The Winterthur Library

The Joseph Downs Collection of Manuscripts and Printed Ephemera

Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum

5105 Kennett Pike, Winterthur, Delaware 19735

Telephone: 302-888-4600 or 800-448-3883

OVERVIEW OF THE COLLECTION

Creator: Roth, Emery, 1871-1948

Title: Architectural Drawings

Dates: ca.1910-ca.1930

Call No.: Col. 188

Acc. No.: 83x230

Quantity: 24 items

Location: 3 J 10

BIOGRAPHICAL STATEMENT

Emery Roth was an architect specializing in apartment house design. Born in Czechoslovakia and orphaned at the age of 13, he came to the United States to live with an uncle in Chicago, Illinois. Roth was educated in Chicago, but served his architectural apprenticeship in Bloomington, Ill. At the age of 18, he became a draftsman in Kansas City, Missouri. Roth next worked for Burnham & Root in Chicago from 1890 to 1893. From 1893 to 1898, he was employed in the New York City office of Richard M. Hunt. Early in the 20th century, Roth established his own firm, which in 1938 became known as Emery Roth and Sons (the sons being Julian and Richard Roth). Although he designed a variety of types of buildings, Roth's major works were Manhattan apartment buildings. In particular, he planned the San Remo Tower, Beresford Apartments, the Oliver Cromwell, the Normande, and the Ritz Tower. Roth was a member of the New York Chapter of the American Institute of Architects and won a number of awards from civic groups.

SCOPE AND CONTENT

Consists of 24 colored drawings of interior designs attributed to Emery Roth. One is identified as the main lobby ceiling of the Beverly, M. Ginsberg, prop. and E. Roth, architect. Labeled rooms include: the main lobby, library, drawing room, and private hall. Such things as architect designed furniture (a table, dresser, cupboard, and sofa), patterns for painted walls and ceilings, a chandelier, and decorative wall paneling are featured. The drawings in this set were probably all for the Beverly, which seems to be an exclusive apartment building.

ORGANIZATION

The items are arranged in accession number order.

PROVENANCE

Gift of Charles B. Wood.

ACCESS POINTS

People:

Ginsberg, M.

Topics:

Beverly Hotel (New York, N.Y.)

Emery Roth & Sons.

Interior decoration.

Architecture - Details.

Architecture - Designs and plans.

Architectural furniture.

Architectural drawing - Detailing.

Chandeliers - Drawings.

Ceilings.

Mural painting and decoration.

Furniture - Drawings.

Interior architecture.

Interior walls.

Wall hangings.

Architectural drawings.

Architects.

RELATED MATERIAL

The bulk of Roth's architectural drawings and a two volume autobiography are located at the Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library, Columbia University.

See also Col. 270, Edmond Ballora drawings, at this repository. Identical drawings, both unsigned, of the same table appear in both collections, and it is suspected that there was either a professional relationship between Ballora and Roth, or that the drawings in the collections were mixed up before being donated to the Downs Collection.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE COLLECTION

Location: 3 J 10

[note: all accession numbers begin with 83x230]

.1 "Main Lobby Ceiling, The Beverly, M. Ginsberg, Prop., E. Roth, Architect."

Depicts a ceiling design that has several layers of decorative borders dividing square, brick type tiles, and a central medallion with a diagonal band extending from the center to the corners of the square.

.2 Ceiling design showing cross supports with circles (medallions?) in the center. Each section is squared off.

.3 "Drawing Room"

Depicts a ceiling design that divides the area into squares that have either a circle or diamond shape in the center. Bands separate rows of squares and there is a square border around each square.

.4 Drawing appears to be of a cabinet (medicine?) resting on a wall shelf. Both front and side elevations are featured.

.5 Shows a wall in a room with a door and a china closet. The glass top a border for the entrance door is identical to the door designed for the china closet. There is a frame with molding around each. A chair rail runs along the wall between the doors.

.6 Drawing of a green sofa with acanthus leaves in bands as the fabric design.

.7 Depicts a wall with a central window and two side windows. There are square columns between the windows. There are also wall lights on either side of the main window that resemble two candlesticks on a mounting. Swags were designed for the tops of the windows. There is paneling at the bottom of the wall between the windows.

.8 "The Library."

Depicts a corner view of a painted ceiling. The drawing is partially colored. The design features several decorative borders and bands around a grid of squares, each with the same design. Horizontal and vertical bands separate the decorative squares.

.9 Shows a wall with painted paneling. Both a front and side elevation are featured. A decorative band runs across the wall.

.10 Drawing of a wooden desk in the Victorian style. The front elevation and desk top are featured. Ink with a quill pen and a book are shown on top of the desk. Scale: 1.5 inches to 1 foot.

.11 Shows a piece of decorative paneling. The design includes a center oval with acanthus leaves extending from it.

.12 Drawing of an ornate chandelier.

.13 Wall of a room, probably the library, with front and side elevations featured. The design includes paneling with a carved inlaid border. A shelf runs across the center of the room. There is a bookcase with glass doors built into the wall. A vase is shown on both sides of the bookcase.

.14 Wall of a room, part in pencil and part in color. The design includes checkered flooring, panels with a chair rail across the wall, and columns. One section of the wall is tiled; another shows an illustration of a person above the chair rail and a design below the chair rail.

.15 "Private Hall Ceiling" 3/4 inch to 1 foot

Pattern for a painted ceiling. The design shows triangles with circles in the center. Shapes are connected by vines linking diamonds. A decorative border is also shown.

.16 Table 1/5 full size

Drawing shows the base and the top of the table. The top is square with small portion of the corner removed. It has bench type legs. The dimensions are given.

.17 Drawing of a table base and top. The top is a circle with a carved decoration of flowers with stems and leaves.

[NOTE: a drawing of the exact same table is also found in Col. 270, acc. 80x268.2, Edmond Ballora papers. As neither drawing is signed, it is not known who designed this table, whether Ballora or Roth. Little is known about Ballora, so there is no known connection between the men. Both collections came from the same source and the drawings were mixed up prior to their donation to the Downs Collection.]

.18 "Mirror No. 2279, Console No. 2257"

Front and side elevations of a table with an attached mirror. The drawing shows a marble top for the table and candlesticks on that top. The table is Victorian in style. The side view shows the detail work on the legs and supports. [see also .23]

.19 Wall design with a large painting in the center with a smaller painting on each side. A chair rail runs across the wall. Square and rectangular paneling is used to section off the wall.

.20 Wall of a room, probably a bedroom. A dresser centered along the wall with doors (for closets or wardrobes) on either side is featured. Glass plates are shown on the dresser. A symbol of heraldry is found over each door.

.21 Front and side elevations of a table (same table as .18) on a 1.5 inch to 1 foot scale.

.22 Wall of a room, showing a fireplace with a painting hanging over the mantel. There is a decorative border around the unit. There is a panel on each side of the fireplace as well as a chair rail, ceiling molding, and baseboard molding. J. Humphrey and E-9 are written in pencil at the bottom of the drawing.

.23 Front and side elevations of a table (same table as .18) on a 1 inch to 1 foot scale.

.24 Design for wall paper with alternating decorative bands. One band contains shapes and the other contains symbols (objects).