A Guide to the Betty L. Moss Architectural Collection, 1950-2007 Moss, Betty L., Architectural Collection Ms2008-071

A Guide to the Betty L. Moss Architectural Collection, 1950-2007

A Collection in
Special Collections
Collection Number Ms2008-071

Special Collections, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Contact Information:
University Libraries
P.O. Box 90001
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Blacksburg, Virginia 24062-9001
USA
Phone: (540) 231-6308
Fax: (540) 231-3694
Email: specref@vt.edu
URL: http://spec.lib.vt.edu/
Processed by: Emily Cook, Special Collections Staff
2009 By Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. All rights reserved.

Repository

Special Collections, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Va.

Collection Number

Ms2008-071

Title

Betty L. Moss Architectural Collection, 1950-2007

Physical Characteristics

268 containers; 56.75 cu. ft.

Language

English

Abstract

The Betty L. Moss Architectural Collection contains the architectural renderings, business correspondence/notes of Betty Moss, an architect from New Orleans, Louisiana. Types of structures included in drawings are houses, apartment buildings, condominiums, religious centers, businesses, antique shops, offices, hospitals, and centers for convalescence.

Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

Collection is open to research.

Use Restrictions

Permission to publish material from the Betty L. Moss Architectural Collection must be obtained from Special Collections, Virginia Tech.

Preferred Citation

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: Betty L. Moss Architectural Collection, Ms2008-071 - Special Collections, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Va.

Acquisition Information

The Betty L. Moss Architectural Collection was donated to Special Collections in 2008.

Processing Information

The processing, arrangement and description of the Betty L. Moss Architectural Collection commenced in May, 2008 and was completed in December, 2008.

Biographical Information

Betty Anne Lipper was born in 1921 in Houston, Texas, to Lawrence Lipper and Betty Silverman. Betty Lipper married Hartwig Moss II and had two children. Moss attended Newcomb College and Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana, as well as the University of Missouri School of Journalism in Colombia, Missouri, and received a bachelor's in journalism from Tulane in 1942. Moss later returned to Tulane in the 1950s and earned a bachelor's degree in Architecture in 1960. After over forty years, Moss was awarded a master's degree in architecture from Tulane in 2004. Starting her practice in her 40s, Moss continued to work for more than four decades and produced designs for many houses and small office buildings in New Orleans. An outspoken defender of building preservation and conservation, Moss ardently defended against the demolition of the Rivergate (an exhibition center) on Canal Street in New Orleans. The Rivergate was demolished; and, Moss and Abbye A. Gorin wrote a six-minute film about the structure. After Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans in 2005, Moss composed plans for rebuilding and safety guidelines for disaster prevention. Betty Moss died October 22, 2007.

Scope and Content

The Betty L. Moss Architectural Collection contains the drawings and business correspondence/notes of Betty L. Moss, an architect from New Orleans, Louisiana, practicing largely in the second half of the twentieth century. Structures appearing in drawings include: houses, apartment buildings, condominiums, religious centers, businesses, antique shops, offices, hospitals, and centers for convalescence. The locations of most projects center around New Orleans, Louisiana; but, some structures were designed for Texas, Mississippi, New Jersey, Tennessee, and Idaho. These drawings include projects that were constructed, as well as others that may not have been built. Projects range from plans for the design of the Moss residence made in 1950 to proposals drafted after Hurricane Katrina's devastation of New Orleans in 2005. Architectural designs on illustration board, some tinted, date from Moss's study at Tulane University. Correspondence includes letters to and from clients, professionals, and tradesmen. Interoffice notes and pages from catalogs illustrating fixtures also appear.