about half of the projects are by Vermont (primarily Burlington) architects.
Dates
- 1896-1977
Creator
Access
Collection is open for research.
Publication Rights
All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Curator of Manuscripts.
Historical Note
Although the collection contains only a smattering of their works, it gives a glimpse of a core group of local architects, who were significant shapers of Burlington's built environment in the first decades of this century. Frank Lyman Austin is the most represented architect in the collection. Austin was a prominent architect, who practiced in Burlington from 1904 until his death in 1942. He designed residences and commercial buildings, but he is best known for public buildings. He designed Memorial Auditorium, the YMCA, state armories in Burlington and St. Albans, as well as schools, libraries and banks. J.J. McLaughlin, whose architectural career spanned 1886 to 1932, was a prolific but conservative architect. He designed many Burlington residences which still stand. W.R.B. Willcox practiced in Burlington from 1895 to 1907, when he moved to Seattle. The collection holds his sketch of a Chittenden County Court House addition. A.I. Lawrence seems to have filled Willcox's vacant office on College Street in 1908, and he practiced in Burlington on and off until 1932. Lawrence advertised his skills in the 1909 City Directory: “... Mill Construction, concrete and hollow terra cotta...”. Charles H. Crandall worked from his offices in the Strong Building on Main Street from 1906-1918. He advertised that "Ecclesiastical, Educational and Commercial Work” were his specialty.
Extent
30.2 Linear feet (7 map case drawers, computed as 7 cartons + 7 boxes (roughly equivalent cubic inches).)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
The miscellaneous architectural collection includes an eclectic group of about ninety different projects. Most are located in Vermont, primarily in northern and central Vermont, and the greatest concentration is in Burlington. The dates range from 1896-1977, though over half are from 1910-1917.
Physical Location
Library Research Annex; contact uvmsc@uvm.edu for access.
Sources
Lamb, Wallace E. The Lake Champlain and Lake George Valleys, Vol.3. N.Y:;- The American Historical Co., 1940.
Schoettle, Clark. “Deceased Architects and Builders Who Have Worked in Burlington, Vt” 1977-78. (Graduate student paper located in Special Collections.)
Processing Information
Processed by Christie Carter, 1987 September
- Title
- Guide to the Architectural Collection, Miscellaneous mss.177
- Status
- Completed
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
- Language of description note
- English
Repository Details
Part of the University of Vermont Libraries, Special Collections Repository
Silver Special Collections Library
48 University Place, Room B201
Burlington Vermont 05405 U.S.A. US
(802) 656-2138
(802) 656-4038 (Fax)
uvmsc@uvm.edu
