Charles B. Miller photograph collection

Charles B. Miller photograph collection, circa 1920s-1950s

Overview of the Collection

Collector: Miller, Charles B. (Charles Benjamin), 1888-1960
Title: Charles B. Miller photograph collection
Dates: circa 1920s-1950s (inclusive)
19201959
Quantity: 65 photographic prints (2 boxes) sizes vary
Collection Number: PH0154
Summary: Photographs of projects of an Oregon architect
Repository: University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections
University of Washington Libraries
Box 352900
Seattle, WA
98195-2900
Telephone: 2065431929
Fax: 2065431931
speccoll@uw.edu
Access Restrictions: The collection is open to the public.
Additional Reference Guides
Languages: English

Biographical NoteReturn to Top

Charles Miller was born in Tina, Missouri on October 21, 1888. He was married in 1906 and had two children. Nothing is known about his formal education, but around 1916 he moved to La Grande, Oregon, where he established his architectural firm Charles B. Miller, Architect . When the Board of Architect Examiners was established in 1919 to license and regulate architects in the state of Oregon, Miller received license no. 63 under the grandfather clause. In 1937, Miller moved from La Grande to Pendleton, Oregon, where he continued working as an architect.

Miller was registered as an architect in both Oregon and Washington, though he did most of his work in Northeast and Central Oregon. Miller served as an engineer in WWII and he was a member of the American Institute of Architects. Miller was also a member of Elks Lodge No. 433 in La Grande, Oregon. He served on the Oregon State of Architects Examiners from 1922-1926. Charles Miller died on January 2, 1960 at the age of 71.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

Photographs of architectural projects, primarily residential, by Charles B. Miller in an album intended for Miller's clients to use as an idea book. Also includes commerical and public buildings such as The Arcade Theater and the La Grande Public School.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Alternative Forms Available

View selections from the collection in digital format

Restrictions on Use

Restrictions may exist on reproduction, quotation, or publication. Contact Special Collections, University of Washington Libraries for details.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Processing Note

Processed by Esther Benson 2008, Diana Burant 2010; Christy Hansen, 2010, processing completed by Stefanie Terasaki, 2013.

Related Materials

Charles B. Miller Architectural Drawings, PH Coll 761.

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Photograph AlbumReturn to Top

The album contains 12 photographs of houses designed by Charles Miller as indicated by the signature of the architect on the photographs. The remaining 14 photos are primarily images of Craftsman style and Revival style houses. The remaining pages of the album contains clippings from periodicals, phamphlets and books illustrating house interiors and views of house exteriors. Attached to the inside front cover of the album is a narrative composed by the architect expounding the dreams of home ownership. Miller refers to the album as a "book of ideas." The narrative outlines the architect's hope that the client would use the architectural images to better communicate their ideas to the architectural designer.

Container(s)		Description	Dates
Album	item
1	1-1	Two-story Colonial Revival house with gambrel roof, symmetrical facade and center entrance Written on photo: C.B. Miller, Architect.	circa 1920s
1	1-2	Two-story Prairie style house with clay tiled hip roof, symmetrical stucco facade and center entrance Written on photo: C.B. Miller, Architect. Negative number: 45874.	circa 1920s
1	1-3	One-story Spanish eclectic inspired house with railed parapet roof and symmetrical stucco facade Written on photo: C.B. Miller, Architect. Negative number: 20256.	circa 1920s
1	1-4a	Two-story Prairie style house with clay tiled hip roof and asymmetrical stucco facade Written on photo: C.B. Miller. Negative number: 45578.	circa 1920s
1	1-4b	Two-story Colonial Revival house with gambrel roof, symmetrical facade and center entrance	circa 1920s
1	1-5	Two-story Colonial Revival inspired house with hipped roof, symmetrical stucco facade and center entrance Written on photo: C.B. Miller. Negative number: 30111.	circa 1920s
1	1-6	Two-story Colonial Revival house with gambrel roof, symmetrical facade and center entrance Written on photo: C.B. Miller. Negative number: 45166.	circa 1920s
1	1-7	Two-story Colonial Revival house with gambrel front and wing roof, asymmetrical facade and center entrance Written on photo: C.B. Miller. Negative number: 45161.	circa 1920s
1	1-8	One and one-half story Neo-Classical inspired house with side gable roof, symmetrical facade and center entrance Written on photo: C.B. Miller. Negative number: 43821.	circa 1920s
1	1-9	Two-story Colonial Revival house with side gable roof, symmetrical facade and center entrance Written on photo: C.B. Miller. Negative number: 45825.	circa 1920s
1	1-10	Two-story Colonial Revival house with hipped roof, symmetrical facade and center entrance Written on photo: C.B. Miller. Negative number: 42220.	circa 1920s
1	1-11	Two-story Spanish Eclectic house with hipped and gabled roof, asymmetrical stucco facade and center entrance Written on photo: C.B. Miller. Negative number: 43881.	circa 1920s
1	1-12	One-story Craftsman style house with hipped roof, symmetrical facade and center entrance Written on photo: C.B. Miller. Negative number: BX-42816.	circa 1920s
1	1-13-1-17	Craftsman style houses	circa 1920s
1	1-18-1-25	Revival style houses (including Spanish, Storybook, Colonial and Neoclassical Revival styles)	circa 1920s
1	1-26-1-40b	Clippings from periodicals, pamphlets and books Included in the 27 pages of clippings are 6 pages of color-rendered perspective views of house interiors; 8 pages of exterior house and garden views of the Pembroke Estate, Glen Cove, NY; and, 19 pages of exterior views of various Revival style houses from all over the United States. The designers and/or architects of the houses and interiors illustrated in the clippings are not noted.	circa 1920s

Commercial and Institutional BuildingsReturn to Top

The building exteriors are probably not designed by Charles B. Miller. The building may be associated with interior work completed by the architect.

Container(s)		Description	Dates
Box/Folder	item
2/1	2-3	Perkins Motor Co., La Grande, OR Photographs possibly relate toProject No. 199 Perkins Garage(no archived drawings).	circa 1920s
2/1	4	C & I Drug Co.	circa 1920s
2/1	5	Oregon Hardware and Implement Co.	circa 1920s
2/1	6	Sommer Hotel, La Grande, OR The Sommer Hotel was probably designed by Calvin Thronton who arrived in La Grande, Oregon around 1889.	circa 1920s
		Arcade Theater, La Grande, OR Photographs correspond toProject No. 181 Remodel of Arcade Theater for Meyers and Ford. The building is also known as the Liberty Theater, and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. In 1911 theater changed names from The Orpheum Theatre to the Arcade a name that would remain until the 1930s.	1923
Box/Folder	item
2/1	7	Street facade of Arcade Theatre	1923
2/1	8	Main floor and balcony seating of Arcade Theatre	1923
2/1	9	Stairs to balcony of Arcade Theatre	1923
Box/Folder	item
2/2	10	Henry Building, La Grande, OR Photograph relates toProject No. 176 Plans of Store Building for Mrs. J.C. Henry, LaGrand, OR.	Feb. 1923
2/2	11	Telephone Building	circa 1930s
2/2	12	La Grande School, La Grande, OR	circa 1930s
2/2	13	Church complex structure	circa 1930s
2/2	14	Church complex structure	circa 1930s
2/2	15	Building	circa 1930s
2/2	16	Temple Hotel, Pendleton, OR Art Deco style remodel of Hotel with the addition of the 3rd, 4th and 5th floors. Photograph corresponds toProject No. 335 Temple Hotel, including Round-Up Club, Pendleton, OR.	1937

Residential Buildings, circa 1920s-1930sReturn to Top

Houses probably designed by Charles B.Miller

Container(s)		Description	Dates
Box/Folder	item
2/3	17-18	Craftsman style house	circa 1920s
2/3	19-20	Craftsman style house	circa 1920s
2/3	21-23	Craftsman style houses	circa 1920s
2/4	24-28	Craftsman style houses	circa 1920s
2/4	29	Five men standing in front of a car and large wood-paneled lodge-style building/residence	circa 1920s
2/4	30-31	Two-story Revival style house	circa 1930s
2/5	32-38	Revival style houses	circa 1930s
Box
XNA1	39	Negative of residential house	circa 1930s

Documents and Drawings, circa 1920s-1951Return to Top

Container(s)		Description	Dates
Box/Folder	item
2/6	40	Site drawing for Frank Ott property, Oregon	undated
2/6	41	Detail drawing for Noah Guffey, La Grande, Oregon	undated
2/6	42	Page from magazineThe Valve World Pages 18-19, illustrating 16 Spanish Revival style homes in Pasadena, CA. Caption reads "Group of New Pasadena Homes Equipped with Crane Sanitary Fixtures (For Details see Page 20)." Page 20, provides owner, architect and plumbing contractor for each of the 16 homes illustrated on pages 18-19.	January 1927
2/7	43	5 page list of architectural drawings and building titles	undated

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