Sheppard Pratt Asylum (Towson, MD) / Calvert Vaux, bulk 1858-1861

Summary Information

At a Glance

Bib ID:
12913861 View CLIO record
Creator(s):
Vaux, Calvert, 1824-1895; Sheppard Asylum
Repository:
Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library
Physical Description:
17 drawings
Language(s):
English .
Access:

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 and to make an appointment, please email avery-drawings@library.columbia.edu.

Description

Scope and content

The Sheppard Pratt Asylum was founded in 1853 for the progressive treatment of the mentally ill by the Baltimore merchant Moses Sheppard. The New York architect Calvert Vaux was hired in 1858 to design the buildings for the institution at the same time Vaux and Frederick Law Olmsted won the competition for the design of Central Park. Construction on the Asylum began in 1862, during the Civil War, and because of lack of financial constraints, the Asylum opened in 1891. The Sheppard Pratt Asylum is now on the National Historic Register. The 17 drawings for the project include floor plans, elevations, sections, and detail drawings.

Publication Date

ca. 1858-61

Using the Collection

Restrictions on Access

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 and to make an appointment, please email avery-drawings@library.columbia.edu.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Source of acquisition--Byron Forbush. Method of acquisition--Donated;; Date of acquisition--2017. Accession number--2017.005.

About the Finding Aid / Processing Information

Columbia University Libraries, Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library

Biographical sketch

Calvert Vaux (1824-1895) was a British-American architect and landscape designer. He is best remembered as the co-designer (with Frederick Law Olmsted), of New York's Central Park.

Subject Headings

The subject headings listed below are found in this collection. Links below allow searches for other collections at Columbia University, through CLIO, the catalog for Columbia University Libraries, and through ArchiveGRID, a catalog that allows users to search the holdings of multiple research libraries and archives.

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Subject
Architecture -- United States -- Designs and plans. CLIO Catalog ArchiveGRID
Mental health facilities -- Design and construction. CLIO Catalog ArchiveGRID
Psychiatric hospitals -- Design and construction CLIO Catalog ArchiveGRID