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Louis Skoler Papers

An inventory of his papers at the Syracuse University Archives


Finding aid created by: Steffi Chappell
Date: 2014

Biography

Louis Skoler (1920-2008) was an architect and architecture professor at Syracuse University. Before enrolling in college, he joined the United States Army in May of 1942 and served in World War II. In 1946 Skoler's tour in the army ended, and he enrolled in the Cornell School of Architecture that same year. Skoler graduated with his bachelor's degree in architecture in 1951. He then began working for the architectural firm Sargent, Webster, Crenshaw & Folley as a building designer. During this time he helped to design many buildings in Central and Upstate New York, including the East Genesee Medical Center, the Massachusetts Mutual Insurance Company in Syracuse, and the Cortland State University Library. Skoler also designed a home for his family, which in 2010 was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Skoler began his teaching career in 1956 at Cornell University, where he was hired as a part-time instructor of architecture for one year. In 1959 Syracuse University hired Skoler as an assistant professor of architecture. Within his first few years at Syracuse, Skoler was given the responsibility of overhauling and redesigning the course work and syllabus for the School of Architecture's first-year program, Freshmen Design. The redesign was a success, leading to an improvement in the overall work of the University's first-year architectural students, and Skoler's new program was lauded by his fellow faculty members. In 1977 Skoler participated in the School of Architecture's London program, and in the 1980s he taught courses on Scandinavian and Japanese architecture. He retired from the University in 1991, after over thirty years of teaching.

Skoler worked as a professional architect while teaching at Syracuse University. He designed or renovated many residential buildings in Syracuse, Fayetteville, and the surrounding areas. In 1969 the American Iron and Steel Institute presented Skoler with the Best Design in Steel award for his design of a four-story vacation home located on a bluff overlooking Canandaigua Lake. In the 1970s and 1980s Skoler was a partner in the architectural firm Skoler and Lee.

Scope and Content Note

The Louis Skoler Papers are divided into three series:

The Architecture practice series contains objects and papers relating to Skoler's work as an architect. The bulk of this series is made up of folders with photographs, diagrams, and other information about specific building projects Skoler worked on, as well as many architectural drawings and plans. Also included in this series are papers relating to Skoler's membership in the American Institute of Architects, information pertaining to special projects Skoler consulted on, and a collection of tools and instruments used by architects.

The Slides series contains a large number of slides documenting Skoler's travels around the world, as well as the many building projects he worked on in New York State. One folder of slides, titled "Miscellaneous slides and resume," is included in the Architecture practice series because the slides were originally bound in a binder along with Skoler's resume, indicating he used them for some other purpose.

The Teaching materials series contains information pertaining to Syracuse University's School of Architecture. These materials include information about summer programs and class assignments, syllabi, and lecture notes for a number of the courses Skoler taught at Syracuse University.

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.

Related Material

In addition to these papers, the Syracuse University Archives holds a clippings file on Louis Skoler.

Selected Search Terms

Names

Skoler, Louis.
Syracuse University -- History.
Syracuse University.

Subjects

Architecture.
College teachers.
Higher education.

Types of Material

Architectural drawings (visual works)
Photographs.
Slides (photographs)

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Louis Skoler Papers,
University Archives,
Special Collections Research Center
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

Transferred to the University Archives from the Syracuse University Library in 2009.

Processing Information

The materials have been rehoused in acid-free folders and boxes.

Arrangement

The items are arranged in alphabetical order.

Table of Contents

Architecture practice

Slides

Teaching materials

Inventory