Emery Roth & Sons architectural records and papers, 1906-1996, bulk 1951-1994
Collection context
- Creator:
- Belluschi, Pietro, 1899-1994, Durst, Joseph, 1882-1973, Graves, Michael, 1934-2015, Gropius, Walter, 1883-1969, Helmsley, Harry, Jaffe, Norman, 1932-1993, Manerias, J. C. S, Matsui, Yasuo, Merrick, Frederick I, Pomeroy, Lee Harris, 1932-2018, Roth, Emery, 1871-1948, Roth, Julian, Roth, Richard, 1904-, Roth, Richard, Jr., 1933-, Ruderman, James, Rudin, Samuel, 1896-1975, Silverstein, Larry A., 1933-, Stone, Edward Durell, Viñoly, Rafael, 1944-, Yamasaki, Minoru, 1912-1986, Zukov, Nikita, Emery Roth & Sons, Emery Roth & Sons, Cesar Pelli and Associates, Cosentini Associates, Cross & Cross, Diesel Construction Company, Dormitory Authority of the State of New York, Durst Organization, Edward Durell Stone & Associates, Fox & Fowle Architects, Gwathmey Siegel & Associates Architects, Helmsley Hotels, Inc, Helmsley-Spear, Inc, Hugh Stubbins and Associates, Hurley & Farinella, Lee Harris Pomeroy Associates, Magnusson Architecture and Planning, New York (N.Y.). Board of Education, Museum of Modern Art (New York, N.Y.), New York City Housing Authority, Otis Elevator Company, Pei Partnership, Pelli/Viñoly Architects, Peterson and Brickbauer, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, RTKL Associates, Shah Alam Properties, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, Syska & Hennessy, Tishman Realty & Construction Co, Tishman Speyer, Trammell Crow Company, United States. Army. Corps of Engineers. New York District, United States. Department of Housing and Urban Development, United States. National Park Service, and Uris Buildings Corporation
- Extent:
- 34175 drawings 34,175 drawings, 201 document boxes 245 linear feet papers, and 4 print boxes
- Language:
- English .
- Scope and content:
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This collection primarily contains architectural drawings, correspondence, business records, and a small number of photographs related to the projects of Emery Roth & Sons and its subsidiary entities. A large portion of the entities are represented only in the Office Records series and are identified as such. Some projects on which Emery Roth & Sons acted as architect of record are not represented in this collection, most notably the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center.
- Biographical / historical:
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Emery Roth Sons (1938-1996) was a family-run architecture firm that had a major influence on the post-war development of Manhattan. In 1938 the architect Emery Roth (1871-1948), renowned for upscale Manhattan apartment buildings like the Beresford and the San Remo, renamed his practice Emery Roth Sons to reflect the inclusion of his sons Julian and Richard as partners. Julian (1901-1992) specialized in construction costs and building materials and technology, while Richard (1904-1987) was named the firm's principle architect. In the early 1960s, Richard Roth's son, Richard Roth, Jr. (b. 1933) became the third generation to join the firm, eventually rising to chief architect and shareholder. As the firm expanded and diversified over six decades, it remained a family business through the 1990s. Richard Roth's children, Robyn Roth-Moise and Richard Lee Roth, both worked for the firm and its subsidiaries.
Emery Roth Sons continued to design high-rise apartment buildings in Manhattan, as Emery Roth had, but shortly after World War II the firm began to shift its focus to high-rise office buildings. As they became increasingly specialized in commercial space, they worked closely with real estate developers such as the Uris Corporation, Tishman Construction, Diesel Construction, the Durst Organization, and Helmsley-Spear, Inc.
Significant examples of their work in New York include 55 Water Street, 300 Park Avenue, the Palace Hotel, 546 Fifth Avenue, and 600 Lexington Avenue. Emery Roth Sons frequently collaborated with other architects on large projects for which they were the architects of record. These projects included the World Trade Center (Minoru Yamasaki), General Motors Office Building (Edward Durell Stone), 1585 Broadway (Gwathmey Siegel Associates), 7 Hanover Square (Norman Jaffe), the Portland Municipal Building (Michael Graves), 375 Hudson Street (Skidmore, Owings Merrill), and the Pan Am Building (Walter Gropius and Pietro Belluschi).
Over the years the firm consistently provided marketable designs that maximized the net rentable area, a feature highly prized by real estate developers. Writing of the firm's work in a 1957 article, Richard Roth remarked "The entire endeavor in our office is to create the best that can be produced within the restrictions that are placed upon us; and these restrictions are seldom those of our client, but rather of lending institutions; economics; and municipal authorities' laws." (Progressive Architecture, June 1957).
The promotion of the Texas-based architect Robert Sobel (b. 1931) to principal in the late 1970s marked a shift in their focus from Manhattan office buildings to mixed-use properties in Texas and overseas. Beginning in the 1970s, possibly in reaction to New York City's fiscal crisis, and continuing through the 1990s, the firm expanded and diversified its operations into several related entities. In the 1980s they took advantage of the Texas oil boom, establishing the office of Sobel / Roth that was based in Houston. Notable examples of their work outside of Manhattan include Houston's Alliance Tower, Beijing's China World Trade Center, and the Taman Tuk Abdul Razak Center in Malaysia.
In 1993, Richard Roth, Jr., sold his all of his issued and outstanding shares of Emery Roth & Sons and all of its affiliated and related entities to Robert Sobel. In 1996, the firm ceased to operate, apparently because of financial distress.
Access and use
- Restrictions:
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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, please email avery-drawings@library.columbia.edu.
- Terms of access:
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Columbia 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. 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 citation:
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Emery Roth & Sons architectural records and papers, 1906-1996. Dept. of Drawings & Archives, Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library, Columbia University.
- Location of this collection:
- Before you visit:
- Researchers are encouraged to request materials at least one month in advance. You will receive an email from the department within 2-3 business days confirming your request and currently available appointment times. Requests are limited to 8 boxes per day (or equivalent), with a maximum of 5 boxes for off-site materials, 5 folders of drawings, or 5 rolls or tube boxes.
- Contact:
- avery-drawings@columbia.edu