Wolf (Rudolf) papers, circa 1926-circa 1989

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Summary

Title:
Rudolf Wolf papers
Dates:
circa 1926-circa 1989
Creators:
Wolf, Rudy, 1909-2005
Extent:
9.0 Linear feet (5 record storage boxes, 1 bagged drawing, and 1 flat file drawer)
Language:
Preferred citation:

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

Background

Scope and content:

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.

Biographical / historical:

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.

Custodial history:

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

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:
Finding aid prepared by Finding aid written by J. Hammerschmidt, 2007; J. Gibbs, 2010; Chris Marino, 2012
Date Prepared:
2010
Date Encoded:
This finding aid was produced using the Archivists' Toolkit 2012-11-08T15:25-0800

Access and use

Restrictions:

Partially processed collection, open for use by qualified researchers.

Preferred citation:

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

Location of this collection:
University of California, Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, CA 93106-7130, US
Contact:
(805) 893-2724
adc@museum.ucsb.edu
Website