Scope and Contents
The papers comprise images captured during Richard Gamble Knight's tenure from 1957 to 1961 as an employee of the architectural firm Eero Saarinen and Associates, and during other periods of Knight's life, such as his student years. Consisting of photographic prints, negatives, and slides, the images range from projects designed by Saarinen and Associates (including Dulles International Airport, John Deere and Company, Trans World Flight Center, CBS Building in New York, and Morse and Stiles Colleges at Yale University), to candid shots of Saarinen and his employees at work and socializing, to photographic studies of architectural forms and details. Also included in the papers are audio recordings of interviews Knight conducted with five former Saarinen employees for his book, Saarinen's Quest: A Memoir, published in 2008.
Dates
- Circa 1952-2003
Creator
Language of Materials
The material is in English.
Conditions Governing Access
The materials are open for research.
Original audiovisual materials, as well as preservation and duplicating masters, may not be played. Researchers must consult use copies, or if none exist must pay for a use copy, which is retained by the repository. Researchers wishing to obtain an additional copy of non-commercially produced items for their personal use should consult the ordering reproductions information on the Manuscripts and Archives web site.
Conditions Governing Use
Copyright for unpublished materials authored or otherwise produced by Robert Gamble Knight was transferred to Yale University in 2013. These materials may be used for non-commercial purposes without seeking permission from Yale University as the copyright holder. For other uses of these materials, please contact beinecke.library@yale.edu. Copyright status for other collection materials is unknown. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Judith Ann Lynch, 2013.
Arrangement
The records are arranged in two series: I. Images: prints, negatives, and slides, circa 1952-circa 1979. II. Interviews conducted for Saarinen's Quest: A Memoir, 2001-2003.
Extent
1.09 Linear Feet (9 boxes)
Catalog Record
A record for this collection is available in Orbis, the Yale University Library catalog
Persistent URL
Abstract
The papers comprise images captured during Richard Gamble Knight's tenure from 1957 to 1961 as an employee of the architectural firm Eero Saarinen and Associates, and during other periods of Knight's life, such as his student years. Consisting of photographic prints, negatives, and slides, the images range from projects designed by Saarinen and Associates (including Dulles International Airport, John Deere and Company, Trans World Flight Center, and CBS Building in New York), to candid shots of Saarinen and his employees at work and socializing, to photographic studies of architectural forms and details. Also included in the papers are audio recordings of interviews Knight conducted with five former Saarinen employees for his book, Saarinen's Quest: A Memoir, published in 2008.
Biographical / Historical
Born in Flint, Michigan, on November 29, 1926, Richard Gamble Knight studied engineering and architecture at the University of Michigan (BS Engineering, 1951), the Cranbrook Academy of Art, and Lawrence Technical University (BS Architecture, 1957) in Southfield, Michigan. In 1957, Knight was hired as a junior architectural designer at Eero Saarinen and Associates in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, where he worked until Saarinen's death in 1961. A budding photographer as well as an architect, Knight succeeded Balthazar Korab as the firm's "court photographer," documenting the design process for clients and creating a visual record of the firm's activities and creative output. After Saarinen's death in 1961, Knight continued his career as an architect, and also took on roles as a graphic and interior designer, an instructor of design, a writer, and a prolific multimedia artist whose works were exhibited regularly. In 2008, Knight published Saarinen's Quest: A Memoir (San Francisco: William Stout Publishers), which focuses on Knight's time at Eero Saarinen and Associates, and features many of the photographs Knight took while employed at the firm. Knight died on December 16, 2008, in Alameda, California.
- Architectural drawings (visual works)
- Architectural records
- Architecture -- 20th Century -- United States
- Architecture, American -- 20th Century
- Architecture, Modern -- 20th Century
- CBS Building (New York, N.Y.)
- Knight, Richard Gamble
- Pelli, Cesar
- Saarinen, Eero, 1910-1961
- Trans World Airlines Terminal (New York, N.Y.)
- Title
- Guide to the Richard Gamble Knight Papers
- Status
- Under Revision
- Author
- Compiled by Suzanne Noruschat and Christine Connolly
- Date
- July 2014
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description note
- Finding aid written in English.
Part of the Manuscripts and Archives Repository
Yale University Library
P.O. Box 208240
New Haven CT 06520-8240 US
(203) 432-1735
(203) 432-7441 (Fax)
beinecke.library@yale.edu
Location
Sterling Memorial Library
Room 147
120 High Street
New Haven, CT 06511