Cleveland Museum of Art construction records for the 1958 building

Collection

Identifier: 1111.065

Staff Only

Scope and Contents note

The collection of materials was artificially brought together from materials gathered by Harold T. Clark, the buildings and grounds department, the director's office, and possibly other departments as well. Over time the original provenance and order of the of the records was lost. Clark stored many of the records in his office in downtown Cleveland, possibly because the museum was closed and had no where else to keep them, not necessarily because he was the records creator. These records were transferred to the museum over a period of several years in the 1960s. The origin of the rest of the records is not clear, though some of correspondence is with buildings and ground staff, Milliken, and Lee. It is possible the records were kept in a central location and shared across departments. Given their uncertain history, the materials were compiled together into two series: administrative records and photographs. Blueprints which were folded up in the administrative records were removed and transferred to the design department, where they were added to an already existing collection of blueprints from the 1958 addition.

The administrative records, organized alphabetically by record type, form the largest part of the collection. The records mainly focus on the building process itself, including specifications, construction reports, change orders, and certificates for payment. The correspondence, most of which is organized chronologically, details the hiring of the architect and contractor and the process of designing the new building and altering portions of the 1916 building. The correspondence also contains numerous proposals from subcontractors and billing information. Subcontracts, invoices, and statements for the subcontractors are located in the subcontractors' files. Beyond the building process the records include information about fundraising efforts and the new wing's dedication. Photographs [View Box List] provide a pictorial history of the construction process, through photographs taken by the contractor and by the museum. They also document the ground-breaking ceremony, cornerstone laying, and the dedication. The photographs are organized by topic in century albums.

Dates

Majority of material found within Bulk, 1956-1958
1951-1962

Conditions Governing Access note

Subject to review by archives staff. For more information or to access this collection contact archives staff at archives2@clevelandart.org.

Biographical/Historical note

The 1958 wing of the Cleveland Museum of Art, represents the museum's first capital expansion. By 1950, after thirty-four years in the original 1916 building of the museum, the collections and staff needed more space. The museum hired the architectural firm of Hays & Ruth (originally Conrad, Hays, Simpson & Ruth) in 1951 to design a new wing for the museum. Architect J. Byers Hays was responsible for the design of the building, which connected to the 1916 building on the north side of the museum. The floor plan added additional gallery space, workspace, a new library, and created a courtyard bordered by the new building and the 1916 building. The Sam W. Emerson Company was hired as the contractor in 1953, with ground broken for the building in 1955. The building process was overseen by director William M. Milliken, president of the board of trustees Harold T. Clark, and associate director Sherman E. Lee, who served as the museum's representative to the architects. The construction ended up being more difficult and expensive than anticipated, and two of the museum's founding trusts, John Huntington Art and Polytechnic Trust and the Horace Kelley Art Foundation agreed to alter their agreements to the museum so that money earmarked toward acquisitions could be used for the construction process. The museum even had to close beginning in April 1957, so that the construction could be finished. The new wing was dedicated with great fanfare in March 1958, and the museum reopened to the public.