The bulk of the collection (292 drawings) features original drawings for the 1889 publication of Carl Pfeiffer's designs for American mansions and cottages. These are a mix of ink on paper, linen and tracing paper, as well as pencil on trace. Also included are a set of 7 drawings for a private home on Madison at 25th Street -- these are in ink and watercolor on paper, with a great level of detail -- and an illuminated monogram in a fantasy landscape.
Carl Pfeiffer drawings, Drawings and Archives, Avery Architectural & Fine Arts Library, Columbia University.
Drawings for Pfeiffer's 1889 publication, American mansions and cottages, were in Avery Library's collection, acquisition date unknown (Accession 1000.119). Drawings for the [Peter Ronalds Residence] at Madison Avenue and 25th Street and the monogram were transferred by the Environmental Design Archives at University of California, Berkeley, in 2009 (Accession 2009.001).
Columbia University Libraries, Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library
Carl Pfeiffer was born in Germany in 1834 and made his career in the United States. By 1864, he was based in New York City and had his own firm. Pfeiffer's obituaries identify him as a skillful designer credited with many exemplary private homes and clubs, and public buildings such as churches and hospitals. He designed the Church of the Messiah at 5th Avenue and 34th Street, which suffered a fire in 1914 and was demolished in 1931, and the Metropolitan Savings Bank Building at Third Avenue and East 7th Street. In 1889, publishers Ticknor & Co published a book of his designs and drawings, titled American mansions and cottages.
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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| Genre/Form | ||
|---|---|---|
| Architectural drawings -- American | CLIO Catalog | ArchiveGRID |
| Subject | ||
| Architecture, American | CLIO Catalog | ArchiveGRID |
| Architecture, Domestic | CLIO Catalog | ArchiveGRID |