Texas A&M University-San Antonio Digital Commons @ Texas A&M University-San Antonio Finding Aids: Guides to the Collection Archives & Special Collections 2020 Eickenroht (Marvin) Papers, 1904-1969 DRT Collection at Texas A&M University-San Antonio Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.tamusa.edu/findingaids Marvin Eickenroht Papers, 1904-1969 Descriptive Summary Creator: Eickenroht, Marvin (1898-1969) Title: Marvin Eickenroht Papers Dates: 1904-1969 Creator Marvin Eickenroht was an architect and historic preservationist. Abstract: Eickenroht published many writings on architecture and captured many photographs of architecture in Texas and across the United States. Content Correspondence, printed material, creative works, photographs, Abstract: architectural drawings, maps, lists, and financial documentation, 1904- 1969, comprise the Marvin Eickenroht Papers, documenting the San Antonio architect's involvement in historic preservation, his professional practice, and aspects of his personal life. Identification: Col 945 Extent: 9 document boxes, 2 oversize boxes, oversize items Language: Materials are in English Repository: DRT Collection at Texas A&M University-San Antonio Biographical Note Marvin Eickenroht was born to Alfred and Elizabeth Breustedt Eickenroht in Seguin, Texas on May 12, 1898. He graduated from The University of Texas at Austin with a bachelor's degree in architecture in 1920, then moved to Dallas to practice his profession. After two years, he left Dallas for additional studies in architecture at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he earned a second bachelor's degree in 1923. Eickenroht returned to Texas and began practicing architecture in San Antonio in 1925. He worked for several firms, including that of Ralph H. Cameron, before opening his own office in the Maverick Building in 1927. From 1927 to 1934, he completed commissions for schools, theaters, libraries, and churches in Seguin and San Antonio. In 1929, Eickenroht became an elected member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA). During the Great Depression, Eickenroht was appointed District Officer for the State of Texas Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS), 1934-1935. He then served as a HABS Regional Director for the Works Progress Administration (WPA), coordinating the measuring, drawing, and photographing of historic buildings in Texas and eight other southern states, 1936-1937. Following the completion of the HABS project, Eickenroht resumed his regular practice until national events pressed him into government service again. He completed a number of military commissions during World War II, including hospital facilities and WAAC housing on various military bases in Texas. After the war, Eickenroht received several commissions for work on historic buildings, including the restoration of both the Ursuline Academy and the Yturri-Edmunds house and gristmill for the San Antonio Conservation Society. He became increasingly involved in state and local historic preservation matters through the many professional and civic organizations to which he belonged. He held office as president of the West Texas Chapter of the AIA, 1940; as president of the San Antonio Chapter of the Texas Society of Architects (TSA), 1944; and as state director of the TSA, 1949-1950. He also served concurrently as a member of the AIA Committee on Preservation of Historic Buildings, and as chairman of the TSA Committee on Preservation of Historic Buildings, 1953-1964. Key individuals with whom he corresponded included: Orin M. Bullock, Jr., FAIA, Chairman of the AIA Committee on Preservation of Historic Buildings; Charles E. Peterson, F AIA, founder of HABS; and Earl R. Reed, HABS Liaison to the AIA. Eickenroht was equally active in local organizations, including the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce, the City of San Antonio Historic Sites Evaluation Committee, the San Antonio Conservation Society, and the Bexar County Historical Survey Committee. He received commendations for his contributions to historic preservation from the Seguin Conservation Society in 1956 and from the San Antonio Conservation Society in 1962. In 1966, the AIA awarded Eickenroht a Fellowship based on his literary contributions to the field of architecture. His publications included the "Outline of the Development of Early American Architecture in Southwest Texas," WPA, 1937; "Fredericksburg: Architectural Treasures Abound in Picturesque Hill Country," Texas Architect, February 1960; and "The Kaffee-Kirche at Fredericksburg, Texas, 1846," Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians, March 1966. Eickenroht married Florence Bates in 1923. The couple had one son, Marvin Bates. In 1938, Eickenroht married Ann Hayes. This second union produced another son, Edmund Yancey. Marvin Eickenroht died in San Antonio on February 22, 1969. References: Marvin Eickenroht Papers, DRT Collection at Texas A&M University-San Antonio. Eickenroht, Marvin, Biographical File, DRT Collection at Texas A&M University-San Antonio. Southwest Texans, Austin, Texas, Southwest Publications, 1952, p. 158. Scope and Content Note Correspondence, printed material, creative works, photographs, architectural drawings, maps, lists, and financial documentation, 1904-1969, comprise the Marvin Eickenroht Papers, documenting the San Antonio architect's involvement in historic preservation, his professional practice, and aspects of his personal life. The papers are arranged into four subgroups, the bulk of the material spanning the last three decades of Eickenroht's life and career, 1939-1969. The historic preservation subgroup, the largest, covers the organizations to which Eickenroht contributed his expertise, the preservation activities in which he was involved, and the assorted preservation-related material that he collected. The correspondence comprising the majority of the organizations series reveals the interrelationship between various organizations and their subdivisions; for the full scope of Eickenroht's organizational activities, all of the correspondence within the series should be examined. The Texas Society of Architects (TSA) Committee on Preservation of Historic Buildings represents the state branch of the national American Institute of Architects (AIA) Committee on Preservation of Historic Buildings. Likewise, the Bexar County Historical Survey Committee (1964-1967) represents a local branch of the Texas State Historical Survey Committee. The AIA/TSA subseries also contains general AIA correspondence and documentation pertaining to Eickenroht's Fellowship nomination (1966). The latter material includes a brief biography on Eickenroht and a summary of his professional accomplishments. Efforts of architects to record historic buildings in Texas through the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) make up the bulk of the Projects and Activities series. Eickenroht's administrative role in the 1930s is documented by a card file of Texas sites, while records from the 1960s consist mainly of correspondence. Also within this series are items related to Eickenroht's general interest in and involvement with historic site documentation and research in Texas. Several locations, including Jefferson, the La Grange-Round Top area, Laredo and Webb County, New Braunfels, and San Antonio receive particular attention. Eickenroht's research and writing are also documented, including his lengthy work on architecture in Texas, produced in conjunction with his HABS work. Shorter articles on Fredericksburg, Texas are also represented. The second largest subgroup deals with Eickenroht's architectural practice. The general records' series contains primarily creative works and printed material. Although correspondence regarding the firm is lacking, copies of speeches that Eickenroht made to various groups throughout his career serve to document his architectural philosophy, and two brief prospectuses list some of his projects and information on his associates. The printed material consists primarily of collected articles on modern church design. Some architectural drawings, produced as a college class assignment, are also found here. The historic structure restoration series includes correspondence concerning Eickenroht' s work at Fort Davis and more detailed documentation of the Yturri-Edmunds house and mill restoration in San Antonio. Sketches, detailed architectural drawings, site plans and printed material document his work at the Yturri-Edmunds site. Material received from San Antonio engineer Ernst Schuchard on mills is also included. Documentation of Eickenroht's new building projects is limited to a few architectural drawings, some letters and printed items. Eickenroht's personal records contain the least amount of documentation of the three subgroups. The notes for Eickenroht's funeral which provide additional biographical information about him, are included among the assorted material. Baptismal certificates, diplomas, and a passport for Eickenroht's father are also found in here. The fourth subgroup, photographs, includes images associated with the other subgroups in the papers, though they are primarily representative of historic buildings and other structures. Housed with the papers are larger format prints featuring Eickenroht's architectural work, other architectural images, and historic structures. A photograph album and loose prints feature several Eickenroht projects, including Presbyterian Theological Seminary buildings in Austin, the Eden Home for the Aged in New Braunfels, the