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.

Existence and Location of Copies

Some of this collection has been digitized and is available online.

Preferred Citation

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Charles Goodsell Collection, Ms2004-012, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Source of Acquisition

The Charles Goodsell Collection was donated to the Special Collections in 2004.

Processing Information

The processing, arrangement, and description of the Charles Goodsell Collection commenced in August 2004 and was completed in April 2005.

Biographical Note

Charles True Goodsell, professor emeritus and former director of the Center for Public Policy and Administration at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, was born in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The son of Charles T. and Francess Comee Goodsell, he earned a bachelor's degree at Kalamazoo College. After serving in the U. S. Army from 1954 to 1956, he obtained master's and doctoral degrees at Harvard University.

In 1961, Goodsell became an assistant professor of public administration at the University of Puerto Rico; he was a research associate at Princeton University from 1964 until 1966, when he became a professor of political science at Southern Illinois University. Goodsell joined the faculty of Virginia Tech in 1978 as a professor of public administration and public affairs and served as director of the university's Center for Public Administration and Policy.

Goodsell's numerous publications range beyond political science and public administration into the fields of architecture, economics, history, sociology, and Latin American studies. He is the author of The Social Meaning of Civic Space: Studying Political Authority through Architecture ; The American Statehouse: Interpreting Democracy's Temples ; The Case for Bureaucracy: A Public Administration Polemic ; American Corporations and Peruvian Politics ; and Administration of a Revolution: Executive Reform in Puerto Rico under Governor Tugwell, 1941-1946 and many articles published in scholarly journals, as well as the editor of The Public Encounter: Where State and Citizen Meet . He is a member of the American Political Science Association, the American Society for Public Administration, the Midwest Political Science Association, and the Southern Political Science Association. Recipient of the Dwight Waldo award for outstanding lifetime contributions to the literature of public administration, Dr. Goodsell retired in 2002.

Scope and Content

This collection contains the photographs of Charles T. Goodsell, a professor of public administration and public affairs at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and director of the university's Center for Public Administration and Public Policy.

The photographs in this collection were produced during Goodsell's work on two of his books: The Social Meaning of Civic Space: Studying Political Authority through Architecture and The American Statehouse . The images and published works, which examine the interplay of architecture and politics in the state capitols, city halls and municipal buildings of the United States, are of value to students and professionals in history, architecture and political science. Using analysis and photographs of exteriors and interiors, Goodsell demonstrates how the architectural elements embody political values and ideas.

In addition to the photographs of public buildings in the United States, the collection also includes images of municipal buildings and landmarks in Australia, England, Belgium, Canada, France, Italy and New Zealand. The collection also contains negatives for the above-described photographs, as well as published copies of the two books.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged in the following three series:

Series I: Photographs. This series, containing photographs taken by Goodsell for use in his books, has been divided into two subseries:

Subseries a: United States. The images in this subseries concern state capitol buildings, city halls, and municipal buildings within the United States. The folders within the subseries are arranged alphabetically by state name. For states which contain too many images to fit in one folder, the images have been divided among the following subcategories: state capitol exteriors, state capitol interiors, city halls, other government buildings and finally miscellaneous subjects.

Subseries b: International Structures and Spaces. These photographs of landmarks and municipal buildings in Australia, New Zealand, Belgium, Canada, France, England, Italy and the United States are arranged alphabetically by name of country.

Series II: Negatives. Located here are negatives for the photographs found in Series I. Like the images in Series I, the negatives are arranged alphabetically by state name. This series, however, has not been divided into subseries; the negatives for International Structures and Spaces are found at the end of the series. Some photographs in Series I are not represented by a corresponding negative in this series.

Series III: Published Works. This series contains copies of Goodsell's works The Social Meaning of Civic Space: Studying Political Authority through Architecture and The American Statehouse .

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Faculty and staff
• University History
• Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (1970-)

Rights Statement for Archival Description

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