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John W. Sugden papers, 1909-2009

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Sugden, John W., III (John William), 1922-2003
Title
John W. Sugden papers
Dates
1909-2009 (inclusive)
Quantity
60 linear feet, (111 boxes, not including models)
Collection Number
ACCN 2720
Summary
John W. Sugden (1922-2003) was an architect and professor of architecture in Utah during the 20th century. Sugden studied at The Illinois Institute of Technology under legendary modern architects Mies van der Rohe and Ludwig Hilberseimer. Sugden worked on a variety of projects, ranging from local to international, and won numerous awards for his work. In addition to his professional work Sugden taught architecture at the University of Utah's Graduate School of Architecture for many years. The collection contains correspondence between Sugden and his clients and contemporaries; research materials on subjects that were of professional interest to Sugden; and architectual blueprints and drawings of the projects he worked on.
Repository
University of Utah Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections, J. Willard Marriott Library
University of Utah
295 South 1500 East
Salt Lake City, UT
84112-0860

Telephone: 8015818863
special@library.utah.edu
Access Restrictions

Twenty-four hour advanced notice encouraged. Materials must be used on-site. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law.

Languages
English, German, Italian
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Biographical Note

John William Sugden was born in 1922 to John and Roberta Sugden in Chicago IL, where John Sr. was attending medical school. Upon John's graduation, the Sugdens returned to their native Utah to raise their son. After graduating from East High School in Salt Lake City, J.W. Sugden moved to San Francisco to study Aeronautical Engineering. Sugden enlisted in the U.S. Army 10th Mountain Division soon after, and served on the front lines in Italy during World War II. After the war Sugden returned to Chicago to attend the Illinois Institute of Technology, where he studied architecture under legendary modern architects Mies van der Rohe and Ludwig Hilberseimer. He returned to Utah to practice architecture, becoming a member and eventual Fellow of the American Institute of Architects. Sugden worked on residential, commercial, and industrial projects throughout Utah, the United States, and the world, emphasizing steel, glass, and simplicity in all of his designs. Together with his wife Jutta Alwang Sugden, John opened Studio JJ International, an acrhitecture and graphic design firm operated out of their distinctive "glass cube" home in Summit Park, UT. Sugden was a faculty member at the University of Utah's Graduate School of Architecture for many years, where he taught specialized studio classes on the design of high-rise buildings, the selection of architectual materials, computed-aided architectual design, and more. Sugden had a passion for art as well as architecture, creating large scale oil paintings (some on shaped canvasses of his own design), and intricate organic abstract drawings. Sugden died in 2003, leaving behind a legacy of distinctive, bold examples of modern architecture and design.

(Biographical information provided by Jutta Alwang Sugden and Anne G. Mooney.)

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Content Description

This is a collection of materials from Sugden's professional life. The collection contains correspondence between Sugden and his clients and contemporaries; research materials on subjects that were of professional interest to Sugden; and architectual blueprints and drawings of the projects he worked on.

Click here to view digitized materials from the collection or visit ArchivesSpace for a container level list of digitized materials.

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

The library does not claim to control copyright for all materials in the collection. An individual depicted in a reproduction has privacy rights as outlined in Title 45 CFR, part 46 (Protection of Human Subjects). For further information, please review the J. Willard Marriott Library's Use Agreement and Reproduction Request forms.

Preferred Citation

Collection Name, Collection Number, Box Number, Folder Number. Special Collections, J. Willard Marriott Library, The University of Utah.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

The collection is arranged into 6 series based on content type:

  • Series 1, General Documents: consists of various documents from Sugden's personal and professional life.
  • Series 2, Projects: consists of documents related to specific projects that Sugden was involved with during his career.
  • Series 3, Oversize: consists of large documents that would normally have been arranged into into Series 1 or 2.
  • Series 4, Drawings: consists of large architectural drawings of various projects that Sugden was involved with during his career.
  • Series 5, Oversize: consists of large rolled documents.
  • Series 6, Models: consists of large architectural models built by Sugden and his students.

Acquisition Information

Donated by Jutta Alwang Sugden in 2012.

Processing Note

Processed by Michael Bills in 2013.

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Separated Materials

Photographs were transferred to the Multimedia Division of Special Collections.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Finding aid created by Michael Bills.
2013 (last modified: 2019)

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