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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)
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.

Request at UW

Additional Reference Guides

Languages
English
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Historical Background

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.

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Content Description

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.

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Other Descriptive Information

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.

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

Restrictions may exist on reproduction, quotation, or publication. Contact Special Collections, University of Washington Libraries for details.

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Administrative Information

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

Preservation Note

Many drawings are in poor condition, with large tears and crumbling edges. Handle these extremely fragile drawings with care.

Acquisition Information

Source: Adrian Dominican Sisters, February 2009.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

 


2009 (Last modified: 8/9/2024)

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