A Guide to the Brian McRoberts Collection of Virginia State Capitol Materials M 386
A Collection in Special Collections and Archives, James Branch Cabell Library, M 386
VCU James Branch Cabell Library
Special Collections and Archives 901 Park AvenueRichmond, Virginia 23284
Business Number: (804) 828-1108
libjbcsca@vcu.edu
URL: https://www.library.vcu.edu/research-teaching/special-collections-and-archives/locations/#cabell
L. Prasertwaitaya
Administrative Information
Use Restrictions
There are no restrictions.
Access Restrictions
The colleciton is open for research, however all student records in folder 20 are subject to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) restrictions and are not available for research.
Custodial History
The McRoberts family gave this collection to Dr. Charles Brownell in December 1995.
Preferred Citation
Brian McRoberts Collection of Virginia State Capitol Materials, Collection Number M 386, Special Collections and Archives, James Branch Cabell Library, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Va.
Acquisition Information
The collection was donated by Dr. Charles Brownell in 2009.
Biographical Information
Brian P. McRoberts (d. 1995) was an architectural history student at Virginia Commonwealth University. He studied early American architecture with Dr. Charles Brownell and served as his undergraduate teaching assistant (1994-1995). In the fall of 1996, he would have been the first recipient of the Bess T. Brownell Assistantship in Architectural History. However, he died unexpectedly in the fall of 1995. In honor of McRoberts' memory, Dr. Brownell dedicated the Fourth Annual VCU Architectural Symposium in the Fall of 1996 to him.
McRoberts' greatest scholarly contribution is the reconstruction of Thomas Jefferson's design for the great hall of the Virginia State Capitol. McRoberts published his drawings in the first issue of The Classicist (1995). His drawings were used in several publications by Dr. Brownell, including a book titled, The Capital of Virginia—Landmark of American Architecture (2002).
From December 1994 to June 1995, McRoberts cataloged hundreds of drawings by the architectural firm of Carneal and Johnston. However, both his written and computerized records have yet to be found. The only records that remain are several contact sheets with images of the drawings.
Scope and Contents
The collection, dated 1994-2002, includes McRoberts's drawings, papers, and correspondence as a Virginia Commonwealth University student. It also includes letters written by Dr. Charles Brownell and members of the McRoberts family. The papers in the collection serve as a foundation for students to conduct further research in American architecture.
Arrangement
The Brian P. McRoberts Collection is organized into four categories. The first group consists of papers regarding his submission to The Classicist. The papers, organized chronologically, include letters between McRoberts and the Director of the Institute for Classical Architecture as well as ten different sets of drawings. A second group of papers are from McRoberts' academic career, including a paper written as an undergraduate student as well as fliers created while serving as an assistant to Dr. Brownell. The Johnston and Carneal images are also included in this section. The third group of papers are correspondence between Dr. Brownell and the McRoberts family, which provide insight into McRoberts as a beloved individual. A fourth category consists of a photocopied image and Dr. Brownell's initial guide for the McRoberts' Papers.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
- Architecture -- Virginia -- Richmond.
- Brownell, Charles E. -- Correspondence
- McRoberts, Brian P. -- Archives
- Virginia Commonwealth University. Department of Art History -- students
- Virginia State Capitol (Richmond, Va.)
Significant Persons Associated With the Collection
- Brownell, Charles E. -- Correspondence
- McRoberts, Brian P.
- McRoberts, Brian P. -- Archives
Container List
- Mixed Materials Box-folder: 1:1
"Call for Papers Fliers, The Classicist"1994-1996
- Mixed Materials Box-folder: 1:2
Letter of Submission to The ClassicistDecember 23, 1994
- Mixed Materials Box-folder: 1:3
Correspondence regarding McRoberts' Submission to The ClassicistJanuary 4, 1995
- Mixed Materials Box-folder: 1:4
Correspondence regarding McRoberts' Submission to The ClassicistJanuary 14, 1995
- Mixed Materials Box-folder: 1:5
Correspondence regarding McRoberts' Submission to The Classicist: Director's Corrections to DrawingsFebruary 28, 1995
- Mixed Materials Box-folder: 1:6
Correspondence regarding McRoberts' Submission to The ClassicistMarch 17, 1995
- Mixed Materials Box-folder: 1:7
Correspondence regarding McRoberts' Submission to The ClassicistApril 19, 1995
- Mixed Materials Box-folder: 1:8
McRoberts' Drawings for The Classicist, Set 11995
- Mixed Materials Box-folder: 1:9
McRoberts' Drawings for The Classicist, Set 21995
- Mixed Materials Box-folder: 1:10
McRoberts' Drawings for The Classicist, Set 31995
- Mixed Materials Box-folder: 1:11
McRoberts' Drawings for The Classicist, Set 41995
- Mixed Materials Box-folder: 1:12
McRoberts' Drawings for The Classicist, Set 51995
- Mixed Materials Box-folder: 1:13
McRoberts' Drawings for The Classicist, Set 61995
- Mixed Materials Box-folder: 1:14
McRoberts' Drawings for The Classicist, Set 71995
- Mixed Materials Box-folder: 1:15
McRoberts' Drawings for The Classicist, Set 81995
- Mixed Materials Box-folder: 1:16
McRoberts' Drawings for The Classicist, Set 91995
- Mixed Materials Box-folder: 1:17
McRoberts' Drawings for The Classicist, Set 101995
- Mixed Materials Box-folder: 1:18
Announcement of McRoberts' Article in The Classicist in Newsletter for the Prarie Avenue Workshop (no. 33)October 1995
- Mixed Materials Box-folder: 1:19
Information for The Classicist (no. 1) from UVA Catalog1995
- Mixed Materials Box-folder: 1:20
Brownell Evaluation/Notes from Student File, Robert McRobertsAugust 31, 1993
- Mixed Materials Box-folder: 1:21
Fliers Created by McRoberts during assistantship1995
- Mixed Materials Box-folder: 1:22
Interview with Brownell on Richmond Drawings from 19th-century in Style WeeklyJanuary 10,1995
- Mixed Materials Box-folder: 1:23
McRoberts' Drawings Published in Brownell's Article in Richmond Journal of History and ArchitectureSummer 1994
- Mixed Materials Box-folder: 1:24
Paper presented for freshman art history class titled, "Mark Rothko: From Surrealism to Abstract Classicism: Painting in the Mid-Twentieth Century"April 1994
- Mixed Materials Box-folder: 1:25
Program Flier for The Institute for the Study of Classical Architecture, addressed to Brian McRobertsSummer 1995
- Mixed Materials Box-folder: 1:26
Contact Sheet of Carneal and Johnston Drawingsn.d.
- Mixed Materials Box-folder: 1:27
Correspondence Between Dr. Charles Brownell and McRoberts Family1995-1996
- Mixed Materials Box-folder: 1:28
Letter to McRoberts Family from John Bryan, Associate Dean of DevelopmentDecember 22, 2002