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.

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open to research.

Preferred Citation

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Melita Rodeck Architectural Collection, Ms1992-028, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Source of Acquisition

The Melita Rodeck Architectural Collection was donated to Special Collections in 1992, 1993, 1997, and 2003.

Processing Information

The processing, arrangement, and description of the Melita Rodeck Architectural Collection commenced and was completed in January 1998. The 2003 addition was processed in 2012.

Biographical Information

Melita Rodeck was born on April 12, 1914, in Milan, Italy, to Austrian parents. After the outbreak of World War I her family returned to Vienna where she was educated. She enrolled at the Vienna Polytechnic in 1932 to study architecture, and immigrated to the United States in 1939. Upon arriving in the United States she spent four years volunteering in the Harlem slums. In 1950 she moved to Washington, D.C., and worked for the General Services Administration of the U.S. federal government. She became a registered architect of the District of Columbia in 1952 and established her own office in 1958, where she designed residences in Maryland and Virginia and restored townhouses in Washington, D.C.

From 1968 to 1973 Rodeck worked as an architect for special research projects at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, then from 1973 to 1980 as a coordinator for architectural research for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. She was a program manager of Radiological Emergency Preparedness Programs for the Federal Emergency Management Agency from 1980 to 1985 and designed guidelines to minimize or eliminate flood damage to buildings. She retired from federal government work in 1985.

Rodeck was a devout Catholic and in the 1960s established the Regina Institute of Sacred Art, an organization dedicated to aiding Catholic parishes in their design and decoration efforts. The institute aimed to educate parishioners about the emotional impact of and psychological need for good design.

Scope and Content

The Melita Rodeck Architectural Collection consists of architectural drawings designed by her while in private practice and as an employee of the U.S. federal government. The collection also includes various pieces of literature she wrote for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

Arrangement

The collection has been divided into four series: I. Personal Papers, II. Professional Papers, III. Project Records, and IV. Artwork.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Architects
• Architectural drawing -- 20th century
• Architectural drawings (visual works)
• International Archive of Women in Architecture (IAWA)
• Women -- History
• Women-owned architectural firms

Rights Statement for Archival Description

The guide to the Melita Rodeck Architectural Collection by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 ( https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/ ).