Clarke & Rapuano landscape architecture collection
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Abstract
Collection of black and white photographs and photonegatives taken by the urban redevelopment firm of Clarke & Rapuano, representing many of their projects in New York City, with the earliest images dating to the 1930s. Includes cityscapes, aerial views, and photographs of architectural models and designs. Projects include the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company's housing developments at Stuyvesant Town, Peter Cooper Village, and Parkchester. Numerous ground and aerial views show the Brooklyn Heights Esplanade over the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway. Other projects represented include buildings for the New York World's Fair in 1939 and 1964, restoration of Bryant Park, Central Park Zoo and Conservatory, JFK International Airport, Queens Zoo, the Van Wyck Expressway, Henry Hudson Parkway, Major Deegan Expressway, and Washington Square in Greenwich Village. Additional materials include printed material documenting several urban redevelopment projects carried out by the firm, and reports for projects on which Clarke or Rapuano were consulted by city agencies.
Biographical / Historical
Gilmore D. Clarke (1892–1982) and Michael Rapuano (1904–1975) began a professional partnership in Engineering and Landscape Architecture in 1934. Both men were trained at Cornell, and Clarke was later a professor of architecture there, as well as Dean of Cornell's College of Architecture. Their first collaboration was on the design of the Henry Hudson Parkway, and the success of that project encouraged the two to become one of the first multi-discipline firms in the country, with a staff of landscape architects, architects, engineers, and planners. From 1944 to 1954 the practice included Leslie G. Holleran as a principal and named partner.
The firm of Clarke & Rapuano seems to have its hand in most of the major building projects in New York City between 1935 and 1965. Clarke served on the Board of Directors for the 1939–1940 World's Fair, and was a consultant to the Board for the subsequent 1964–1965 Fair. Many private exhibits at the 1939 Fair used Clarke & Rapuano as their landscape architects. Both Clarke & Rapuano were on the Board of Design for Metropolitan Life's four major housing projects: Stuyvesant Town, Peter Cooper Village, Riverton and Parkchester. The firm was appointed to be the landscape architects as well as site-engineers for all four projects. The firm also prepared plans for the development of the grounds of the United Nations; Clarke was on the board of Consulting Architects-Engineers for that project.
While Gilmore Clarke seemed to specialize in planning and design, Michael Rapuano often focused on roadways and their implementation and inclusion in the existing landscape. He served on several local and national committees to study the freeway systems that were becoming more important in the 1940s and 1950s. Clarke & Rapuano worked on several of Robert Moses' major projects: The Major Deegan Expressway in the Bronx, the Van Wyck Expressway in Queens, and the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, including the design of the Brooklyn Heights Esplanade, built over part of that highway.
In 1975 the founding partners both retired, and the firm was bought by the remaining principals, and continued to do the same kind of planning and landscape design work until 1998.
Arrangement
The collection is organized in two series:
- Series I.
- Project File Photographs, 1935–1986, undated
- Series II.
- Print Matter, 1940–2002
Scope and Contents
The Clarke & Rapuano Landscape Architecture Collection spans the period from 1935 to 2002 and primarily contains photographs relating to urban redevelopment projects carried out, mainly in New York City, by the firm between 1939 and 1970. The collection includes photographs, negatives, and printed and published materials documenting the New York World's Fairs (both 1939–1940 and 1964–1965), restoration of public parks, John F. Kennedy (formerly Idlewild) International Airport, public housing projects as well as those built by Metropolitan Life, planning and construction of several major highways in the region, and a few mid-century modern skyscrapers.
This collection does not include any architectural drawings, plans, or models. A few photographs show plans or renderings for projects, but most images show the final result of projects. Domenico Annese, donor of the collection, joined the firm of Clarke & Rapuano in 1956, became its Executive Vice President in 1975, and continued to work as a consultant after his retirement in 1991. In the process of gathering his files and organizing them for donation, he made notations on prints and negative sleeves that are helpful in the identification of many projects.
The collection is divided in two series: Series I. Project File Photographs, and Series II. Print Matter.
Series I. Project File Photographs includes photographic material documenting many of the firm's projects. While the firm was involved in projects throughout the eastern United States, the vast majority of the projects represented here were in New York City. Most of the public works projects included in the collection were commissioned by the New York City Department of Parks, the New York City Planning Commission, the New York City Airport Authority, and the New York State Department of Public Works, among other government commissions and bodies.
Series I encompasses two basic formats: photographic prints (including snapshots, aerial views, contract photos, and contact sheets) and negatives (safety acetate film versions of most of the prints). The prints generally show projects in a state of completion, but some project files include photographs of renderings or presentation drawings. These have been noted in the container list when they are present. Aerial photographs in the collection were taken by McLaughlin Aerial Surveys, Aero Services, Thomas Airviews, and Skyviews. Most photographs from the 1930s through 1950s were taken by John Gass. Other photographers represented in the collection are David Plowden, Gottscho-Schleisner, and members of the Clarke & Rapuano firm. Some projects are represented solely by negatives, such as many of the New York City housing projects, as well as some New York City park projects. The negatives of the Astoria Park are primarily focused on the large pool in that park.
Series II. Print Matter includes company promotional materials and various printed reports for projects on which the firm or the principals were involved. Materials about the firm include several company histories prepared by Domenico Annese, Photographs of Clarke & Rapuano, from circa 1968, a detailed listing of the firm's projects from the late 1950s, and material from a 1970 exhibit for the American Society of Landscape Architects. Printed reports involve the following projects: John F. Kennedy (formerly Idlewild) International Airport, New York World's Fair 1964–1965, and several reports on traffic congestion and freeways in urban areas. Each report is entered individually in the container list.
Subjects
Organizations
Genres
Topics
Access Restrictions
Open to qualified researchers by appointment only. To schedule an appointment, contact the Print Room Librarian at printroom@nyhistory.org.
Use Restrictions
Photocopying undertaken by staff only. Limited to 20 exposures of stable, unbound material per day. Application to use images from this collection for publication should be made in writing to: Department of Rights and Reproductions, The New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024-5194, rightsandrepro@nyhistory.org. Phone: (212) 873-3400 ext. 282.
Copyrights and other proprietary rights may subsist in individuals and entities other than the New-York Historical Society, in which case the patron is responsible for securing permission from those parties. For fuller information about rights and reproductions from N-YHS visit: https://www.nyhistory.org/about/rights-reproductions
Preferred Citation
The collection should be cited as: Clarke and Rapuano Landscape Architecture Collection, PR-080, Department of Prints, Photographs, and Architectural Collections, New-York Historical Society.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Domenico Annese, 1999, 2002.
About this Guide
Processing Information
Julie Viggiano, Kate Fais, and Jenny Gotwals processed this collection in August 2006. Joseph Ditta migrated their WORD-document finding aid to ArchivesSpace in June 2020, and incorporated material found in an overlooked box (herein designated Box 7) in May 2023.
Repository
Series I. Project File Photographs, 1935–1986, undated, inclusive
Astoria Park — negatives, 1937–1939, inclusive
Battery Park — prints, 1940–1957, inclusive
Battery Park — prints, oversize (3), 1940-1941, inclusive
Battery Park — negatives, circa 1939, 1940, inclusive
Battery Park — negatives, oversize (1), undated, inclusive
Belmont Park Race Track — negatives, undated, inclusive
Brooklyn Heights Esplanade and Brooklyn Queens Expressway — prints, 1957–1967, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Includes photos of drawings of Esplanade railings.
Brooklyn Heights Esplanade and Brooklyn Queens Expressway — prints, oversize (2), circa 1967, inclusive
Brooklyn Heights Esplanade and Brooklyn Queens Expressway — negatives, 1967, undated, inclusive
Bryant Park — prints, 1938, inclusive
Bryant Park — prints, oversize (5), undated, inclusive
Bryant Park — negatives, 1938, inclusive
Bucks County Bridge Design — prints, undated, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Photos of presentation drawings.
Cadman Plaza, Civic Center, Brooklyn — negatives, undated, inclusive
Central Park. Conservatory Gardens — prints, 1937–1939, 1986, inclusive
Central Park. Conservatory Gardens — negatives, 1937–1939, 1986, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Includes slides.
Central Park. Simon Bolivar Monument — negatives, undated, inclusive
Central Park. Zoo (at the Arsenal) — negatives, 1939, inclusive
Central Park. Plan for Development of the Lower Reservoir Site, Central Park, 1930, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Print and negatives of presentation drawing, titled above.
Claremont Park, Bronx — negatives, 1981, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Includes slide.
Cypress Hills Houses — negatives, undated, inclusive
Eastchester Houses — prints, circa 1962, inclusive
Eastchester Houses — negatives, circa 1962, inclusive
Fort Tryon Park — negatives, 1936–1938, inclusive
Harlem River Houses — negatives, undated, inclusive
Henry Hudson Parkway — prints, 1947–1973, inclusive
Henry Hudson Parkway — prints, oversize (1), undated, inclusive
Henry Hudson Parkway — negatives, 1935, circa 1947, inclusive
John F. Kennedy International Airport — prints, 1977, inclusive
John F. Kennedy International Airport — prints, oversize (2), undated, inclusive
John F. Kennedy International Airport — negatives, circa 1960, inclusive
Lever House — prints, circa 1960, inclusive
Lever House — negatives, circa 1960, inclusive
Major Deegan Expressway, Bronx — prints, 1952–1957, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Includes photos of presentation drawings.
Major Deegan Expressway, Bronx — negatives, 1952–1967, inclusive
Major Deegan Expressway, Bronx — lantern slides (12), [undated?], inclusive
New York World's Fair (1939–1940). Ford Motor Company Pavilion — prints, 1939, inclusive
New York World's Fair (1939–1940). Ford Motor Company Pavilion — negatives, 1939, inclusive
New York World's Fair (1939–1940). R.C.A. Pavilion — negatives, 1939, inclusive
New York World's Fair (1939–1940). Temple of Religion — prints, 1939, inclusive
New York World's Fair (1939–1940). Temple of Religion — negatives, 1939, inclusive
New York World's Fair (1939–1940). Trylon / Perisphere — prints, 1939, inclusive
New York World's Fair (1939–1940). Trylon / Perisphere — negatives, 1939, inclusive
New York World's Fair (1939–1940). General views — prints, 1939, inclusive
New York World's Fair (1964–1965) — prints, 1964, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Includes photo of rendering of Unisphere.
New York World's Fair (1964–1965) — prints, oversize (3), undated, inclusive
New York World's Fair (1964–1965) — negatives, 1964, inclusive
Orchard Beach, Pelham Bay Park — prints, circa 1936, inclusive
Orchard Beach, Pelham Bay Park — negatives, 1936, inclusive
Parkchester Houses — prints, 1941, circa 1952, inclusive
Parkchester Houses — prints, oversize (5), undated, inclusive
Parkchester Houses — negatives, circa 1940, inclusive
Pelham Parkway Houses — prints, circa 1962, inclusive
Pelham Parkway Houses — negatives, circa 1962, inclusive
Peter Cooper Village — negatives, undated, inclusive
Playland, Rye Beach — negatives, undated, inclusive
Polo Grounds Houses — negatives, undated, inclusive
Queens Zoo, Flushing Meadows Park — prints, oversize (1), circa 1967, inclusive
Queens Zoo, Flushing Meadows Park — negatives, 1971, inclusive
Rockefeller Center, Roof Gardens — prints, circa 1960, inclusive
Rockefeller Center, Roof Gardens — negatives, circa 1960, inclusive
Samuel J. Tilden Houses — negatives, undated, inclusive
Sara Delano Roosevelt Playground — negatives, 1937–1939, inclusive
Seagram Building — prints, circa 1960, inclusive
Stuyvesant Town — prints, undated, inclusive
Stuyvesant Town — negatives, undated, inclusive
Todt Hill Houses — prints, circa 1962, inclusive
Todt Hill Houses — negatives, 1962, undated, inclusive
United Nations — negatives, circa 1971, inclusive
Van Wyck Expressway — negatives, circa 1948–1949, inclusive
Washington, D.C. East Capitol Street — negatives, undated, inclusive
Washington, D.C. East Capitol Street — oversize / separated, undated, inclusive
Washington, D.C. Klingle Road Bridge, Rock Creek Park — prints, oversize (1), undated, inclusive
Washington Square Park — negatives, circa 1960, inclusive
Westway State Park — negatives, 1985, inclusive
Series II. Print Matter, 1940–2002, inclusive
Promotional Material, circa 1957–2000, inclusive
Clarke & Rapuano promotional brochures and books, 1972–[1988], inclusive
Clarke & Rapuano company histories, circa 1957–2000, inclusive
Photographs of Gilmore Clarke and Michael Rapuano, circa 1968, inclusive
Exhibition Materials, Regional Landscape Architect Meeting, Laconia, N.H., 1970–1971, inclusive
Reports and Publications, 1940–2002, inclusive
Architecture & Design, vol. IV, no. 12, 1940 July, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Issue devoted to the work of Gilmore D. Clarke.
Clarke & Rapuano, Andrews & Clarke, Richard C. Guthridge. Preparation of the Site for the World's Fair (New York: Clarke & Rapuano) [2 copies], 1960, inclusive
Clarke & Rapuano, Andrews & Clarke, Richard C. Guthridge. Preparation of the Site for the World's Fair: Supplementary Report (New York: Clarke & Rapuano), 1960, inclusive
Clarke & Rapuano, Inc. Grade Separations, 2002, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Disbound report; prepared by Domenico Annese.
Downer, Green and Carillo; Clarke, Rapuano & Holleran; Harrison and Abromovitz. The New York Municipal Airport at Idlewild (New York) [2 copies], 1946, inclusive
Dunn, Gano, W. Earle Andrews, Gilmore D. Clarke for the Engineering Committee of New York City Traffic. Selected Measures for the Partial Relief of Traffic Congestion in New York City (New York: The Committee), 1946, inclusive
New York City Department of Parks and the Staten Island Historical Society. Richmondtown Restoration. Staten Island. City of New York (New York), 1956, inclusive
New York City Mayor's Committee on Plan and Scope. Plan for Permanent World Capitol at Flushing Meadow Park (New York: The Committee), 1946, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Clarke & Rapuano drafted the plan.
New York World's Fair 1964–1965 Corporation. Flushing Meadow and Beyond: Preliminary Report on an Proposed Post World's Fair Program (New York), 1964, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Clarke & Rapuano acted as consultants on this planning project.
New York World's Fair 1964–1965 Corporation. Post Fair Plan: Queens Zoological and Botanical Gardens (New York: New York World's Fair 1964–1965 Corporation), 1964, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Clarke & Rapuano acted as consultants on this planning project.
Urban Advisors to the Federal Highway Administrator. The Freeway in the City: Principles of Planning and Design. A Report to the Secretary, Department of Transportation (Washington: U.S.G.P.O.), 1968, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Michael Rapuano was the chair of the Advisory Committee.