Edgar Tafel architectural records and papers, 1919-2005

Series III: Writings

Comprised of three subseries which cover Tafel's research on architecture and Frank Lloyd Wright. Subseries 1: General contains book reviews, essays, and drafts. Subseries 2: Apprentice to Genius contains correspondence and administrative files relating to Tafel's first published book. Subseries 3: About Wright contains correspondence, drafts from contributors, and photographic reproductions related to Tafel's second published book. The series is arranged alphabetically by subject or contributor.


Subseries 1: General


Box 04 Folder 19 10 Wright houses + one, 1981

Notes on a proposed article about the Wright houses in public ownership, correspondence with Frederick Gutheim, and press clippings


Box 04 Folder 20 [Airlines magazine], undated

Draft of an article about Tafel's beginning at Taliesin (7 pages)


Box 04 Folder 21 [American Institute of Architects awards], undated

A list of satirical awards written by Tafel


Box 04 Folder 22 Architectural Forum , 1968 Jan/Feb

Tafel's article "The Tragedy of the Imperial"


Box 04 Folder 23 "Art Museum Expansion", 1973 Sept

Draft about the Allentown Art Museum for National Art and Architectural magazines


Box 04 Folder 24 "Article of Oz", 1989-90

Draft of an article about Tafel's architectural education and correspondence with Oz, Journal of the College of Architecture & Design


Box 04 Folder 25 Book reviews, 1960-88

Reviews of books mainly about Frank Lloyd Wright


Box 04 Folder 26 Book reviews American Churches, [1983]

Drafts of review of a book by Roger Kennedy, including his "Notes on the American Churches"


Box 04 Folder 27 Book reviews, American Institute of Architects Journal, 1984

Contains drafts and correspondence


Box 04 Folder 28 Book reviews, Drafts, undated, 1969, 1972, 1978


Box 04 Folder 29 [Chicago and Oak Park Wright buildings], 1979

Contains notes and a draft written forThe New York Timestravel section, and brochures and publications abour Wright's houses


Box 04 Folder 30 "Concerning the Allentown Art Museum," Pennsylvanian Society of Architects, 1982 Oct


Box 04 Folder 31 Dennis Sharp - article/Wes, 1990-91

Contains correspondence with Dennis Sharp who requested an article about Steelcase and of Wes Peters. Includes drafts and press clippings about Wes Peters


Box 04 Folder 32 Draft of an article for Christian Science Monitor, undated

"For William Marlin" about Frank Lloyd Wright


Box 04 Folder 33 The East Hampton Star , 1994 Sept 29

Tafel's opinion piece "Stylishly Simple 'Cottages'"


Box 04 Folder 34 Fallingwater Revisited, 1990-91

Contains drafts of a letter written after Tafel visited Fallingwater with students from Shadyside Academy, including correspondence, letters of thanks, 1 photograph, and 1 slide


Box 04 Folder 35 [Frank Lloyd Wright houses open to the public], 1974-77

Notes and drafts for an article describing all 8 or 9 Wright houses in public domain, including brochures from foundations with information on the houses. Includes 6 black-and-white photos


Box 04 Folder 36 Gutheim essay, undated

Drafts of an article or essay; possibly titled "Fellowship: Fulfilling the Mission"


Box 04 Folder 37 House Beautiful, vol. 121, no. 8, 1979 August

Tafel's article "Apprentice to Genius: Frank Lloyd Wright Remembered;" including a reprint inCongressional Record, 1968 Mar 14


Box 04 Folder 38 House Beautiful anniversary feature, 1986

Drafts of an essay about Frank Lloyd Wright and correspondence with Mervyn Kaufman, editor ofHouse Beautiful


Box 04 Folder 39 Introduction to "Wright in Racine", undated

2 pages


Box 04 Folder 40 "Imperial Hotel", 1967 Dec 24

2 pages


Box 04 Folder 41 Letters to editors, 1964, 1968, 1987, 1991, 1995


Box 04 Folder 42 [List of 7 unusual architects' deaths], undated


Box 04 Folder 43 [Louis Sullivan], undated

2 written pages about thoughts on Sullivan


Box 04 Folder 44 Lovness Arch/Digest, 1982

Correspondence with Architectural Digest and drafts of Tafel's article on the Lovness house. Includes 18 color photos and 8 contact sheets


Box 04 Folder 45 Mies/Barcelona/NYC, [1987?]

Draft of an essay about the Barcelona Pavilion, including a list of "Barcelona requirements for NYC," press clippings, and a note from Harper's rejecting publication


Box 04 Folder 46 "The Modern Museum Show: Institutionalized Poverty", undated


Box 04 Folder 47 "Palace of the Soviets", 1934

Contains Tafel's original written draft amended by Frank Lloyd Wright, the original typed copy typed by Eugene Masselink, photocopies, and negatives


Box 04 Folder 48 "A Quick Remembrance of the Background of the Ann and Ben Rebhuhn House, Great Neck, NY", 1993

A two-page memoir by Tafel


Box 04 Folder 49 Readers [sic] Digest - Fallingwater, 1982

Drafts of article "Wright Across the Country," notes and anecdotes about Fallingwater, correspondence with Reader's Digest, press clippings, and reference documents


Box 04 Folder 50 [Review of Brendan Gill's speech], [1991?]

Draft of a review of a speech given about Wright at the Craft Museum (perhaps not intended for publication)


Box 04 Folder 51 Stained Glass, vol. 66, no. 2, 1971

Tafel's article "Windows by Frank Lloyd Wright"


Box 04 Folder 52 Stone , 1957 May

Tafel's article "The Important Function of Fireplaces in the Home"


Box 05 Folder 1 "Taliesin Scripts," Architectural Association Quarterly, vol. 13, no. 4, 1982

"Taliesin Scripts" is a reprint of an essay written at Taliesin in 1932, "Palace of the Soviets." Includes drafts, notes, copyright registration forms, typed copies, and photocopies of the original written "Palace of the Soviets"


Box 05 Folder 2 Tampering, 1982-83

Draft of a response to David Roessler's article inSkyline, entitled "Tampering with Frank Lloyd Wright," including photocopies of the article and correspondence withSkylineand Roessler


Box 05 Folder 3 "They Made a Wish that Came True," Living for Young Homemakers, 1950 July

An article about the Hank Bookstaber house


Box 05 Folder 4 [Usonian houses], undated

Contains an untitled, two-page draft of a piece about the Usonian houses and John Sargeant


Box 05 Folder 5 Village Views , 1985

Tafel's article "How to Testify Before the Landmarks Commission"


Subseries 2: Apprentice to Genius


Box 05 Folder 6 Bills, 1974-79


Box 05 Folder 7 Commendation letters, 1977-81


Box 05 Folder 8 Correspondence, Corrections, 1979, 1981


Box 05 Folder 9 Correspondence, Dover, 1982-85

Includes publication rights contract


Box 05 Folder 10 Correspondence, McGraw-Hill, 1974-83

Includes contract


Box 05 Folder 11 Correspondence, R.J. Mock, 1974

Letter from R.J. Mock, "Answers to questions concerning my apprenticeship at Taliesin


Box 05 Folder 12 Correspondence, Verlag, 1980-82

Contains correspondence with Verlag Architectural Publishers concerning a German translation of Tafel's book, including reviews in German


Box 05 Folder 13 Correspondence, William H. Loos, 1974

Letter from the Buffalo library concerning Wright's signature in the Roycroft guestbook


Box 05 Folder 14 Fact sheets and book information, 1979


Box 05 Folder 15 Forward (Japanese edition), 1982


Box 05 Folder 16 Foundations McGraw-Hill letter, 1975

Application for the NYC/AIA Brunner Scholarship


Box 05 Folder 17 Front cover mock-up and notes, undated


Box 05 Folder 18 Hanna House, 1938, 1974

Contains correspondence with Paul Hanna, 1938 tear sheets fromArchitectural Recordwith photos of the Honeycomb House, 3 black-and-white photographs and 2 slides


Box 05 Folder 19 Introduction, revised, 1978


Box 05 Folder 20 Japan edition, 1979, 1984-85, 1990-91

Contains correspondence and theJapan Society Newsletterwhere a portion of the book was reprinted


Box 05 Folder 21 Litigation, 1979, 1982-83

Correspondence concerning a copyright litigation between Tafel and the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation


Box 05 Folder 22 Miscellaneous notes and press clippings, 1975


Box 05 Folder 23 Mock-ups, ca. 1979


Box 05 Folder 24 Mock-ups, Dover covers, ca. 1979


Box 05 Folder 25 Outline & orig[inal] material for repro, 1976, 1979


Box 05 Folder 26 Photos, letters of approval, 1974-78

Letters obtaining rights to use photographs


Box 05 Folder 27 Press releases, 1979-83


Box 05 Folder 28 Publicity, 1974, 1978-79

Contains notes, address, correspondence, and reference material


Box 05 Folder 29 Reviews, 1979-85

Includes reviews of the later paperback edition retitled "Years With Frank Lloyd Wright: Apprentice to Genius"


Box 05 Folder 30 Royalties, 1979-83


Box 05 Folder 31 Statements for Carlie Hope Simon, editorial assistant, 1974-77


Subseries 3: About Wright


Box 05 Folder 32 Ackerman, Lee, undated, 1986

Contains drafts and correspondence


Box 05 Folder 33 Acknowledgements and foreword, [ca.1990]


Box 05 Folder 34 Aftermath, 1984-85, 1991, undated

Contains drafts of the subsections "Always Wanting to Help," "Déjà vu," and "Reunions," photocopies of a letter from Olgivanna Wright and Frank Lloyd Wright's dedication "to young men in architecture" also included in the book


Box 05 Folder 35 Baird, Theodore, 1991, 1996

Drafts of a 42-page recollection (Baird was a client of Wright's), obituary, and note by Tafel


Box 05 Folder 36 Billing invoices for book orders, 1994-96


Box 05 Folder 40 Biographies of contributors, undated


Box 05 Folder 41 Book outline: The Frank Lloyd Wright We Knew, 1988


Box 05 Folder 42 Book reviews, 1993


Box 05 Folder 43 Clients, undated


Box 06 Folder 1 Correspondence, Book agents/publishers, 1985-92

Correspondence soliciting publishers


Box 06 Folder 2 Correspondence, Dover edition, 2000

Correspondence and contract


Box 06 Folder 3 For book - current Correspondence, General, 1992-93

Contains correspondence with publishers, book edits, and notes


Box 06 Folder 4 Correspondence, Meehan, 1990

Contains correspondence from Patrick J. Meehan requesting permission rights from Tafel's work


Box 06 Folder 5 Correspondence, Permissions, 1986, 1990-91

Correspondence, reproduction rights contracts, and an address list


Box 06 Folder 6 Correspondence, Whitney, 1989-91

Contains correspondence with the publisher, The Whitney Library of Design, an outline of the book, and contract material


Box 06 Folder 7 Correspondence, Wiley, 1984, 1990-93

Contains correspondence concerning publicity, book review lists, and a press clipping


Box 06 Folder 8 Devane, Andrew, 1987

Contains drafts, correspondence, and Devane's essay on Wright fromArchitectural Record


Box 06 Folder 9 Drafting room, undated

Drafts of the introduction for the section of the book "Apprentices"


Box 06 Folder 10 Evening at the New School for Social Research, An, undated

Contains notes and a photocopy of the original programme


Box 06 Folder 11 Fires, The, 1991

Includes a photocopy of a letter from Frank Lloyd Wright to Elizabeth (Lloyd Wright?) concerning his will, 1957 Jan 27; and a letter from the editor ofThe Forumconcerning the RIBA Gold Medal, 1941 Jan 21


Box 06 Folder 12 Forward, 1991

Draft and notes


Box 06 Folder 13 Fyfe, William, 1985-86

Contains correspondence and photocopies of press clippings of an alleged assault by Taliesin apprentices in 1932 on C.R. Sechrest


Oversize 3 Photographs

Contains reproductions of photos used in Tafel's book


Box 06 Folder 14 Good Clean Fun, undated

Annotated copies of a posting that was on the bulletin board of the Drafting Room in fall 1932. From the section of the book "In the Drafting Room"


Box 06 Folder 15 Graham Foundation, 1985-86

Contains documentation on the grant Tafel received from the Grant Foundation for his book


Box 06 Folder 16 Gutheim, Frederick, 1980, 1992

Contains one letter from Tafel and drafts by Gutheim of "Notes on FLW for New School Program" (included in the book), "The Princeton Lectures," and "Frank Lloyd Wright Today"


Box 06 Folder 17 Happenings, notes, 1992


Box 06 Folder 18 Harris, Harwell Hamilton, 1986

Contains letters, drafts, and photocopies of a book


Box 06 Folder 19 Hitchcock, Henry Russell, ca. 1990

Contains biography, drafts, and a photocopy of a photo of Hitchcock and Wright included in the book


Box 06 Folder 20 Hitchcock + Howe, undated

Exerpt from a speech, "Tribute to Frank Lloyd Wright"


Box 06 Folder 21 Howe, John, 1992, undated

Contains a draft of the introduction and interview from the book, as well as 3 short pieces by Howe about the 2 Johnson houses (Wintertree and Partenwood), and the Howe house, Sankaku


Box 06 Folder 22 Hunting Sr., David, 1985

Contains interview transcripts, notes, biography of Hunting (Chairman of Steelcase Inc.), and 2 photographs


Box 06 Folder 23 Introduction by Tom Wolfe, 1992-93

Drafts and correspondence concerning Wolfe's foreword


Box 06 Folder 24 Johnson, Philip, 1985-87

Contains correspondence and interview transcripts


Box 06 Folder 25 Johnson Wax Building, 1985, 1988

With notes


Box 06 Folder 26 Kassler, Elizabeth (Betty), 1980-83

Contains correspondence concerning a collaborative project with Tafel to create a list of original Taliesin apprentices; includes lists and addresses


Box 06 Folder 27 Klumb, Henry, 1980-81

Contains photocopies of photos and drawings from European Wright exhibits and writings by Klumb


Box 06 Folder 28 Letters, undated

Contains photocopies of the letters included inAbout Wright


Box 06 Folder 29 Letters of thanks, 1993-94


Box 06 Folder 30 Liang, Yen, 1985

Contains one letter from Liang, drafts, and 3 photographs


Box 06 Folder 31 Lists of apprentices and addresses, [ca. 1985]


Box 06 Folder 32 Lockhart, Kenneth B., 1993

Includes a draft by Susan Jacobs Lockhart which is not included in the book


Box 06 Folder 33 Lovenesses, The, [ca. 1990]

Contains a short biography


Box 06 Folder 34 Manny Jr., Carter H., 1987

Contains correspondence, drafts, and photocopies of Manny's 1946 letters to Mary Alice [Manny's wife?] and William Marlin


Box 06 Folder 35 Masselink, Ben, 1990

Contains drafts, biography, and notes


Box 06 Folder 36 Miller, Arthur, [ca. 1990]

Mock-ups


Box 06 Folder 37 Miller, Richard, 1986, 1990

Contains drafts, biography, and one letter


Box 06 Folder 38 Mock-ups, [ca. 1993]

Contains text and title page mock-ups


Box 06 Folder 39 Morrone, Francis, 1985

Contains correspondence, notes, and 2 essays by Morrone on New York [Morrone helped Tafel with the book]


Box 06 Folder 40 Moses, Robert, 1979-80, 1990

Contains introduction by Arnold Vollmer, correspondence, transcript of a speech by Moses entitled "Robert Moses and Cousin Frank," and a photocopy of a press clipping


Box 06 Folder 41 Mosher, Byron, [ca. 1990]

Biography and drafts of Mosher's piece


Box 06 Folder 42 Mosher, Byron, correspondence, 1992

Correspondence with Indira Berndston, A. Sinclair Burlingham, Jose Luis Palanco Burgos (which includes writings by Mosher), Mosher, Martha J. Keeler (includes one photograph), and Freehand Architects


Box 06 Folder 43 Mosher, Byron, general file, 1980, 1992, undated

CV, biography, press clipping, and obituaries


Box 06 Folder 44 Mosher, Byron, "Letter to Bob", 1985, 1988

Copies of the letter from Tafel (1985 Mar 5) to Mosher included in the book, including a letter from 1988 Sept 9


Box 06 Folder 45 Mosher, Byron, Pauson/Tafel interview, 1990

Transcript of an interview with Mosher about the Pauson House


Box 07 Folder 1 Nelson, George, [ca. 1990]

Contains a speech, "Tribute to Frank Lloyd Wright," and "Making Bridges"


Box 07 Folder 2 Peters, William Wesley, drafts, 1991


Box 07 Folder 3 Peters, William Wesley, interviews, 1984, 1990


Box 07 Folder 4 Porter, Franklin, 1984-89

Contains correspondence and drafts


Box 07 Folder 5 Press releases, 1992-93


Box 07 Folder 6 Proposals, [after 1979]

Drafts of proposals for the book, called thenThe Frank Lloyd Wright We Knew


Box 07 Folder 7 Rana, Mansinh, 1990-91

Drafts, correspondence, transcripts


Box 07 Folder 8 Rooney, Andy, 1989


Box 07 Folder 9 Soleri, Paolo, [ca. 1990]


Box 07 Folder 10 Stanton, Edward, 1986


Box 07 Folder 11 Stone, Maria, [ca. 1990]


Box 07 Folder 12 Table of Contents, 1991-92


Box 07 Folder 13 Teske, Edmund [?], 1985

Contains a letter and photocopy of a photo to "Edmund"


Box 07 Folder 14 Tsuchiura, Kamecki, [ca. 1990]

Includes 3 copies of a photograph


Box 07 Folder 15 [Various Frank Lloyd Wright memories by Tafel], undated


Box 07 Folder 16 Walker, Donald, 1982-86, 1990

Contains correspondence and drafts


Box 07 Folder 17 Weston, Marcus, 1981-92

Contains correspondence and drafts


Box 07 Folder 18 Wright, David, 1986, 1990

Includes 6 photographs of the David Wright House


Box 07 Folder 19 Wright, Frank Lloyd, [ca. 1990]

Drafts of biography by Tafel, timeline, and genealogy charts


Box 07 Folder 20 Wright, Iovanna, 1986-89

Contains correspondence with Iovanna, correspondence with Joe Satin and Dick Carney concerning the publication of Iovanna's piece, and notes


Box 07 Folder 21 to 22 Wright, Iovanna, drafts, 1986-87, 1991


Box 07 Folder 23 Wright, John Lloyd, [ca. 1990]

Contains biography and photocopies of a drawing of the Viscount Inouye residence


Box 07 Folder 24 Wright, Olgivanna Lloyd, 1985

Contains press clippings and a biography


Box 05 Folder 37 to 39 Bishop, Robert, [ca. 1990]

Contains biography, excerpts from and the complete letters from Bishop to his fiancee, 1934-35