Verna Cook Shipway Papers
Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego
Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego
Copyright 2005
9500 Gilman Drive
La Jolla 92093-0175
spcoll@ucsd.edu
Descriptive Summary
Languages:
English
Contributing Institution:
Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego
9500 Gilman Drive
La Jolla 92093-0175
Title: Verna Cook Shipway Papers
Identifier/Call Number: MSS 0105
Physical Description:
7 Linear feet
(6 archives boxes, 5 flat boxes, and 53 map case folders)
Date (inclusive): 1894 -1979
Abstract: Papers of Verna Cook Shipway, American architect and author. Shipway designed homes in New York state and California, and
wrote, with her husband Warren Shipway, five books on contemporary Mexican residential architecture and interior design.
Scope and Content of Collection
Papers of Verna Cook Shipway, American architect and author. Shipway designed homes in New York state and California, and
wrote, with her husband Warren Shipway, five books on contemporary Mexican residential architecture and interior design. The
papers include correspondence, travel diaries, sketches, plans and photographs of her homes and details of interiors, and
measured drawings of furniture details. Also included are manuscript materials, photographs and paste-ups for her books.
Arranged in four series: 1) BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS, 2) CORRESPONDENCE, 3) WRITINGS, and 4) ARCHITECTURAL DESIGNS.
Biography
Verna Cook Shipway was born October 19, 1890, in Spokane, Washington. She attended the Ecole Speciale d'Architecture in Paris
and the School of Architecture at Columbia University, where she met and married fellow architecture student Edgar Salomonsky.
They founded an architectural firm in 1920. When Edgar died in 1929, Verna continued to run the business on her own, specializing
in Georgian, colonial and English style homes. She published a study of American furniture entitled
Masterpieces of Furniture Design (1931).
Shipway designed homes built in numerous New York suburbs including Berkley and Scarsdale. In 1936, she was selected to design
the first "Ideal House" for
House and Garden magazine. In 1939, Shipway designed a model home for the New York World's Fair that was practical and affordable for the
American family in the suburbs. Her home designs featured abundant closet space, natural light, circular staircases, bay windows,
large hallways, and light-colored walls to make rooms appear larger.
In the 1940s, Verna Salomonsky married Warren Butler Shipway, an architectural engineer, and moved to California in 1947.
During a tour to Mexico, the Shipways met a builder who encouraged them to write a book on Mexican architecture. Warren documented
the construction of homes and took photographs, while Verna noted the planning and design and drew sketches. Together they
published five books on Mexican architecture and design:
The Mexican House, Old and New (1960),
Mexican Interiors (1962),
Mexican Homes of Today (1964),
Decorative Design in Mexican Homes (1966), and
Houses of Mexico: Origins and Traditions (1970).
After the death of her husband in 1972, Shipway moved to La Jolla, California, where she died in 1978.
Publication Rights
Publication rights are held by the creator of the collection.
Preferred Citation
Verna Cook Shipway Papers. MSS 105. Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego.
Acquisition Information
Acquired 1978.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Photographic prints -- 20th century
Interior decoration -- Mexico
Women architects -- United States
Architecture, Domestic -- Mexico
Architecture -- United States -- 20th century
Architecture, Domestic -- California -- Designs and plans
Architecture, Domestic -- United States -- Designs and plans
Architecture, Domestic -- United States
Architectural drawings (visual works)
Solomonsky, Edgar
Shipway, Verna Cook, 1890-1978 -- Archives
New York World's Fair (1939-1940 : New York, N.Y.)
BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS
Scope and Content of Series
Series 1) BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS: Includes address books, documents, reference notebooks on design and culture, sketchbooks,
travel diaries, and other memorabilia. An early photograph of Verna Cook is also included.
Box 1, Folder 2
Alien registration booklets and identity cards - England
1945-1946
Box 1, Folder 3
Family history scrapbook of Josephine Merryman Van Ness (photocopy)
Box 1, Folder 4
American Red Cross certificate
1946
Oversize MC-043-17
Diplomas and certificates - Oversize
1907-1979
General note
Washington state high school and university diplomas, State of Connecticut Arch. Board License (1935), North Council of Arch.
(1937) certificates.
Box 1, Folder 5
Memorabilia
General note
Includes a mounted photograph of Verna Cook at the age of six (1894), ration and clothing books (1945-46), health certificates
(1945), her calling card, American National Red Cross certificate and collage. Also includes a photograph of unidentified
people.
Box 1, Folder 6
Newspaper articles about Shipway
1937-1979
Box 1, Folder 7-8
Notebook: Personal Reference Guide
General note
Notes on design, architecture and Mexican and South American culture. Includes newspaper clippings.
Box 1, Folder 11-12
Travel Diaries - London
1945-1946
General note
Typescript of diary entries with some editing.
Box 2, Folder 1
Travel Diary - London
1945 October 23-1946 January 10
Box 2, Folder 2
Travel Diary - London
1946 January 10-April 4
Box 2, Folder 3
Travel Diary - Paris
1946 April 5-May 7
Box 2, Folder 4
Travel Log - "Our European Whiz"
1953 October 15-November 27
Box 2, Folder 5
Travel log - Europe
ca. 1960
Box 2, Folder 6
Travel log - "Go Around; With Lena Gordon" - Europe
1966 August 22-December 12
CORRESPONDENCE
Scope and Content of Series
Series 2) CORRESPONDENCE: Personal correspondence, as well as some professional correspondence pertaining to Shipway's architect's
license. The materials are arranged alphabetically.
Box 2, Folder 7
Architectural licensing
1930-1947
General note
Includes registration materials and brochures.
WRITINGS
Scope and Content of Series
Series 3) WRITINGS: Includes photographs, layouts and text for Shipway's books on Mexican architecture and design. The series
also includes the specifications for Shipway's home design for the New York World's Fair in 1939, accompanied by a proof of
a booklet of the housing exhibit, "The Home Building Center." The materials are arranged alphabetically.
Box 3, Folder 3
Bird House Architecture: A Bird's Eye View of the Comfortable Well Designed House.
The House Beautiful
1931 March
Decorative Designs in Mexican Homes (1966)
Box 3, Folder 4
Photographs and layouts, pp.1-99
Oversize FB-211, Folder 1-4
Drawings, photographs, and layouts, pp.100-247 and miscellaneous
Box 3, Folder 5
Photographs not used, final discards
Box 3, Folder 6
Dignity and the Small House. From
House Plans from the American House, pp.87-90
Box 3, Folder 7
Elegant Card Table is Returning. From
Furniture Manufacturer
1931 July
Box 3, Folder 8
Exemplar of Old and New Colonial Details. From
The House Beautiful
1927
Box 3, Folder 9
Foreword and table of contents
Box 3, Folder 10
Lists of photograph headings and captions
Oversize FB-213, Folder 2
Box 4, Folder 1-6
Photographs and layout, pp.1-189
Box 5, Folder 1-2
Photographs and layout, pp.190-249
Mexican Homes of Today (1964)
Oversize FB-213, Folder 3-4
Oversize FB-214, Folder 1
Box 5, Folder 4
Contents, picture locations, foreword and glossary
Box 5, Folder 5
Photograph captions and credits
Oversize FB-214, Folder 2-3
Mexican House Old and New (1960)
Oversize FB-214, Folder 4-5
Photographs and original scale drawings
Oversize FB-215, Folder 1
Photographs and drawings, pp.100-187
Oversize FB-215, Folder 3
Oversize FB-215, Folder 5
Period Furniture
1925 May-December
Box 6, Folder 1
Phyfe Table a Family Heirloom. From
Furniture Manufacturer
1931 September
Box 6, Folder 2
Record of complimentary copies of
Masterpieces of Furniture
1967
Oversize FB-215, Folder 2
Residences Designed by Verna Cook Salomonsky, Architect
1936
Box 6, Folder 3
Small Tables and Stands. From
Furniture Manufacturer
1931 August
Box 6, Folder 4
Design for the New York World's Fair - Specification of Labor and Materials Required for the Erection and Completion of Housing
Exhibit No.13
1938-1939
General note
Includes "The Home and Building Center" preliminary proof pages.
Box 6, Folder 5
Study of Fret Cut Work of the Chippendale Era. From
Furniture Manufacturer
1932 March
Box 6, Folder 6
Miscellaneous materials and photographs relating to Mexican architecture
ARCHITECTURAL DESIGNS
Scope and Content of Series
Series 4) ARCHITECTURAL DESIGNS. Arranged in three subseries: A) Measured Drawings, B) Photographs and Illustrations, and
C) Architectural Plans and Designs.
A) Measured Drawings: Contains Shipway's analysis of furniture and design details and includes published drawings, as well
as sketchbooks containing original pencil drawings.
B) Photographs and Illustrations: Includes photographs of Shipway-designed homes that show interiors and exteriors. There
are also photographs pertaining to Mexico, and illustrations from a book on French architecture. Arranged alphabetically.
C) Architectural Plans and Designs: Shipway's plans for specific homes. Undated plans are located at the end of the subseries.
Arranged chronologically.
Oversize FB-211, Folder 5
The Architect's Assistant or, an Exemplar of Colonial Mouldings...
Oversize FB-212, Folder 1
Drawings of interior doorways
Oversize MC-043-19
Empire Sideboard design blueprint
Box 6, Folder 7
House drawings and details by Edgar and Verna Cook Salomonsky
General note
Includes Sheets No. 1-3, 5-9, 11-12 and Second Series Sheets No. 1-3, 5-11 Colonial School.
Box 6, Folder 8
Measured drawings and sketches - Part 1
Oversize FB-213, Folder 5
Measured drawings and sketches - Part 2 (oversize)
Box 6, Folder 9
Measured Drawings of Card Table, Duncan Phyfe Lyre Back Chair, and Double Chair Style of Chippendale. From
Furniture Manufacturer
1931-1933
Box 6, Folder 10
Measured Drawings of American Maple Table and American Walnut Highboy. From
The Architectural Forum
1923 January-February
Oversize FB-215, Folder 4
Measured drawings of tables with photograph
Box 6, Folder 15
Measured Colonial Details sketchbook
Box 6, Folder 16
Miscellaneous measured drawings by others
Photographs and Illustrations
Oversize FB-212, Folder 2-3
Homes Designed by Verna Cook Shipway - Parts 1-2
Oversize FB-213, Folder 1
Homes Designed by Verna Cook Shipway - Part 3
Box 6, Folder 17
Miscellaneous photographs of homes - Interiors and exteriors
Box 6, Folder 18
Miscellaneous photographs including Mexican design and architecture
Architectural Plans and Details
Oversize MC-025-13
Salomonsky, Edgar - Edgemont, Scarsdale, NY
1923
Oversize MC-025-14
Phillips - Scarsdale, NY
1926
Oversize MC-024-03
Salomonsky, Edgar - Scarsdale, NY
1926
Oversize MC-025-12
Crocker, Weyman - Massachusetts
1928
Oversize MC-025-11
Owen, Margaret - Bedford, NY
1929
Oversize MC-024-05
Lots 77 and 79 - Berkeley, Scarsdale, NY
1929
Oversize MC-024-06
Phillips, Lot #2 - Scarsdale, NY
1929
Oversize MC-025-10
Waught, George M. - Scarsdale, NY
1929
Oversize MC-024-01
Waught, George, Jr. - Scarsdale, NY
1929
Oversize MC-025-09
Lot #67 - Berkeley, Scarsdale
1932
Oversize MC-025-08
Brown, Marjorie Warren - North Castle, NY
1933
Oversize MC-025-07
Brown, Marjorie Warren - Whipporwil, NY
1933
Oversize MC-042-02
Ledbetter - Scarsdale, NY
1933
Oversize MC-042-03
Crane - Berkeley Corp. - Taunton Rd., Scarsdale, NY
1934
Oversize MC-042-04
Lot #70 - Scarsdale, NY
1934
Oversize MC-042-05
Lot #71 - Berkeley, Scarsdale, NY
1934
Oversize MC-042-06
Prange, Dr. Herman - Scarsdale, NY
1934
Oversize MC-042-07
Sheridan - Cortland, NY
1934
Oversize MC-042-08
Davis, Phillip M. - Greenwich, Connecticut
1935
Oversize MC-042-09
Lot #46 - Scarsdale, NY
1935
Oversize MC-042-10
Richbell Estates - Taunton Rd., Scarsdale, NY
1935
Oversize MC-042-11
Claxton, W.M. and Enid - Darien, Connecticut
1936
Oversize MC-042-12
Cohen, Gertrude P. - Fairfield, Connecticut
1936
Oversize MC-042-13
Ford, Hannah M. and Thomas M. - Pennsylvania
1936
Oversize MC-042-14
Friedman - Scarsdale, NY
1936
Oversize MC-025-01
McCutchan, Dr. Frank - Salisburg, North Carolina
1936
Oversize MC-025-02
Rogers, Frank C. - Scarsdale, NY
1936
Oversize MC-025-03
Scott, Elmer P. - Pelham, NY
1936
Oversize MC-024-02
Chandler - Ridgefield, Connecticut
1937
Oversize MC-025-04
Lowenthal - Scarsdale, NY
1937
Oversize MC-025-05
Spates, Thomas G. - Scarsdale, NY
1937
Oversize MC-025-06
Kelley, Walter M. - Scarsdale, NY
1937
Oversize MC-043-01
Eckstein, Adolph W. and Grace
undated
Oversize MC-043-02
World's Fair #1 - Preliminary Scheme for Small House
1938
Oversize MC-043-03
Spencer, Herman, House #2 - Harrison, NY
1938
Oversize MC-043-04
New York World's Fair Lot #13
1938
Oversize MC-043-05
Pugliese, Joseph, Lot #17 - Harrison, NY
1939
Oversize MC-043-06
Wilson, J.T. - Lynchburg, Virginia
1939
Oversize MC-043-07
Hotckin, E.W., Game Room Elevation; Meyer Construction Co., Munsey Pk., NY
1938
Oversize MC-043-07
Mr. and Mrs. Donald Ryan - Los Angeles, California
1947
Oversize MC-043-08
Fitzgerald, Dr. Edgar - Wallace, Idaho; Gerar Corp., Dwelling #2 - Scarsdale, NY
1939
Oversize MC-043-09
Shipway - Los Angeles, California
1947
Oversize MC-043-10
Ryway - Rancho Santa Fe
1957
Oversize MC-043-11
Ryan - Rancho Santa Fe, CA (details only); Lot #1 - Scarsdale, NY
1930, 1959
Oversize MC-043-11
Scott - Lake Waramaang, Connecticut
1937
Oversize MC-043-12
Miscellaneous Shipway drawings
undated
Oversize MC-043-13
Better Homes and Gardens, Bildcost Homes Plans for #806, 604, 510 and two unidentified plans
undated
Oversize MC-043-14
House #3 and 4, McLean Alterations, Spanish House, Sales Office - Harrison, NY
undated
Oversize MC-043-16
Arthur V. Wilker Residence - Fox Meadow, Scarsdale, NY
undated