Woollen, Molzan & Partners, Inc. Architectural Records
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Collection # M 1221 OMB 0160 DVD 0773-0860, 0869 WOOLLEN, MOLZAN & PARTNERS, INC. ARCHITECTURAL RECORDS, CA. 1912-2011 Collection Information Biographical Sketch Scope and Content Note Series Contents Processed by Jordan Ryan March-September 2016 Manuscript and Visual Collections Department William Henry Smith Memorial Library Indiana Historical Society 450 West Ohio Street Indianapolis, IN 46202-3269 www.indianahistory.org COLLECTION INFORMATION VOLUME OF 29 manuscript boxes, 4 oversized manuscript boxes, 3 COLLECTION: oversized visual boxes, 84 architectural folders, 14 slide boxes, 6 b/w photograph boxes, 8 color photograph boxes, 1 small photograph box, 1 small negative box, 1 large negative box, 2 VCR tape boxes, 89 DVDs. COLLECTION Ca. 1912-2011 DATES: PROVENANCE: Kevin F. Huse for Woollen, Molzan & Partners, Inc.; Evans Woollen III RESTRICTIONS: Lantern slides may be viewed by appointment only. Inquire at the Reference Desk. COPYRIGHT: REPRODUCTION Permission to reproduce or publish material in this collection RIGHTS: must be obtained from the Indiana Historical Society. ALTERNATE Master copies of DVDs on flash drives. FORMATS: RELATED Evans Woollen III oral history transcript, 2012, SC3060 HOLDINGS: ACCESSION 2011.0119; 2002.0320 NUMBER: NOTES: Architectural history BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH Woollen, Molzan and Partners were one of the foremost modernist architectural firms of Indianapolis. The firm's founder, Evans Woollen III, was born in Indianapolis in 1927, and had ancestral ties to the city going back to the 1840s. Woollen studied architecture at Yale University, working under famed "Glass House" architect Philip Johnson. In 1955, he returned to Indianapolis to establish his own firm, practicing the architectural style of Modernism and also exploring Brutalism in the 1960s and 1970s. The firm changed from Woollen Associates to Woollen, Molzan and Partners in 1982. They dissolved in 2011. Woollen passed away in May of 2016. Woollen's earliest works consisted of mid-century modern residences and commercial remodels, but after establishing himself, Woollen explored Brutalism with both apartment and office building projects, including critically-acclaimed Indianapolis works like the John J. Barton Towers, Butler University's Clowes Memorial Hall, and the Federal Office Building, also known as the Minton-Capehart Building. The cold, unornamented architectural style has become one of the most controversial, but remains highly regarded for its significance in architectural history. While embracing new styles, Woollen also successfully completed several historic preservation-related projects. It is often said that mid-century architects had an "out with the old, in with the new" attitude regarding older buildings, but this was simply not the case for Woollen, as his firm managed the historic rehabilitation of numerous Indianapolis apartment buildings, churches, commercial buildings, and theatres, such as the St. Meinrad Archabbey Monastery (St. Meinrad, IN), the Indiana Repertory Theatre, the Majestic Building, and Union Station (all Indianapolis). The sheer volume of photographic documentation exhibited in this collection illustrates Woollen's appreciation for all styles of architecture, as he mourned over the demise of many downtown Victorian buildings that were lost to neglect or redevelopment. His career concluded with several contemporary churches, museums and libraries, both academic and public, including the Christ Church Cathedral addition, the Children's Museum of Indianapolis, White River Gardens, and the Indianapolis Public Library addition (all Indianapolis). His contemporary work playfully experimented with massing and referenced geometry in terms of the form, facades, and fenestration. Many unique items in this collection provide insight into the mind of Evans Woollen and his design process, including: photo documentation of tenant life inside of Barton Towers, the first large apartment tower for low-income elderly Indianapolis residents; photo documentation and master plan materials depicting the process of community engagement and the use of focus groups for architectural planning; slides taken in the late 1950s and early 1960s highlighting historic Victorian-era downtown buildings prior to demolition, including Tomlinson Hall after it caught on fire but before it was demolished; slide sets Woollen used in lectures documenting not only his work but also covering contemporary works from trips to European cities; and materials for both preservation work and new construction projects for the historic New Harmony Inn and Conference Center in New Harmony, IN. Maps visualizing the 160 projects in the collection are available upon request. Sources: Materials in collection Evans Woollen III Oral History Transcript, IHS, 2012. Gadski, Mary Ellen, "Woollen, Molzan and Partners," in The Encyclopedia of Indianapolis (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1994), 1453-1454. SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE The Woollen collection contains building specifications and planning materials for over 160 projects, over 3,000 architectural drawings, over 10,000 photographs, negatives, and slides documenting multiple phases of construction projects from model to completion, oral histories and lectures, and articles and press clippings covering the firm from 1955 until their 2011 dissolution. This collection also includes an additional 25 unbuilt projects either in the form of master plans or incomplete proposals. Unlike other architectural collections, Woollen's projects are surprisingly almost all extant, many of which remain unaltered today. Series 1 contains manuscript materials on church projects such as correspondence, notes, and clippings, in alphabetical order. Photos, slides and dvds housed with this material is in this series. Series 2 contains manuscript materials on historic projects such as correspondence, notes, and clippings, in alphabetical order. Photos, slides and dvds housed with this material is in this series. Historic projects include both historic rehabilitation work and also the oldest projects of the firm. Series 3 contains manuscript materials on library projects such as correspondence, notes, and clippings, in alphabetical order. Photos, slides and dvds housed with this material is in this series. Series 4 contains manuscript materials on museum, performance center, and theater projects such as correspondence, notes, and clippings, in alphabetical order. Photos, slides and dvds housed with this material is in this series. Series 5 contains manuscript materials on prison projects such as correspondence, notes, and clippings, in alphabetical order. Photos, slides and dvds housed with this material is in this series. Series 6 contains manuscript materials on residential projects such as correspondence, notes, and clippings, in alphabetical order. Photos, slides and dvds housed with this material is in this series. Series 7 contains manuscript materials on school projects such as correspondence, notes, and clippings, in alphabetical order. Photos, slides and dvds housed with this material is in this series. Series 8 contains manuscript materials on miscellaneous projects such as correspondence, notes, and clippings, in alphabetical order. Photos, slides and dvds housed with this material is in this series. Series 9 contains formerly bounded building specifications, reports, manuals, and portfolios, in chronological order. Series 10 contains articles, newsletters, periodicals, and books. Series 11 contains separated visual sources like photographs, negatives, slides and glass lantern slides. Slide binders and boxes are kept in original order. This series also includes oversized photographs and oversized renderings and flashdrive backups. Series 12 contains miscellaneous materials, including VHS tapes, U-matic tapes, and additional manuscript materials. Series 13 contains architectural drawings, blueprints, and site plans. SERIES CONTENTS Series 1: Manuscript Materials, Churches CONTENTS CONTAINER All Saints Episcopal, 1559 Central Ave., Indianapolis, 1964. Box 1, Folder 1 DVD, All Saints Episcopal, 1559 Central Ave., Indianapolis, 2004. DVD 0773 B/W Photos, All Saints Episcopal, 1559 Central Ave., B/W Photographs, Indianapolis, 1964. Box 1, Folder 1 Allisonville Christian Church, 7701 Allisonville Rd., Indianapolis, Box 1, Folder 2 1993-2010. Color photos, Allisonville Christian Church, 7701 Allisonville Rd., Color Photographs, Indianapolis, 1993-2010. Box 1, Folder 1 Asbury United Methodist, 42nd & Post Rd., Indianapolis, n.d. Box 1, Folder 3 B/W Photos, Asbury United Methodist, 42nd & Post Rd., B/W Photographs, Indianapolis, n.d. Box 1, Folder 2 Carmel Lutheran Church, 4850 E. Main St., Carmel, IN, 1988. Box 1, Folder 4 Centenary Christian Church, 1035 N. Oxford St., Indianapolis, Box 1, Folder 5 1992. B/W Photos, Centenary Christian Church, 1035 N. Oxford St., B/W Photographs, Indianapolis, 1992. Box 1, Folder 3 Negatives, Centenary Christian Church, 1035 N. Oxford St., Small Negatives, Indianapolis, 1992. Box 1, Envelope 5 Color Photo, Centenary Christian Church, 1035 N. Oxford St., Color Photographs, Indianapolis, 1992. Box 1, Folder 2 Christ Church Cathedral Addition, 125 Monument Circle, Box 1, Folder 6 Indianapolis, 1983-1989. Negative, Christ Church Cathedral Addition, 125 Monument Small Negatives, Circle, Indianapolis, 1983-1989. Box 1, Envelope 6 Christ Church the Lutheran Church of Zionsville, 600 N. Ford Rd., Box 1, Folder 7 Zionsville, IN, 2007. DVDs, Christ Church the Lutheran Church of Zionsville,