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William P. Crane Papers

An inventory of his papers at the Syracuse University Archives

Summary

Creator: Crane, William P.
Title: William P. Crane Papers
Dates: 1920-1991
Size: 2 boxes and 1 drawer (3.75 linear feet)
Abstract: The William P. Crane Papers contain personal correspondence, drawings, photographs and newspaper clippings
Language: English
Repository: University Archives,
Special Collections Research Center
Syracuse University Libraries
222 Waverly Ave., Suite 600
Syracuse, NY 13244-2010
https://library.syracuse.edu/special-collections-research-center/university-archives

Biography

William Piers Crane

William Piers Crane (1904-1991) was born in Chicago in and grew up in Evanston, Illinois. He graduated from the University of Illinois in 1928, receiving a degree in architecture. He later attended the Chicago Art Institute. He married Mary Allen Cowgill on August 9, 1963.

Crane participated in the U.S. Department of the Interior's Historic American Buildings Survey and helped plan the 1934 World's Fair. He was appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Housing under the Roosevelt Administration to construct public housing projects in Puerto Rico and St. Thomas.

Crane taught design at Syracuse University's School of Architecture from 1937 until 1970. He was a member of the Alpha Rho Chi architecture fraternity and won the coveted Plym Fellowship for architects in 1929. He was a co-founder of Central New York Architectural Historians and the Preservation Association of Central New York. He was a past president and life member of the Technology Club of Syracuse and emeritus member of the American Institute of Architects, the State Association of Architects Central New York Chapter and the American Association of University Professors.

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Scope and Content Note

The Crane Papers span the years 1920 to 1991 and comprise of correspondence, clippings, drawings, photographs and other materials. The correspondence is made up of letters and cards received by Crane and his wife, with much from the period immediately following his death. Newspaper clippings cover the topics of architecture and Syracuse University. There are oversized architectural and mechanical drawings from early in Crane's career, as well as drawings, paintings, poetry and documents related to his time at Syracuse University. The papers also include photographs of Crane and his associates as well as buildings.

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Restrictions

Access Restrictions

Please note that the collection is housed off-site, and advance notice is required to allow time to have the materials brought to the Reading Room on campus.

Use Restrictions

Written permission must be obtained from University Archives,
Special Collections Research Center
Syracuse University Libraries and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.

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Selected Search Terms

Names

Crane, Mary Allen.
Crane, William P.
Syracuse University.

Subjects

Architectural drawing.
Architecture -- Designs and plans.
Architecture.
Syracuse (N.Y.) -- History.
College teachers.
Higher education.

Types of material

Blueprints (reprographic copies)
Correspondence.
Drawings (visual works)
Photographs.
Watercolors (paintings)

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

William P. Crane Papers,
University Archives,
Special Collections Research Center
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

The Syracuse University Architecture Library donated the collection in two parts, one in 2006 and then a scrapbook in 2008.

Processing Information

The collection has been placed in acid-free folders and the photographs placed in mylar sleeves. Items have been removed from a scrapbook and processed with the rest of the collection but the original provenance has been maintained. Newspaper clippings were photocopied and discarded.

Finding Aid Information

Created by: Erin Lee
Date: 2012
Revision history:

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Arrangement

Folders are arranged alphabetically.

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Inventory

Papers
Box 1 Architect organizations 1938-1946 undated
Drawer MC 8-4 Architectural drawings E.T.H.S. 1922
Box 1 Clippings 1929-1984
Box 1 Clippings undated - from scrapbook
Correspondence
Box 1 General 1938-1948 - from scrapbook
Box 1 General 1942 1978-1983 1991
Box 2 General Undated
Box 2 Drawings undated - notebook
Drawer MC 8-4 Mechanical drawings E.T.H.S. 1920-1921
Box 2 Miscellaneous 1943, undated - from scrapbook
Box 2 Module 1953-1961
Box 2 Paintings undated - watercolor
Box 2 Photographs undated
Box 2 Photographs undated - from scrapbook
Box 2 Poetry undated - from scrapbook
Box 2 Syracuse University extension club 1944, undated
Box 2 Tau Sigma Delta 1949, undated

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