Finding Aid for the Rudolf Wolf papers, circa 1926-circa 1989 0000212

Finding aid prepared by Finding aid written by J. Hammerschmidt, 2007; J. Gibbs, 2010; Chris Marino, 2012
Architecture and Design Collection, Art, Design & Architecture Museum
Arts Building Room 1434
University of California
Santa Barbara, California, 93106-7130
805-893-2724
adc@museum.ucsb.edu
2010
Arranged in 3 series.


Title: Rudolf Wolf papers
Identifier/Call Number: 0000212
Contributing Institution: Architecture and Design Collection, Art, Design & Architecture Museum
Language of Material: English
Physical Description: 9.0 Linear feet (5 record storage boxes, 1 bagged drawing, and 1 flat file drawer)
Date (inclusive): circa 1926-circa 1989
creator: Wolf, Rudy, 1909-2005

Access

Partially processed collection, open for use by qualified researchers.

Custodial History note

Gift of Wolf Trust, 2008. Additional materials gifted by Wolf's daughter Katherine Page, 1991.

Preferred Citation note

Rudolf Wolf papers, Architecture and Design Collection. Art, Design & Architecture Museum; University of California, Santa Barbara.

Biographical/Historical note

Rudolf (Rudy) Wolf was born in Germany in 1909. He immigrated to the United States and secured employment as a draftsman for the Murphy Door Bed Co. in New York, before going to work for General Panel Corporation. At General Panel Corporation, Wolf was the lead draftsman and subsequently its Director of Quality Control in the 1940s. General Panel Corporation developed and produced the only complete prefabricated building system, which was designed by Wachsmann and Walter Gropius. In 1952, however, General Panel Corporation had entered bankruptcy and was liquidated. At this time, only about 200 modular homes had been built in southern California, despite the fact that tens of thousands of General Panel homes had been planned. After General Panel Corporation’s liquidation, Wolf designed houses and commercial buildings in Los Angeles, including several large projects for Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in the late 1960s as well as other medical buildings in the 1980s. Rudolf Wolf died in 2005.

Scope and Content note

The Rudolf Wolf papers spans 9 linear feet and dates from circa 1935 to circa 1990. The collection contains architectural drawings and reprographic copies of primarily residential designs in the southern Californian area including floor plans and presentation drawings of prefabricated housing produced by General Panel Corporation. The collection is also composed of Wolf’s student work in the form of class notes, drawings, and research notes concerning building techniques, math, and science. Other materials include, photographs of family; construction shots of the prefabricated General Panel Corporation Homes, and the General Panel staff; invoices regarding construction purchases for various projects; Wolf’s work identification badges for General Panel; his passports as well as his citizenship and immigration documents; resume; address book; and reference files composed of newspapers and magazine clippings and lectures on subjects such as gardening, flowers, and plants.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

Wolf, Rudy, 1909-2005
Architectural drawings
Photographic prints
Reprographic copies

 

Personal and professional papers I 1926-19xx

Language of Material: English
Physical Description: 1.0 Linear feet (1 record storage box)
 

Personal papers 19xx-19zz

Language of Material: English
Physical Description: 0.5 Linear feet (9 folders)

Scope and Content note

Personal papers date from x - x and include personal documents as well as student papers, essays and research notes, letters, and photograph.
Box 1, Folder 1-2

Biographical documents circa 1929-1986

Language of Material: English

Scope and Content note

Notes of philosophy, research notes, in English.

Scope and Contents note

Personal documents and employment papers.
Box 1, Folder 3

Family photographs undated

Box 1, Folder 4-5

Notes for studies of building technologies undated

Box 1, Folder 6

Notes for math and statistics 1930s

Box 1, Folder 7

Student notebooks undated

Scope and Content note

6 handwritten notebooks + loose pages.
Box 1, Folder 8

Student research files undated

Scope and Content note

Notes, drawings, printed ephemera.
Box 1, Folder 9

Plans for various buildings circa 1930s

Scope and Content note

Student work. Materials in German.
Box 1, Folder 10

Take home exam, Frankfurt am Main 1933

 

Professional records 19xx-19xx

Language of Material: English
Box 1, Folder 11

Ms: "Judaism and Modernity, Emancipation and Assimilation" circa 1992

Language of Material: English
 

Memoirs 1994

Language of Material: English
Box 1, Folder 13

Housing design

Language of Material: English

Scope and Contents note

Clippings, printed ephemera.
Box 1, Folder 14

Konrad Wachsmann 1943-1981

Scope and Contents note

Offprints of articles about Konrad Wachsmann and General Panal. Includes: New Pencil Points (1943), Pencil Points (1946), Arts and Architecture (1967), LA Architect (1981) and loose clippings.
Box 1, Folder 15

The Packaged House: Dream and Reality, Prof. Gilbert Herbert 1981

Language of Material: English

Scope and Contents note

Technion Pub. no. 4, published by Israel Institute of Technology.
Box 1, Folder 16

General Panal Corporation of California ca. 1950

Scope and Contents note

Printed materials, 1 color slide, 1 black-and-white photographic print of people around a table.
Box 1, Folder 17

General Panal Corporation of California Standard, Book I 1950

Box 1, Folder 18

Employment badges circa 1950s

Scope and Contents note

Two personal badges for Rudolph Wolfe: one from the General Panal Corporation, the other from Savory Equipment Inc., Newark, N.J..
 

Clippings and research III 19xx-19xx

Scope and Contents

Most of the files relate to plants and landscaping. Others include articles on art, architecture, books, and wine.
 

Architecture books II 1920-1991

Physical Description: 1.0 Linear feet (1 record storage box)

Scope and Contents

Series holds 17 books and 7 issues of Das Neue Frankfurt, 1926-1931. The books are technical, dealing with building and construction, and include one book about Konrad Wachsmann, and one by him. In English and German.
 

Project records IV 19xx-19xx

Language of Material: English