Ralph Walker papers, 1920-1972, bulk 1913-2010

Summary Information

Abstract

Ralph Walker (1889-1973) was an American architect and president of the American Institute of Architects (A.I.A.) from 1949 to 1951. The majority of the collection consists of personal writings by Walker including essays, poetry, and other manuscripts. There is some correspondence as well as documentation concerning the AIA Censure Walker and his firm received. Beyond this, there is very little relating to Walker's architectural practice.

At a Glance

Arrangement

• Series I: Writings
• Subseries 1: Speeches
• Subseries 2: Poetry
• Subseries 3: Articles and Manuscripts
• Series II: Professional Papers
• Series III: Personal Papers

Description

Content Description

The Collection is made up of three series: Writings and Manuscripts, Professional Papers, and Personal Papers. Much of the collection consists of personal writings by Walker including essays, poetry, and other manuscripts. There is some correspondence as well as documentation concerning the AIA Censure Walker and his firm received. Beyond this, there is very little relating to his professional practice.

Of note, Walker's first wife was named Stella, but her nickname was Lysette and she is solely referred to by this name in Walker's writings and letters. In personal notes and letters that Walker received from his wife and friends, he is referred to by the nickname Squabbie.

• Series I: Writings

  This series is made up of finished and unfinished speeches by Walker, personal poetry, and many manuscripts and drafts, as well as personal notes and musings. There are several drafts for what appears to be an autobiography that Walker was working on. There are also drafts and chapters for a book that chronicles Walker's time in WWI, particularly concerning his time in the Camouflage Unit of the Army Expeditionary Forces. This unit was made up of mostly artists and other men from creative fields whose task it was to camouflage army supplies and weapons. There are also several proofs of books of poetry that Walker was writing. Included in this series are also writings concerning Walker's stance on architectural practices, such as questions around ornament, Japanese building methods, and the modern movement.

• Series II: Professional Papers

  This series contains very little relating to Walker's time in professional practice. The bulk of the papers relate to the A.I.A. censure, with letters from colleagues lamenting the treatment that Walker and his firm received. There are also some papers relating to Walker's time as a board member of the New School. This series also contains letters and documents relating to Walker's work on a personal manuscript and his efforts to have it published.

• Series III: Personal Papers

  This series contains personal notes and letters as well as documents concerning Walker's will, trust, and estate and that of his parents and wives. There are also many letters between Walker and his first wife Stella, in which they refer to each other by the nicknames 'Squabbie' and 'Lyysette'. Found here are also various family photographs, photographs from the home, and several photos of Walker at various stages in his life.

Using the Collection

Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library

Conditions Governing 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.

Preferred Citation

Ralph Walker papers, 1913-2010 (bulk 1920-1972), Department of Drawings & Archives, Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library, Columbia University.

About the Finding Aid / Processing Information

Columbia University Libraries, Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library

Processing Information

This collection was processed by Luna Eaton Sharon, Graduate Intern, under the supervision of Shelley Hayreh, Archivist & Collection Manager, in 2022.

Subject Headings

The 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.

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Genre/Form

Subject

History / Biographical Note

Biographical / Historical

Ralph Walker (1889-1973) was an American architect and president of the American Institute of Architects (A.I.A.) from 1949 to 1951. Walker designed some of the most prominent art deco skyscrapers in New York City, such as the Irving Trust Building (now known as 1 Wall Street), the Barclay-Vesey Building (now known as the Verizon Building), and the Salvation Army Headquarters. Walker was referred to as "the architect of the century" by the New York Times and was awarded the Centennial Medal of Honor and emeritus status by the A.I.A.

Prior to his career in New York, Walker studied architecture at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and worked as an apprentice for architectural firms in Providence, Rhode Island. In 1916, he was awarded the Rotch Traveling Scholarship. During World War I, Walker served in the Camouflage Section of the American Expeditionary Forces.

After the war, Walker joined the firm McKenzie, Voorhees & Gemlin, the successor firm to the architectural practice established in 1885 by Cyrus L.W. Eidlitz. In 1926, Walker was made partner and the firm name was changed to Voorhees, Gemlin and Walker. By 1959, the firm was known as Voorhees, Walker, Smith, Smith & Haines (now HLW, Inc.)

Walker retired from his practice in 1959 but remained on as a consultant for the firm. In 1959, Walker and several other partners at VWSS&H were accused by another New York firm of stealing one of their contracts. The A.I.A. officially censured the firm and suspended the memberships of Walker and the firm partners. In response, Walker brought the case to the New York Supreme Court to have the censure overturned. The court found that the A.I.A. had acted wrongfully, and the members of VWSS&H were reinstated. Walker, however, was not satisfied, and resigned from the A.I.A. He self-published a booklet, which he sent to every A.I.A. member explaining his wrongful treatment and resignation. Walker returned to the A.I.A. in 1965 and in 1967 was honored with a special medal that had been invented for this sole purpose: The Centennial Medal of Honor.

In 1913, Walker married Stella Forbes, who was later committed to psychiatric care in the early 60s. Stella Forbes, who went by the name Lysette, died in 1972. Walker married for a second time to Christine Foulds, a British widow who he had known for some years. On January 17, 1973, Walker committed suicide at his home in Chappaqua, New York. He had recently been diagnosed with a brain tumor.