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Avery Drawings & Archives Collections |
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Summary InformationAt a Glance
ArrangementArrangementThis collection is made up of eight series: Faculty Papers, Modern Architecture Symposium, Braziller Papers, Columbia History of Architecture, Russian Papers, Other Papers, Other Projects, Visual Materials, Audio Material.
DescriptionScope and ContentThis collection is composed primarily of correspondence, course material, writings, notes, photographs, slides, and audio tapes. Much of the material pertains to Collins' career as a professor at Columbia University. There is also a bulk of material regarding to the 1962, 1964, and 1966 Modern Architecture Symposiums held at Columbia University, as well as the publication of N.A. Miliutin's Sotsgorod: The Problem of building Socialist Cities, which was translated from Russian to English by Arthur Sprague. The basis for the series and subseries order was developed from Collins' own groupings. For the majority of the collection, Collins' folder titles have been maintained and the material has been arranged chronologically.
Using the CollectionAvery Architectural and Fine Arts Library Restrictions on AccessThis collection is available for use by appointment in the Department of Drawings & Archives, Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library, Columbia University. For further information and to make an appointment, please email avery-drawings@library.columbia.edu. Unique time-based media items have been reformatted and are available onsite via links in the container list. All original copies of audio / moving image media are closed. Email avery-drawings@columbia.edu for more information. Restrictions on UseColumbia University is providing access to the materials in the Library's collections solely for noncommercial educational and research purposes. The unauthorized use, including, but not limited to, publication of the materials without the prior written permission of Columbia University is strictly prohibited. All inquiries regarding permission to publish should be submitted in writing to the Director, Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library, Columbia University. For additional guidance, see Columbia University Libraries' publication policy. 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 CitationGeorge Collins papers, 1838-1986, (bulk 1949-1986), Department of Drawings & Archives, Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library, Columbia University. Related MaterialGeorge R. Collins Papers, 1937-1985, Manuscripts Division, Department of Rare Books and Special Collections, Princeton University Library. George R. Collins Collection, 1941-1992, Archives of the American Field Service and AFS Intercultural Programs. George R. Collins Archive of Catalan Art and Architecture, 1864-1992, Ryerson and Burnham Archives, The Art Institute. The George Collins Collection on Linear City Planning, Special Collections, Frances Loeb Library, Harvard School of Design. Christiane C. Collins collection of the West Harlem Coalition for Morningside Park and Urban Problems of the Contiguous Communities: West Harlem, Manhattan Valley, Morningside Heights and Manhattanville, 1961-1971, Archives and Rare Books Division, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, The New York Public Library. Immediate Source of AcquisitionSource of acquisition--The majority of the papers were donated by Christiane Crasemann Collins in 1993 (accession 1993.002) with smaller accessions following (1993.011, 2008.001). About the Finding Aid / Processing InformationColumbia University Libraries, Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library Processing InformationThis collection was processed by Vincent Wilcke (Graduate Intern), under the supervision of Shelley Hayreh, Avery Archivist, in 2014. Revision Description2014-06-07 File created. 2019-05-20 EAD was imported spring 2019 as part of the ArchivesSpace Phase II migration. 2020-06-09 Links added to digitized content in Series VIII. kws Subject HeadingsThe subject headings listed below are found in this collection. Links below allow searches at Columbia University through the Archival Collections Portal and through CLIO, the catalog for Columbia University Libraries, as well as ArchiveGRID, a catalog that allows users to search the holdings of multiple research libraries and archives. All links open new windows. Genre/Form
Subject
History / Biographical NoteHistoryGeorge R. Collins was born in Springfield, Massachusetts on September 2, 1917. After graduating from Newton High School, in Newtonville, Massachusetts, Collins went on to study art history at Princeton University where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1939 and a Master of Fine Arts degree in 1942. During World War II Collins volunteered with the American Field Service and earned four battle stars while serving with British forces. After the conclusion of the war Collins served for two years as deputy director and later director of the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration Displaced Persons Centers in Bremen and Kassel-Mattenberg, Germany. In 1950, Collins married Christiane Crasemann, his future collaborater for the 1965 translation of Camillo Sitte's The Birth of Modern City Planning. When Collins returned to the United States he began working as a teaching instructor at Columbia University in the City of New York, where he would continue to teach for the next forty years. In 1962 Collins was tenured as a full professor in the school's department of Art History and Archaeology. Considered the foremost Gaudi scholar in the United States, Collins wrote, edited, translated, and contributed to many significant works on Antonio Gaudi including Antonio Gaudi, which was published in 1960 and was the first book in English on Gaudi's work. Collin's research work extended beyond Gaudi and he wrote on numerous topics including the Guastavino Brothers' tile-vaulting system, Art Nouveau, city planning, Soviet architecture and planning, and modern architecture. For his scholarly work, Collins was awarded a Guggenheim fellowship as well as numerous grants from the Rockefeller Foundation and the American Council of Learned Societies. George Collins died in Falmouth, MA in 1993. |