Architectural Drawings and Plans at the Library （建筑图纸和计划在图书馆）.pdfVIP

RESEaR ch notES numBER 13 Architectural Drawings and Plans at the Library of Virginia The architectural drawings and plans collection at the Library of Virginia offers a glimpse into the past from a different perspective. This collection looks at history through our built environment and answers questions about the structures around us. What were the high styles of the 1890s? What changes were proposed to solve parking problems at Capitol Square? Why are those three houses so similar in style? When coupled with complementary sources (such as Mutual Assurance Society policies, Sanborn Company Fire Insurance maps, or city directories), this collection can help document and reconstruct a past environment. The drawings and plans can also assist those researching the men and women responsible for the structures that surround us today, as well as the designers of never-built or demolished structures. The bulk of the architectural drawings and plans concern the city of Richmond and neighboring counties; however, the collection continues to grow through donations, purchases, and transfers from various state and local agencies. A wide variety of associated records often accompanies the plans and drawings, including correspondence, photographs, models, and maps. Social historians, students, professional consultants, landscape architects, architectural historians, and architects are among the researchers who use the collection. The material documents the histories of both existing and demolished structures, and contains information useful for researching house histories, restoring historic residences, nominating properties to state and local historic registers, and charting architectural styles. Architectural drawings and plans can be found in all three of the major record divisions—state, local, and private papers—at the Library of Virginia. Researchers should access the online Archives Manuscripts catalog f