John M. Johansen architectural drawings and papers, 1939-2007

Summary Information

Abstract

John Maclane Johansen received his architecture degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Design in 1942 where he studied under Walter Gropius. He worked under Marcel Breuer and at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill before opening his own private office in New Canaan, Connecticut, where he became known as one of the Harvard Five. He later formed a partnership with Ashok Bhavnani. Major projects include the Oklahoma (Mummers) Theater in Oklahoma City; the Goddard Library at Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts; the Charles Center Theater Building (Mechanic Theater) in Baltimore, the United States Embassy in Dublin, Ireland, and the Island House and Rivercross apartments on Roosevelt Island, which he completed with Bhavnani. Johansen also designed numerous private residences in Connecticut and New York, and a series of conceptual projects such as the Leapfrog City project and the "Moon Module" house. The collection largely documents Johansen's professional career, and includes original and reprographic architectural drawings, photographs, negatives, professional papers, publications, reference files, and one scale model.

At a Glance

Arrangement

• Series I: Project Records, 1939-2007
• Series II: Professional Papers, 1955-2001
• Series III: Office Records, 1952-1995

Description

Scope and content

The collection includes original and reprographic architectural drawings, photographs, negatives, professional papers, publications, reference files, and a scale model. Covering Johansen's body of work extensively, the documents in this collection can be divided into two major groups: firstly, documentation of architectural projects by his office, and, secondly, manuscripts and published essays written by him.

• Series I: Project Records, 1939-2007

  This series compiles architectural projects designed by John Johansen Associates and Johansen & Bhavnani. It includes all of his major works, such as the Mummers Theater, the Goddard Library, the L. Frances Smith Elementary School, the Mechanic Theater, the Staten Island Community College, Island House apartments in Roosevelt Island, and the United States Embassy in Dublin. The series also covers many residential projects and conceptual works designed by Johansen across time. The types of documents in this series are primarily original and reprographic drawings, photographs, transparencies, negatives, and clippings. The folders are ordered alphabetically.

• Series II: Professional Papers, 1955-2001

  This series primarily consists of Johansen's essays--drafts and published versions, for magazines and talks--as well as manuscripts for books, including for his monograph that was later published as A Life in the Continuum of Modern Architecture (1995). This series also includes various paper records, including Johansen's C.V., letters from John F. Kennedy and Marshall McLuhan, his sketchbook, and certificates of awards from different institutions.

• Series III: Office Records, 1952-1995

  This series contains various types of office-related documents. It includes a collection of book excerpts and magazines that published Johansen's projects, press kits, clippings, project descriptions, and exhibition panels.

Using the Collection

Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library

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.

Preferred Citation

John M. Johansen architectural drawings and papers, Dept. of Drawings & Archives, Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Source of acquisition--Gifts from John MacLane Johansen. Accession number--1998.008, 1998.011, 2001.010, 2009.010.

About the Finding Aid / Processing Information

Columbia University Libraries, Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library

Processing Information

This collection was re-processed by Robin Hartanto Honggare (Graduate Intern) in 2018-2019 under the supervision of Shelley Hayreh, Avery Archivist.

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

Born in New York City in 1916, Johnansen received a master's degree in architecture from the Harvard Graduate School of Design in 1942, where he studied under Walter Gropius. He worked under Marcel Breuer and for the National Housing Agency in Washington, D.C., before joining the New York office of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. Johansen opened his own private office in New Canaan, Connecticut, in 1948, and became known as one of the Harvard Five. In 1965, he formed a partnership with Ashok Bhavnani, and John Johansen Associates was later renamed as Johansen & Bhavnani. His major projects included the Oklahoma (Mummers) Theater in Oklahoma City, Okla.; the Goddard Library at Clark University in Worcester, Mass.; the L. Frances Smith Elementary School in Columbus, Indiana; Clowes Memorial Hall at Butler University in Indianapolis, Ind.; the Charles Center Theater Building (Mechanic Theater) in Baltimore, Md.; Staten Island Community College in Staten Island, N.Y.; the United States Embassy in Dublin, Ireland, and the Island House and Rivercross apartments on Roosevelt Island, which he completed with Bhavnani. Johansen also designed numerous private residences in Connecticut and New York state, as well as a series of conceptual projects, including Leapfrog City, "Bubble Cluster", Mag-Lev Theater, and "Moon Module" house. John M. Johansen died in 2012.