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Willard Bethurem Robinson Papers, 1955-1991

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Robinson, Willard Bethurem, 1935-
Title
Willard Bethurem Robinson Papers
Dates
1955-1991 (inclusive)
Quantity
24.73 cubic ft. (57 boxes)
Collection Number
08085
Summary
Willard B. Robinson was an architect and academician at Texas Tech who specialized in historic preservation and restoration of 19th century buildings, primarily in Texas and the Southwest. This collection includes his research materials on these subjects and his earlier work cataloging American forts and their architectural history.
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 and , Spanish
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

Robinson was the Paul W. Horn Professor of Architecture at Texas Tech University in Lubbock with expertise in historical buildings preservation and restoration. Born in Sheridan, Wyoming, he received a bachelor’s degree in Architecture from Montana State in 1958 and a master’s from Rice University in 1960. His thesis work consisted of a study of the 19th century architecture of Northwestern buildings. This work led to his book publications of Texas Public Buildings of the Nineteenth Century in 1974 and American Forts: Architectural Form and Function, in 1977.

In the early part of his career, he worked extensively with the Historic American Buildings Survey for Jefferson, Texas; for the State of Rhode Island on the restoration of Fort Adams; as the restoration architect for the Ranching Heritage Center Museum at Texas Tech and as a research associate for the Amon Carter Museum in Fort Worth, Texas. He served as a consultant architect for the Texas Historical Commission in Austin, the Tennessee Valley Authority in Knoxville, Tennessee, and the Buffalo Bill History Center in Cody, Wyoming. He worked with several architectural consulting firms throughout the Southwest for the restoration of historic buildings, such as old military forts, churches and courthouses. Robinson was recognized as an expert in both Euro-American and Spanish-Mexican architectural styles. Perhaps his most unusual and ambitious project was to form a cultural exchange program with Texas Tech and the University of Guanajuato in Mexico to study the cultural influences of architecture in both regions and how American technology may have influenced both.

Robinson was the project director for several National Endowment for the Humanities and Texas Historical Commission grant awards. Other publications include Gone from Texas: Our Lost Architectural Heritage, 1981, and Reflections of Faith: Houses of Worship in the Lone Star State, 1991. He published widely in architectural journals, Texas and Southwestern quarterlies. His last manuscript, Images of Knowledge: The Architecture of Higher Education in America, an extensive review of the history and influences in higher education architecture, was completed at the time of his unexpected death but had yet to find a publisher. Also, at the time of his death, he was Interim Dean of the Department of Architecture at Texas Tech.

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Content Description

This collection contains materials related to Robinson’s American forts publications, his unpublished manuscript on the architecture of higher education buildings, grant award materials, the Guanajuato exchange program, numerous secondary source materials on architects involved with higher education building design and reference articles involving architectural style, form and function. Correspondence folders begin in 1967 and continue through April 1991.

Robinson’s original order was used throughout with a two exceptions. For his research materials on higher education, he used two filing systems. Both used the university or college name while one filing system was used for correspondence and the other for secondary source materials. These two systems were combined, using the folder name as he did. Also, throughout his filing system for materials on forts or higher education, he placed other secondary source materials in alphabetical order, regardless of the materials relating to the primary research documents. Secondary source materials that corresponded to the subject matter were placed within the series as he did, but if not, they were moved into the series, GENERAL, in alphabetical order. All materials are dated according to Robinson’s research times and not the times secondary source materials may have been created. At times, these two dates coincide; however, if no research date can be established, “No Date” appears on the subject folder.

This collection includes extensive photographs and drawings of forts, 19th century residential and public buildings, colleges and universities. It also contains historic drawings, announcement and dedication speeches on college or university opening ceremonies, and histories of buildings undergoing restoration. There are two working copies of the American forts manuscript and a copy of the final published work in book form along with the final manuscript of Images of Knowledge. Other Robinson articles, book reviews, and oral presentations are to be found in this collection. Lastly, two document boxes hold Spanish language Guanajuanto materials. Other English language materials on this subject exist throughout the collection in alphabetical order under their folder titles.

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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.

Preferred Citation

Preferred Citation

Item Description, Box Number, Folder Number, Willard Bethurem Robinson Papers, 1955-1991, Collection Number 08085, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

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Administrative Information

Related Materials

Related Materials

Other related materials created by Robinson can be found at the AMON CARTER MUSEUM in Fort Worth, Texas, and The Division of Architecture at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas.

Acquisition Information

Acquisition Information

Willard B. Robinson and his estate donated the papers in four shipments from 1983 to 1993.

Processing Note

Processing Information

The collection was processed by Rita Burleson in August 2004.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Container List

Processed by Rita Burleson
2005

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

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