Title: Arthur Peabody Papers
Inclusive Dates: 1871-1942

Creator:

• Peabody, Arthur, 1858-1942

Call Number: Micro 521

Quantity: 1 reel of microfilm (35mm)

Repository:

Wisconsin Historical Society, Division of Library, Archives, and Museum Collections

Archival Locations:

Wisconsin Historical Society (Map)

COLLECTION MAY BE STORED OFF-SITE: see catalog entry to request materials and for additional information.

Abstract:

Papers of Arthur Peabody, the Wisconsin University Architect, 1906-1915, and State Architect, 1915-1938. Included are autobiographical writings and short stories by Peabody; accounts of a Chicago to California train trip in 1914 and a Door County, Wisconsin, auto trip in 1919; and scrapbooks containing clippings, letters, articles, photographs, and mementos concerning his professional career (especially his university and church buildings) and personal life including his active membership in St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, Madison, Wisconsin.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-micr0521

 ↑ Bookmark this ↑

 ↑ Bookmark this ↑

Arthur Peabody, prominent Madison, Wisconsin architect, was born at Eau Claire, Wisconsin, on November 16, 1858. Much of his boyhood was spent in Chicago, and he graduated from the University of Illinois, Champaign, in 1882 in architecture. Returning to Chicago, he was employed by several architectural firms and later tried establishing his own firm, first in Chicago and then in Wichita, Kansas. He was working again in Chicago when approached by a representative of the University of Wisconsin and invited to become University Architect. He served in this position from 1906 to 1915, and then became State Architect until his retirement in 1938. Among the many buildings which he designed are the Memorial Union; Lathrop and Sterling halls; Barnard, Tripp, and Adams halls; Camp Randall stadium and field house; the Carillon Tower; Wisconsin General Hospital; and the Wilson Street State Office Building.

Peabody was an active member of St. Andrew's Episcopal Church and of several architectural professional societies. He also wrote short stories, some of which were published. In 1930, he received the honorary degree of Doctor of Letters from the University of Wisconsin. Married to Agnes Langdon Cochrane in 1895, he was father to two daughters and one son. Peabody died at Madison, September 6, 1942, after a long illness.

The Arthur Peabody Papers, 1871-1942, consist of autobiographical writings, miscellaneous writings, and scrapbooks containing clippings, letters, photographs, and mementoes. The materials provide information on both his professional and personal life and are described in more detail in the Contents List below.

Acquisition Information

Originals loaned for copying by Mrs. Richard C. Vanden Heuvel, Washington, D.C., August 22 and September 18, 1973. Accession Number: M73-273 and 290

Processing Information

Processed by Karen Baumann, December 20, 1973.

	Autobiographical Writings
Reel   1	Volume 1 Scope and Content Note: A single manuscript narrative of his life which trails off into brief sketches of various events. At the end of this volume is a reprint of an article by Peabody, “Field Work in Concrete Construction at the University of Wisconsin,” The Wisconsin Engineer, May, 1911.
Reel   1	Volume 2 Scope and Content Note: Brief sketches of events from his life interspersed with poems and other writings.
Reel   1	Volume 3 Scope and Content Note: A summary of his U.W. architectural projects, 1906-1931. At the end of the volume is an obituary of Arthur Peabody.
Reel   1	Volume 4 Scope and Content Note: Account of a July 11-23, 1914, train trip from Chicago to California and back, containing descriptions of scenery and events along the way. Also included are many picture postcards.
Reel   1	Volume 5 Scope and Content Note: Account of a family auto trip to Door County, Wisconsin, in the summer of 1919.
	Miscellaneous Writings
Reel   1	Volume 1 Scope and Content Note: Mainly fictional short stories but includes some professional articles and a few related letters. Filed in a notebook in no order.
	Scrapbooks
Reel   1	Volume 1 Scope and Content Note: Clippings, letters, photographs, and mementoes, 1871-1930, including information on Eau Claire history, Peabody's work and social affairs, the Columbian Exposition, and Peabody's 1930 honorary degree from the U.W. Several letters were written by Dana C. Munro, a former U.W. history professor.
Reel   1	Volume 2 Scope and Content Note: Clippings, letters, and photographs, 1905-1927, mainly concerning University of Wisconsin buildings. Some materials on Wisconsin General Hospital and St. Andrew's Episcopal Church are also included.
Reel   1	Volume 3 Scope and Content Note: Clippings and one letter, 1927-1932, concerning the Wisconsin Capitol and U.W. buildings, particularly the Memorial Union.
Reel   1	Volume 4 Scope and Content Note: Clippings and letters, 1934-1942, concerning the U.W. Carillon Tower, the State Office Building, and St. Andrew's Episcopal Church.
Reel   1	Volume 5 Scope and Content Note: Certificates and letters, 1897-1936, including his 1897 license from the State of Illinois; membership certificates from Tau Beta Pi, the State Association of Wisconsin Architects, and the American Institute of Architects; his letter of appointment as Wisconsin State Architect; and a 1914 letter re his salary as U.W. Architect.