Ernest M. Fisher papers for the Institute for Urban Land Use and Housing Studies, 1923-1953, bulk 1923-1953

Collection context

Creator:
Fisher, Ernest M. (Ernest McKinley), 1893-1981 and Columbia University. Institute for Urban Land Use and Housing Studies
Abstract:
This collection includes data sheets, computer processed data printouts, hand processed data, draft chapters, self-reported data, and administrative documents related to the research and publication of Experience in Urban Real Estate Investment; An Interim Report Based on New York City Properties by Leo Grebler in 1955. The publication came out of the research conducted by the Institute for Urban Land Use and Housing Studies at Columbia University, which was led at the time by Professor Ernest M. Fischer. This collection is composed primarily of data processing files and publishing documents pertaining to the study of New York City real estate value and maintenance during the first half of the twentieth century. The collection includes data sheets ranging from maintenance cost of individual properties, broken down by year, to generalized indexes spanning half a century of information.
Extent:
6 document boxes and 1 manuscript box
Language:
English .
Scope and content:

This collection primarily consists of data processing and publishing documents related to the study of New York City real estate value and maintenance from the first half of the twentieth century. It includes data sheets on individual properties' maintenance costs, broken down by year, as well as generalized indexes covering half a century of information. The collection also features graphs, computer processed data, and manuscript tables that interpret the data for publication and general readers. Real estate brochures from managing companies provide supplementary information within the self-reported data used in the study. The administrative documents include language used by the Institute to present the project to Columbia University and property managers. However, the collection does not include chapter drafts or data synthesis for public consumption, beyond graphic representations of the data. The final report, Experience in urban real estate investment ; an interim report based on New York City properties, can be found in Avery Library's general collection.

Biographical / historical:

Institute for Urban Land Use and Housing Studies:

Established in 1948, the Institute of Urban Land Use and Housing Studies was the first organization in the United States that focused on studying land economics and urban issues. Initially established as a committee of faculty at Columbia University in 1946, the Institute was the brainchild of Land Economics Professor Ernest M. Fisher. Closely affiliated with several schools within Columbia University (principally Business, Law, Economics, Architecture, Public Health and Sociology), the Institute served as an incubator to attract researchers across fields to study and publish research without specific departmental obligations. At a certain point in the early 1950s, the Institute staffed at least five research associates, one research professor (Leo Grebler) and two administrative assistants. Where the early history of the Institute is documented in self-published pamphlets, scarce information remains after 1955 with the departure of Professor Leo Grebler.

Ernest M. Fisher (1893-1981):

Ernest M. Fisher taught urban land economics at Columbia University from 1945 until 1961. He was appointed the first director of the university's Institute for Urban Land Use and Housing Studies in 1948. Already nationally known before joining Columbia, he was widely published in the field of real estate and public policy. After retiring from Columbia, Fisher worked as a consultant for various agencies and organizations. He was appointed Director of Education and Research for the National Association of Real Estate Boards. He also served as an advisor to the Federal Housing Administration. Fisher died on December 26, 1981.

Leo Grebler (1900-1991):

Leo Grebler was born in Berlin on April 25, 1900. After earning his doctorate in economics from the University of Giessen in 1926, Leo was first employed by the Federal Home Loan Bank Board (1938-1944), then the National Housing Agency. In 1948, he was appointed as Research Professor in Urban Land Use and Housing at Columbia University, a position he held until 1955. In 1958, he was appointed Professor of Real Estate and Urban Land Economics in the Graduate School of Business Administration at University of California, Los Angeles, where he taught until his retirement in 1966. Grebler died on April 2, 1991.

Sources:

Columbia University, Institute for Urban Land Use and Housing Studies, Research in Basic Facts of Urban Land Use (1952).

Eugenie Birch, "Making Urban Research Intellectually Respectable: Martin Meyerson and the Joint Center for Urban Studies of Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University 1959–1964" Journal of Planning History 10, no. 3 (2011): 219–238.

Access and use

Restrictions:

This collection is available for use by appointment in the Department of Drawings & Archives, Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library, Columbia University. For further information, please email avery-drawings@library.columbia.edu.

Terms of access:

In addition to permission from Columbia University, permission of the copyright owner (if not Columbia University) and/or any holder of other rights (such as publicity and/or privacy rights) may also be required for reproduction, publication, distributions, and other uses. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of any item and securing any necessary permissions rests with the persons desiring to publish the item. Columbia University makes no warranties as to the accuracy of the materials or their fitness for a particular purpose.

Preferred citation:

Ernest M. Fisher papers for the Institute for Urban Land Use and Housing Studies, Drawings and Archives, Avery Architectural & Fine Arts Library, Columbia University.

Location of this collection:
300 Avery Hall
1172 Amsterdam Ave.
New York, NY 10027, USA
Before you visit:
Researchers are encouraged to request materials at least one month in advance. You will receive an email from the department within 2-3 business days confirming your request and currently available appointment times. Requests are limited to 8 boxes per day (or equivalent), with a maximum of 5 boxes for off-site materials, 5 folders of drawings, or 5 rolls or tube boxes.
Contact:
avery-drawings@columbia.edu