A Guide to the Papers of Benjamin Charles Baker, 1914-1950 Baker, Benjamin Charles, 1914-1950 10819

A Guide to the Papers of Benjamin Charles Baker, 1914-1950

A Collection in
The Special Collections Department
Accession Number 10819

Special Collections Department, University of Virginia Library

Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library
University of Virginia
Charlottesville, Virginia 22904-4110
USA
Phone: (434) 243-1776
Fax: (434) 924-4968
Reference Request Form: https://small.lib.virginia.edu/reference-request/
URL: http://small.library.virginia.edu/

Funding: Web version of the finding aid funded in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Processed by: Special Collections Department

Repository

Special Collections, University of Virginia Library

Accession number

10819

Title

Papers of Benjamin Charles Baker 1914-1950

Physical Characteristics

This collection consists of five items.

Language

English

Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Use Restrictions

See the University of Virginia Library’s use policy.

Preferred Citation

Papers of Benjamin Charles Baker, 1914-1950, Accession # 10819, Special Collections Dept., University of Virginia Library, Charlottesville, Va.

Acquisition Information

These papers were given to the Library by Ms. Hylda Taylor of Trumansburg, New York, on January 27, 1989.

Scope and Content Information

The papers of Benjamin Charles Baker (1884-1955), a central Virginia architect, consist of his personal diary, 1914-1918, two watercolor paintings of architectural interest done by Baker while studying at the Beaux Arts in Paris, France, a pen and ink drawing of an hostler's place of business by Baker, and an album containing photographs of the "Rosemont" estate of Ivy, Virginia, its outbuildings and surrounding area (ca. 1950).

The diary of Benjamin Charles Baker contains detailed daily records of his dairy farming activities, including repairs to buildings, livestock breeding, dairy cream shipments, orchard yields, egg production, and other related activites. There is no information about architectural endeavors or life during World War I.

"Rosemont" was the home of Baker and his wife for almost a quarter of a century. Baker lived there during his retirement from the first of his two architectural careers and restored the old farm dwelling to its early American appearance. Baker was a graduate of M.I.T., Brown University, and the Ecole des Beaux Arts, Paris, France, and had worked for McKim, Mead & White before joining the architectural firm Baker, Heyward, and Llorens of Charlottesville, Virginia. An obituary for Baker is located in the Michigan Society of Architects Monthly Bulletin, Vol. 30, p. 15, January 1956.