Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech
Special Collections and University Archives, University Libraries (0434)Danielle Morrison, Student Assistant; Laura Katz Smith, Archivist; and Samantha Winn, Archivist
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Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form: http://bit.ly/scuareproduction . Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form: http://bit.ly/scuapublication . Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form.
The collection is open to research.
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Judith Edelman Architectural Papers, Ms1997-010, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.
The Judith Edelman Architectural Papers were donated to the International Archive of Women in Architecture by their creator in January 1997. Additional materials were donated by the creator in June 1997 and by Edelman's estate in March 2015.
The initial processing, arrangement and description of the Judith Edelman Architectural Papers was completed in July 1997 by Danielle Morrison, Student Assistant, and Laura Katz Smith, Manuscripts Curator. Additions were processed incorporated in November 2017 by Samantha Winn, Collections Archivist.
Judith Edelman (nee Hochberg), FAIA, was born on September 16, 1923, in Brooklyn, New York and passed away on October 4, 2014 in her Manhattan home. She was educated at Connecticut College (1940-41), New York University (1941-42), and Columbia University School of Architecture (1942-46) where she received her B. Arch. in 1946. She apprenticed with architect Huson Jackson from 1948 to 1958, then worked for architect Harold Edelman from 1958 to 1960 and as a designer for Edelman & Salzman from 1960 to 1964. She was a partner in Edelman & Salzman, Architects, from 1964 to 1978, and The Edelman Partnership/Architects in New York City from 1979 to 2014. She was a registered architect in New York state, where she conducted renovations and designed residential and commercial structures.
Edelman was elected to the executive committee of AIA's New York chapter in 1971. Edelman served as chairwoman of the Task Force on Women in Architecture for the American Institute of Architects (AIA) from 1974 to 1975, overseeing the development of landmark reports and affirmative action plans on the status of women in the field. In 1974, she served as a model and inspiration for a children's book by Gloria and Esther Goldreich, What Can She Be? An Architect. She was awarded a fellowship in the AIA in 1981. In 1989, the National Organization for Women's New York Chapter designated Edelman a "Woman of Vision." Edelman was a founding member of the Alliance of Women in Architecture and a member of the International Union of Women Architects (UIFA).
External Source: Martin, D. (2014, October 18). "Judith Edelman, Architect, 91, Is Dead; Firebrand in a Male-Dominated Field." New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/19/business/judith-edelman-architect-91-is-dead-firebrand-in-a-male-dominated-field.html
The Judith Edelman papers comprise correspondence, photographs, lecture materials, newspaper clippings, publications, and ephemera relating to Edelman's work in architecture and urban development as well as her advocacy on behalf of women professionals. Materials include writings by Edelman and about her work, as well as correspondence relating to several traveling exhibits on women in architecture. The collection also includes reference materials, drawings, and photographs for ten architectural projects conducted between 1965 and 1992.
The collection is divided into three series:
Series I: Personal, (1947-1998, n.d.) contains biographical information, published profiles, personal correpsondence, and photographs.
Series II: Professional (1952-2009, n.d.) includes publications and handwritten speech drafts, ephemera for various lecture series, documentation of Edelman's professional contributions to various associations, records of significant professional fellowship and conferences, correspondence relating to various exhibitions, and reference files on New York architecture and the history of women architects. This series comprises Subseries A: Writings; Subseries B: Presentations and Lectures; Subseries C: Associations and Committees; Subseries D: Conferences and Travel; Subseries E: Exhibitions; and Subseries F: Reference files.
Series III: Projects (1965-1992, n.d.) includes photographs, catalogs, drawings, project proposal documents, and files on ten projects to which Edelman contributed.
The guide to the Judith Edelman Architectural Papers by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 ( https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/ ).
Family portrait (color); black and white photographs, c. 1970s, probably taken by Robert Ipcar for "What Can She Be? An Architect."
Includes copy of the 1975 AIA Affirmative Action Plan and documents from the Task Force on Women in Architecture, chaired by Edelman.
Includes correspondence and acceptance speech draft 1989 Women of Vision Award.