Research Guides: Architectural Records in Special Collections: Home

Architectural Records in Special Collections

This guide provides an overview to architectural records available in Special Collections.

The architectural records document the designed environment in Arkansas and house the collections of design professionals with significant connections to the state and significant projects in built and designed environments in the state. The Fay Jones Collection and the Edward Durell Stone papers are two of the most extensive and sought-after architectural collections. Mid - 20th century architecture is a strength of the Archives, however, the collections also include materials such as the work of Neil Hamill Park, Little Rock Landscape Architect and winner of the prestigious 1931 Prix de Rome in Landscape Architecture, and photographs documenting the vernacular architecture of Arkansas by internationally recognized photographer Geoffery Winningham. The collections are diverse in content, containing models, drawings, photographs, and periodicals in addition to correspondence.

Additional books and other resources related to architecture and the design disciplines are available in Special Collections Rare Book Collection and the Fine Arts Library.

Vol Walker Memorial Library Architectural Drawing from The Fine Lines and Late Nights: The Converging Histories of Vol Walker Hall and the Fay Jones School of Architecture Digital Exhibit

Original drawing by Haralson & Nelson Architects with Jaminson and Spearl Architects, 1932

Architectural Drawing of Vol Walker Memorial Library
Digital Collections item page1932 Architectural Drawing of the Library Building for the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville

Selected Manuscript Collections on Design Professions

MC1373: Fay Jones Collection
Fay Jones (1935-2005), an Arkansas native, was an award winning architect, student of Frank Lloyd Wright, and recipient of the highest award for American Architects, the A.I.A. Gold metal. His most celebrated project was the distinctive Thorncrown Chapel in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. He taught and served as first Dean at the University of Arkansas School of Architecture. The collection is a complete record of Jones’s teaching, his practice, his philosophy of architecture, and his skill as an artist.
MS St71 236: Edward Durell Stone Papers
Edward Durell Stone (1902-1978) was an internationally recognized architect who worked on projects such as the American Embassy in New Delhi, India, and the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts in Washington D.C. The first accession of his papers includes collection includes drawings, photographs, and correspondence documenting Stone's career.
MC 340: Edward Durell Stone Papers Second Accession
The second accession of Edward Durell Stone's papers documents the professional and business operations of the architect
MC1512: Neil Hamill Park Papers
Neil Hamill Park (1904-1986) was one of the first professional Landscape Architects to practice in Arkansas. This collection includes photographs, catalogs, academic and professional drawings, records and correspondence.
MC 1015: John G. Williams Papers
John G. Williams (1915–2008) was an architect, landscape architect, and the founding faculty member of the Department of Architecture at the University of Arkansas. This collection includes materials relating to Williams' work as member of the faculty and an administrator at the University of Arkansas and as an architect and landscape architect.

Selected Digital Collections on Design

Fine Lines, Late Nights
“Fine Lines, Late Nights: The Converging Histories of Vol Walker Hall and the Fay Jones School of Architecture” is a digital exhibit that explores the history of Vol Walker Hall, a prominent campus building, and that of the Fay Jones School of Architecture, the lively design school which has called the stately building their home for more than 40 years.
Fay Jones and Frank Lloyd Wright: Organic Architecture Comes to Arkansas
The lives of notable architects Fay Jones and Frank Lloyd Wright intersected during the ten-year period from 1949 to 1959. This digital exhibit of photographs, correspondence, lectures, writings, and other media highlights their affiliation, architecture, and theories of organic architecture—the harmonious and seamless relationship between the built environment and nature.