Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech
Special Collections and University Archives, University Libraries (0434)Sherrie A. Bowser, Harvey Clark, Shu Pan
Permission to publish material from the Lois Davidson Gottlieb Architectural Collection must be obtained from Special Collections.
Collection is open to research.
Imagebase contains digital images of the exhibit of Gottlieb's work at Virginia Tech in 1998 and images of the Mark Gottlieb residence.
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Lois Davidson Gottlieb Architectural Collection, Ms1997-003, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.
The Lois Davidson Gottlieb Architectural Collection was donated to the International Archive of Women in Architecture by the creator in April 1997. Additional materials were donated in February and March 2003.
The processing of the original donation took place from May to August 1997. The processing of additional materials and the arrangement and description of the entire collection took place from February to March 2004. The final processing of additional materials took place in October 2010.
Lois Davidson Gottlieb is a residential designer currently (2010) based in San Francisco, California. She was born on November 13,1926 in San Francisco and attended Stanford University from 1944 to 1947, where she studied art and engineering and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree. She served as an apprentice to famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright from 1948 to 1949 as part of the Taliesin Fellowship in Spring Green, Wisconsin and Scottsdale, Arizona. And she did her graduate work at Harvard University's School of Design from 1949 to 1950.
Gottlieb began her career working as a designer for Warren Callister in San Francisco. Her first solo project was the design of the Val Goeschen house, a one-room unit with 576 square feet, in Inverness, CA. She went on to design other residences in Marin County as part of the design team Duncombe-Davidson based in Sausalito, CA. This partnership spanned the years 1951 to 1956. From 1956 to 2002, Gottlieb worked as a freelance residential designer on over 100 projects in the Bay Area and in Riverside, CA, as well as in Washington, Idaho, and Virginia.
Gottlieb served as a lecturer at the College of the Holy Names in Oakland, CA from 1960 to 1964, at Alameda State College in Hayward, CA from 1962 to 1964, and at the University of California Extension in Riverside, CA from 1966 to 1972. She also gave guest lectures at various universities around the world, including one at Virginia Tech in 1996.
Gottlieb's work has been written about in many newspapers and periodicals, including House Beautiful and the Marin County Independent Journal . She has also published several works of her own, including Environment and Design in Housing (a book which was based on her lectures for a course of the same name and was published in 1966) and A Way of Life: An Apprenticeship with Frank Lloyd Wright (which was based on the traveling exhibit of her photographs of Taliesin). Gottlieb's work has also been exhibited in institutions across the country, including a one-woman architectural exhibit at Virginia Tech in 1998 and the exhibit of photographs of Taliesin in2000-2001.
From 1995 to 1996, Gottlieb designed and supervised the construction of an 11,000 sq. ft. home and office complex for her son, Mark Gottlieb, and his family in Fairfax Station, Virginia. She also produced a video, "Building a Dream: A Family Affair," which documents her work on the project.
The collection consists of files and drawings that relate to Gottlieb's work as an architectural designer of residences in California, Washington, Idaho, and Virginia spanning the time period from 1951 to 2002. The collection also consists of writings, photographs, correspondence, and printed material that relate to Gottlieb's work as an author and lecturer, as well as material relating to her various publications and exhibits and to the documentary video made about her work on 'The Gottlieb House' in Fairfax Station, Virginia. The collection also consists of some work from her days as an undergraduate student at Stanford University and as a graduate student in architecture at Harvard University.
The collection is divided into two series: Professional Papers and Project Records with all files arranged alphabetically.
The guide to the Lois Davidson Gottlieb Architectural Collection by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 ( https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/ ).
This subseries primarily consists of correspondence with Milka Bliznakov, Professor Emerita of the College of Architecture and Urban Studies at Virginia Tech and founder of the IAWA, as well as some correspondence relating to courses, projects, and other professional commitments.
This subseries includes outlines, plans, and notes for course "Environment and Design in Housing" given at Alameda State College and The College of the Holy Names in Oakland, CA during the early 1960s, schedules, correspondence, and student comments and writings relating to various lectures and courses given through the Los Angeles City School Districts Adult Education program and through University of California Extension, Riverside during the time period from 1970-1975, and a videotape of a lecture given at Virginia Tech in 1996. This subseries include 2 volumes of 35 mm slides of various architectural designs and Teliesin Fellowship Gottlieb used for teaching.
This volume contains slides of these following architetural designs, Wordeu House (1978), Beals House (1969), Inverness House (1951), Mackey House (1970), Lynn Home (1980-81), Harron House (1981).
This volume contains slides of these following architectural designs and scenes, Harron House Continued (1981), Wheeles House (undated), Stross House (undated), Miglen (undated), Mr. + Mrs. F.L. Wright (undated), Taliesin (1948).
This volume contains slides of these following architectural designs and theme, Inverness House (undated), Harron House (undated), Stross House (undated), Taliesin (1956), Riverside (1970).
This subseries includes a typed manuscript of Gottlieb's book, Environment and Design in Housing , which was based on the courses she gave at the College of the Holy Names and Alameda State College and which was published by Macmillan Company in 1965, photographs with captions and drawings, which were used as illustrations in the book, as well as some correspondence from the publisher and reference material. The subseries also includes a manuscript of an article written by Gottlieb called "The Balance Between Diversity and Specialization in American and Indian Education."
This subseries includes transcripts of various interviews pertaining to Gottlieb's experiences during her internship with Frank Lloyd Wright at Taliesin, various material relating to Gottlieb's photographic exhibit, "A Way of Life," which documents her time at Taliesin, a copy of the publication based upon the exhibit, and photographs and other material relating to an exhibit on Gottlieb, titled "Lois Gottlieb: Continuing the Legacy of Frank Lloyd Wright," at Virginia Tech in the spring of 1998. The subseries also includes storyboards for the video ("Building a Dream: A Family Affair") Gottlieb produced about the her work designing and constructing a house in Fairfax Station, VA for her son and a copy of the publication "Architectural Drawings of Lois Davidson Gottlieb, Vol. IX, 1997-2002."
This subseries consists primarily of presentation photographs of various architectural design projects, photographs of furniture and interior design projects and various portraits of Gottlieb, as well as a portrait of her long-time friend, Jane Duncomb; who is also a co-founder of Duncombe-Davidson architectural design firm.
This file consists of photos, drawings, including plans, elevations, sections, notes, and details, of Gottlieb's designs for various residences.
This subseries includes newspaper and magazine clippings about Gottlieb, a newsletter with an article by Gottlieb titled "The Balance Between Diversity and Specialization in American and Indian Education," product literature, announcements and other printed material related to an exhibit at Virginia Tech and to screenings of the documentary "Building a Dream," and other printed material collected by but not about Gottlieb.
(See also Subseries D. Environment and Design in Housing and Other Writings.)
This oversize file consists of all known original newspaper and magazine clippings about Gottlieb and her works.
(See also Subseries F. Exhibits, Publications, and Video Production.)
This subseries includes drawings and class exercises created by Gottlieb during her time as an undergraduate at Stanford University from 1944 to 1947 and as a graduate student in the School of Design at Harvard University from 1949 to 1951.
Includes 2 Frank Lloyd Wright designs - 6 drawings, House for Six Moon Hills - 5 drawings, Additions for Shady Hill Elementary - 5 drawings, Merritt Parkway food bar - 5 drawings, and Art Museum - 3 drawings.
This subseries consists of original drawings, including plans, elevations, sections, and details, of Gottlieb's designs for various residences. Drawings are arranged chronologically according to project.
This file consists of copies of drawings, including plans, elevations, sections, and details, of Gottlieb's designs for various residences; particularly, from 1979 through 1997. Copies are arranged chronologically according to project.
This file consists of copies of drawings related to furniture and interior designs, including plans, elevations, sections, and details, of Gottlieb's designs for various residences; particularly, from 1997 through 2002. Copies are arranged chronologically according to project.
This file consists of copies of publicity, of Gottlieb's designs for various residences; particularly, from 1947 through 1997. Copies are arranged chronologically according to project.
The tool is a Koh-I-Noor portable drawing head with a missing board.
This subseries includes notes, invoices, correspondence, sketches, printed and other material resulting from Gottlieb's design activities on various residential projects. Files are arranged chronologically according to project.