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NEWS RELEASE
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SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION

Press Contacts: Stella Paul (818) 475-7847    June 1, 1988
David Maxfield (202) 357-2627

ESTHER MCCOY PAPERS GIVEN TO ARCHIVES OF AMERICAN ART

The Smithsonian's Archives of American Art has acquired a collection of exceptional importance, the papers of architectural historian Esther McCoy. "McCoy's stature as Southern California's seminal scholar of important architectural developments is uncontested, and her papers reflect an extraordinarily productive career which has, thus far, spanned more than six decades," Stella Paul, Los Angeles-based Archives' area collector, said.

McCoy's classic book Five California Architects (Reinhold, 1960) launched serious study of modern architecture in the state and brought to world attention a body of work of indisputable importance. This study of California architects Bernard Maybeck, Irving Gill, Charles and Henry Greene and R.M. Schindler provided a core introduction to work which was, at the time, not widely understood.

McCoy's expansive collection of papers is richly layered, covering a great deal more than even the 60 years of accumulated work would imply, according to Paul. Her various books, articles, exhibition catalogs and other avenues for scholarly publishing are well documented in numerous drafts, correspondence files, tape recorded interviews and research files. There are numerous unpublished manuscripts and lectures, and the collection is particularly rich in correspondence, both with architects and others. More than two linear feet of correspondence alone can be found in the collection.

SI-262-88    -more-

The Office of Public Affairs, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. 20560 (202) 357-2627