Scope and Content of Collection
Albums of clippings, letters, photographs and ephemera, as well as brochures, company
newsletters and related materials collected by MacDonald Becket, document the work of the
successive architectural firms of Wurdeman and Becket, Welton Becket and Associates, and the
Becket Group.
Thirty-seven albums recording the work of the firms, their principals and associates form
the bulk of the collection. Created in-house by the firms, the albums are generally annual
compilations of clippings taken from newspapers and magazines, many of which were gathered
by a clipping service. The clippings, which range in date from 1944 to 1986, were drawn from
a broad range of sources, ranging from specialized architectural periodicals, shelter and
lifestyle magazines and obscure trade publications, to local newspapers. The early albums
are composed almost exclusively of clippings, but as they progress through time, they also
include limited amounts of other materials, such as photographs, letters and ephemera. In
addition to individual architectural and planning projects, the material in the albums
documents broader aspects of the firm and its partners, such as professional activities,
staffing, general profiles, announcements of speaking engagements and committee work,
exhibitions of the firm's work and awards received. Contrasting with these chronological
records, a final album is a more personal scrapbook, focusing on the career of MacDonald
Becket.
The archive also includes promotional brochures and employee newsletters created by the
firms, as well as miscellaneous materials. The various promotional brochures range from the
mid 1950s presentation of Welton Becket and Associates work, "Vision...Through Supervision,"
to one marking the Ellerbe Becket merger in the late 1980s. An incomplete set of the "WB
Reporter," the employee newsletter, presents highlights of architectural projects and
awards, as well as profiles of staff. A small number of miscellaneous items, primarily
articles and brochures, relating to MacDonald Becket and his interests complete the
collection.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged by type of material.
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