David S. Castle Architectural Drawings Collection
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No requestable containers
Scope and Contents
The collection contains approximately 6,500 total pages of blueprints and architectural drawings representing over 700 individual buildings. The bulk of the collection was created during the first half of the 20th century. Buildings from both the public and private spheres are present in the collection. To date, only about half of the collection has been transferred to UNT.
Dates
- Creation: 1914 - 1962
- Acquisition: Date acquired: 12/09/2016
Creator
- Tittle-Luther Partnership (Organization)
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is not restricted.
Conditions Governing Use
Reproduction and publication of materials in this collection are subject to the policies of the UNT Special Collections department. Copyright restrictions may apply.
Biographical or Historical Information
Founded in Abilene in 1915, the David S. Castle Company became the most successful architectural firm in West Texas during the first half of the 20th century. Castle designed churches, schools, courthouses, shopping centers, theaters, hotels, hospitals, and residential buildings. Practically everyone living in West Texas has stepped into a Castle building at least once during their lifetime. Although the majority of Castle’s construction was in Abilene and Midland, he worked extensively throughout West Texas – from Olney to Ozona and as far west as Fort Stockton. Castle also produced plans for projects in Dallas, Fort Worth, Granbury, Bryan, and Tyler.
The Castle plans and drawings represent a big piece of our state’s history, and while so many of his buildings continue to exist and be used, the drawings are useful for future restoration or renovation projects. From a historical perspective, the Castle drawings present an excellent opportunity to trace Texas’ past through the evolution of its architecture.
The collection was formerly owned and maintained by the Tittle-Luther Partnership, an architectural firm in Abilene, Texas. The digitization of the collection, managed by the Abilene Library Consortium, was made possible in part by a $35,000 TexTreasures grant, awarded by the Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
Note written by
Extent
43.00 boxes
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
The David S. Castle Architectural Drawings Collection contains over 6,500 pages of architectural drawings and blue prints created primarily during the first half of the 20th century. All materials have been digtized and are available in the Portal to Texas History.
Arrangement Note
The collection is arranged into 10 series. Series 1-9 represent different building types, while Series 10 collects drawings and sketches that did fit in the earlier series. Currently, only a portion of the collection has been transferred to UNT, which means that some series may not have any boxes listed under them.
Physical Access Requirements
This collection is stored off-site and requires a minimum of 24 hours notice prior to use. The entirety of the collection has been digitized and is available in the Portal to Texas History.
Source of Acquisition
Tittle-Luther Partnership
Accruals and Additions
2016-087
Processing Information
This collection was arranged by Tittle-Luther Partnership staff. The original arrangement has not been altered.
Subject
- Castle, David S. (Person)
- Title
- David S. Castle Architectural Drawings Collection
- Author
- Julie Judkins
- Date
- 12/14/2016
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the University of North Texas Special Collections Repository
University of North Texas, Willis Library
1155 Union Circle # 305190
Denton TX 76203 US