Collection Guide
Collection Title:
Collection Number:
Get Items:
Olsen, Donald Collection
2003-1
View entire collection guide
Search this collection
Table of contents
Description
The Donald Olsen Collection spans the years 1941-1998 and includes files created by Olsen and his work with Vernon DeMars
and Joseph Esherick. The collection is organized into five series: Personal Papers, Professional Papers, Faculty Records,
Office Records, Project Records. These records contain correspondence, project files, drawings, photographs, slides, research
notes, articles, and lectures.
Background
Donald E. Olsen was born in Minneapolis in 1919 to Clarence Edward and Thea Olsen. He married Helen Ohlson in 1944 and had
one son, Alan Edward Olsen. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Architecture from the University of Minnesota in 1941. He
won a scholarship to Harvard's Graduate School of Design but had to defer due to the outbreak and United States' involvement
in World War II. During the war years Olsen found himself in Richmond, CA where he worked at the Kaiser Ship Yard designing
large manufacturing and office buildings as well as housing, railway systems, fire stations, and schools. Once the war ended
obtained his Master's in Architecture from Harvard and graduated in 1946. He continued his education doing post-graduate work
in England, studying civic design at the University of Liverpool in 1953 and the philosophy of Science at the London School
of Economics, 1962-63.
Extent
40 Linear Feet:
14 Cartons, 18 Document Boxes, 5 Flat Boxes, 91 Tubes
Restrictions
All requests for permission to publish, reproduce, or quote from materials in the collection should be discussed with the
Curator.
Availability
Collection is open for research. Many of the Environmental Design Archives collections are stored offsite and advance notice
is required for use.