Special Collections, University of Washington Libraries
Abraham Horace Albertson papers and photographs
Albertson, Abraham Horace, 1872-1964
0516
.21 cubic feet
1 box, 1 vertical file, and 1 oversize vertical file
1908-1962
Papers and photographs related to the career of an architect and public official of Seattle, Washington
English
Abraham H. Albertson (1872-1964) was a Seattle area architect. He was born in Hope, New Jersey in 1872, and attended Columbia University, where he earned a Ph.B. in Architecture in 1895. He married Clare D. Fox in 1915. Albertson moved to Seattle in 1907, as an associate of the New York firm Howells and Stokes. During World War I, Albertson established an independent practice, A.H. Albertson and associates, which later became Albertson, Wilson and Richardson in 1924. After the end of World War I, Albertson also formed the partnership Howells and Albertson. Between 1939 and 1949, Albertson was also the architect for the Washington State office of the Federal Housing Authority. He was also a member of the Federal Fair Rentals Commission between 1917 and 1919, and the chairman of Seattle's Building Code Commission in the early 1920s. He was a member of the American Institute for Architects, and was made a fellow in 1934. He designed, among other buildings, Everett's City Hall, and the Medical Dental Building, the Montlake Bridge, the Northern Life building, St. Joseph Catholic Church, the Metropolitan Tract, and several buildings for the University of Washington in Seattle.
The Abraham Horace Albertson papers are comprised of correspondence, a notebook, and writings related to Albertson's professional activities as an architect, a member of various boards and commissions, and the architect for U.S. Federal Housing Administration in Washington State. Topics include architecture, design, urban planning, the Northern Life building, the Metropolitan Tract, Everett's City Hall, the Federal Housing Administration, the Home Owners' Loan Corporation, the regulation of building heights and skyscrapers, living and housing conditions in Seattle, and a camping trip. Correspondents include Edmond S. Meany, S. Edward Paschall, Margaret Bundy Callahan, B. Marcus Priteca. F.C. Staunton, John Mead Howell of Howell and Stokes, M.W. Bean, Ellis F. Lawrence and the American Institute of Architects. The collection also includes a small collection of photographs related to Albertson's architectural work.
The collection is stored offsite. Advance notice is required for use.
Organized into 4 accessions.
- Accession No. 0516-001, Abraham Horace Albertson papers, 1908-1948
- Accession No. 0516-002, Abraham Horace Albertson papers, 1911-1962
- Accession No. 0516-003, Abraham Horace Albertson papers, approximately 1929
- Accession No. 0516-004, Photographs of Architecture by Abraham H. Albertson, approximately 1930s-1960
See also related architectural drawings (HA0095 and HA0050) , and Abraham H. Albertson scrapbook ( NA737.A432 A4 1908) in the Special Collections Division, University of Washington Libraries.
No restrictions on access.
Request at UW
Creator's literary rights not transferred to the University of Washington Libraries.
Received in various installments, 1965-1992.
Personal Papers/Corporate Records
Architecture
City Planning
Architectural Drawings
Accession No. 0516-001, Abraham Horace Albertson papers
.21 cubic feet
1 box
1908-1948
Scope and Content: Correspondence, notebook, writings.
Access Restrictions: No restrictions on access.
Records stored offsite; advance notice required for use.
Use Restrictions: Creator's literary rights not transferred to the University of Washington Libraries.
Acquisition Information: Gift of Mrs. Albertson, 1/4/1965.
Abraham Horace Albertson papers
0516-001 Box 1
Accession No. 0516-002, Abraham Horace Albertson papers
1 vertical file
1911-1962
Scope and Content: Correspondence, and biographies.
Access Restrictions: No restrictions on access.
Records stored offsite; advance notice required for use.
Use Restrictions: Creator's literary rights not transferred to the University of Washington Libraries.
Acquisition Information: Received 1/1/1982.
Abraham Horace Albertson papers
0516-001 Box 1
Accession No. 0516-003, Abraham Horace Albertson papers
1 vertical file
48 pages
approximately 1929
Scope and Content: Specifications for the Everett Municipal Building, undated.
Access Restrictions: Open to all users.
Use Restrictions: Creator's literary rights not transferred to the University of Washington Libraries.
Acquisition Information: Received 2/1/1992.
Abraham Horace Albertson papers
0516-003 Vertical File
Accession No. 0516-004, Photographs of Architecture by Abraham H. Albertson
1 vertical file
oversize, containing 33 photographs and 4 pieces of ephemera
approximately 1930s-1960
Scope and Content: Photographs and images, including ephemera, of buildings designed by Abraham H. Albertson. Includes the UW Law School building, Cornish School, Northern Life Building (now Seattle Tower), St. Joseph Church, Everett City Hall, Methodist Episcopal Church in Ballard (later Trinity United Methodist then Trinity Church Seattle), and Central YMCA. Ephemera includes building advertisements and a magazine illustration.
Access Restrictions: No restrictions on access.
Use Restrictions: Status of creator's copyrights is unknown; restrictions may exist on copying, quotation, or publication. Users are responsible for researching copyright status before use.
Acquisition Information: Donated by Kristin Phillips via Museum of History and Industry, 2019
Photographs of Architecture by Abraham H. Albertson
0516-004 Oversize Vertical File