Leonard J. Currie Papers,
Scope and Contents
Currie received a Bachelor of Architecture from University of Minnesota in 1936, married Virginia M. Herz in 1937, and earned a Masters degree from Harvard in 1938, then served an two-year apprenticeship with Marcel Breuer and Walter Gropius at their firm. After that he worked on many projects in Latin America, taught at Harvard, and headed the architecture departments of Virginia Tech and University of Illinois at Chicago. He practiced architecture privately in firms from the 1970s to the 1990s, and became a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) in 1993. The 1961 house he designed for his family in Blacksburg, Virginia, commonly called the "Pagoda House," won awards from the AIA and is on the National Register of Historic Places. The Currie Papers include sets of blueprints and drawings for about 25 architectural projects and papers relating to his teaching. There are also files and reports on his work in Latin America, both on historic sites and improving housing for the poor. Unprocessed.
Dates
- 1920 - 2001
Creator
Language of Materials
The materials in this collection are predominantly written in English and Spanish. However, some papers also contain German, Russian, and French.
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use
The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials. Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form: http://bit.ly/scuareproduction. Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form: http://bit.ly/scuapublication. Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form.
Extent
10 Cubic Feet (14 boxes; 30 oversize folders--processed materials ONLY)
Abstract
Please note: this collection is currently being processed. Portions of the collection which are fully processed are listed in this finding aid. This includes photographs and negatives, flat files and oversize drawings from personal and professional projects, and a few artifacts. As more materials are processed, additional series and subseries will be published. Other portions of the collection may be available for research--contact Special Collections (specref@vt.edu) for more information.
Arrangement
Please note: Photographs are arranged as their own series, since many rolls of film contain both personal and professional/project related photographs and negatives. Within the series, photographs are arranged in travel/international work, US buildings/projects, and personal subseries. See the series note below on Series I: Photographs and Negatives for more on their arrangement.
Separated Materials
A bronze bust of Leonard Currie is located at the School of VIsual Arts gallery in the Armory building on campus.
Rights Statement for Archival Description
The guide to the Leonard J. Currie Papers by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 (https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/).
- Architects
- Architects -- Virginia
- Blacksburg (Va.)
- Faculty and staff
- Local/Regional History and Appalachian South
- Montgomery County (Va.)
- University History
- Virginia Polytechnic Institute (1944-1970)
- Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (1970-)
- Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. College of Architecture (1974-1978)
- Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. College of Architecture and Urban Studies (1978-2022)
- Virginia Polytechnic Institute. College of Architecture
- Title
- Leonard J. Currie Papers,
- Status
- In Progress
- Author
- Julia Viets, Student Assistant and Kira A. Dietz, Archivist
- Date
- 2012 (CC0 1.0)
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- English
Revision Statements
- 2020-10-13: Finding aid notes updated to new department standards. juliags
Repository Details
Part of the Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech Repository
Special Collections and University Archives, University Libraries (0434)
560 Drillfield Drive
Newman Library, Virginia Tech
Blacksburg Virginia 24061 US
540-231-6308
specref@vt.edu