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Clyde Dorsett papers, 1940-1991, bulk 1952-1982

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Abstract

Clyde H. Dorsett (1925-2007) was an architectural consultant dedicated to mental healthcare design becoming the nation's leading authority in the design and construction of such facilities. Working as lead architectural consultant for the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) from 1965 to 1982, he oversaw the federal government's ambitious program to transform the nation's monolithic state mental hospital structure into a wider variety of local and state facilities to address a spectrum of medical and social needs through more precisely tailored, yet humane and informal design approaches. Underpinning the work was the growing conviction that the built environment played a significant role in the healing process, and that such 'scientifically' derived design could be applied to social problems. Based at the institute's offices in Washington D.C., he both advised on individual projects through drawings submitted by architects nation-wide, as well as developing guidelines and standards for the accreditation, certification and funding of construction projects by the federal government. It is of these documents that the present collection largely comprises. He continued advising in the field long after his early retirement from the institute in 1982.

At a Glance

Bib ID 9439962 View CLIO record
Creator(s) Dorsett, Clyde, 1925-2007
Title Clyde Dorsett papers, 1940-1991, bulk 1952-1982
Physical Description 20 document boxes; 1 print box; 8 rolls; 1 folder (flat-file)
Language(s) English .
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.

Unique time-based media items have been reformatted and are available onsite via links in the container list. All original copies of audio / moving image media are closed. Email avery-drawings@columbia.edu for more information.

Arrangement

Arrangement

This collection is made up of four series: Project Records, Professional Papers, Reference Files, and Personal Papers.

Description

Scope and Content

This collection is composed primarily of project drawings, reports, letters and some photographs of general medical and specifically CMHC (Community Mental Health Centers) projects from across the United States received and commented upon by Dorsett while at the NIMH from 1963 to 1982. It also includes projects received and/or discussed by Dorsett after that date while acting as a private design consultant. The other, somewhat smaller portions of the collection, his reference material, professional and personal papers, comprise of studies, notes, articles, guidelines, private architectural projects, student design work, and various ephemera.

  • Series I: Project Records

    By far the largest component of the collection, this principally covers the 'raw material' received by Clyde Dorsett throughout his architectural consultation work: projects undertaken by various architects for their medical authority clients across the United States, and sent to the NIMH for comment. These date from 1963 to 1982 – the period of Dorsett's administration. There are also a number of further documents after that date sent to Dorsett during his extensive later period as a private consultant. Most work is related either directly or indirectly to hospital or CMHC design. A few of these contain hand-drawn or written comments by Dorsett, while a number contain letters of correspondence between the NIMH and other participants. The series comprises of drawings, files (written material) and photographs. The working and presentation drawings are mostly reproductions (blueprints, diazotypes, photostats) occasionally marked up by Dorsett or others. The files includes reports, correspondence letters, notes, often with their counterpart drawings. The project photographs form only a very small part of Series I. The Project Records Series is catalogued alphabetically first by state and within each, by project name – with drawings, files and/or photographs pertaining to each project kept in sequence. A few projects are unidentifiable by either title or state and have been placed at the end of the series.

  • Series II: Professional Papers

    This series comprises of his professional work outside of particular projects, including historical research, case studies, reports, guidelines, lecture notes, articles, and papers. The series is arranged alphabetically by title.

  • Series III: Reference Files

    This series comprises of miscellaneous reference materials by others (or by Dorsett and others) gathered by Dorsett over the course of his career, with most in some way relating to his professional life at the NIMH and beyond. These include books, journal articles, pamphlets, case studies, guidelines, legal documents, and standards. The series is arranged alphabetically by title.

  • Series IV: Personal Papers

    This series, the shortest, comprise generally of work and personal miscellany conducted outside of his life at the NIMH and later consulting life. It includes student work, referral letters, certificates, awards, and various ephemera. The series is arranged alphabetically by title.

Publication Date

1940-1991

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.

Unique time-based media items have been reformatted and are available onsite via links in the container list. All original copies of audio / moving image media are closed. Email avery-drawings@columbia.edu for more information.

Restrictions on Use

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. For additional guidance, see Columbia University Libraries' publication policy.

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

Clyde Dorsett papers, 1940-1991, (bulk 1952-1982), Department of Drawings & Archives, Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library, Columbia University.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Source of acquisition--Roni McCarty. Method of acquisition--Donated;; Date of acquisition--2010. Accession number--2010.008.

About the Finding Aid / Processing Information

Columbia University Libraries, Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library

Processing Information

Processed; Christopher Cowell 2012.

Revision Description

2012-05-18 File created.

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

2020-11-30 Links added to digitized content. kws

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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"Portal"		 "CUL Collections:"
"CLIO"		 "Nat'l / Int'l Archives:"
"ArchivedGRID"
Sound recordings Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID

Subject

Heading "CUL Archives:"
"Portal"		 "CUL Collections:"
"CLIO"		 "Nat'l / Int'l Archives:"
"ArchivedGRID"
Alexander, Christopher, 1936- Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Architecture -- Human factors Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Architecture -- Psychological aspects Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Architecture -- United States -- Designs and plans Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Environment Design Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Environmental psychology Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Facility Design and Construction Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Fuller, R. Buckminster (Richard Buckminster), 1895-1983 Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Hawaii State Hospital Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Health facilities Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Hospital architecture -- Psychological aspects Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Mental health facilities -- Design and construction Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
National Institute of Mental Health (U.S.) Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Psychiatric clinics -- Design and construction Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Psychiatric hospitals -- Design and construction Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID
Washington Hospital Center Portal CLIO ArchiveGRID

History / Biographical Note

Biography

Clyde H. Dorsett was born in Burlington, North Carolina in 1925. While still in his teens, he took part in the Allied Invasion of Normandy in 1944 receiving the Bronze Star Medal.[1] Clyde Dorsett's first experience in medical design began soon after his return, in 1946: an apprentice at the offices of Louis Jallade in New York City where he worked on a 200-bed hospital project. Dorsett went on to receive his bachelor's degree in architecture from the School of Design, North Carolina State University in 1953, part of which time he studied under Buckminster Fuller. He was noted for his unusual skill in mastering detail design both in terms of construction and program – later put to good use in his diagnostic work at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) from 1965. Between this period he co-established the short-lived partnership Dorsett & Smyre Architects. Though working on a number of project types, Dorsett again found himself engaged in hospital design and construction, this time for the Department of Health, Education and Welfare, Washington D.C., when he began to realize that there were growing design opportunities in the field.[2]

He studied at Columbia University from 1962-63 where he completed his master's degree in architecture majoring in hospital and public health facilities planning and design. The timing could not have been more fortunate. Following the passing of the Community Mental Health Centers (CMHC) Act of 1963, the NIMH suddenly found itself responsible for overseeing the wholesale transformation of the nation's medical health built infrastructure. To achieve this, Dorsett was brought in to establish its architectural consultation section of which he became chief. He would go on to develop most of the regulations, policies and programs related to architectural aspects of the Act. The new section was staffed by architects with backgrounds as diverse as anthropology, psychology, management, programming, mental health, and general hospital planning, while Dorsett foresaw this expanding into other related expertise such as in corrective services, children's programs and total health services.

During his time at the NIMH Dorsett also worked closely with a team of medical experts, believing that the medical program and the actual facility should be inseparable, that "they are the same thing."[3] Together they helped develop national policy and provided project-by-project consultation across each state for the relevant health care bodies and their private architects – with each project given a unique code comprising of state, project type and number. Site visits across the country were frequent, regional workshops not infrequent, with a constant stream of planning drawings and written advice flowing through the NIMH offices.[4] Dorsett's overriding belief was that good healthcare design should provide a humane, welcoming environment as opposed to the institutional character that normally felt with such building types. To this aim he sponsored a large body of research in environmental psychology. Among his early collaborators were Sim Van der Ryn and Christopher Alexander, the latter for whom he contributed some sections to his "pattern language." By 1978 Dorsett was finally able to take his theories to their ultimate conclusion – the total breaking down of monolithic institutional design and the re-empowering of patients in the healing process – with his consultation work for the Hawaii State Hospital. Here the "village system" approach was adopted: clustered buildings broken down into discreet housing units in a semi-urban setting. This and others like it at the time, reflected new ideas of the needs of patients and of medical support staff to be cognizant of their interactions and social relations across various scales: from the individual to the group, to the multiple, to the neighborhood or village – a direct influence of Alexander's thinking.

Dorsett often fussed over both the details and the wider aims of a project, yet was described as having a "smooth, low key approach."[5] Indeed so well-known was his technical support in linking facilities to programs that the process was once dubbed as "Dorsetting."[6] His frequent travel across the various states and the personal sacrifices this entailed also earned him the praise of his director, Dr. Frank M. Ochberg, who described him as "my ambassador-at-large."[7]

Dorsett took early retirement from the institute in 1982, possibly as a consequence of cutbacks in consultation services by the NIMH that Dorsett was beginning to forewarn his clients of as early as 1979.[8] He was now working in a partnership with Constantine Karalis, as senior partner to the practice Dorsett and Karalis, Associates. Dorsett's old projects continued to be utilized by him as pattern touchstones for his new and existing clients right up until the 1990s. His expertise now earned him a wider international audience, consulting for health authorities in the West Indies, and advising the World Health Organization and the State Department. He died at his home at Queenstown, Maryland, in 2007.

Sources:

1. Adam Bernstein, Clyde H. Dorsett; Architectural Consultant, The Washington Post, Aug. 11, 2007.

2. Sam A. Kimble [Department of Health, Education and Welfare] to Dorsett, March 23, 1962.

3. "Community Mental Health Centers Team: Everyone's in a Different Game," Phs World, May 1966, p.25.

4. Clyde H. Dorsett, "Broader Goals for the Architect and Government in Community Planning," AIA Governmental Affairs Review (undated, c. 1970).

5. Thomas W. Carey (Department of Health & Human Services) to Dorsett, Nov. 7, 1980.

6. Jack A. Bartleson (ADAMH Branch) to Steven Sharfstein, M.D. (DMHSB), July 27, 1976.

7. Frank M. Ochberg [Division of Mental Health Services Program, NIMH] to Dorsett, May 30, 1975.

8. Ian Osborn [Pennsylvania State Hospital] to Dorsett, Oct. 24, 1979.

External users and Columbia affiliates may view materials on-site at RBML. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, only Columbia affiliates may view materials on-site at Avery, Starr, and Burke. After clicking 'Submit Request', users will login with their UNI and password (Columbia affiliates) or their special collections account (external users). Appointments are required and will be arranged according to each individual repository's policy.

Series I: Project Records

By far the largest component of the collection, this principally covers the 'raw material' received by Clyde Dorsett throughout his architectural consultation work: projects undertaken by various architects for their medical authority clients across the United States, and sent to the NIMH for comment. These date from 1963 to 1982 – the period of Dorsett's administration. There are also a number of further documents after that date sent to Dorsett during his extensive later period as a private consultant. Most work is related either directly or indirectly to hospital or CMHC design. A few of these contain hand-drawn or written comments by Dorsett, while a number contain letters of correspondence between the NIMH and other participants. The series comprises of drawings, files (written material) and photographs. The working and presentation drawings are mostly reproductions (blueprints, diazotypes, photostats) occasionally marked up by Dorsett or others. The files includes reports, correspondence letters, notes, often with their counterpart drawings. The project photographs form only a very small part of Series I. The Project Records Series is catalogued alphabetically first by state and within each, by project name – with drawings, files and/or photographs pertaining to each project kept in sequence. A few projects are unidentifiable by either title or state and have been placed at the end of the series.


Item Subseries 1: Drawings Subseries 1: Drawings

A complete inventory of these drawings may be found in thisdownloadable Excel spreadsheet.


Item Subseries 2: Files Subseries 2: Files

A complete inventory of these drawings may be found in thisdownloadable Excel spreadsheet.


Item Subseries 3: Photographs Subseries 3: Photographs

A complete inventory of these photographs may be found in thisdownloadable Excel spreadsheet.

Series II: Professional Papers

This series comprises of his professional work outside of particular projects, including historical research, case studies, reports, guidelines, lecture notes, articles, and papers. The series is arranged alphabetically by title.


Box 16 Folder 36 AIA relations, 1967, 1973

Lecture by Dorsett to Mississippi chapter (Feb. 3, 1967); AIA letter of appointment to Architecture for Criminal Justice Comm. (Dec. 21, 1973)


Box 16 Folder 37 Article, 1970

Dorsett, "Broader Goals for the Architect and Government in Community Planning,"AIA Government Affairs Review70:10, November 1970


Box 16 Folder 38 Article, 1964

Clyde H. Dorsett and James Falick, "Designs link Mental Health Facilities with Community Activities"(Hospitals: Journal of the AHA, 1964)


Box 16 Folder 39 Article, 1964

Dorsett, "New Directions in Mental Health Facilities,"AIA Journal, November 1964 (Includes two unattributed loose photos kept by Dorsett in original file)


Box 16 Folder 40 Article (?), undated

Dorsett,Furniture for the Community Mental Health Center


Box 16 Folder 41 Article, undated

Dorsett, "The Suicidal Patient and their Treatment Environment" (Journal?)


Box 16 Folder 42 Articles on Dorsett, various

Articles on Dorsett


Box 16 Folder 43 Binder, 1980

Dorsett, Design for Psychiatric Emergency Facilities (Draft document); includes loose notebook pages on history of mental health services in America


Box 16 Folder 44 Book review by Dorsett, undated

"Handbook/ Changing Places & Settings,"Architecture/Research/Construction


Box 16 Folder 45 Book review by Dorsett, 1976

Dorsett, Review: "Handbook: Changing Places and Settings,"Hospital and Community Psychiatry27 (8): 590-1


Box 16 Folder 46 CMHC Act, Regulations, various

Dorsett's letter on CMHC regulations; published guide to ammended Act; Recognition of Dorsett's contribution to (cash award recommendation)


Box 16 Folder 47 Copied sources, undated, 1892

Brice Hospital (formally Alabama Insane Hospital, 1852-1861). Includes history of the hospital (2 copies) and plan


Box 16 Folder 48 Copied sources, excerpts, 1966, 1980, 1989

Folder entitled: "NIMH: Community Program History;" Excerpts from journals


Box 16 Folder 49 Copied sources, excerpts, 1962, 1964, undated

Folder entitled: "Fort Logan: A Community-Oriented Program" (history of); includes Dorsett's notes on history of Fort Logan


Box 17 Folder 1 Design Report, 1980

Clyde H. Dorsett and Constance M. Callahan, "Design for Psychiatric Emergency Facilities;" includes "Attachment 'C' Environmental Patterns"


Box 17 Folder 2 Document, 1972

Dorsett, "Request for a Sabbatical Position" submitted 28 Sept. 1972. 2 copies


Box 17 Folder 3 Draft Guidelines, 1969

Dorsett, LaRue Jones, Wittman, "Draft Guidelines … for CMHC: Environmental Support (Architecture)," Dec. 1969


Roll A092M.10b Drawings, undated

Country House Project (unlabeled, by Dorsett)


Box 17 Folder 4 Environ. Design Objectives, undated

Matrix sheet. Dorsett writes: "Jake, this is a list of those environmental design objectives which I used in cosidering the children's well-being"


Box 17 Folder 5 Environ. Design Research, 1977

Environ. Design Research Project, Care and Treatment Facilities for Mentally Ill, University of Washington, Ontario, Canada


Box 17 Folder 6 Environmental Patterns Kit, 1968-70

Annotated and expanded version ofA Pattern Language Which Generates Multi-service Centers, by Christopher Alexander et al.


Box 17 Folder 7 Excerpts, notes, 1980-81

Elements of Mental Health Facilities Design & ephemera


Box 17 Folder 8 Guidelines, undated

Dorsett,Physical Planning Guidelines for Community Mental Health Centers


Box 17 Folder 9 Guidelines, undated

Miscellaneous study of various facility spaces (Inpatient, Outpatient, Community Education, Emergency and Admitting); includes diagram transparencies


Box 17 Folder 10 Guidelines, late 60s/early 70s

Dorsett,A Place for Suicide(Guidelines). Includes Christopher Alexander's Pattern Language components


Box 17 Folder 11 Guidelines, undated

Dorsett,Architectural Directives; (For an unindentified or generic project)


Box 17 Folder 12 Guidelines, 1977

Karalis, Dorsett,Reuse of Buildings for Mental Health Facilities "Workbook,"Rhode Island School of Design Grant No. 1 R12 MH 27596-01 (for New England States)


Box 17 Folder 13 Historical Materials, undated

History of Psychiatric Architecture


Box 17 Folder 14 Itineraries, brochures, 1966

From folder entitled: "Mr. Dorsett's European Trip"; includes unidentified photo contact sheet, various itineraries, brochures, plans


Box 17 Folder 15 Letter, 1977

Community Support Program: Request for Advice (Vanessa M. Dazio, Occupational Therapist, Oct. 7, 1977)


Box 17 Folder 16 Letter to the Editor, ca. 1979

Dorsett-Ozarin,Open Form. Response to Davis Glick Rosow'sThe Architecture Design of a Psychoterapeutic Milieu


Box 17 Folder 17 Letterheads, ca. 1981

Dorsett's letterheads and stationery for his private consultancy practice


Box 17 Folder 18 Letters, 1952-56

Dorsett's letters of employment (application and recommendation) with various architects in North and South Carolina


Box 17 Folder 19 Logo, undated (ca. 1982)

Dorsett: Design of his private consultancy letterhead logo


Box 20 Magnetic Audio Tape, 1961, 1 open reel audiotapes

Access digital content: Proceedings of Training Program on Juvenile D.[delinquency]

1 reel : Proceedings of Training Program on Juvenile D.[delinquency], Jan. 17-19, 1961


Box 20 Magnetic Audio Tape, 1967, 6 open reel audiotapes

Access digital content: AIA conference

6 reels : AIA conference Oct. 2, 1967 p.m. Reels 3 & 4; Oct. 3, 1967 a.m. Reels 5 & 6; p.m. Reels 6 & 8 (Reels 1 & 2 missing)


Box 20 Magnetic Audio Tape, undated, 1 open reel audiotapes

Access digital content: A Mental Health Program in Hawaii - Dr. Kendall Wallis

1 reel : entitled: "5. A Mental Health Program in Hawaii - Dr. Kendall Wallis"


Box 17 Folder 20 Matrix, undated

Dorsett, Matrix for Planning & Design of Therapeutic Recreation Facilities; includes five slides of parts of the matrix


Box 17 Folder 21 Memo, undated

Buker's paper, revision of current CMHC legislation; includes NIMH organization structure chart. (From folder entitled: "Adv. ADHOC Committee. Environ. for M.H.")


Box 17 Folder 22 Miscellaneous, 1965

Hospital visit reports (various), CMHCs for children (e.g. Fernhook, Delaware), maximum security psychiatric hospitals (Butner, N. Carolina)


Box 17 Folder 23 Miscellaneous, 1996, undated

City map of Norman, Oklahoma, Photo of unidentified hospital, project file card, Vehicle Emissions Inspection Program leaflet


Box 17 Folder 24 Miscellaneous, 1950s

Dorsett's early office projects (1950s)


Box 17 Folder 25 Miscellaneous, various

Miscellaneous from folder entitled "Metropolitan" (lecture notes, journal project notes, photographs)


Box 17 Folder 26 Miscellaneous Photos, 1967, 1970s

From album entitled "Clyde Dorsett 'Superstar'", 2 Buckminster Fuller; 3 of conference c. 1967; 3 copies of Dorsett's portrait; 2 small color photos of Dorsett in 1970s


Box 17 Folder 27 Newsclippings, Articles, 1978

Adamha NewsIV: 4, March 1978. Sent to Dorsett by Steven Sharfstein, MD, Acting Director, DMHSP, NIMH


Box 17 Folder 28 Note, undated

Dorsett,Mental Health and Architecture(handwritten note);The Architecture of Mental Health(typed)


Box 17 Folder 29 Notes, ca. 1986

Historical research on the evolution of the psychiatric hospital; includes index cards on "architectural goals"


Box 17 Folder 30 Notes, undated

Dorsett, environment statement on location and provisions for children/adolescents at MH facilities - to appear in "Fundamental Principles" chapter [book?]


Box 17 Folder 31 Notes, 1970-71

Slide Show for APA Conference, May 12-15, 1970, San Francisco


Box 17 Folder 32 Notes (for speech?), undated

Dorsett,Hospital for the Insane of the Army & Navy and the District of Columbia(Handwritten notes)


Box 17 Folder 33 Notes, copied sources, undated

Folder entitled: "Kirkbride: Hospitals for the Insane" (history of); includes handwritten (lecture?) notes and copy extract (unidentified book), historic souvenir


Box 17 Folder 34 Office Records, ca. 1995

Matrix of Past Projects (Aborted attempt at organizing past project files. First page only filled in)


Box 17 Folder 35 Paper, undated

Dorsett,Architectural Aspects of HALFWAY HOUSES for the mentally ill


Box 17 Folder 36 Paper, undated

Dorsett, "A Responsive Environment: Two Designs in Better Care for the Mentally Impaired." (Originally labeled: Paper - A responsive Environ. NIMH/HSQB Contract)


Box 17 Folder 37 Paper, 1977

Dorsett, "CMHC and Architecture: The CMHC and its Total Environment" (Prepared for the Workshop on Primary Prevention, Nat. Council of CMHCs, Inc., 1977)


Box 17 Folder 38 Papers, undated

Dorsett, Proposals (various)


Box 17 Folder 39 Photo, letter, 1966

Folder entitled: "Eastern State Hospital, Knoxville, Tennessee" (history of); Letter enclosing photo of façade


Box 17 Folder 40 Photos, undated

Study Trip to London (and Scotland?); Includes sketch


Box 17 Folder 41 Photos, ca. 1960

Photos of the partners of Dorsett & Smyre (Dorsett's short-lived practice); includes small unidentified photograph of a project - presumably by the practice


Box 17 Folder 42 Photos, undated

Photos entitled "Photos - Centers: Boston & Fla. [Florida?]"


Box 17 Folder 43 PIA Conference, 1978

Dorsett, "Patterns of Abuse and Change in Facilities for Mental Health Services" (PIA Design and Planning of Psychiatric Facilities, 1978)


Box 17 Folder 44 Presentation Boards, undated

History of Asylums, hospitals, institutions - 1855-1965


Oversized 01 Folder 5 Proceedings (Copy Edit of), 1967,68

Copy Edit: Ludwig and LaRue Jones (eds), Proceedings from two AIA/NIMH workshops entitled "Programming the Community Mental Health Center"


Box 17 Folder 45 Regulations, undated

Inpatient Regulations PHS Act - psychiatric inpatient unit


Box 17 Folder 46 Report, 1978

Report of the Task Panel on Role of the Arts in Therapy and Environment, Submitted to President's Commission on Mental Health, Feb. 15, 1978


Box 17 Folder 47 Report, 1977

Preliminary Report to the President from The President's Commission on Mental Health


Box 17 Folder 48 Seminar / Conference, 1973

Dorsett as panel moderator at seminar conference: "Humanizing Ambulatory Care in the Hospital Setting" Massachusetts (June 7-8, 1973)


Box 17 Folder 49 Sketch Book, ca. 1950s

Clyde Dorsett's (student?) sketch book


Box 17 Folder 50 Space Relation Planning, undated

Program and Architectural Relationship to Services ("Ohio" handwritten on top right hand corner of document)


Box 18 Folder 1 Standards, undated

Inpatient Units: Architectural Directives(Dorsett's original bound sketch sheets). Includes space planning notes of AMI Gonzales Psy. Hospital, Louisiana


Box 18 Folder 2 Studies, 1977

PHS Act - Subpart of 42CFR, sect. 1602. Review of proposed regulations 8/5/77


Box 18 Folder 3 Study (dwgs + photos), undated

Dorsett's study of Moravian 18th C. hooded entrace to house, Salem, North Carolina


Box 18 Folder 4 Study by Dorsett, 1964

Saint Mary's Hospital, McAuley Institute, San Francisco 17, California; includes Sister Mary de Paul's introductory notes


Box 18 Folder 5 Symposium Paper, 1991

Dorsett,The Community Mental Health Center Environments for Psychological Rehabilitation(Symposium Paper, 1991)


Box 18 Folder 6 Systems Theory, 1970

Dorsett's methodological theory - State mental health program as a looped "cybernetic information system"


Box 18 Folder 7 Trip Report by Dorsett, 1963

Einstein Medical Center, Bronx, New York; includes Dorsett's diagrammatic studies in report


Box 18 Folder 8 Various, 1970

Alcoholism Grants: Treatment and Rehabilitaion Grants; Comprehensive Community Services for Alcoholics (The Williamsburg Papers); 1963 Acts, etc.

Series III: Reference Files

This series comprises of miscellaneous reference materials by others (or by Dorsett and others) gathered by Dorsett over the course of his career, with most in some way relating to his professional life at the NIMH and beyond. These include books, journal articles, pamphlets, case studies, guidelines, legal documents, and standards. The series is arranged alphabetically by title.


Box 18 Folder 9 Academic Paper, undated

Albert Sabatini, M.D.,Designing A Functional Admitting Office: A Haven in a Storm(Paper concerning Emergency Services)


Box 18 Folder 10 Academic Papers, 1968, 1981, undated

Miscellaneous international academic research into psychiatric facilities / mental disorders: Europe/US (Bartlett, 1968), Beijing (Chinese Medical Journal, 1981), etc.


Box 18 Folder 11 Accreditation Manual, 1974

Acreditation Manual for Psychiatric Facilities Serving Children and Adolescents(Chicago: Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospitals, 1974)


Box 18 Folder 12 Accreditation Manual, 1976

Principles for Accreditation of Community Mental Health Service Programs(Chicago: Accreditation Council for Psychiatric Facilities, 1976)


Box 18 Folder 13 Architectural Guidelines, undated

Adult Day Treatment


Box 18 Folder 14 Architectural Guidelines, undated

Adolescent Inpatient


Box 18 Folder 15 Architectural Guidelines, undated

Space planning guidelines from Wittenberg, Delony & Davidson, Architect/Engineering, Planning/Interior Design


Box 18 Folder 16 Architectural Guidelines, undated

Acute Care Inpatient Unit, Crisis Stabilization Unit


Box 18 Folder 17 Architectural Guidelines, undated

Considerations of Significance to Architects and Planners abstracted from NIMH Conferences on Environmental Variables as Determinates of MH


Box 18 Folder 18 Article, 1986

Kahi Mohala Psychiatric Hospital, Honolulu (Originally filed adjacent to Hawaii State Hospital project)


Box 18 Folder 19 Article, 1978

Article filed under "Forensic Psychology" by Dorsett: Robert Hughes, "Pictures at an Institution,"Time, January 23, 1978


Box 18 Folder 20 Article, 1989

C.R. Shelton, "Designing Hospitals: Consumers Drive Architectural Trends,"New Jersey Healthcare, May-June 1989


Box 18 Folder 21 Article, 1980

Lucy D. Ozarin, "Notes on the Development of Collaboration Between Architects and Clinicians,"Hospital and Community Psychiatry31 (4): 276-7


Box 18 Folder 22 Articles, 1848, 1966, 1969

"History, Mental Health" general file by Dorsett: Focuses upon history of various treatment environments (e.g. Bloomingdale Asylum)


Box 18 Folder 23 Articles, 1955, 1976

History of Mental Hospitals. Includes articles on "The Kirkbride Plan," "Dorethea Lynde Dix," and Mental Hospitals, Centennial Issue, 1955


Box 18 Folder 24 Book, 1967

Planning, Programming, and Design for The Community Mental Health Center(vol. 1 of 3?), Western Inst. for Research in MH, Calif. (Sponsored by NIMH)


Box 18 Folder 25 Book, c.1967

Architecture for The Community Mental Health Center(vol. 2 of 3), Rice Design Fete III, School of Architecture, Rice University, TX (Sponsored by NIMH)


Box 18 Folder 26 Book, 1967

Wallace McHarg Roberts and Todd,Temple University Health Sciences Center: Interim Report on the Long Range Development Plan(1967)


Box 18 Folder 27 Book, copied sources, 1985

Public Hospital in Williamsburg, Virginia, 1773-1885 (history of); Book and associated articles


Box 18 Folder 28 Booklet, 1975

John Zeisel, "Sociology and Architectural Design,"Social Science Frontiers, 6 (New York: Russell Sage Foundation, 1975)


Box 18 Folder 29 Brochure, undated

Ridgeway Institute (Private Psychiatric Hospital - Brochure)


Box 18 Folder 30 Brochure, undated (ca. 1965)

Work of Charles Schorre (Rice U.), Dubose Gallery, Houston, Texas. Schorre possibly an acquantance of Dorsett viz. the Rice Fete of 1965


Box 18 Folder 31 Building Standards, 1965

Part II - Facilities for Mental Health Services(Canadian Building Standards and Guide Material for Hospitals and Health Facilities)


Box 18 Folder 32 Case study, undated

Forensic Building, Institut Philippe Pinel de Montreal; Copy of plan with address


Box 18 Folder 33 Copied articles, ca. 1991

Two articles from Abitare (Italian Design Magazine), dates uncertain


Box 18 Folder 34 Copied source, 1966

Humphry Osmond, "Some Psychiatric Aspects of Design," from: Laurence B. Holland, Who Designs America? (Doubleday Anchor, 1966) booklet


Box 18 Folder 35 Copied sources, 1975-6

Student paper, U. of Munich, for a community residential model "Transitional Settings for Psychiatric Patients in a Town Sector" (history of, in German)


Box 18 Folder 36 Copied sources, excerpts, 1957, 1965

Folder entitled: "Saskatchewan Plan" (history of)


Box 18 Folder 37 Copied sources, excerpts, 1965

Arkansas State Hospital, history of (article)


Box 18 Folder 38 Copy, 1970

Photocopy ofFortune News(Oct. 1970), article on question of enlisting ex-cons to re-design prisons. (Originally in folder entitled: "Corrections")


Box 18 Folder 39 Data sheet, 1976

R. Bartholemew, "Mental Retardation: Educational Environments,"Man-Environment Systems6: 183-184, 1976


Box 18 Folder 40 Design Guidelines, 1976

Design Guidelines: Intermediate Care Facilities for the Mentally Retarded(Commonwealth of Massachusetts, 1976)


Oversize 01 Folder 6 Drawings, 1940

Carpentry details of John James Croft Jr., Architect, Asheboro, N.C.


Box 18 Folder 41 Excerpts, 1953, 1956

Folder entitled: "1946-1954: Gutterson-Ozarin, Hillburton Prog. 1950 pub" (history of)


Box 18 Folder 42 Guidelines, 1973

CEH, "Mentally Handicapped People Living in Ordinary Houses and Flats: Some Useful Information for Architects," July 1973


Box 18 Folder 43 Journal, 1976

"Architecture and Design of Treatment Environments,"Hospital & Community Psychiatry, November 1976 (American Psychiatric Association)


Box 18 Folder 44 Journal article, 1976

Article by Lawrence R. Good,Hospital & Communtiy Psychiatry(name singled out by Dorsett in his filing) on the Wisconsin State Hospital


Box 18 Folder 45 Journal article, 1976

George Means, Raymond Ackerman,Hospital & Community Psychiatry; Article on "South Carolina's Village System" (Dorsett's filing note)


Box 18 Folder 46 Legal Document, Reprinted 1964

Community Mental Health Centers Act of 1963, Title II, Public Law 88-164, Regulations (Dorsett highlights Appdx. A: General Standards of Construction and Equip.)


Box 18 Folder 47 Miscellaneous, 1970

New Technology Disclosure - management system by Boeing for NASA Saturn V project. From folder labeled "R.M. Jones" (Includes proposal for environ. quality center)


Oversized 01 Folder 7 Miscellaneous, 1982, undated

Historical architecture, villages, furniture - articles and sketches


Box 18 Folder 48 Ordinance Survey, 1971-2

Mahoning County Highway Map with catchment areas (I & II) delineated


Box 18 Folder 49 Pamphlet, 1965

Rice Design Fete III - NIMH: Orientation Conference, Continental Hotel, Kansai City, Missouri, 15-17 March 1965


Box 18 Folder 50 Pamphlet, 1964

Concepts and Challenges: The Comprehensive Community Mental Health Center, NIMH (U.S. Dept. of Health, Education and Welfare)


Box 18 Folder 51 Pamphlet, 1977

A Citizen's Guide to the Community Mental Health Centers Act, NIMH (US Dept. of Health, Education and Welfare)


Box 19 Folder 1 Planning Aid Kit, 1970

NIMH Planning Aid Kit(Reprinted for the Session on Environmental Architecture and Psychiatry, 123rd Annual Meeting, SF, May 12, 1970)


Box 19 Folder 2 Program / invite, 1965

Rice Design Fete III- Small program for film show/conference on mental health, Rice University, 6 June 1965 to 18 June 1965


Box 19 Folder 3 Publications by others, undated (post 1970)

4-sheet bibliography entitled: "Papers and Articles Available Through Architectural Consultation Section"


Box 19 Folder 4 Publications by others, 1951-59

Articles on converted isolation suites, physical therapy dept., and mental hospitals. Includes one photo of State Hospital, Illinois


Box 19 Folder 5 Reference Book, 1965

Lawrence R. Good, et al,Therapy by Design: Implications of Architecture for Human Behavior(Illinois: Charles C. Thomas, 1965)


Box 19 Folder 6 Reference Book, 1964

Raymond Glasscote, et al,The Community Mental Health Center: An Analysis of Existing Models(NAMH: Washington D.C., 1964)


Box 19 Folder 7 Reference Book, 1968

Matthew Dumont,The Absurd Healer: Perspectives of a Community Psychiatrist(New York: Science House, 1968)


Box 19 Folder 8 Reference Book, 1961

Action For Mental Health: Final Report of the Joint Commission on Mental Illness and Health, 1961(New York: Science Editions, 1961)


Box 19 Folder 9 Reference materials, 1967-68

Charles F. Read Zone Center, Chicago, Illinois ; includes John P. Ready's earlier concepts of "Zone Mental Health Centers" (1964)


Box 19 Folder 10 Reference materials, undated

"CMHC Project Kit" (as stated on original folder). OR IS IT "Ket" (Kentucky?)


Box 19 Folder 11 Regulations, 1964

Public Health Service Regulations - Part 53: Pertaining to the Constructin and Modernization of Hospital and Medical Facilities


Box 19 Folder 12 Regulations, 1969

Regulations for P.L. 88-164 Mental Health Center Construction Projects (various)


Box 19 Folder 13 Standards, 1972

Accreditation Manual for Psychiatric Facilities1972(Chicago: Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospitals, 1972)


Box 19 Folder 14 Studies, 1970

NASMHPD (National Assoc. State Mental Health Program Directors) Studies - various.


Box 19 Folder 15 Study, 1982

I. Jakab,Environmental Impact on Disturbed Mentally Retarded Children(Toronto: APA, 982). Contains note: "Clyde, from Lucy O. At APA meeting Toronto"


Box 19 Folder 16 Suicide in MHF - articles on, various

Various articles by others on suicide in mental health facilities


Box 19 Folder 17 Survey Questionnaire, 1972

Survey Questionnaire: Accreditation Council for Psychiatric Facilities(Chicago: Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospitals, 1972)


Box 19 Folder 18 Thesis, 1977

Karl Joachim Habermann,Bautypologische Entwicklungslinien des psychiatrischen Krankenhauses(Technischen Universitat Munchen, 1977)


Box 19 Folder 19 Trip Report by others, 1964

Report of Visit to Hudson River State Hospital, Poughkeepsie, New York, January 31, 1964


Box 19 Folder 20 Trip Reports by others, 1965

Includes visits to Menninger Foundation; Agnews State Hospital, CA; Fort Logan, CO; Topeka State Hospital

Series IV: Personal Papers

This series, the shortest, comprise generally of work and personal miscellany conducted outside of his life at the NIMH and later consulting life. It includes student work, referral letters, certificates, awards, and various ephemera. The series is arranged alphabetically by title.


Box 19 Folder 21 Album - referral letters, 1953-62

Dorsett's early working career charted through referral letters - as preserved by Dorsett


Box 19 Folder 22 Biographical Sketches, 1967, undated

Biographical Sketches of Dorsett; Profile of his "experience in residential environments for the mentally handicapped"


Box 19 Folder 23 Thank you letters, various


Box 19 Folder 24 Greetings Cards, various


Box 19 Folder 25 Invitation Cards, various


Box 19 Folder 26 Miscellaneous Ephemera, various

Miscellaneous ephemera ; includes citation certificate and special achievement award (1977) in honor of Dorsett


Box 19 Folder 27 Notes, 1962-63

Dorsett. Class notes on hospital design modules. 'Hospitals and Public Health Facilities Planning and Design' program, Columbia University


Box 19 Folder 28 Referral Letter, 1952

Dorsett as a student draftsman: Referral letter from Louis E. Jallade, Architects and Engineers, Dec. 31, 1952


Box 19 Folder 29 School essay, 1942

Dorsett,Backgrown [sic] of our Democracy. (Bound, handwritten and illustrated school history essay, May 1, 1942)


Box 19 Folder 30 Student Papers, 1963

Dorsett: 2 student papers from the "Hospital and Public Health Facilities Planning and Design" program, Columbia University


Box 19 Folder 31 Student Work, Photographs, 1951 and onward

Miscellaneous photographs of student work: catenary models/studies, construction projects, etc.; newspaper article on Raleigh catenary arch. of early 50s


Roll A092M.08a Student Work, Drawings, 1953

Fuller Research Project: Experimental Greenhouse (School of Design, North Carolina State College, Raleigh, N.C., January - March 1953)


Drawer X Folder 204 Student Work, ca. 1952-3

Dorsett "A Low Cost Housing Redevelopment", Student Project at North Carolina State College (Panel 6 of 8 missing)


Box 20 Folder 1 Study, undated (ca. 1952)

Dorsett,A Housing Study(4th Year student design study?).


Box 20 Folder 2 Study, undated (ca. 1950?)

Dorsett: Catenary Studies (as student with Buckminster Fuller?)


Box 20 Folder 3 Study, 1962-3

Dorsett et al., "A Study for the development of Kings County Medical Center," 'Hospitals and Public Health Facilities Planning and Design' program, Columbia University.


Box 20 Folder 4 Study, ca. 1962-3

Dorsett, "The Investigation of a Nursing Unit" (presumably for) 'Hospitals and Public Health Facilities Planning and Design' program, Columbia University


Box 20 Folder 5 Study, 1949

Dorsett, "Marriage of Sculpture to Architecture." (Student essay)


Box 20 Folder 6 Training and Accreditation, various

Requests for training, certification and accreditation issues. (Includes plan scheme of hospital by Dorsett while a student at Columbia, 1963)