Contents and Arrangement Collection View
Description:

The subject files series contains records compiled about specific buildings on the Princeton campus and in the surrounding town, as well as other topics including Princeton's presidents, the architecture of other colleges, individual architects, and benefactors. The files consist of articles, newspaper clippings, copies of documents from the records of the University Archives, and in some cases photographs. In the case of some buildings, there are multiple files dedicated to certain periods in the building's history or to specific aspects of the building, such as the Nassau Hall faculty room and the Chapel organ. Notable among the subject files are a series of records dedicated to houses in the immediate area surrounding Princeton previously owned by University faculty or alumni.

Subject Files are arranged into two groups by topic. The first group, Grounds and Buildings, is arranged alphabetically by structure. The second, General, is arranged alphabetically by subject.

Description:

The courses and projects series consists of records documenting the courses Clark taught on the topic of Princeton architecture as well as his participation in the Evolution of a Campus project, a dissertation he advised, and a book he proposed to write. The records of Clark's classes include student papers, syllabi, classroom handouts, and a small amount of correspondence. The Evolution of a Campus records consist primarily of financial records as well as preliminary tests of the three-dimensional modeling software and some correspondence.

Arranged chronologically.

Scope and Contents

The Robert Judson Clark Papers consist of research materials compiled by Professor Clark on the history of Princeton University's campus, buildings, and surrounding area. These documents were used by Clark in preparing his courses on Princeton architecture as well as by the Evolution of a Campus project. Much of the material is drawn from the collections of the Princeton University Archives, held at the Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library; however there is also a significant amount of documentation from other sources such as architectural journals. Also present in the papers are records of the courses Clark taught with these materials, as well as correspondence and budget-related records from Evolution of a Campus.

As a result of Professor Clark's sources and research methods, the vast majority of the collection consists of copies of original material. In compiling information, Clark or one of his assistants would exhaustively make photocopies of relevant primary documents, and then annotate and interfile the copies into the appropriate building or subject's file. Hence, very little original material is in the collection, and some items appear in more than one file.

Please see series descriptions in the contents list for additional information about individual series.

Collection Creator Biography:

Clark, Robert Judson.

Robert Judson Clark *74 is a professor emeritus of Art and Archaeology at Princeton University. While earning his doctorate at Princeton in the early 1970s, Clark earned national recognition as a specialist in the study of decorative arts, chairing the Princeton University symposium "Aspects of the Arts and Crafts Movement in America" in 1972. A subsequent edited volume The Arts and Crafts Movement in America: 1876-1916 remains one of the most widely used texts in the field. Clark has also acted as a curator or advisor on many major museum exhibitions.

One of Clark's most enduring research interests as an acting professor and emeriti has been the architecture and grounds of the Princeton campus. Among undergraduates one of his most popular upper-level courses was a seminar given on Princeton architecture, which focused on the evolution of the campus in the context of modern architectural history. He also offered a similar course on the town of Princeton, though less frequently.

Robert Judson Clark also oversaw the research aspects of the Evolution of a Campus project. Undertaken as part of the University's 250th Anniversary Celebration in 1996-1997, this project compiled an architectural history of the University, focusing on the structural history of each individual building. The final online product incorporated three-dimensional digital models, photographs, and text to present researchers with single-point access to a digital narrative of the campus' past and present.

Acquisition:

The papers were transferred to the Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library by the Department of Art and Archaeology on July 2, 2001 .

Appraisal

Appraisal has been conducted in accordance with Mudd Library guidelines. In processing this collection, a sizable quantity of duplicate material from the Department of Grounds and Buildings Subject Files (AC110) was separated and discarded.

Processing Information

This collection was processed by Daniel Brennan and Joshua Muketha '10 in March 2007. Finding aid written by Daniel Brennan in March 2007.

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research use.

Conditions Governing Use

Single copies may be made for research purposes. To cite or publish quotations that fall within Fair Use, as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission is required. The Trustees of Princeton University hold copyright to all materials generated by Princeton University employees in the course of their work. For instances beyond Fair Use, if copyright is held by Princeton University, researchers do not need to obtain permission, complete any forms, or receive a letter to move forward with use of materials from the Princeton University Archives.

For instances beyond Fair Use where the copyright is not held by the University, while permission from the Library is not required, it is the responsibility of the researcher to determine whether any permissions related to copyright, privacy, publicity, or any other rights are necessary for their intended use of the Library's materials, and to obtain all required permissions from any existing rights holders, if they have not already done so. Princeton University Library's Special Collections does not charge any permission or use fees for the publication of images of materials from our collections, nor does it require researchers to obtain its permission for said use. The department does request that its collections be properly cited and images credited. More detailed information can be found on the Copyright, Credit and Citations Guidelines page on our website. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us through the Ask Us! form.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.

Credit this material:

Robert Judson Clark Papers; Princeton University Archives, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library

Permanent URL:
http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/3484zg914
Location:
Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library
Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library
65 Olden Street
Princeton, NJ 08540, USA
(609) 258-6345
Storage Note:
  • Mudd Manuscript Library (scamudd): Box 1-10
Related Materials

The Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library holds many collections which are related to the topic of Princeton University Architecture. Most notable among these are the Department of Grounds and Buildings Subject Files (AC110). The originals of many of the documents in the Robert J. Clark Papers can be found here, and the collection also seems to have served as the inspiration for Clark's filing system.

Other useful sources pertaining to campus architectural history are the Historical Photograph Collection: Grounds and Buildings Series, the Office of Physical Planning Records, the Office of the President Records, and the Historical Subject Files. Additionally, numerous books have been written about various aspects of Princeton's campus, ranging from Howard Crosby Butler's broad 1905 survey, Princeton: a Typical American University Town and its Architecture to the highly specific The Gargoyles of Princeton University: A Grotesque Tour of the Campus written by Laurel Masten Cantor in 1983.

Finally, the interactive campus history which represents the final product of the Evolution of a Campus project can be accessed on the World Wide Web: http://etcweb.princeton.edu/campus/Campus/.

Subject Terms:
Architects -- New Jersey -- Princeton.
Architectural historians -- New Jersey -- Princeton.
Architecture -- History -- New Jersey -- Princeton.
College Buildings.
College Campuses.
Names:
Princeton University
Clark, Robert Judson.
Places:
Nassau Hall (Princeton, N.J.)
Princeton Inn (Princeton, N.J.)