Watertown campus clippings and correspondence collection

Creator:

Perkins School for the Blind

Date Range:

1920-1958, bulk 1920-24

Call Number:

AG41

Abstract:

This collection is primarily comprised of clippings showcasing photography of the Watertown campus for Perkins School for the Blind. It also includes correspondence related to the architect Richard Clipston Sturgis (1860 –1951). 

Extent:

3.25 linear feet of collection, 1 half size manuscript box, and one oversize box

Language:

English

Processed by:

Jen Hale, 2016

Biographical/Historical notes:

Since its founding in 1829, Perkins has occupied several campus locations including South Boston, Jamaica Plain and Watertown, Massachusetts. Perkins moved to Watertown in 1912. The campus was designed by Boston based architect R. Clipston Sturgis, under the direction of Perkins’ Director Edward Ellis Allen, who had previously overseen the construction of the Overbrook School for the Blind in Philadelphia.

Richard Clipston Sturgis (1860 –1951), generally known as R. Clipston Sturgis, was a Boston based architect who designed the First National Bank of Boston and the Arlington Town Hall, along with the Perkins Institution for the Blind. He served as President of the Boston Society of Architects and Vice President and President of the American Institute of Architects.  

Sources of information:

McGinnity, B.L., Seymour-Ford, J. and Andries, K.J. (2004) Campus Locations. Perkins History Museum, Perkins School for the Blind, Watertown, MA.

Harvard University Class of 1881. Report of the Secretary of the Class of 1881 of Harvard College June 1881-June 1921 , vol. 7, The University Press, 1921, pp. 233. Google Books. Accessed 28 November 2016. 

Perkins Campus Architecture, Digital Collection on Flickr.

Restrictions:

None

Copyright:

It is the responsibility of the user to obtain permission to publish from the owner of the copyright (the institution, the creator of the record, the author or his/her transferees, heirs, legates, or literary executors). The user agrees to indemnify and hold harmless Perkins School for the Blind, its officers, employees, and agents from and against all claims made by any person asserting that he or she is an owner of copyright.

Credit line/Citation:

AG41 Watertown Campus Clippings and Correspondence Collection. Perkins School for the Blind Archives, Watertown, MA.

Scope/Contents:

This collection documents the architecture of the Watertown campus of the Perkins School for the Blind and its’ architect Richard Clipston Sturgis (1860 –1951). The collection consists of 4 clippings, circa 1920-1932, that feature photography of the campus. Photographers credited include, Charles A. Howe, A. M. Galald, and Ralph Osborn. Correspondence consists of one letter written by a relative of Richard Clipston Sturgis to Ken Stuckey, Reference Librarian at Perkins in 1958. It is in regards to an inquiry for information about Sturgis and includes genealogical information and stories.

Arrangement:

2 boxes, 1 containing oversized clippings, arranged chronologically
Series 1: Correspondence, 1958
Series 2: Clippings, 1920-1932

Related collections:

AG1 Edward E. Allen Collection. Perkins School for the Blind Archives, Watertown, MA.

​Perkins Campus Architecture on Flickr 

Perkins Album, 1913 on Flickr

Perkins School for the Blind Lantern Slides on Flickr

​Perkins Postcards on Flickr

Container List:

Series 1: Correspondence, 1958

• B1:F1: Letter from Alice Paine to Nelson Coon, 1958 [information about Richard Clipston Sturgis]

Series 2: Clippings, 1920-1932

• B1:F2: Watertown campus clippings, 1920-1932
• ​OVERSIZE Clippings B1:F1: Watertown campus clippings, 1920-1921

Subject headings:

• Perkins School for the Blind.
• Perkins School for the Blind–History.
• Watertown (Mass.)
• Sturgis, R. Clipston (Richard Clipston), 1860-1951
• Allen, Edward E. (Edward Ellis), 1861-1950