Use Restrictions

Permission to publish material from Herschel A. Elarth-Charles S. Worley, Jr. Architectural Firm Drawings] must be obtained from Special Collections, Virginia Tech.

Access Restrictions

The collection is open for research.

Preferred Citation

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: Herschel A. Elarth-Charles S. Worley, Jr. Architectural Firm Drawings, Ms2019-036, Special Collections, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Acquisition Information

The Herschel A. Elarth-Charles S. Worley, Jr. Architectural Firm Drawings were transferred to Special Collections from the Art + Architecture Library prior to 2008.

Processing Information

The processing, arrangement, and description of the Herschel A. Elarth-Charles S. Worley, Jr. Architectural Firm Drawings was completed in June 2019.

Biographical Note: Herschel A. Elarth

Herschel Gustave Anderson Elarth, son of Gustave and Amanda Anderson Elarth, was born in Omaha, Nebraska on October 15, 1907. Elarth attended the University of Illinois, earning a bachelor's degree in architecture in 1929. That same year, he submitted an entry for the Prix de Rome in architecture and was awarded first alternate. While attending college, Elarth also apprenticed with Omaha architect Thomas R. Kimball. Continuing his studies at the University of Illinois, Elarth earned a master of science in architecture in 1930, and in 1931, he took second place in the Society of Beaux Arts Architects' Paris Prize.

From 1931 to 1936, Elarth worked as an architectural designer in the Omaha firm of John and Alan MacDonald, playing a significant role in the final design of the Joslyn Art Museum. Moving to Los Angeles in 1937, Elarth worked for a year as a draftsman in the office of architect Richard J. Neutra. In January, 1938, Elarth took a position as professor of architecture at the University of Oklahoma. He married Wilhelmina van Ingen (1905-1969) in Norman, Oklahoma on April 2, 1942.

Elarth joined the U. S. Army in November, 1942. A first lieutenant, he served with the 826th Engineer Aviation Battalion, supervising the construction and maintenance of airfields. Following his honorable discharge in March, 1946, he took special studies at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

During the summer of 1947, Elarth worked for two months as an architect for the Los Angeles City Planning Commission before being hired as an associate professor of architecture at the University of Manitoba. While there, he served as a consultant to the Winnipeg Town Planning Commission and designed the university's bus terminal and bookstore. He also designed the Fort Garry home in which the Elarths would live while in Manitoba.

In 1954, Elarth was hired as a professor of architecture at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. In addition to teaching and advising students, Elarth served as a member of the University Council, the VPI Self-Study and University Library Committee, the Judicial Committee, and the Wine Awards Committee. He also provided design consultation on what would eventually become Cowgill Hall. Early in his career at Virginia Tech, Elarth entered into a partnership with fellow architectural professor Charles S. Worley Jr., and among the projects they designed were the Montgomery County Public Health Center in Christiansburg and the Elarth residence in Blacksburg. Throughout the 1970s, Elarth was active in several architectural organizations, and was particularly involved in the environmental efforts of the American Institute of Architects (AIA). His contributions to architecture were recognized when he was elected a Fellow in the AIA in 1978.

Elarth married Eva Robert Frook (1917-1984) in Blacksburg, Virginia, in 1971, and he retired from the university in 1977. He continued, however, to be active as professor emeritus and in several architectural organizations. In 1984, Elarth sold his Blacksburg home and moved to Warm Hearth Village retirement community, where he also served on the board of directors. Herschel Elarth died in 1988.

Biographical Note: Charles S. Worley, Jr.

Charles Samuel Worley, Jr., was a Professor of Architecture at Virginia Tech from 1947 to 1982 and a Professor Emeritus from 1982 until his death in 1995. He received his B.S. in Architectural Engineering from the University of Oklahoma in 1936 and his M.S. in Architecture from the Illinois Institute of Technology in 1941.

Scope and Content

The Herschel A. Elarth-Charles S. Worley, Jr. Architectural Firm Drawings contains architectural drawings from five projects designed by the partners between 1955 and 1961 (plus one undated alteration). These include three private residences in Blacksburg, Virginia, and two businesses in Christiansburg, Virginia.

Related Material

Special Collections also houses the personal and professional papers of Herschel Elarth and some professional papers and slides from Charles Worley. Materials in both of those collection may duplicate or be related to items in this collection. Notes have been added to the items in the contents list for the finding aid to indicate where additional materials related to specific projects may be found.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Architectural drawings (visual works)
• Blacksburg (Va.)
• Elevations (orthographic projections)
• Engineering Drawings
• Floor plans (orthographic projections)
• Local/Regional History and Appalachian South
• Montgomery County (Va.)