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Finding Aid for the William Levy Alexander papers, circa 1934-circa 1990 0000199
0000199  
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Collection Overview
 
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Description
The William Levy Alexander papers span 18.42 linear feet and date from circa 1934 to circa 1990. The collection consists of architectural drawings, photographic prints, and manuscript material organized by project documenting the design, construction and finished building for many architectural projects including the Las Cruces resort in Baja Califonia, the Richard Halliburton house in Laguna Beach, the David Greggory house in Encino, Calif. and Alexander's own "House in Space" in Los Angeles, Calif. The collection also includes some personal and professional correspondence, photographic prints, and articles, as well as drawings and photographs relating to Alexander's furniture designs.
Background
William Levy Alexander (birth name Alexander Levy) was born in Brooklyn in 1909, the youngest of 15 children. In 1929 he enrolled in architecture school at New York University (NYU) where the curriculum was a balance of traditional Beaux-Arts and European modernism. During one summer, Alexander spent six weeks at Taliesin West but could not afford the tuition, so he decided return to schooling at NYU. Alexander graduated from NYU with a degree in architecture in 1934. After school, he worked briefly for Raymond Hood, Ely Jacques Kahn, and for the Works Progress Administration supervising a slum clearance project in Brooklyn. In 1936, Alexander was commissioned to build a house for Richard Halliburton in Laguna Beach, California. After the Halliburton project was completed, Alexander practiced independently in Los Angeles and New York, always working alone. In 1939, he was commissioned to remodel Arnold Schoenberg’s Brentwood music studio. In 1940, Alexander completed several military commissions. After the war, Alexander completed the Greggory house in Encino, built himself a house in the Hollywood Hills, and worked on several commissions in Mexico (one of which was Hotel Las Cruces Palmilla). In the late 1950s, Alexander abandoned architecture, became for a short time a character actor, and later a benefactor. William Levy Alexander died in 1997.
Extent
18.42 Linear feet (3 half record storage boxes, 2 oversize flat boxes and 3 flat file drawers)
Availability
Partially processed collection, open for use by qualified researchers.