Mies Centennial Project Records/David C. Sharpe collection, 1986

Materials collected and produced by the Mies van der Rohe Centennial Project conducted by Illinois Institute of Technology (Chicago) in 1986. Collection consists largely of photographs and negatives collected and produced in conjunction with the creation of a Mies Centennial exhibit and catalog, "Mies van der Rohe: Architect as Educator." See detailed folder listing below.

Folder 1: Postcard Invitation

Printed postcard invitation (14 copies) from the IIT College of Architecture, Planning and Design to the opening of the exhibition on June 6, 1986 held in S. R. Crown Hall. Exhibit viewing was preceded by a lecture in Grover Hermann Hall buy Kevin Harrington, "Problems of Definition: Mies van der Rohe and the Nature and Structure of Order." Also, a photograph showing the cover of the exhibit catalogue and interior pages (2 copies).

Folder 2: Newsclippings

Photocopies of articles from various newspapers and magazine concerning Mies, the centennial and exhibit, the book "Mies van der Rohe: A Critical Biography" by Franz Schultz, and Edith Farnsworth/Farnsworth House. All are dated late 1985 or 1986. Publications are as follows: Chicago Tribune; Chicago Sun-Times; Chicago Magazine; Crain's Chicago Business; [Chicago] Herald; The New York Times; The Wall Street Journal; The Chronicle of Higher Education; Daily American Republic (Poplar Bluff, MO); Dallas Morning News; Kino German Film Magazine.

Folder 3: Exhibit Catalog

A copy of the Project's exhibit catalogue, the publication "Mies van der Rohe: Architect as Educator" edited by Rolf Achilles, Kevin Harrington, and Charlotte Myhrum. (This book will be found in libraries world-wide, generally cataloged as LC: NA1088.M65 or Dewey: 720/.92/4.) The copy in this collection is annotated to track the folder location of the prints and negatives of images reproduced in the catalog. The prints and negatives in the collection are cross-referenced to the page numbers of the book where they appear. Annotations and page numbers were entered by Catherine Bruck, IIT University Archivist, when processing this collection in March 2013. Note that the image on the cover of the book (Mies head shot in profile) is identified as "Photographer unknown. Collection of Edward A. Duckett" per the invitation postcard (see Folder 1) which contains the same image.

Folder 4: Prints Used in Catalogue

Nineteen prints (one only in color; various sizes; all are reproductions; no vintage prints) of people, buildings, drawings, and scenes, which were used the exhibit catalogue "Mies van der Rohe: Architect as Educator." The prints have been identified with the page number in the book where they appear.

Folder 5: Negatives-Mies & Crown Hall

Two B&W negatives (11x14"); one of Mies with the model of Crown Hall; the other of Crown Hall under construction. These images are used on pages 2 and 116-117 of the catalogue respectively. Note that originals of both of these images are in the collection of Chicago History Museum and IIT does not own copyright to the images. (Crown Hall model photo is by Nathan Lerner; construction images is by Hedrich-Blessing.)

Folders 6-9: Catalogue Negatives

B&W negatives; various sizes All are of images used in "Mies van der Rohe: Architect as Educator" and are identified as to the page on which they appear. Note that a small number of negatives were not found. See below (Folder 28) for information regarding the cover images which is not in this collection. Folder 6 contains negatives for pages 1-69. (See folder 5 for page 2 negative.) Folder 7 contains negatives for pages 70-99. Folder 8 contains negatives for pages 100-126. (See folder 5 for page 116-117 negative.) Folder 9 contains negatives for pages 130-148.

Folder 10: Souvenir Postcards

Postcards (4x6"; B&W) with various images of Mies and his buildings. The set was apparently produced by the Museum of Contemporary Art (Chicago) for sale or promotional purposes during the Centennial. All images are copyright 1986 Hedrich-Blessing. Nine cards are included, however they are numbered 1 to 10; number 8 is missing.

Folder 11: Photograph of Street Banner

One 8x10" B&W print showing a banner reading "Mies van der Rohe Architect as Educator" mounted on a street lamp at Water Tower Place in downtown Chicago.

Folder 12: Manuscript on Charles Kuralt Interview

Two pages on Video Monitoring Services of America, Inc. letterhead (VMS) concerning the CBS News Sunday Morning program broadcast on July 27, 1986; Charles Kuralt host, interviewing Michael Dunoff (director, Museum of Contemporary Art) and Dirk Lohan (grandson of Mies). Note that Lohan's name is incorrectly shown as Lowan in the document. (2 copies)

Folder 13: Brochure on Centennial Events

Tri-fold (6 pages) brochure "Mies van der Rohe Rediscovered: Exhibitions and Other Happening in the Year of His Centennial" complied by Jeffery Baumoel; published by "Inland Architect"; © 1986 Inland Architect Press. The IIT exhibit is described in the brochure as are associated films (including the Michael Blackwood film "The Architecture of Mies van der Rohe"; see IIT Archives Acc. No. 1991.015 for related materials), tours, lectures, and publications.

Folder 14: Memo from George Danforth

Memo (1 page) from George Danforth to David Sharpe re "Photographs and negatives of material used in the Mies Centennial exhibit and catalog." Memo say 49 photographs and negatives were enclosed with the memo. Note that these are probably images which are included in this collection; see below. The following materials (in folders 15-27) probably represent images and research documents used in the process of creating the exhibit and catalogue.

Folder 15: Prints Not Used in Catalogue

Twenty-three 8x10" B&W prints (all are reproductions; no vintage prints) of various people, buildings, drawings, and scenes, some of which may have been shown in the Mies Centennial exhibit (one of these images were reproduced in the catalogue). Several are identified as coming from the Hedrich-Blessing Studio collection. A few are identified as drawings by IIT architecture students ca. 1955.

Folder 16: Prints of Mies & Students

Three 4x6" B&W prints, two with Mies and students (or faculty members?; one might be Jacques Brownson) looking at a building model, and one of the table-top model (possibly, the convention center).

Folder 17: Three Prints

Three B&W prints: Alfred Caldwell head shot; Myron Goldsmith with 3 African American students or visitors in the exhibit gallery; George Danforth, Rolf Achilles, Charlotte Myhrum, and George Sorich with exhibit catalog (apparently dated 9/11/1985).

Folder 18: George Danforth Color Slides

Eleven 60mm color transparencies, possibly dated April 1988 (per the photo developer's envelope) of George Danforth and three unidentified people (possibly, Alfred Caldwell and gardeners?).

Folder 19: Prints of Felix Candela

Two 4x6" B&W prints (3 copies of one; 2 of the other) of Felix Candela, Myron Goldsmith, Gene Summers, and Peter Roesch.

Folder 20: Prints of Ludwig Hilberseimer

Two B&W photos of Ludwig Hilberseimer, one with students (6.5x9.5"), and one with signatures (9.25x13.5") of 31 students and reading "To Hilbs: Class of '49. These images are included on page 115 of the exhibit catalogue.

Folder 21: Slides of Westmount Square

Ten color slides (70mm mounted size) of Westmount Square, Montreal buildings and streetscape.

Folder 22: Slides of Lafayette Park

Fifteen color slides (70mm mounted size) of Lafayette Park, Detroit, Michigan.

Folder 23: Slides of Colonnade Park

Fourteen color slides (70mm mounted size) of Newark, New Jersey Colonnade Park (aka Branch Brook). [Note: Some/all of these slides may be misidentified; they may be Lafayette Park.]

Folder 24: Negatives of Unidentified Building

Two 3x7" B&W negatives of unidentified building (one-story; open plan; residence?).

Folder 25: Photocopies re IIT Buildings

Photocopies of pages (6 total) from one or more books (may be the exhibit catalogue) with short descriptions of Mies buildings, primarily ones on the IIT campus.

Folder 26: Photocopies of Book Pages

Photocopied pages (9-19 and footnotes) from book "Mies van der Rohe"; introduction by Martin Pawley with 60 photos. by Yukio Futagawa; published by Simon and Schuster, NY, 1970.

Folder 27: Photocopies of "Three Addresses"

Photocopies of pages from an unidentified book with text of "Three addresses at the Blackstone Hotel April 17, 1950 on the occasion of the celebration of the addition of the Institute of Design to Illinois Institute of Technology." Addresses by Mies van der Rohe, Serge Chermayeff, and Walter Gropius. (2 copies)

Folder 28: Manuscript from D. Fischer

Note from Dudley Fisher (IIT Mies Society staff member ca. 2007) to David Sharpe thanking him for loan of a Mies photograph (from this collection) which was used on a Mies Society program.