History
The University Libraries’ Drawings and Documents Archive at Ball State University is the only archive dedicated to preserving the history of Indiana’s built environment and the legacies of Hoosier architects who have transformed the state and the world. The Archive supports research and education concerning Indiana’s historic sites and structures, as well as the careers of Indiana architects, landscape architects, planners, engineers, preservationists, and builders.
Established by architecture professor Andrew R. Seager shortly after the College of Architecture and Planning was established in 1968, the Archive has grown to house more than 100,000 drawings and objects in its collections. Items include specifications, blueprints, presentation drawings, photographs, furniture, and business records collected from more than forty Indiana architectural practices and agencies.
Signature collections include work by many notable historic Hoosier architects, such as Edward D. Pierre, Cuno Kibele, George C. Wright, Richard E. Bishop, Robert Frost Daggett, Joseph O. Cezar, Fran Schroeder, Marion Cordill, Gladys J. Miller, Daniel B. Young, and Claire Bennett, among others. The Archive also actively collects and maintains information on individual properties and historic districts throughout the state. Additional collections include biographical files, reference material formerly used in professional practice, trade catalogs, postcards, and publications produced by the College of Architecture and Planning.
The Drawings and Documents Archive supports instruction and research in the College of Architecture and Planning through the graduate level in architecture, landscape architecture, historic preservation, and urban planning. Located within Ball State University’s College of Architecture and Planning building, the Archive is available to students, faculty, educators, and outside researchers. Please contact the archivist at 765-285-8441 or CAStreet@bsu.edu to schedule an appointment.
The Archive is open Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday 9-noon, 1-5; Thursday 9-noon, 2-5; and Friday by appointment. Please call (765) 285-8441 or email CAStreet@bsu.edu to schedule an appointment.
The Drawings and Documents Archive is located in the Architecture Building, room 120, located on the Ball State University campus in Muncie, Indiana.
Campus map.
Carol A. Street, Archivist for Architectural Records, (765) 285-8441, CAStreet@bsu.edu