Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use

The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials. 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.

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research.

Preferred Citation

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Alberta Pfeiffer Architectural Collection, Ms1988-017, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Source of Acquisition

Alberta Pfeiffer Architectural Collection was donated to Special Collections in 1988 and 1993.

Processing Information

The processing, arrangement, and description of the Alberta Pfeiffer Architectural Collection was completed in November 2010.

Biographical Note

Alberta Pfeiffer was an architect from Hadlyme, Connecticut, and born in Red Bud, Illinois, in 1899. Pfeiffer was one of the first women to study architecture at the University of Illinois--Urbana/Champaign where she graduated first in her class (1923). She was also the first woman to win the American Institute of Architects School Medal.

She began her 55 year career as an architect at the Chicago firm Tallmadge and Watson. After a year she returned to the University of Illinois for graduate work. In 1925, she moved to New York City where she worked with the Harrie T. Lindberg architectural firm until she set up practice in Hadlyme with her husband, Homer F. Pfeiffer, in the early 1930s.

Their practice was mainly residential focusing on design and renovations in the area surrounding Hadlyme, Connecticut. In 1940, Homer joined the Navy to supervise the construction of naval housing, hospitals, and other facilities while Alberta continued their firm's work on her own. After the war Alberta established her own private practice and flourished in the post-war boom recalling during the 1950s and 1960s she was never without a project and often had as many as ten designs on her desk at the same time. At her retirement in 1977 she had designed and/or renovated over 250 projects.

She was active in many professional and community groups joining the Society of Connecticut Craftsmen (1935) and a lifetime member of the Connecticut Society of Architects. Pfeiffer was a member of the local board of Education and the Zoning Board, and was involved in mental health issues and activities.

Pfeiffer died in 1994.

More information on Alberta Pfeiffer is available from the IAWA Biographical Database.

Scope and Content

The Alberta Pfeiffer Architectural Collection contains 15 boxes and 3 oversize folders consisting of drawings, photographs, and correspondence relating to Pfeiffer's architectural career. Most projects are residential, and the collection contains approximately 250 different designs for various projects.

Arrangement

The collection is divided into two series:

Series I. Professional Papers are arranged alphabetically.

Series II. Projects are arranged by project job number, with unknown numbers at the end in alphabetical order.

Related Material

There is an article about the acquisition of the Alberta Pfeiffer Architectural Collection in the Fall 1990 IAWA Center News, the International Archive of Women in Architecture newsletter .

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Architects
• Architectural drawing -- 20th century
• Architectural drawings (visual works)
• International Archive of Women in Architecture (IAWA)
• Women -- History

Rights Statement for Archival Description

The guide to the Alberta Pfeiffer Architectural Collection, Ms1988-017 by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 ( https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/ ).