Avery Drawings & Archives Collections
 

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

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.

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Subseries 1: Speeches



Box 1 Folder 1 What is Beautiful; What is Good [Final Proof]

Xerox of typed copy of speech with handwritten annotations throughout



Box 1 Folder 2 [New School Inauguration of Henry David]



Box 1 Folder 3 [Speech Given to Archeologists]



Box 1 Folder 4 Being Comfortable



Box 1 Folder 5 The British Architect and London, 1943-1944



Box 1 Folder 6 Comments on Illustrations - Toronto Talk, 1944



Box 1 Folder 7 The Architect and the Post War World, 1946



Box 1 Folder 8 Hospital Consultants [Atlantic City, New Jersey]



Box 1 Folder 9 The Human City [Stanford University]



Box 1 Folder 10 [UNESCO Conference of Artists - Venice, Italy]



Box 1 Folder 11 The Human Use of Architecture [And Italian Translation]



Box 1 Folder 12 Where Do You Go From Here [Syracuse University]



Box 1 Folder 13 The Fly in the Amber [AIA Convention, Boston]



Box 1 Folder 14 A Certificate of Honorary Fellowship, 1955

Small Bound, 3 Copies



Box 1 Folder 15 Frank Lloyd Wright [Testimonial Dinner, University of Wisconsin]



Box 1 Folder 16 Benjamin Franklin Stiftung Cornerstone Ceremonies [Berlin]



Box 1 Folder 17 Speeches - Articles Re: Washington D.C., 1957-1958



Box 1 Folder 18 Book and Author Supper Cosmos Club [Washington D.C.]



Box 1 Folder 19 What is Beautiful; What is Good [Drafts], 1964

Handwritten and Typed notes and drafts



Box 1 Folder 20 What is Beautiful; What is Good [Syracuse University]



Box 1 Folder 21 What is Beautiful; What is Good [Mt. Holyoke College

Small bound; handwritten notes throughout



Box 1 Folder 22 Disregarding Media [Chappaqua School]

One original typed copy, two additional typed copies with corrections and additions



Box 1 Folder 23 [80th Birthday Speech]

Two typed versions with handwritten notecards. Speech to be given at 80th birthday party hosted by Voorhees, Walker, Smith, Smith & Haines


Subseries 2: Poetry



Box 1 Folder 24-25 [Undated and Untitled Poems]



Box 1 Folder 26 [Untitled Poems, 1940s], 1946-1949



Box 1 Folder 27 [Untitled Poems, 1950s], 1950-1959



Box 1 Folder 28 [Untitled Poems, 1960s], 1960-1969



Box 1 Folder 29 [Untitled Poems, 1970s], 1970-1972



Box 1 Folder 30 "Into the Night"



Box 1 Folder 31 "Alone"

Handwritten poem with sketch



Box 1 Folder 32 "Dry"



Box 1 Folder 33 "Blessed Mother"



Box 1 Folder 34 "Master Builder!"



Box 1 Folder 35 "Poor St. Authority"



Box 1 Folder 36 "Future"



Box 1 Folder 37 "Short Carbines Slung to Need"



Box 1 Folder 38 "Summer Day"



Box 1 Folder 39 "Theme"



Box 1 Folder 40 "My Love Has Charm"



Box 1 Folder 41 "Good Samaritans"



Box 1 Folder 42 "This Is Our Land



Box 1 Folder 43 "Epilogue"



Box 1 Folder 44 "In the Silence"



Box 1 Folder 45 "Trial Poem"



Box 1 Folder 46 "Wonder"

Typed poem with handwritten notes



Box 1 Folder 47 "At Teng Ting Temple"

Typed poem with handwritten notes



Box 1 Folder 48 "Quietly Evening Closes In" / "Soon Lost in Ghostliness"

Several drafts, handwritten and typed



Box 1 Folder 49 "Each Day Anew Verses", 1943-1960



Box 1 Folder 50 "Accidents", 1944



Box 1 Folder 51 "How Beautiful is the Dawn", 1945



Box 1 Folder 52 [Notebook with Poems], 1945-1947

Small bound notebook with glued in typed poems and one photograph



Box 1 Folder 53 "Summer", 1946



Box 1 Folder 54 "Mexico", 1946

Typed and handwritten poem with handwritten notes



Box 1 Folder 55 "Cathedral, Mexico", 1946



Box 1 Folder 56 "The Moments Dark", 1947



Box 1 Folder 57 "In the Jungle are the Drums", 1947



Box 1 Folder 58 "Psalms of the Night", 1947



Box 1 Folder 59 "Connecticut Shore", 1947



Box 1 Folder 60 "Long Island Shore", 1947-1949



Box 1 Folder 61 "Tis Wet" / "Gossamers", 1948

Typed and handwritten poem about World War I



Box 1 Folder 62 "Hoc Erat Un Votis", 1948

Typed and handwritten with handwritten notes, the title of the poem translates to "This is What I Prayed For"



Box 1 Folder 63 "Autumn", 1948



Box 1 Folder 64 "The Day Shall Come", 1949



Box 1 Folder 65 "The Branch: Series of Thoughts from Walkerburn at Christmas", 1949-1959



Box 1 Folder 66 "JOE"

Seven spiral bound copies and one unbound copy labeled 'original'. Joe is the title of the collection, which contains several poems within it including "Casanova", "The Rebel", and several untitled poems



Box 1 Folder 67 "A Temperance Tract", 1950



Box 1 Folder 68 "An Evening", 1950



Box 1 Folder 69 "Spring Anticipation", 1950



Box 1 Folder 70 "Vidi" [Proofs], 1950

Five copies of proofs with printer's stamp



Box 1 Folder 71 "Tivoli", 1951

Typed and handwritten with handwritten notes



Box 1 Folder 72 "The Creation", 1951



Box 1 Folder 73 "Orientalia", 1951



Box 1 Folder 74 "Torcello", 1952



Box 1 Folder 75 "Paranoia", 1952



Box 1 Folder 76 "The Poet", 1953



Box 1 Folder 77 "Another Version of March Winds", 1955



Box 1 Folder 78 "Nightmares", 1955



Box 1 Folder 79 "Melody is but Remembrance", 1955-1956



Box 1 Folder 80 "Screaming Egos; Fragile Ids", 1959



Box 1 Folder 81 "Inferiority", 1960



Box 1 Folder 82 "Ode: 31: Horace", 1960



Box 1 Folder 83 "Bathsheba", 1961



Box 1 Folder 84 "A Chipmunk Dines With Me", 1962



Box 1 Folder 85 "To Hugh Ferriss"

Poem to Ferriss with note to his wife inquiring as to his health. This poem was written 5 days before Ferriss' death



Box 1 Folder 86 "There Were Two Ships Asailing By", 1964



Box 1 Folder 87 "Little One", 1964



Box 1 Folder 88 [Fragments], 1964-1965

Early draft of "Themes From Better Poets, Both Greek and Roman. Aphoristic Fragments With No Apologies to the Past" AKA "Fragments". Also Typed draft of "Fragments" and proof



Box 1 Folder 89 "12th Street", 1966



Box 1 Folder 90 "Cyma Recta", 1967-1969



Box 1 Folder 91 "Minis on Park Avenue", 1967



Box 1 Folder 92 "Shadows" [Proof], 1967

Includes small sketches



Box 1 Folder 93 "Peter Ploughman", 1969



Box 1 Folder 94 "Chartres", 1969

Typed with note at bottom reading "To Benny Williams at 80"



Box 1 Folder 95 "Those Fair Charms", 1969



Box 1 Folder 96 "When is Tomorrow", 1969



Box 1 Folder 97 "Musique de Table", 1970



Box 1 Folder 98 "Quiet and Content", 1970



Box 1 Folder 99 "Ode to Peace", 1971



Box 1 Folder 100 "Were I To Die", 1971



Box 1 Folder 101 "The Rebel", 1972


Subseries 3: Articles and Manuscripts



Box 2 Folder 1 [Undated and Untitled Writings]

Various scraps of writings; typed and handwritten



Box 2 Folder 2 The Architect and the Machine



Box 2 Folder 3 The Architecture of Housing



Box 2 Folder 4 Book VII

Small notebook with handwritten notes



Box 2 Folder 5 Clarity



Box 2 Folder 6 Each Day Anew: An Architect in the World of Engineers



Box 2 Folder 7 Each Day Anew: The End of an Era



Box 2 Folder 8 Each Day Anew: Engineering and the American Home



Box 2 Folder 9 Each Day Anew: Just Camouflage



Box 2 Folder 10 Each Day Anew: London in 1943



Box 2 Folder 11 Each Day Anew: Tradition



Box 2 Folder 12 Each Day Anew: Scraps from an Architect's Notebook Pt. II



Box 2 Folder 13 Each Day Anew: Scraps from an Architect's Notebook Pt. III



Box 2 Folder 14 Each Day Anew [Outline/Timeline]

Outline/Timeline of events to take place in "Each Day Anew", which seems to be an autobiography in progress



Box 2 Folder 15 Episode



Box 2 Folder 16 The Exacting Word



Box 2 Folder 17 Fragments



Box 2 Folder 18 The House a Center for Life



Box 2 Folder 19 [Inserts]

Various inserts belonging to different writings, however it is unclear which writings as they have no titles



Box 2 Folder 20 [Journals]

Three spiral bound notebooks with notes, writings, and small sketches



Box 2 Folder 21 Modern Design: After Purity, What? [Scraps]

Scraps/pieces of larger writing



Box 2 Folder 22 The Modern City [Scraps]

Scraps/pieces of larger writing



Box 2 Folder 23 New Years Day



Box 2 Folder 24 Post-War



Box 2 Folder 25 Random Thoughts on Urbanism



Box 2 Folder 26 Scraps from an Architect's Notebook



Box 2 Folder 27 Syracuse



Box 2 Folder 28 The United States has a Tradition



Box 2 Folder 29 Camouflugies [Chapters], 1929

Typed and handwritten chapters for what appears to be a book documenting Walker's time in World War I



Box 2 Folder 30 Expositions - Paris and Dusseldorf



Box 2 Folder 31 The Architect and His Influence, 1941

Assorted typed and handwritten; three different smaller pieces that go together



Box 2 Folder 32 Each Day Anew: Seven Flights to Trinidad, 1941-1942



Box 2 Folder 33 Planning for the Peace, 1942



Box 2 Folder 34 Being an Architect, 1942



Box 2 Folder 35 Unlimited Horizons, 1943

Typed play; author unknown but assumed to be Walker



Box 2 Folder 36 England in the War Time, 1945



Box 2 Folder 37 Sociology and Architecture, 1946



Box 2 Folder 38 Each Day Anew: L'Union Internationale Des Architectes, A Diary, 1948

Subtitled: "Visit to Athens, Visit to Cairo, A Trip to the Nile, Paris 1948."



Box 2 Folder 39 Cuba, 1950



Box 2 Folder 40 The Problems of the Modern City, 1950



Box 2 Folder 41 [Assorted Writings, Bound], 1951-1952

Includes: "L'Habitation de Le Corbusier", "Modern Design: After Purity, What?", "The Rise of the Factory Style", "Society of Architectural Historians", "Where Do We Go From Here?"



Box 2 Folder 42 The Rise of the Factory Style, 1952

Notes and manuscript, typed and handwritten



Box 2 Folder 43 Beauty in Wood



Box 2 Folder 44 The Space Devoted to God and How Man Can Give it Light, 1956



Box 2 Folder 45 Born Anew [Pt. 1 Handwritten], 1957-1958



Box 2 Folder 46 Born Anew [Pt. 2 Handwritten], 1957-1958



Box 2 Folder 47 Architectural Aids

Five small printed copies



Box 2 Folder 48 Modern Design, 1958



Box 2 Folder 49 Born Anew, 1958



Box 2 Folder 50 Born Anew [Chapters Pt. 1], 1958



Box 2 Folder 51 Born Anew [Chapters Pt. 2], 1958



Box 2 Folder 52 Each Day Anew: Adriatic and Florence, 1959



Box 2 Folder 53 Essence, 1959



Box 2 Folder 54 Episode: Luxembourg War Memorial at Hamm, 1959



Box 2 Folder 55 Episode [Lysette], 1959

Walker's first wife's name was Stella Forbes Walker but in all of his writings and correspondences Walker refers to her as Lysette



Box 2 Folder 56 The Efficacy of Nonsense, 1959



Box 2 Folder 57 Episode [Meaning of Design], 1959



Box 2 Folder 58 Fragments of Aphorisms, 1959



Box 2 Folder 59 My Ideal of the City, 1959



Box 2 Folder 60 Paradise Here and Now, 1959



Box 2 Folder 61 London in 1943, 1959



Box 2 Folder 62 Notes on the Theatre, 1959



Box 3 Folder 1 I Am at a Loss, 1960

Writing about Lysette (Stella) and her mental health



Box 3 Folder 2 Each Day Anew: A Search for Simplicity (Japan 1939), 1960



Box 3 Folder 3 Each Day Anew: I Start in a Profession, 1960

Chronicles Walker's early beginnings in architectural apprenticeship



Box 3 Folder 4 Each Day Anew: Japanese Gardens, 1961



Box 3 Folder 5 Further Notes on the Theatre, 1962



Box 3 Folder 6 Diversions, 1965



Box 3 Folder 7 The Theatre, 1965



Box 3 Folder 8 The Exacting Word, 1965



Box 3 Folder 9 Diversions [Spiral Bound], 1965



Box 3 Folder 10 Paris, 1966



Box 3 Folder 11 Notes on the Aesthetics of the Impersonal, 1966



Box 3 Folder 12 Sketches Made in France - 1918, 1966



Box 3 Folder 13 Fragments [1958], 1967



Box 3 Folder 14 Japanese Gardens, 1967



Box 3 Folder 15 The Exacting Word: The Aesthetics of Precision, 1967



Box 3 Folder 16 The Aesthetic Slum at 'The Presidents Meadow', 1967



Box 3 Folder 17 Seventy-Six Going on Seventy-Seven [Unbound Draft], 1967



Box 3 Folder 18 Seventy-Six Going on Seventy-Seven [Bound], 1967

Three copies



Box 3 Folder 19 [In Search of a Culture/The Exacting Word], 1968

Two copies



Box 3 Folder 20 A Day in Tokyo - February 1960, 1969

Typed copy with handwritten notes throughout



Box 3 Folder 21 Walter Gropius

Typed Walter Gropius obituary; author unknown but assumed to be Walker



Box 3 Folder 22 The Education of an Architect



Box 3 Folder 23 In Praise of Ornament



Box 3 Folder 24 Tax Reform and Government of Cities, 1969

Two bound copies



Box 3 Folder 25 The Myth of the Bauhaus [Original Typed Copy]



Box 3 Folder 26 The Myth of the Bauhaus [Part 1], 1969

Notes and drafts



Box 3 Folder 27 The Myth of the Bauhaus [Part 2], 1969

Notes and drafts



Box 3 Folder 28 Reflections of a Member of the Silent Majority, 1970

Writing concerning Richard Nixon



Box 3 Folder 29 Thoughts on the Aesthetics of Architecture



Box 3 Folder 30 Fragmentary Culture, 1970

Three Copies, one bound



Box 3 Folder 31 Fragmentary Culture [Original Copy], 1970



Box 3 Folder 32 Why Ornament [Original Copy], 1970



Box 3 Folder 33 Why Ornament [Bound Copies], 1970



Box 3 Folder 34 [Octogenarian Fragments]



Box 3 Folder 35 Notes on Becoming an Octogenarian

Three copies; filled with personal thoughts and musings on the eve of Walker's 80th birthday



Box 3 Folder 36 Architecture and Paranoia



Box 3 Folder 37 Man - God - Death [Drafts], 1971



Box 3 Folder 38 Man - God - Death [Final Copies], 1971



Box 3 Folder 39 More Than One Occasion



Box 3 Folder 40 Obsequies of Stella Forbes Walker

Speech given by Walker on occasion of Stella (Lysette) Forbes Walker's death



Box 3 Folder 41 Tax Reform and the Productive Man, 1972



Box 3 Folder 42 Paris 1966, 1972



Box 3 Folder 43 Paranoia, 1972