Ernest Flagg papers, 1888-1972

Summary Information

Abstract

Ernest Flagg was an American architect in the Beaux-Arts style. The collection is made up of diaries, correspondence, photographs, project records, Flagg's writings, and clippings.

At a Glance

Arrangement

Arrangement

This collection is arranged in four series: Personal Papers, Project Records, Writings, and Other Papers.

• Series I: Personal Papers
• Series II: Project Records
• Series III: Writings
• Series IV: Other Papers

Description

Scope and Content

The collection is made up of diaries, correspondence, photographs, project records, Flagg's writings, and clippings.

• Series I: Personal Papers

  includes diaries ranging from 1890-1937, genealogical studies, correspondence, family photographs, and records from l'Ecole des Beaux-Arts.

• Series II: Project Records

  includes plans, drawings, photographs, and clippings regarding a particular project. The A.H. Scribner records are the most complete, and also contain contracts, billing records, and correspondence with contractors.

• Series III: Writings

  includes both published and unpublished works. The collection also includes Flagg's Greek Documents and studies, drafts, manuscripts, and corresponding materials relating to Le Naos du Parthenon.

• Series IV: Other Papers

  includes various clippings.

Publication Date

1888-1972

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.

Terms Governing Use and Reproduction

Permission to publish must be obtained in writing from the Director, Avery Architectural & Fine Arts Library, Columbia University, 1172 Amsterdam Ave., MC 0301, New York, NY 10027.

Preferred Citation

Ernest Flagg architectural records and papers, 1888-1972. Department of Drawings & Archives, Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library, Columbia University.

About the Finding Aid / Processing Information

Columbia University Libraries, Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library

Processing Information

Processed; Zoe Milgram 2011.

Revision Description

2011-03-11 File created.

2019-05-20 EAD was imported spring 2019 as part of the ArchivesSpace Phase II migration.

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.

All links open new windows.

Genre/Form

Subject

History / Biographical Note

Biography

Ernest Flagg (February 6, 1857 – April 10, 1947) was born in Brooklyn, New York. He married Margaret E. Bonnell, with whom he had one daughter, Betsey Flagg. A student of l'Ecole des Beaux-Arts, Flagg's work refers to classical architecture.

After completing his studies, in 1891, Flagg and John Prentiss Benson started Flagg & Benson, (later Flagg, Benson & Brockway), and the firm designed St. Luke's Hospital, in New York.

In 1894, Ernest Flagg went into a partnership with Walter B. Chambers to form Flagg & Chambers. Together, the two designed the Corcoran Gallery of Arts in Washington, D.C., and the Singer Building, which was once the tallest building in New York. Flagg, a favorite of the Scribner family, designed the Scribner Building on Fifth Avenue, as well as residences for Charles Scribner, and his son, A.H. Scribner. Flagg is also known for designing buildings for the U.S. Naval Academy, and many residences in New York and Connecticut.

The Beaux-Arts study of classicism did not stop after college for Flagg. His Greek travel journals include studies on proportions and ratios in classic Greek architecture, and were the basis for Le Naos du Parthenon, published in 1928.

As a writer in the progressive era, Flagg wrote on New York tenement houses, taxation, city planning, and building regulations. He also wrote prolifically on design, architecture, and specifically on Greek classicism.