Resources in Art and Architecture on the Web

The RISD Museum of Art held the Rhode Island Architecture exhibition 1939 June 18-December 5. Images available through JSTOR.

Online exhibition from Columbia University Libraries.

Photographs from several surveys. From Connecticut State Library.

"Getty and the City of Los Angeles have launched the Los Angeles African American Historic Places Project to identify, protect and celebrate African American heritage within the city."

Over 19,000 images from the University of Wisconsin -- Milwaukee Libraries. Includes many scenes of ordinary life and locations.

The main organization for professional architects in the United States.

Links to American architectural archives as compiled by Carnegie-Mellon University.

Information about the collections and use of archives at the Weitzman School of Design.

Over 80 architectural drawings by the Milwaukee architects. From University of Wisconsin -- Milwaukee Libraries.

2021 report from the Society of Architectural Historians. "The first in-depth, data-driven study designed to assess the health of the fields of architecture, landscape and urban history at institutions of higher education in the United States."

Information about resources of the society.

"Architecture and the ivory tower in the great Midwest." Interesting blog about mostly modern architecture.

Blog about classical and traditional architecture by former Providence Journal columnist David Brussat.

From the University of Cincinnati, available through JSTOR.

Architectural drawings, plans, and photographs of buildings documenting the work of numerous Cleveland architects, such as Clarence Mack (1888-1982), Arthur Nelson Oviatt (1891-1951), Charles F. Schweinfurth (1856-1919), Frank R. Walker (1877-1949) and Harry E. Weeks (1871-1935), and many more. Also included is a digitized version of the prestigious journal Ohio Architect and Builder (1903-1919). Via JSTOR.

Website for the famous Paolo Soleri project.

A non-scholarly website about Rhode Island industrial architecture.

Important primary source of information on building materials, supplies, decorative elements and industry trends during the 19th and early 20th centuries. From Columbia University Libraries.

From UC Berkeley Library.

"Provides access to documentation on hundreds of buildings and structures in North Carolina dating from the early to mid-1900s." From NC State.

"Unique collection of printed ephemera contains over 1,300 items with architectural imagery spanning the dates 1850 to 1920." From Columbia University Libraries.

Blog about Chicago architecture.

Blog created by architects in South Dakota to provide a forum for public conversations with citizens, city planners, developers, property owners, designers, public office holders and others.

"Documentation on hundreds of buildings and structures in North Carolina dating from the 1700s to the early 1900s." From NC State.

Digital collection of images relating to California, including architecture, art, historical photographs, etc. from California institutions. May be used freely for educational purposes, obtain permission for publication and other uses.

Collections document architecture of Pittsburgh, as well as the tri-state region of western Pennsylvania, eastern Ohio, and northern West Virginia.

Online catalog and digitized images from the National Archives.

Collaborative Architecture, Urbanism, and Sustainability Web Archive. Includes many Rhode Island websites.

This collection features images of buildings at Central Washington University from the 1880s to the present. Available via JSTOR.

Historical postcards of the 1933-1934 exhibition from the collection of the Chicago Postcard Museum.

Historical postcard collections from Loyola Marymount University

Finding Aid at the Library of Congress. Searchable collection of slides taken by the Eameses.

"Slides taken by Nashville architect Charles Warterfield between 1957 and 1998." From Nashville Public Library.

Photographic collection from Chicago Public Library.

Catalog and collections online portal to museum collections, including architecture.

"The City of Chicago's Official Site." Information about landmarks of Chicago.

"The 10,000 images in this digital collection capture the parks’ construction, architecture, plant life and public enjoyment." From Chicago Public Library.

Photographs and prints from the Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library.

Photographs of Cincinnati architecture taken generally from 1907-1919.

"Your guide to movie theaters."

Photographs, atlases, directories and more from the New York Public Library.

Also known as the Pearl Chase Collection, focusing on Santa Barbara history in the 20th century. From University of California, Santa Barbara via JSTOR.

"TCLF educates and engages the public to make our shared landscape heritage more visible, identify its value, and empower its stewards."

Aerial images commissioned by the City of Dallas in 1930. From Southern Methodist University Libraries Digital Collections.

Online museum of North America's independent department stores.

Project by the New Jersey Institute of Technology to document the built environment of Newark.

Ongoing digitization project concerning materials relating to Eero Saarinen designed house in Columbus, Indiana.

Curates historical resources from the Frick, Brooklyn Museum, and Long Island University.

A Virtual Encyclopedia of All Things Eames.

Over 1,100 photographic postcards depicting landscapes, structures, disasters, and daily life in early 20th Century Vermont. From Middlebury College via JSTOR.

Collection from Columbia University Libraries.

Scrapbook primarily dealing with the construction of the Grand Coulee Dam by person who worked on the project. Available via JSTOR.

"42 Hours of Buckminster Fuller's Visionary Lectures Free Online (1975)."

Online exhibition from the University of Arkansas.

3-D digital recreation of the remnants of the 200-year-old Fort Moultrie in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina. Includes pages on history, architecture, and weaponry of the fort, a glossary, videos, and digitized photos and prints.

Official site for the foundation related to the architect.

Guided tours of the exterior and interior of the site.

Tour the exterior and interior of the site.

National Parks Service site.

Papers spanning the years 1777 to 1952, digitized and available from the Library of Congress.

Documentary photographs of the construction of the Space Needle from the Seattle Public Library.

Site created by Charles S. Rhyne, Professor Emeritus of Reed College. Comprehensive set of images of the site, free for educational purposes.

From UC Berkeley Library.

1939 Exposition. From UC Berkeley Library.

Library of Congress site of over 29,000 images taken by the famous architectural photography firm.

This collection of design ideas was generated through an open call to translate the core goals of the Green New Deal—decarbonization, justice, and jobs—into design and planning projects with regional and local specificity. From UPenn via JSTOR.

The collection chiefly consists of architectural drawings (approximately 5,000) and also includes photographs, personal papers, and other manuscript material. From Columbia University Libraries.

Selections from the Thomas and Jean Ross Bliffert Postcard Collection, featuring the city of Milwaukee. From University of Wisconsin -- Milwaukee Libraries.

Photographs of Mennonite churches across the United States and Canada.

Images dating from the 1860s to the 1960s. From the University of the Pacific through JSTOR.

The nation's first federal preservation program, administered by the National Parks Service. Great source for information and plans of historic buildings.

Buildings grouped by popular categories.

An excellent resource for buildings in Detroit, both extant and demolished.

"Detailed architectural and historical survey of individual downtown buildings, compiled around 1980." From Nashville Public Library.

"Explore historic homes, farms, and landscapes throughout the region."

"The first online information and management system specifically created to inventory, map and help protect the City of Los Angeles' significant historic resources."

Includes photographs, prints, watercolors, and scrapbooks documenting Philadelphia. From Free Library of Philadelphia.

Web archive documenting the presentation of the lives of working people and immigrants, the enslaved, women, LGBT, indigenous peoples and other groups.

Over 400 images, including many architectural views, from the 19th and 20th centuries. From Hope College Library via JSTOR.

Blog featuring the work of architect and 3-D artist David Romero, who is creating models of Frank Lloyd Wright's unbuilt and demolished projects.

"Images commissioned by the Housing Authority of Los Angeles in the 1940s and 1950s to document areas targeted for residential redevelopment as well as completed public housing projects." From Los Angeles Public Library.

From Columbia University Libraries.

Images from Stokes, I. N. Phelps. The iconography of Manhattan Island, 1498-1909. Vols. 1-6. New York : Robert H. Dodd, 1915-1928.

Photos from 1927 to the 1040s. From University of Idaho.

Database of significant works of architecture in Indiana, including photographs.

Photographic documentation of the restoration program for Jefferson's Academical Village. From JSTOR.

Collection from the Kennedy administration.

Selected for their illustrations of buildings in lower Manhattan, these pieces of stationery include rare images of the city's commercial architecture. From Columbia University Libraries.

"Represents a collaborative effort headed by Syracuse University Libraries to digitize over 70,000 drawings, photographs, letters and other materials related to the career of Marcel Breuer."

Library of Congress site documenting roadside architecture from 1969-2008.

"Approximately 3,800 aerial images of Southern California, detailing post-War growth." From Los Angeles Public Library.

Photos taken as part of the Historic American Buildings Survey.

Depicts the early history of the department. Available through the Los Angeles Public Library site.

From Columbia University Libraries.

Blog celebrating "The most exciting of mundane mid‑century architecture."

Documentation of construction of the Millennium Park site in Chicago. From Chicago Public Library.

Photograph collection from Milwaukee Public Library.

From Southern Methodist University Libraries Digital Collections.

"Variety of portraits, street scenes, buildings and events from the late 19th century into the late 20th century." From Nashville Public Library.

Postcard collection emphasizing Nashville and Tennessee in the 20th century. From Nashville Public Library.

Museum about architecture, engineering, landscape architecture, construction, planning, and design.

"The official list of the Nation's historic places worthy of preservation."

Postcards related to architecture and urban life in the United States from the University of Maryland Libraries.

Historic postcards from the collection of Omaha Public Library.

Digital images of Pennsylvania covered bridges reproduced from slides, negatives, and original photographs taken between 1936 and 1937. From Bucknell University via JSTOR.

Photographs of rebuilding after 1906 earthquake. From UC Berkeley Library.

Series of historical photographs of New York State, covering certain years between 1936-1991. From Cornell Library.

The collection consists of over 9,200 advertising brochures, floor plans, price lists, and related materials that document residential and commercial real estate development in the five boroughs of New York and outlying vicinities from the 1920s to the 1970s. From Columbia University Libraries.

A biographical dictionary.

Site about modernist houses in North Carolina.

Interactive site mapping historic photos from the New York Public Library.

Archive of important Hawaiian modernist architects. Project images have been digitized. From the University of Hawaii at Manoa Library.

Contains information about individual buildings and architects on the West Coast, including bibliographies.

Images selectively depicting the construction period of the Panama Canal, 1904–1914. From Northwestern University Libraries Digital Collections.

Images of the 1915 exposition from UC Berkeley Library.

Views of the 1915 exposition from UC Berkeley Library.

Finding aid to the papers of prominent landscape architect and partner in Olmsted Brothers firm. Indianapolis Museum of Art Archives.

The database contains more than 267,418 projects and buildings, 26,724 architects, engineers and contractors, and over 151,926 images. Supported by the William Penn Foundation.

A collection of 20th century postcards focusing on the built environment of the Greater Philadelphia region. From Thomas Jefferson University via JSTOR.

Digitized photographs from the National Archives.

"Collection of profiles of fifty women who have made important contributions to American architecture." All were born before 1940.

From report of the Los Angeles Bureau of Housing and Sanitation. Collection of Cal State Northridge via JSTOR.

From Northwestern University Libraries Digital Collections.

Images of buildings on the Pratt Institute campus from the 1890s to the present. Available through JSTOR.

Includes 5000 images of Rhode Island history, including architecture and postcards, which may be freely downloaded.

Historical photographs of Provo, Utah from Brigham Young University via JSTOR.

Works of Texas Beaux-Arts architect from collection of Texas A&M University Libraries.

"Early twentieth century Richmond, Virginia as seen through vintage postcards is a digital collection of over 600 postcard images of Richmond, most dating from 1900-1930." From Virginia Commonwealth University Libraries.

Over 750 postcards from Special Collections at Rhode Island College, via JSTOR.

Collection includes travel records and sketches, publications, drawings, blueprints, oversized rolled plans, audio recordings, and photographs. From UCLA.

Collection contains data sheets that identify and evaluate over 600 structures located in Richmond’s Jackson Ward and Oregon Hill neighborhoods. From Virginia Commonwealth University Libraries.

Contains more than 7,000 color photographs of the city of Richmond taken over a period from 1965 to 2000. From Virginia Commonwealth University Libraries.

"Contains over 8,000 photographs primarily depicting the city of Richmond, Virginia. The collection of 35mm slides was compiled by the staff of the Planning and Preservation Division of the City of Richmond's Department of Planning and Development Review." From Virginia Commonwealth University Libraries.

Digital versions of late 19th and early 20th century books that illustrate Richmond. From Virginia Commonwealth University Libraries.

Works of California architect. From UCLA.

This collection features photographs of Grand Coulee Dam and surrounding areas during construction in the 1930s-1940s. From Central Washington University Libraries via JSTOR.

In progress. Will be a "comprehensive database of digitized plans, drawings, and other documentation" of Rhode Island architect Russell Warren.

Digital images from all the collections, including important Chicago architects' papers and drawings, World's Fairs material, and artist's papers.

"Brief historical and architectural summaries, with photographs, about Nashville area churches established 1950 and earlier. Photographs created in 2000." From Nashville Public Library.

Works by Cincinnati architect dating between 1873-1884. From Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library.

Photographs from UC Berkeley Library.

Stereographs from UC Berkeley Library.

Archival material from UC Berkeley Library.

Additional stereographs from UC Berkeley Library.

"Archiving the First New Urban Community." From the University of Notre Dame.

"This vast collection documents the growth of Los Angeles and its many neighborhoods from the turn of the 1860s through the 1970s." From Los Angeles Public Library.

Located in New York City.

Over 2000 postcards, mostly from before 1930. From Virginia Commonwealth University Libraries.

Includes papers of Pietro Belluschi, Marcel Breuer, William Lescaze, Richard J. Neutra, Werner Seligmann, Dwight James Baum, Russel Wright, William Dorwin Teague, The Industrial Designers Society of America Records and more.

Student journal published by architecture students in Cambridge, MA between 1941 and 1944. First issue published by students from Harvard, MIT and Smith College.

Includes a wide variety of material related to the textile industry in the US. Available via JSTOR.

More than 1500 images of people, places and events related to Hartford, CT, and its history. Available through JSTOR.

Covers period of federal support, 1966 to the present.

Site of artist who recreates floor plans of television and film sets.

The majority of the collection is related to Modernist architecture in the Greater Cincinnati area. Available through JSTOR.

"This charming glimpse into Two Rivers' past is a unique blend of photographs selected from the collection of Hubert R. Wentorf (circa late 1800s to mid 1950s), and vintage product catalogs from the Fisher-Hamilton Company."

"The materials selected for this digital project depict many elements of Waukesha County history, primarily documenting the industries, people, and structures important to the development of Waukesha County."

Open digital collection of major US 20th century architecture magazines. Browsable, searchable and downloadable.

Over 1900 images representing the Holland, Michigan, area through postcards of the 19th and 20th centuries. From Hope College Library via JSTOR.

Over 1,000 images documenting the history of the Vermont Marble Company. From UPenn via JSTOR.

Contains items related to Vermont’s railroads and their history from Middlebury College via JSTOR.

Published booklets focusing on American cities and towns from late 19th to early 20th century. From Columbia University Libraries.

Census of Old Buildings in Connecticut, created in 1934-1937. Includes photos and descriptions. From Connecticut State Library.

Aerial images of Dallas taken in 1927 by Fairchild Aerial Surveys. From Southern Methodist University Libraries Digital Collections.

Architectural drawings from the Nashville Public Library.