Business Improvement District No. 2 (Milwaukee, Wis.).
Records, 1984-1997.
UWM Manuscript Collection 102
Records of the Business Improvement District (BID) which worked to promote and manage development by means of special tax assessments within the Historic Third Ward area of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The collection documents the BID's close relationship with the Historic Third Ward Association, which developed the overall planning and development of the area. The collection includes operating plans, which provide details on the goals and activities of the District, and minutes and background materials of the Board of Directors. The records of the Parking Structure contain extensive documentation of the design, planning, and construction of the parking and retail structure sponsored by the BID. The BID's Streetscape Project (sometimes called "Streetscaping") was an effort to improve the physical appearance of the District. The Project began in April 1989 and was completed in 1992. The collection contains extensive documentation concerning the Project, including correspondence with city of Milwaukee officials, especially the Department of Public Works, Renner Architects, and others about the streetscape plan and implementation. Finding aid available in the Archives.

Gurda, Francis S., 1895-1976.
Papers, 1886-1981.
Milwaukee Manuscript Collection 49
Papers of a Milwaukee architect and engineer, and of his family. Included in the collection are architectural drawings prepared by Gurda for buildings which he designed, among them the new church of St. Adalbert's parish (1930), St. Francis Hospital (1956), Wisconsin's first drive-in banking window at Lincoln State Bank (1950), and several elementary schools. Two newspaper articles, 1980 and 1981, and a magazine piece, regarding two of Gurda's designs are included in a folder of miscellany. Gurda family records consist of a family tree (with a preliminary sketch); naturalization papers of Sylvester Gurda, father of Francis (1888); a small book kept by Sylvester in which he recorded birth and baptismal information for all of his children; family obituaries; and a Milwaukee Common Council resolution in memory of Victoria Gurda, 1941. Family photos include a wedding photo of Sylvester and Victoria (Orzechowski) Gurda, a photo of Leon Gurda with the Company K staff, 127th Infantry National Guard, at Camp MacArthur, Waco, Texas, November 4, 1917, a photo of the Gurda brothers and sisters in 1952, several photos of what may be the dedication ceremonies of St. Francis Hospital, a construction site, an early-20th century photo of a Milwaukee (?) police officer, and others that are unidentified. Finding aid available in the Archives.

Historic Third Ward Association (Milwaukee, Wis.).
Records, 1976-1997.
UWM Manuscript Collection 101
Records of a non-profit community association which coordinated the redevelopment of the Historic Third Ward area of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The records date largely from the late 1980s through the 1990s; few records exist from the Association's early years. The collection provides remarkably detailed information on the Association's activities, especially its award-winning Streetscape Project. The Project redesigned streets, lighting, and the overall appearance of the Ward. Design and planning studies document the economic potential and architectural history of the Ward. The records of the Association's Architectural Review Board (ARB) contain details on how local property owners complied with design standards. The collection also includes numerous blueprints of the Streetscape Project and the Association-sponsored parking structure (a retail and parking facility). No blueprints exist for individual buildings except for those submitted to the ARB, which are usually details of exteriors. Photographs of building exteriors are available for many of the structures. Finding aid available in the Archives.

Layton School of Art and Design.
Records, 1888-1980.
Milwaukee Manuscript Collection 168
Official records of the Milwaukee, Wisconsin art school which was established by Charlotte Partridge and Miriam Frink in 1920 and closed due to financial insolvency in 1974. At its closure, the school was regarded as one of the top five art schools in the country and enjoyed a historical reputation for innovative methods in art education. Includes minutes of the Board of Trustees/Directors; correspondence; and administrative, financial, curricular, legal, historical, public relations, building, registrar's, and student-related materials which provide a broad look at the school's operations and methods. Records primarily cover the period from 1954 to 1974 and coincide with administrative terms of Layton directors Edmund Lewandowski (1954-1972) and Neil Lieberman (1972-1974). Files pertaining to the faculty union established at the school in 1971 and subsequent grievances and lawsuits indicate increasing hostilities between Layton administration and its faculty. Much of the material, including a separate file maintained by Board chair Carl Moebius records the school's traumatic closing. Finding aid available in the Archives.

Partridge, Charlotte Russell, 1882-1975. Charlotte Russell Partridge and Miriam Frink. 
Papers, 1862-1980.
Milwaukee Manuscript Collection 167 and Tape 1330A  
Papers of Partridge and Frink, who shared their personal and professional lives for fifty-five years. The two women were co-founders of the Layton School of Art in Milwaukee, Wisconsin which was established in 1920 and closed in 1974. Partridge is noted not only for her educational achievements, but also for her major contributions to the advancement of art in Wisconsin. The collection is extensive and contains the personal, professional, and civic papers of the two women with a focus on Wisconsin art, artists, and art education. Includes institutional records of the Layton School of Art and Layton Art Gallery, administrative records of Wisconsin Depression-era Federal Art Programs which Partridge directed, a Reference File of Wisconsin art exhibits and artists, and records of Wisconsin art organizations. There are materials relating to Frank Lloyd Wright's architectural exhibit which displayed at the Layton Art Gallery in 1930 and a reference file on the famous architect which Partridge maintained.
Partridge's personal correspondence is also extensive. Files pertaining to the women's civic commitments include Walnut Area Improvement Council in Milwaukee, Zonta Club of Milwaukee, Zonta Manor (a housing project for the well elderly spearheaded by Partridge), Milwaukee County War Memorial building planning, and Meta Berger Memorial Committee. Files of Susie Habenicht, Frink's niece and a researcher hired by the two women to write the Layton school's history, include notes, an unpublished manuscript, and transcribed interviews and some audio recordings with the two women and with Layton alumnae Mary Lou Ballweg and Margaret Davis Clark. Finding aid available in the Archives.

Partridge, Charlotte Russell, 1882-1975. Charlotte Russell Partridge and Miriam Frink. 
Visual materials, 1864-ca. 1967.  
PH Milwaukee Manuscript Collection 167  
Photographs, glass slides, slides, lantern slides, and 16mm film footage from the Charlotte R. Partridge and Miriam Frink Papers. The two women were co-founders of the Layton School of Art in Milwaukee, Wis. Personal and family photos of both Partridge and Frink form a part of the collection which also contains images of the Church School of Art in Chicago where Charlotte attended, the Commonwealth Art Colony in Boothbay Harbor, Maine, and the Partridge-Frink home in Mequon, Wis. There are also photographs pertaining to the Layton Art Gallery including Frederick Layton, gallery building, and permanent gallery collection. Photographs document a variety of exhibitions on temporary display at the gallery including two photographs of Frank Lloyd Wright's exhibit at the gallery in 1930. Finding aid available in the Archives.

Seven Arts Society (Milwaukee, Wis.).
Records, 1934-[ongoing].
UWM Manuscript Collection 58
Records consist of the administrative files of the Society, which supported public interest in the arts. Includes minutes of the Board of Directors meetings (1939-1991) and treasurer's reports (1941-1991), the Society's annual art exhibition (1942-1982), minutes of annual meetings (1941-1990), annual reports of the various interest groups, and extensive minutes of the Painters' Group meetings (1938-1954, 1983-1991). Files contain Society's monthly newsletter (1952-1991) and the administrative materials and news clippings pertaining to the Piano Talenteens competition. There are membership rosters (1942-1990), officers' reports and scrapbooks of news clippings and administrative items. One folder contains materials on the Wisconsin Composers Program (1959-1982), a biennial event which featured the music of Wisconsin composers. Several pieces of member artwork are included in the records. Finding aid available in the Archives.

University of Wisconsin--Milwaukee. Buildings blueprint collection, 1903-1985.
UWM Archival Collection 50
The collections contains blueprints of University of Wisconsin--Milwaukee (UWM) and University Extension buildings and other structures, most dating from the 1960s through the 1970s. The blueprints were acquired from a variety of sources, and are use copies, not the official records of any UWM office. It is not known if the blueprints are the final use copy, or earlier renditions in the design process. The blueprints, which average about 2' x 3' in size, contain details on floor plans, elevations, heating and ventilation, plumbing, electrical lines, structure, and site plans. The number of sheets per roll vary from 1 to 186, averaging about 25 sheets. Finding aid available in the Archives.

University of Wisconsin--Milwaukee. Dept. of Planning and Construction. Office of the Director.
Records, 1954-1996.
UWM Archival Collection 118
The collection contains miscellaneous blueprints, correspondence, meeting minutes, and remodeling and progress reports from the Director of the Dept. of Planning and Construction and its predecessors. Although the records document the construction and remodeling of many buildings on the UWM campus, the best documented are the Downer Buildings, Golda Meir Library, Great Lakes Research Facility, the Fine Arts Center, Lapham Hall, and the Student Union. The collection contains numerous progress reports which provide overviews of activities, and the correspondence documents problems with construction and contractors. Pre-1963 records were compiled by the Director from a variety of sources. For additional blueprints of campus buildings, consult the University of Wisconsin--Milwaukee buildings blueprint collection (UWM Archival Collection 50). Finding aid available in the Archives.

University of Wisconsin--Milwaukee. Graduate Faculty Council.
Records, 1947-1992.
UWM Archival Collection 83
The collection contains numbered documents and minutes of the Graduate Faculty Council largely documenting program reviews, reports, recommendations, changes, and proposals for new graduate programs including architecture. Pre-1956 Graduate Council materials concern graduate work at the Milwaukee State Teachers College and at the Wisconsin State College, Milwaukee (UWM predecessor institutions). Finding aid available in the Archives.

University of Wisconsin--Milwaukee. School of Architecture & Urban Planning. Office of the Dean.
Records, 1959-1994.
UWM Archival Collection 103
Records of the Dean of the School of Architecture & Urban Planning and its predecessor, the School of Architecture. The collection documents the establishment of the School of Architecture, accreditation, undergraduate and graduate program development, staffing and budget issues, and student affairs. Included in the collection are departmental meeting minutes and materials from various committees, correspondence, planning documents and reports, brochures and miscellaneous publications, and project proposals. Finding aid available in the Archives.  

Willis and Lillian Leenhouts Architects.
Records, 1936-1990.
UWM Manuscript Collection 223
The firm of Willis and Lillian Leenhouts Architects was well-known for the environmental orientation of its designs. The collection includes office and project records (both files and drawings), and Willis and Lillian Leenhouts's professional papers. The project records are the most extensive portion of the collection and pertain to over 500 built and unbuilt projects from 1936 to 1990. Of the projects represented in this collection, the vast majority are single- or multi-family residences in the Milwaukee, Wisconsin area. Finding aid available in the Archives.