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Architectural Drawings and Photographs of the Philip G. Johnson Estate and Rosary Heights, approximately 1930-1965
Overview of the Collection
- Title
- Architectural Drawings and Photographs of the Philip G. Johnson Estate and Rosary Heights
- Dates
- approximately 1930-1965 (inclusive)19251970
- Quantity
-
1.63 cubic feet (10 oversize folders, 1 tube box and 2
vertical files)
109 architectural drawings
8 negatives : 8x10 - Collection Number
- PH2009-021
- Summary
- Architectural drawings and photographs of the Woodway, Washington estate of former Boeing president Philip G. Johnson, which later became the Rosary Heights Dominican Retreat Center
- 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
-
Architectural drawings are available by appointment only. Please contact repository to schedule an appointment.
Many drawings are in poor condition, with large tears and crumbling edges. Handle these extremely fragile drawings with care.
- Additional Reference Guides
- Languages
- English
Historical BackgroundReturn to Top
The late-Tudor style mansion on a 14-acre property on Woodway Park Road was built in 1930 for Philip G. Johnson, then president of the Boeing Airplane Company. Johnson died in 1944 at 49 years old; in 1956 the estate was purchased from Johnson's widow by an order of Dominican nuns and was eventually named Rosary Heights. The house served as a convent and motherhouse for the nuns for 50 years and more recently as a retreat center.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
Architectural drawings and photographs of the Woodway, Washington estate of former Boeing president Philip G. Johnson, which later became the Dominican Retreat Center Rosary Heights. The majority of the collection documents the original design and planning of the residence and grounds of the Philip G. Johnson estate in Woodway Park. Artistic renderings, architectural drawings and blueprints of the residence interior and exterior, plans for the interior furnishing, landscaping plans are included. Additional sets of drawings document alterations and additions to mechanical systems in 1956, the year the Dominican sisters moved into the building, and subsequent renovations in 1965 to the Mother House and Novitiate of what had become the Rosary Heights Dominican Retreat Center. The collection also includes eight undated photographic negatives showing various views of the house.
Other Descriptive InformationReturn to Top
Descriptions of individual drawings were provided by the donors and often directly copied into this inventory. Quotation marks indicate descriptions that come from text on the drawing itself.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Restrictions on Use
Restrictions may exist on reproduction, quotation, or publication. Contact Special Collections, University of Washington Libraries for details.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Arrangement
The drawings are arranged into series and subseries by content and provenance according to the descriptive list received from the donors.
Series:
- Original architectural drawings and blueprints
Subseries:
- Renderings of home and grounds
- Estate drawings - general
- Exterior drawings
- Interior layout drawings
- Interior furnishing drawings
- Landscape drawings
- Drawings for renovations
- Photographic negatives
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
Original architectural drawings and blueprintsReturn to Top
These are the drawings and blueprints for the original Johnson estate (excluding mechanical & electrical).
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| folder:oversize | ||
| 1 |
Renderings of home and grounds 4 drawings
|
undated |
“A Country Home in Woodway Park...” Full size hand
drawn and colored, on parchment mounted on board. |
||
“A Country Home in Woodway Park...” Reduced, black and
white reprint, mounted securely on board |
||
Untitled. Graphite, crayon, and paint. Drawn directly
on board |
||
“Development of Tract 15 Woodway. Sherman T. Ford,
architect.” (“Preliminary Layout Johnson Estate”) Color on cloth. |
||
| 2 |
Estate drawings - general 31 sheets
Set of drawings by David J. Myers that were rolled together as a
set and dated.
|
1930 January 24 |
Untitled. Land grade map. Missing title
section. |
||
Untitled. Missing title section. Exterior
facades |
||
“1/2 Scale Detail of East Entrance.” Sheet
5. |
||
“Living Gable & West Ent.” Sheet 6. |
||
“Exterior Garden Room.” Sheet 7. |
||
“Tower Plan & Elevation.” Sheet 8 |
||
“Tower Section & Elevation.” Sheet 9 |
||
“Dining Room Bay.” Sheet 10 |
||
“Details of Service Wing.” Sheet 11. |
||
“Window Schedule.” Sheet 12. |
||
“Full-size Jamb & Mullion.” Sheet 13. |
||
“Full-size Head & Sill.” Sheet 14. |
||
“Plan & Elevation of Corridor A & B.” Sheet
15 |
||
“Stair Hall.” Sheet 16. |
||
“Plan & Elevation of Living Room.” Sheet
17 |
||
“Details of Garden Room & Boudoir.” Job 509. Sheet
18. |
||
“Details of Library and Morning Room.” Sheet
19. |
||
“Details of Dining Room” Job 509. Sheet
20. |
||
“Elevation of Women’s Room” Sheet 21. |
||
“Second Floor Hall & Service Stairs" Sheet
22. |
||
“Master’s Bedroom.” Sheet 23. |
||
“Master’s Bathroom & Dressing Room.” Sheet
24. |
||
“Boudoir Dressing Room & Maid’s Bath Room.” Sheet
25. |
||
“Esther’s Bathroom & Bathroom No. 3.” Sheet
26 |
||
“Details of Guest Bathroom.” Sheet 27 |
||
“Details of Kitchen & Butler’s Pantry.” Sheet
28. |
||
“Cook’s Pantry.” Sheet 29. |
||
“Door Schedule.” Sheet 30 |
||
"Schedule of Finishes.” Sheet 31. |
||
“Plans and Elevations of Garage.” Sheet
32. |
||
“Garage Details.” Sheet 33. |
||
| 3 |
Exterior drawings 19 sheets
|
|
Untitled set 17 sheets
|
||
Roof and basement plans - blueprint - with
notations |
||
Roof and basement plans – creme paper |
||
Interior layout drawings 22 sheets
|
||
| folder:oversize | ||
| 4 | Elevation of Master bedroom |
|
| 4 | Living room elevations |
|
| 4 | Hall elevations |
|
| 4 | Plans of library and morning room |
|
| 4 | "Alterations to Master’s Bedroom.” “David J. Myers,
architect.” |
Oct. 6, 1936 |
| 4 | Corridor elevations. “David J. Myers,
architect.” |
undated |
| 4 | Garden room plan and elevations |
|
| 4 | “Master’s bathroom and dressing room,
etc.” |
|
| 4 | “Esther’s bathroom (No.2) and Bathroom
No.3” |
|
| 5 | "Basement Floor Plan” “David J. Myers,
architect.” |
October 17, 1929 |
| 5 | “First Floor Plan.” “David J. Myers,
architect.” |
October 11, 1929 |
| 5 | “Second Floor Plan.” “David J. Myers,
architect.” Date: September 21, 1929, corrected October 10, 1929
|
October 10, 1929 |
| 5 | “Paneling in Master’s Dressing Room” “David J. Myers,
architect.” |
undated |
| 5 | “Proposed alteration of bathroom” “David J. Myers,
architect.” |
October 9, 1936 |
| 5 | Dining room plan and elevations. |
|
| Folder | ||
| 6 | Light outlets 7 small sheets
|
|
Interior furnishings drawings 8 sheets
|
||
| folder:oversize | ||
| 7 | “Furniture Plan in Esther’s Room #2” |
|
| 7 | “Furniture Plan. Bedroom #4.” “Lenygon & Morant
Inc. Decorators. 1082 Madison Ave. New York, City.” |
|
| 7 | “Furniture Plan. Bedroom #5.” “Lenygon & Morant
Inc. Decorators. 1082 Madison Ave. New York, City.” |
|
| 7 | “Boudoir Furniture Plan.” “Lenygon & Morant Inc.
Decorators. 1082 Madison Ave. New York, City.” |
|
| 8 | “Dining Room Furniture Plan” “Lenygon & Morant
Inc. Decorators. 1082 Madison Ave. New York, City.” |
|
| 8 | “Library Furniture Plan.” “Lenygon & Morant Inc.
Decorators. 1082 Madison Ave. New York, City.” |
|
| 8 | “Furniture Plan. Master’s Bedroom.” “Lenygon &
Morant Inc. Decorators. 1082 Madison Ave. New York, City.” |
|
| 9 | “Living Room Furniture.” “Lenygon & Morant Inc.
Decorators. 1082 Madison Ave. New York, City.” [On reverse side of roll:
Johnson Interior Décor. Blueprints. 1936. Alterations.] |
|
Landscape drawings 9 sheets
|
||
| folder:oversize | ||
| 9 | J5 No394b Executed by Fred Cole, Seattle. [On reverse
side of roll: Johnson Garden + Grounds]. |
|
| 9 | J5 No394b Executed by Fred Cole, Seattle. Red pencil
markings. [On reverse side of roll: Johnson Garden + Grounds]. |
|
| 9 | J5 No. 3943 Executed by Fred Cole, Seattle. [On
reverse side of roll: Johnson Driveway]. |
|
| 9 | Untitled [On reverse side of roll: Johnson Picnic
Grounds]. |
|
| 9 | Unnumbered and untitled, with plant prices marked in
red pencil [On reverse side of roll: Johnson Front Driveway and
Grounds]. |
|
| 10 | Unnumbered [On reverse side of roll: Johnson Grounds
and Garden]. This drawing marks trails, faucets, drains, fire valve,
etc. |
|
| 10 | J8 No3999 Executed by Fred Cole, Seattle. [On reverse
side of roll: Johnson Formal Garden]. |
|
| 10 | No. 3933 Executed by Fred Cole, Seattle. [On reverse
side of roll: Johnson Grounds Layout]. |
|
| 10 | Small photocopy of No. 3933. |
Drawings for renovationsReturn to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| tube | ||
| Tube box | “Rosary Heights Mother House & Novitiate.” Maloney,
Herrington, Freesz and Lund. 4 sheets
|
March 31, 1965 |
“Rosary Heights Mother House & Novitiate.” Maloney,
Herrington, Freesz and Lund. (2 sets of 3 sheets each) 6 sheets
|
April 14, 1965 | |
| folder:oversize | ||
| 11 | “Alterations & Additions to Mech. Systems.” Prepared
by “Norman L. Omodt. Mech. Engr. Commerce Bldg. Everett, Wash.” [On reverse
side of roll: Schematic draft. Johnson Garage and Cottage. Septic tanks, etc.
Floor Plan.] (sheet M-1 of 2.) 2 sheets
Dates: 14 May 1956, Revised 17 May 1956
|
May 17, 1956 |
| 11 | “Alterations & Additions to Mech. Systems.” Prepared
by “Norman L. Omodt. Mech. Engr. Commerce Bldg. Everett, Wash.” (sheets M-1 of
2 and M-2 of 2.) 2 sheets
|
May 14, 1956 |
| 11 | “Alterations & Additions to Mech. Systems.” Prepared
by “Norman L. Omodt. Mech. Engr. Commerce Bldg. Everett, Wash.” (sheet M-2 of
2.) |
May 14, 1956 |
| 11 | Untitled. Includes “Remodeling of Horse Barn to
Caretaker’s Cottage,” and “ 1st Floor of Garage,” etc. “Newland Costr. Co. by
G.N.” [Reverse of roll states: Newland Const. Co. Alterations 1956. Mech.
Systems, Plumbing, etc. 5/14/56.] |
May 14, 1956 |
| Container(s) | Description |
|---|---|
20501 – West front |
|
20499 – Entrance |
|
20498 – East façade |
|
20504 – Garage |
|
20503 – West detail |
|
Untitled |
|
Untitled (2) |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Visual Materials Collections (University of Washington)
Personal Names
- Johnson, Philip G. (Philip Gustav), 1894-1944
Other Creators
-
Personal Names
- Meyer, David J (architect)
