Collections : [University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library]

Modernist architect based in New York City, 1929-1950, and professor of architecture at the University of Michigan, 1950-1972, where he also carried on an active private practice until shortly before his death in 1990. A graduate of MIT, Muschenheim studied further with Peter Behrens at the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts and was strongly influenced both by a visit to the Bauhaus in Weimar, Germany and by a period working in urban planning with Peter Korn in Berlin. Two major Muschenheim collections exist, one within the Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library at Columbia University and another within the Bentley Historical Library at the University of Michigan. The Muschenheim collection at the Avery represents primarily his professional career from 1929 to 1957, and the Muschenheim collection at the Bentley concerns his later professional practice and teaching career at the University of Michigan, as of 1950. This finding aid describes both the Avery and Bentley collections.

Staffs of the Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library and the Bentley Historical Library have prepared separate finding aids for their respective William Muschenheim collections. These have been merged to provide one integrated finding aid. This integrated finding aid lists all Muschenheim materials held by both repositories. All of the drawings, papers, photographs and other materials for each project are brought together in a single job-number/chronological sequence. The physical location of each item/folder is indicated by "A" for Avery and "B" for Bentley. The combined finding aid organizes the Muschenheim papers into four series:

1. Biographical and Professional Material [Bentley]
2. University of Michigan Teaching Career [Bentley]
3. Publications and research [Bentley]
4. Project Files [Avery and Bentley]

The project files of William Muschenheim are described according to Muschenheim's original filing system in which he interfiled the drawings, correspondence, specifications, and other papers for each job/client. Muschenheim typically assigned each client a single job number no matter how many projects he may have done for the client. There are a total of 130 numbered jobs in the Avery Collection (#1-130, with gaps between jobs 11-17, 25-26, 28-29) and 63 numbered jobs in the Bentley collection (#132-193, there are no materials for 22 of the jobs). There are also nine unnumbered projects (4 Avery and 5 Bentley) and several folders of miscellaneous material.

Each numbered job consists of one or more projects and each project is subdivided by format of material into Drawings, Papers, Photographs, and Presentation Boards as appropriate. There is some variance in the manner in which the two archives have arranged and described project material. The Avery has described its drawings at the item level while the Bentley provides only folder level descriptions for most projects. For this finding aid item level descriptions are provided for selected Bentley projects. Photographs are found in the "Papers" in some Avery project files but are listed separately in the Bentley finding aid.

At both the Avery and Bentley the oversize architectural drawings have been removed from their original folders and stored separately.

The William Muschenheim Architectural Drawings and Papers at the Avery Library span 1929-1957, with bulk dates 1931-1950. Muschenheim's papers document 130 separate jobs, and the visual material consists of 3081 sheets of drawings. The projects mainly represent Muschenheim's work in New York City, but also include work in Albany (NY), Amenia (NY),Bridgehampton (NY), Chappaqua (NY), Hampton Bays (NY), Malverne (NY), Massapequa (NY), Nassau Point (Long Island), Washington (CT), Washington DC, Westhampton Beach (NY), and Woodstock (NY), among other locations.

William Muschenheim had numerous clients which included the following family members: Carl Muschenheim, Elsa Muschenheim, and Frederick A. Muschenheim. In addition to the many clients for whom Muschenheim did alteration work, he also worked with a wide variety of companies. Some of the companies include Bigelow Carpet Company, C.G. Flygare Inc., Excel Metal Cabinet Co., Inc., F. Schumacher & Co., Famaes Development, Hans Knoll, Howard & Schaffer, Inc., Kurt Versen Lamps, Inc., Ledlin Light Designers, Portland Cement Association, and Thonet Brothers, among many others.

The papers and drawings in the William E. Muschenheim collection at the Bentley Library span the years 1923 to 2004, however the bulk of the collection covers the years 1951 to 1985. The papers are primarily comprised of material documenting Muschenheim's research and teaching career from 1950 to 1973 at the University of Michigan, and the private practice he continued in Ann Arbor after leaving New York City. There are limited papers and drawings related to his life and professional work prior to 1950, although the Photographs Series includes beautiful black and white images of many of his important New York projects, and the Publications and Research Series is valuable for articles published in the thirties and the forties showcasing his work. Papers and drawings spanning the years 1929-1957 (bulk dates 1931-1950) are held at the Avery Library, Columbia University.

Muschenheim's early and lasting commitment to the modern movement and to an international view of architecture and architectural education is reflected in the collection, which consists of biographical and professional materials, research and course materials, publications related to his work, project files and drawings, and photographs and slides. The Muschenheim collection will interest researchers drawn to study the work of a pioneering modernist, well known for originality in working with color as an integral part of contemporary design, and those interested in the generation of architects involved in the fifties and sixties with legitimizing the modern period in an academic environment. Additionally, Muschenheim's efforts to illuminate the art of architecture as an important element and expression of culture to a broader segment of society renders the collection important to a wide range of disciplines and interests.

The papers are largely organized according to Muschenheim's original filing scheme, in which he interfiled material related to projects (including drawings) with professional papers, correspondence, and other documents, numbering them sequentially. The Bentley Library collection consists of material numbered 132 to 192. Many large original drawings were removed from folders, flattened, and are stored in drawers. Five series make up the collection: Biographical and Professional Materials; University of Michigan Teaching Career, College of Architecture and Design; Publications and Research; Project Files; and Digitization Project. Users should note that material related to a single project is often scattered throughout the collection. A Supplemental Guide to work produced after 1950 in the additional descriptive data portion of this finding aid. Also appended is Muschenheim's list of projects (numbered 1-189).

The Institute of General History at the University of Turku, Finland (Turun Yliopisto. Yleisen Historian Laitos) microfilmed thousands of letters from Satakunta region in 1964. The letters were written by Finnish emigrants to their families and friends in Finland.

There are about 6000 letters in this collection. Most of the letters have been written by emigrants who used to live in Satakunta but there are also some from persons who lived in other provinces before emigrating. There are also post cards, diaries and passports in the collection. The letters were written to residents of Satakunta from 1880 to 1964. Although most of the letters were sent from the United States and Canada, there were a few letters from South America, Australia, New Zealand and Soviet Union.

The collection was arranged by towns (also known as parishes or municipalities). Within each town series the letters of each recipient were kept together. The owners of the letters are in chronological order according to the emigrating year of their correspondents.

Every collector of letters filled out a questionnaire for each writer. The questionnaire is at the beginning of the sender's letters. In the upper right corner of the questionnaire there is a code that includes the abbreviation of the town and the location of the sender.

Questionnaire used in collecting America letters:

1. The owner of the letters (name and address)
2. The writer of the letters (name and last address)
3. The relationship between the owner and the writer
4. When left for America
5. Who were they visiting in America
6. Why left
7. Home town in Finland
8. The occupation of the parents
9. How large was the family of the parents of the emigrant
10. Was the emigrant married when he left Finland
11. Did the wife and children emigrate, too
12. Did the emigrant get married in America
13. What year
14. The nationality of the spouse
15. The occupation of the emigrant when emigrated
16. Had the emigrant ever been working outside the home town before emigrating
17. How did the emigrant go to America (route and vehicle)
18. The first workplace in America
19. What kind of work
20. Where did the emigrant live the longest time in America
21. What kind of work
22. Other members of the group who emigrated at the same time: name, hometown, return to Finland
23. The later life of the emigrant: did/did not return to Finland
24. If applicable, why did the emigrant return
25. Return route and vehicle
26. Occupation after return
27. The number of the letters (photos, diaries etc.) in the enclosed questionnaire envelope
28. The owner donates the letters/loans them only for microfilming
29. The collector of the letters (name and address)
30. To be filled by the Institute of General History

Documents in this collection contain the following abbreviations for the names of the town or parish from an immigrant came:

1. AHL = Ahlainen
2. ALAS = Alastaro
3. EURA = Eura
4. E-KI = Eurajoki
5. HIN = Hinnerjoki
6. H-KI = Honkajoki
7. H-TI = Honkilahti
8. HUIT = Huittinen
9. HAM = Hämeenkyrö
10. IKA = Ikaalinen
11. JAM = Jämijärvi
12. KAN = Kankaanpää
13. K-KU = Karkku
14. KAR = Karvia
15. KIH = Kihniö
16. KIIK = Kiikka
17. KNEN = Kiikoinen
18. KOK = Kokemaki
19. KUL = Kullaa
20. KOY=Köyliö
21. LAP = Lappi Tl.
22. LAV = Lavia
23. LOIM = Loimaa
24. MEL = Mellilä
25. MER = Merikarvia
26. MET = Metsämaa
27. MOU = Mouhijarvi
28. NOOR = Noormarkku
29. PAR = Parkano
30. POM = Pomarkku
31. PORI = City of Pori and rural parish of Pori
32. PUN = Punkalaidun
33. RAUM = Rauma: city and rural parish
34. SIIK = Siikainen
35. SUOD = Suodenniemi
36. SAK = Säkylä
37. TYRV = Tyrvää and Vammala
38. VAMP = Vampula

Ann Arbor, Michigan photographic studio. Collection includes selected copy prints, and glass and film negatives relating to University of Michigan athletics, both photos of individual athletes and of team groupings; also photos of various faculty and University administrators and log books of photos.

The Rentschler Studios collection is made up of nearly 625 negatives and 275 copy prints. It comprises five linear feet and is stored in seven boxes, four large and three small. The collection also includes the studio's log books of photos. The photographs span the years from 1889 to 1969. Although the Rentschlers operated a private studio, over two-thirds of the portraits are of persons directly affiliated with the University of Michigan. The two largest categories of portraits are: 1) faculty and administrators and 2) athletes, teams, and coaches. There are also portraits of students, clergy, businessmen, city officials, and others.

The collection is divided into three series, Negatives, Prints, and Log Books. Glass and film negatives comprise the vast majority of the collection and are arranged into four subseries: Numerical; Team Portraits; Miscellaneous; and Football Team Portraits, 1896-1942. The smaller series - Prints - is located in Box 4 and is arranged into two subseries: Athletics and Portraits.

Papers of the Stewart, Van Akin, and Seymour families, of Flint, Michigan. Includes correspondence, genealogies, newspaper clippings, family memorabilia and photographs.

The collection consists of four series: Jennings-Van Akin-Burd, Tilden-Stewart, Stewart-Seymour, and Visual Materials. The strength of the collection lies in its documentation of the history of the Stewart and Seymour families, especially the family correspondence from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Professor of mathematics at University of Michigan. Correspondence, printed materials and miscellanea relating to his research in mathematics and the history of science, his interest in collecting historical manuscripts, maps, and rare books, and his personal affairs; also photograph.

The collection has been arranged into the following series: Correspondence, Collected letters of historical personages; Mathematics and cartographical interests; Collecting historical documents (with materials collected by LCK); and miscellaneous.

Libraries administered by graduate students and operating within the individual residence halls of the University of Michigan. The record group consists of administrative files and Benzinger Library (East Quadrangle) files including monthly reports, annual reports, meeting minutes, memoranda, handbooks, and manuals dealing with policies and procedures.

The records of the University of Michigan Residence Hall Libraries (3 linear feet) date from 1954 to 2005. The record group has been divided into four series: Academic Connections, Administrative Files, Benzinger Library (East Quadrangle) Files, Media, and Planning.

Utica, Michigan attorney, justice of the peace, and state representative. Correspondence mainly concerning family, legal, and political affairs; also scattered municipal and township records, 1846-1865, for Utica and Shelby and Sterling townships in Macomb County, Michigan, especially school records; and miscellaneous business and legal papers, poems, essays, and notebooks.

The papers of Seth K. Shetterly cover the years 1835-1934 though the bulk of the material falls between 1850 and 1890. The papers are arranged into four series: Correspondence, Municipal and Township Records, Miscellaneous Papers, and Diaries and Ledgers.

Erastus Otis Haven was the second president of the University of Michigan. Haven later became the President of Northwestern University, then served as the Chancellor of Syracuse University. The collection consists of photographs of Haven and his family, as well as scrapbooks and correspondence.

The E. O. Haven papers contains a letter, 1838, to his parents written from Wesleyan University; three letters from Haven about University of Michigan; a letter asking Haven to lecture in Saginaw, Michigan; letter book, 1864-1865, chiefly of official correspondence as president of University of Michigan, copies of articles appearing in the Michigan Argus for 1869, condemning and defending President Haven for speaking in a Unitarian church in Detroit, Michigan; and scrapbooks.

Portraits and other photographs are included as well, of Haven as well as his son, Otis Erastus, and his wife, Mary.

De Witt Clinton Spaulding (circa 1841 or 1842-1926) was a white Michigan resident who served in Company G. of the Union Army's 8th Michigan Infantry regiment during the American Civil War. Included in the collection is Spaulding's physical Civil War diary (which includes comments on his capture and confinement at Andersonville Prison), a transcription of the diary with additional information and images, digitized copies of Spaulding's military service and pension records, scattered physical correspondence and miscellanea, and a DVD-R containing related materials.

The De Witt C. Spaulding papers (0.1 linear feet and 42.5 MB) include scattered correspondence and miscellanea, digitized copies of Spaulding's compiled military service and pension records from the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, and Spaulding's diary. The physical diary—dated from 1861 to 1864—provides information about Spaulding's Civil War experiences, including his capture and confinement at Andersonville Prison. A digital transcription of Spaulding's diary by Clare M. Cory is also present in this collection. It contains additional biographical and genealogical information, as well as images of Spaulding and his relatives.

Finally, the collection includes a DVD-R containing a transcription of the diary with additional biographical information and photos.

Clerk to Gen. Lewis Cass on 1819 expedition among Indians of upper Great Lakes, Indian agent and negotiator, mayor of Detroit in 1834, and later University of Michigan regent. Papers consist primarily of material relating to his early experience among the Indians including reports to Cass and other accounts of Indian life and language. Consists in part of photostats of material held by the Burton Historical Library.

The Trowbridge collection consists mainly of materials accumulated during the early years of his career when he was acting as Indian agent and when he devoted himself to the study of the languages and customs of the native Americans of the upper midwest.

The major portion of the Trowbridge papers are located at the Burton Historical Collection (NUCMC 70-1194)