Architectural Drawings
The Archives has over 22,000 drawings of various formats in its collection. These include conceptual sketches, elevations, sections, details and working drawings of new construction and restoration projects across campus. In addition, we have a large collection of drawings related to the firms of Saarinen and Saarinen; Saarinen, Swanson and Saarinen; Swanson and Booth; and Eero Saarinen and Associates. each drawing is cataloged to the item level and is available through Horizon.
Audio-visual Materials
In addition to our photograph collection (see below), we have a collection of motion pictures, videotapes, audiotapes, microfilm, and other multimedia documents relating to Cranbrook history.
Manuscript and Records Collections
We collect the personal papers of the founders, George and Ellen Booth, and related family members. In addition, we collect the papers of former staff, faculty and students of Cranbrook and the institutional records of departments and divisions across campus, and related Auxiliary organizations. Finding aids for most of our processed collections are available.
Oral Histories
Taped interviews of Cranbrook-related persons began in the 1950s by the Cranbrook Foundation's Public R department. The tapes consist of recorded interviews as well as lectures associated with the history of Cranbrook. Most of our interviews have not been transcribed, though there are a few available in pdf format.
Photographic Images
The Cranbrook community had a staff photographer from 1931-1970 and the Archives maintains the original negatives and photographs from that period. We also have photograph albums from various Booth and Saarinen family members, images from manuscript collections pertaining to Cranbrook artists and architects, and individual photograph collections including those of George Hance, Richard Hirneisen, Jack Kausch, Peter Nyholm, Cynthia Waldeck-Reno, and Richard Shirk. In addition, we have a slide collection of images taken by Balthazar Korab which document new construction and restoration projects across campus from 1995-2005. We are working on providing digital images via CONTENTdm, but have many thousands that are not yet digitized.
Publications
We have two collections of publications: Cranbrook and Non-Cranbrook. Cranbrook publications include yearbooks, catalogs, handbooks, newspapers, newsletters, etc. that have been produced by or for Cranbrook organizations, departments, or divisions. Non-Cranbrook publications consist of journals and magazines that contain articles by or about Cranbrook architecture, people or events. In addition, we have a collection of printed publications (books, theses, dissertations, proceedings, etc.) that refer to the history of Cranbrook or to subjects that correlate to collections held within the Archives.
Vertical File Material
Ephemera and secondary socurce materials include clippings, articles, news releases, research notes, etc. pertaining to Cranbrook people, places and events are divided into two sections: biographical and subject files. These can be referenced via a subject guide in the Archives.
Related Cranbrook Campus Resources
