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Frederick Albert Gutheim papers, 1875-1994

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Gutheim, Frederick Albert, 1908-1993
Title
Frederick Albert Gutheim papers
Dates
1875-1994 (inclusive)
Quantity
175.99 cubic ft. (386 boxes)
Collection Number
07470
Summary
The collection comprises materials related to Frederick Albert Gutheim, a writer and consultant on urban planning. Topics included are urban and regional planning, architectural criticism, historic preservation, land conservation, and museum studies.
Repository
American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming
American Heritage Center
University of Wyoming
1000 E. University Ave.
Dept. 3924
Laramie, WY
82071
Telephone: 3077663756
ahcref@uwyo.edu
Access Restrictions
Access Restrictions

There are no access restrictions on the materials for research purposes, and the collection is open to the public.

Languages
English
Sponsor
The creation of the EAD-version of this finding aid was made possible through a grant from the National Historic Publications and Records Commission.
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Historical Note

Frederick Gutheim was born on March 3, 1908, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He was raised in Washington, D.C., where he attended Sidwell Friends School and later Dr. Devitt’s Preparatory School. He earned a degree from the Experimental College of the University of Wisconsin in 1931 and pursued graduate study at the University of Chicago. His early association with mentors like John Gaus and Lewis Mumford lead him to the study of urban and regional planning. Gutheim pursued this interest as a bureaucrat, a writer and academic, a practitioner, and as an activist.

Gutheim became professionally acquainted with housing and planning policy while a staff member at the Brookings Institution. Between 1933 and 1947, he worked for federal agencies involved with housing and planning, serving the U.S. Army in the National Housing Agency during World War II. During this period, he also married Mary “Polly” Purdon, in 1935. He worked closely with Catherine Bauer at the U.S. Housing Authority as the assistant director of the Division of Research and Information. In 1933, he wrote portions of the TVA Act concerning planning.

Gutheim may be best known as a writer and a teacher. He was a staff writer on architecture and planning for the New York Herald Tribune between 1947 and 1949. He published The Potomac in 1949, a classic example of regionally-focused environmental history. Over the course of his career, Gutheim wrote and edited for numerous magazines and journals including the Magazine of Art and the journal of the American Institute of Architects. He founded the Washington Center for Metropolitan Studies as well as the historic preservation program at George Washington University. He advised and taught at the university from 1975, when he established the program, up to the time of his death.

Gutheim used his knowledge of bureaucracy and his academic prowess in a series of private consulting businesses, among them Galaxy, Inc., and Gutheim, Seelig, Erickson. Under the auspices of these firms, he advised organizations like the United Nations, the Canadian government, and the city of Newport, Rhode Island.

As an activist, Gutheim sought to protect the integrity of the landscape surrounding his home in Montgomery County, Maryland. In 1974, he established Sugarloaf Regional Trails, a non-profit organization dedicated to historic preservation and land conservation. He served as a trustee of the Accokeek foundation and was instrumental in the opening of the National Colonial Farm, which was active in preserving native agricultural practices. He served on an array of historic preservation and planning boards from 1950 until his death in 1993. Gutheim perceived himself to be a catalyst for change, whose work in the background made the more apparent success of others possible.

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Content Description

The Frederick Albert Gutheim papers contain materials related to both his professional and personal life. Topics included are urban and regional planning, architectural criticism, historic preservation, land conservation, and museum studies. The collection contains manuscripts of essays, speeches, and books written by Gutheim, application materials for numerous grants, photographs and slides, correspondence, notes, sketches of all kinds, films, records, audio tapes, and a wide variety of pamphlet material. The collection reflects changing attitudes toward planning and preservation from the early 1930s to the 1980s.

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

Copyright Information

The researcher assumes full responsibility for observing all copyright, property, and libel laws as they apply.

Alternative Forms Available

Existence and Location of Copies

Digital reproductions of select material from this collection are available at http://digitalcollections.uwyo.edu:8180/luna/servlet/uwydbuwy~84~84.

Preferred Citation

Preferred Citation

Item Description, Box Number, Folder Number, Frederick Albert Gutheim papers, 1875-1994, Collection Number 07470, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

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Administrative Information

Related Materials

Related Materials

There are no other known archival collections created by Frederick Albert Gutheim at the date of processing.

Acquisition Information

Acquisition Information

The Frederick Albert Gutheim papers were donated to the American Heritage Center between 1979 and 1999. Papers were received from Frederick Gutheim in 1979. Jane Loeffler, an associate of Gutheim’s, donated additional papers in 1996. In 1999, Susan Cole, another colleague, sent a final accretion.

Processing Note

Processing Information

The collection was processed by Shannon Bowen in August 2000, revised by D. Claudia Thompson in February 2010, and further processed by Shaun Hayes in February 2013..

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Container List

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Agricultural conservation--Maryland.
  • Architectural criticism.
  • Architecture--Asia.
  • Architecture--Conservation and restoration.
  • Architecture--Designs and plans.
  • Architecture--Environmental aspects.
  • Architecture--Europe.
  • Architecture--Study and teaching.
  • Architecture.
  • City planning--United States.
  • Public housing--United States.

Personal Names

  • Olmsted, Frederick Law, 1822-1903.
  • Wurster, Catherine Bauer.

Corporate Names

  • American Institute of Architects.
  • George Washington University.
  • International Council on Monuments and Sites.
  • Joint Committee on the National Capitol.
  • United Nations.
  • Washington Center for Metropolitan Studies.

Geographical Names

  • Accokeek (Md.)
  • Montgomery County (Md.)
  • National Colonial Farm (Accokeek, Md.)
  • Potomac River.
  • Washington (D. C.)

Form or Genre Terms

  • Audio tapes.
  • Diaries.
  • Phonograph records.
  • Photographs.

Occupations

  • Architects.

Other Creators

  • Personal Names

    • Gutheim Family.
    • Wright, Frank Lloyd, 1867-1959.

    Corporate Names

    • Accokeek Foundation.
    • Gutheim, Seelig, Erickson.
    • New York Times Company.
    • Sugarloaf Regional Trails (Project).
    • Tennessee Valley Authority.
    • United States. National Housing Agency.

Processed by Shannon Bowen
2006; 2010; 2013

CC Attribution
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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