William T. McCarthy collection
The William T. McCarthy papers and photographs, spanning the years 1894 to 1952 and measuring .25 linear feet, document the career of Brooklyn architect William Thomas McCarthy. Materials in the collection pertain to his attendance at Lehigh University and to his career as a Brooklyn architect. The bulk of the collection relates to the various architectural projects McCarthy designed or worked on, many of which were large-scale public housing projects in Brooklyn. The William T. McCarthy collection consists of three series: Papers; Scrapbooks; and Drawings and photographs.
Places
Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.) |x Buildings, structures, etc.;
Brooklyn Heights (New York, N.Y.);
Red Hook (New York, N.Y.);
Park Slope (New York, N.Y.);
Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.) |x Buildings, structures, etc. |v Pictorial works;
Boerum Hill (New York, N.Y.);
Flatbush (New York, N.Y.)
This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-08-21 11:20:16 +0000.
Using Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language: Finding aid written in English
Brooklyn Historical Society
A0128 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Series 1: Papers, 1896-1952, inclusive
The papers include one blueprint, Dead load diagram, gymnasium roof truss U.S.N.A; a photocopy of an article written by McCarthy and published in Engineering News titled, "A Novel Method of Erecting Roof Trusses of the 71st Regiment Armory, New York City;" letters of recommendation written on behalf of McCarthy; news clippings pertaining to building projects McCarthy was involved in including the Gowanus Houses and Concord Village in Brooklyn; a news clipping describing McCarthy's concept of elevated pedestrian sidewalks; a handwritten page of calculations relating to columns; and correspondence, 1933-1952.
Series 2: Scrapbooks, 1894-1942, inclusive
The scrapbooks consist two volumes of news clippings, 1894-1942.
Volume 1, 1894-1933, includes news clippings pertaining to the Lehigh University football team; McCarthy's mother's obituary; buildings designed by McCarthy including the Bryn Mawr Apartments located on Prospect Park West in Park Slope and the Cathedral Arms Apartments on Ocean Avenue in the Flatbush neighborhood of Brooklyn; McCarthy's design for elevated sidewalks on Fulton Street in Brooklyn; and various news clippings from local Brooklyn and New York newspapers quoting McCarthy regarding housing, building, and zoning related issues such as the New York State Multiple Dwelling Law of 1929.
Volume 2, 1933-1942, includes news clippings pertaining to the Red Hook Houses in Brooklyn and to various building and zoning laws in Brooklyn and New York City.
Series 3: Drawings and photographs, circa 1890 to 1940
This series includes drawings and photographs pertaining to the university days and subsequent career of Brooklyn architect William T. McCarthy.
Subseries 1: Drawings, 1896-1900, inclusive
The drawings subseries includes two black-and-white pencil drawings on paper, both drawn and signed by McCarthy, circa 1896-1900. The first is a drawing of a football field scene with a small black-and-white photographic portrait of McCarthy in his Lehigh University football sweater. The second drawing is titled "Honorary Societies."
Subseries 2: Photographs, circa 1900 to 1942
This subseries contains photographs of buildings and photographic reproductions of architectural renderings pertaining to the architectural projects William T. McCarthy designed or worked on throughout his career. Included in this series are photographs of buildings in Brooklyn, mostly apartment buildings, including a street view of the Henrick House Apartments in the Flatbush area of Brooklyn; an exterior photograph of the Bryn Mawr Apartments and exterior and interior photographs of the Chateau Frontenac Apartments also in Brooklyn; two black-and-white exterior photographs of the Cathedral Arms Apartments in Brooklyn; a reproduction of a black-and-white pencil drawing by McCarthy of additions to The House of St. Giles the Cripple in Brooklyn; photographic reproductions of architectural renderings of the Gowanus Houses, the Red Hook Houses, and Concord Village, all in Brooklyn; black-and-white exterior photographs of the Red Hook Houses circa 1940 and an aerial view of the Red Hook Houses construction site before construction began; two black-and-white photographs of the National Surety Corporation, A.L. Carr Agency building in Brooklyn Heights circa 1930; and exterior views of single-family homes in the Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn. The single-family homes were designed by McCarthy and include 63, 64, and 65 Prospect Park West. They were some of the last single-family homes built in Park Slope and were designed to include driveways.
Delineators of the renderings include Schell Lewis, Arthur Frappier, and S.L. Snodgrass.
Also included in this subseries is a photograph of a dog, "Cricket," mounted with memorial text apparently written by McCarthy.