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.
This collection includes original and reprographic architectural drawings, project files, photographs, correspondence, and professional papers related to preservation architect Giorgio Cavaglieri's architectural work, professional associations, and writings.
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.
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.
Giorgio Cavaglieri architectural records and papers. Located in the Dept. of Drawings & Archives, Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library, Columbia University.
Source of acquisition--Gift of Giorgio Cavaglieri. Accession number--1990.008, 2001.006, and 2005.005.
Columbia University Libraries, Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library
Papers Processed LMcC 10/01/08.
Born in Venice, Italy, Giorgio Cavaglieri studied engineering and architecture at Milan Politecnico and worked for the Italian government, designing airfields, among other projects. However, as the Facist regime in Italy began restricting the work and life of Jews, Cavaglieri chose to emigrate to New York City in 1939. Cavaglieri eventually established himself as a leader in architectural preservation, developing an active specialty in restoration and adaptive reuse of historic structures. He is perhaps best known for his sensitive adaptation of the Jefferson Market Courthouse in Greenwich Village into a branch of the New York Public Library (1961-1971). Cavaglieri was also involved in the conversion of Welfare Island into Roosevelt Island, leading the renovation of the Chapel of the Good Shepherd and Blackwell House and serving on the Welfare Island Planning and Development Committee (1969-1975). Among his other major projects were the renovation of the Fine Arts Department and the Grey Art Gallery & Study Center at New York University (1974-1976); the renovation of the Delacorte Theater in Central Park (1976-1980); the renovation of the Periodical Room, Corridors, and Gottesman Exhibition Hall at the New York Public Library's research branch at Fifth Avenue and 42nd St. (1980-1985); and the renovation of the U.S. Pension Building in Washington, D.C. (1983-1986). Cavaglieri also served as the president of the Municipal Art Society and the New York chapter of the American Institute of Architects. The New York Landmarks Conservancy awarded Cavaglieri the Lucy G. Moses Preservation Leadership Award in 2002.