New IDHH Collection of Architectural Drawings

The IDHH has continued to grow, with new collections added each quarterly harvest!

This month we’re featuring a new collection full of architectural drawings and related materials: the Frederick Wainwright Perkins Papers, from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Library. A Chicagoan architect, Frederick Wainwright Perkins (1866–1928) designed residences and buildings throughout the Midwest, including Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan. Among other drawings and photographs, this digital collection includes architectural drawings for the Charles H. Schweppe residence, commissioned in the early 20th Century by Marshall Field & Co. Chairman John G. Shedd (also known for gifting the funds to create the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago) as a wedding present for his daughter Laura and her husband Charles Schweppe.

Here are a few of our favorite items from this new collection:

color blueprint with white ink on blue paper
Charles H. Schweppe Residence – South Elevation, January 28, 1915. January 28, 1915. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Library. Frederick Wainwright Perkins Papers. Courtesy of University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Library.

color image of architectural drawing, blue and red ink on aged white paper with some bleed-through.
J. H. Barker Residence – Plan of Attic, Sections, and Entrance Porch, circa 1905 [front]. 1905. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Library. Frederick Wainwright Perkins Papers. Courtesy of University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Library.
color image of architectural drawing, black and red ink on aged white paper
A Group of Buildings for Charles H. Schweppe – First Floor Plan, January 7, 1914 [front]. January 7, 1914. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Library. Frederick Wainwright Perkins Papers. Courtesy of University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Library.

black and white photograph of three people standing in front of a house construction frame on a snowy day.
Photograph of three people outside of Cudahy residence, under construction, 1904. 1904. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Library. Frederick Wainwright Perkins Papers. Courtesy of University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Library.
color image of architectural drawing, black and red ink on aged white paper
Cellar Plan, circa 1896. 1896. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Library. Frederick Wainwright Perkins Papers. Courtesy of University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Library.

Want to see more?

Visit the IDHH to view more collections and items from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Library or to view more items related to architecture and architectural drawings.