Finding aid for the Historic American Buildings Survey, District 22 Records


Repository: Western Reserve Historical Society
Creator: Historic American Buildings Survey, District 22
Title: Historic American Buildings Survey, District 22 Records
Dates: 1931-1942
Extent: 4.20 linear feet (10 containers)
Abstract: The Historic American Buildings Survey was a national survey to record and catalog historic buildings. It began in 1934 as a federal make-work project to provide work for unemployed architects, draftsmen and photographers. It was initially funded and supervised by the Civil Works Administration and later supervised by the National Park Service, the American Institute of Architecture, and the Library of Congress, with a combination of private and Works Progress Administration (WPA) funds. William A. Bohnard was the first Northern Ohio District Officer. The collection consists of field notebooks, correspondence, articles, project histories, financial records, administrative forms, sketches, maps, blueprints, drawings, lists of buildings, and indexes of the HABS Northern Ohio District (District 22).
MS Number MS 3352
Location: closed stacks
Language: The records are in English

History of the Historic American Buildings Survey, District 22

The Historic American Buildings Survey was an important step toward the conservation of historic American architecture. This collection concerns District 22 of northern Ohio, composed of thirty-six of the northern most counties of Ohio. The District Officer for northern Ohio was William A. Bohnard. As the first District Officer, Bohnard served from December 1933 until January 1938, when the American Institute of Architecture nominated James W. Thomas to serve as District Officer for 1938.

The purpose of the Historic American Buildings Survey (HAVS) was to make records, photographs, blueprints, and drawings recording the exact appearance of historic architecture and its surroundings. The buildings considered fro the survey were selected for measuring and photographing in approximate order of their historic and architectural importance in each district. The recordings were made as a form of insurance against future destruction of the structures and as a contribution to the preservation of historic architecture.

Charles E. Peterson, Chief of the Eastern Division, Branch of Plans and Designs of the National Parks Service, first proposed the idea of a national survey of historic architecture. Inaugurated in the latter part of 1933, the HABS was financed with federal relief funds. The survey marked the first attempt on the part of the federal government toward the preservation and cataloging of historic structures in the United States. Technically a federal make-work project providing worked for unemployed architects, draftsmen, and photographers with funds from the Civil Work Administrations during the Great Depression, the HABS was also a progressive step toward the preservation of an historic treasure.

The original proposal, submitted to the Secretary of the Interior on November 15, 1933, was approved by the Federal Relief Administration on December 1. The appointment of a National Advisory Board and of field supervisors began immediately.

The National Advisory Board divided the country into thirty-nine districts. Each District Officer received his appointment from the Secretary of the Interior upon his nomination by the American Institute of Architecture. Upon the appointment, the District Officers contacted the local Civil Works Administration (CWA) offices to secure architects and draftsmen for the field survey teams. Office space for the survey was often furnished gratis by public organizations and private citizens. Federal control over the survey was maintained by the issuance of instructions and supplies directly from the CWA in Washington, D. C.

Survey teams began operations about the first week of January 1934. The personnel was built up daily until a general CWA order on January 18 stopped new employment. At the height of activity, the survey employed 722 people. Beginning February 15, a gradual close-down began with reductions in staff of ten percent weekly. On May 1, 1934, the CWA program officially ended after spending $196,267.63 out of a total budget of $480,000. A considerable number of men contributed their services after this date in order to complete certain projects.

The HABS was so successful that the National park Service, the American Institute of Architecture, and the Library of Congress entered into an agreement to insure a strong degree of continuity with all future enterprises of the same nature. Upon ratification of the agreement, volunteers were organized to serve as District Officers. The survey then continued, subsidized by private funds, local emergency relief funds, and school and university programs.

A number of states made use of emergency relief funds to continue the survey as a work relief program. The National Park Service continued to supervise and supply materials for state surveys. The Branch of Plans and Designs bore the increased burden of extra administrative as an increasing number of local survey administrators sought federal guidance. To provide for continuation of a separate administrative group, the Secretary of the Interior Harold L. Ickes, approved several special allotments of Public Works Administration funds during 1934 and 1935.

From 1936 until late 1941, further work was carried on with the assistance of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in the form of local and regional projects. In addition, a number of recordings resulted from private contributions and undertakings by various architectural schools.

The early relief nature of the project resulted in unevenness of coverage as gaps developed when the greatest amount of architectural unemployment did not always occur where the largest number of significant structures existed. In order to fill these gaps, a small Federal project financed with Public Works funds was organized and operated from the autumn of 1939 until early 1941.


Scope and Content

The Historic American Buildings Survey, District 22 Records, 1931-1942 and undated, consist of field notebooks, correspondence, articles, project histories, financial records, administrative forms, sketches, maps, blueprints, drawings, lists of buildings, and indexes of the HABS Northern Ohio District (District 22).

This collection is a valuable source of information to the researcher interested in the historic development of architecture in the United States and northern Ohio. Individual project histories can be used in combination with the project blueprints and drawings to trace the development of architecture in Ohio, or to recreate buildings no longer in existence.


Statement of Arrangement

The collection is arranged by document type and then chronologically.

Restrictions on Access

None.

Related Material

The researcher should also consult PG 71 Historic American Buildings Survey, District 22 Photographs; and MS 4569 Ohio Historic Preservation Office, Western Reserve Region Records.

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.

Subjects:

Architecture, Domestic -- Ohio.
Historic buildings -- Ohio.
Public service employment -- Ohio.

Preferred Citation

[Container ___, Folder ___ ] MS 3352 Historic American Buildings Survey, District 22 Records, Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio

Acquisition Information

Gift of the Works Progress Administration.

Processing Information

Processed by William Becker in 1974. Finding aid revised in 1986.

Other Finding Aid

A map of Ohio showing the state divided into three districts and indicating the counties comprising each district; a list of projects identifying each building, its location, and the number of sheets of bluprints and drawings of the building present in the oversize collection; detailed descriptions of the structures listed in the field notebooks; and an index to the structures listed in the field notebooks by county and municipality are available at the Reference Desk of the WRHS Research Library.


Detailed Description of The Collection

Historic American Buildings Survey, District 22 Records 1931-1942 undated

Box Folder
1 1 Field notebooks, consisting of bound notebooks of graph paper in which recordings of field projects were entered January 6-9, 1934
1 2 Field notebooks, consisting of bound notebooks of graph paper in which recordings of field projects were entered January 12-17, 1934
1 3 Field notebooks, consisting of bound notebooks of graph paper in which recordings of field projects were entered January 19, 1934-March 13, 1935
Box Folder
2 1 Field notebooks, consisting of bound notebooks of graph paper in which recordings of field projects were entered March 20, 1935 undated
2 2 Field notebooks, consisting of bound notebooks of graph paper in which recordings of field projects were entered undated
2 3 Historic American Buildings Survey Field Note Books, consisting of graph paper notebooks used to record individual projects, arranged numerically, 21-36 1936
2 4 Historic American Buildings Survey Field Note Books, consisting of graph paper notebooks used to record individual projects, arranged numerically, 37-50 1936
Box Folder
3 1 Historic American Buildings Survey Field Note Books, consisting of graph paper notebooks used to record individual projects, arranged numerically, 51-63 1936
3 2 Historic American Buildings Survey Field Note Books, consisting of graph paper notebooks used to record individual projects, arranged numerically, 64-77 1936
3 3 Historic American Buildings Survey Field Note Books, consisting of graph paper notebooks used to record individual projects, arranged numerically, 78-91 1936
3 4 Historic American Buildings Survey Field Note Books, consisting of graph paper notebooks used to record individual projects, arranged numerically, 92-102, 105, and 22-28 1936
Box Folder
4 1-5 Historic American Buildings Survey correspondence, circulars, and memoranda 1931-1935
Box Folder
5 1-4 Historic American Buildings Survey Field Note Books, consisting of graph paper notebooks used to record individual projects, arranged numerically, 1936-1940 undated
Box Folder
6 1 Articles and printed material concerning the National Historic American Buildings Survey 1934 1936 undated
6 2 Written histories of the individual projects discussing the location of the project, date built, original owner, current owner, type of architecture, and current condition (arranged numerical by project (22-1 - 22-30 and 0-2-1 - 0-2-70) undated
6 3 First drafts of the written individual project histories, arranged alphabetically by project name undated
6 4 Publications of the National Park Service for use by the Historic American Buildings Survey, consisting of: Typical Sample Drawings, Specifications for the Measurement and Recordings of Historic American Buildings and Structural Remains and Catalogue of Complete Records - December 15, 1933 to December 31, 1935 ca. 1936
6 5 Road maps of Ohio used to locate projects and plot travel routes dates vary
6 6 Indexes of completed projects consisting of projects recorded and drawings made, projects recorded and drawings not made, and photographs taken by Carl Waite undated
Box Folder
7 1 Personnel assignment forms including personnel lists, notification of assignment, reassignment, reclassification, notice of change in work status, and notice of termination of employment 1935-1937
7 2 Time cards for individual survey team members January 1-March 31, 1934
7 3 Time sheets of William Bohnard 1936-1942
7 3 Daily time check sheets and others 1936 undated
7 4 Payroll reports 1934-1939
7 5 Financial expenditures consisting of purchase orders, receipts, vouchers for expenses, and notices of miscellaneous encumbrances 1934-1937
Box Folder
8 1 Administrative forms concerning the travel of the field survey teams 1934-1937
8 2 Project progress reports, consisting of survey team progress reports and District Officer's progress reports 1934-1937
8 3 Administrative forms, consisting of foreman's daily reports of workers and equipment; weekly report on project employment, absences, and assignments; and estimates of labor costs 1936-1937
8 4 Administrative forms, consisting of tool and equipment inventories and inspector's daily reports 1936-1937
8 5 Daily injury reports 1936
8 6 personal papers of William A. Bohnard 1934-1939
8 7 Miscellaneous material undated
Box Folder
9 1 Lists of buildings, including lists of completed records; list of architecture to be recorded in Cuyahoga County and of architecture recorded in Cuyahoga County; list of buildings of architectural interest; and list of buildings to be recorded 1933-1934
9 2 Manuscripts on Ohio architecture including first drafts and bibliographic material undated
9 3 Sketches from individual project surveys, unmarked undated
9 4-5 Time reports for personal services - work projects 1936-1937
9 6 Administrative forms, consisting of project status and progress reports; administrative procedures; and blank and sample office forms 1937 undated
9 7 Historic sites - information sheets 1940
9 8 Newspaper clippings 1934-1936
Box
10 Blueprints and drawings of the individual projects recorded by the field survey teams of the Historic American Buildings Survey, arranged in numerical sequence dates vary