Project photograph files, circa 1855-1999, undated

The Charles M. Robinson and Principals Architectural Records consist of materials about Charles M. Robinson, and the office records, architectural and design plans, and project photograph files of the Charles M. Robinson, Architect firm and successor firms. The materials document the business operations of the firms, as well as their role in developing the city of Richmond, VA, and in developing various institutions and organizations across the state of Virginia. The works in this collection also demonstrate the significance of the firm’s activities on communities in these areas. It is divided into four series.

Series 1, Charles M. Robinson Files (1978, 2020, undated; 1 folder), includes copies of documents about Charles M. Robinson, such as a copy of his Architecture License. There is also a copy of a short essay about Robinson’s role in the construction of the ACCA Shrine, now known as the Altria Theater.

Series 2, Office records (circa 1935-1992, undated; 18 folders), includes office records, which are arranged in decreasing order of their significance/functionality to the firm’s operations. Most notably are the lists of commissions, index to the architectural drawings, and the commission notes. These records cover the majority of the timeline following Robinson’s death.

Series 3, Architectural drawings (1907-2012, undated; 3 oversized boxes, 93 flat file folders, 4 tubes, 1457 tube boxes), the largest part of this collection, consists of the firm’s architectural drawings and design plans, as well as the drawings and plans Robinson created in his role as the official school board architect for several cities and counties in Virginia, and as an architect for the Virginia State Board of Health. They span more than a century beginning in 1907 and ending in 2012 and represent over 1600 projects.

Included are drawings, designs, and plans for educational institutions, hospitals, churches, offices, retail stores, private residences, and plots across the state of Virginia. The series also includes topographic maps and site studies. There are original designs, proposed designs, voided designs, additions, alterations, and renovations. The designs are comprehensive, and include work on interiors and exteriors, plumbing and ventilation systems, and landscape works.

Primary, secondary, and post-secondary schools in locations across Virginia are very well represented by the plans in this collection. More well-known post-secondary educational institutions include the College of William and Mary, James Madison University, Raford University, University of Mary Washington, George Mason University, and Virginia Commonwealth University. However, the number of primary and secondary schools represented in the collection is even greater.

Of particular significance are the designs and plans the firm created for educational institutions for students from underrepresented, historically oppressed, and marginalized groups. These include the Virginia School for the Deaf and Blind, the Virginia State University, the nation’s first fully-state supported four-year post-secondary learning institution for Black Americans, and the HBCUs Norfolk State University and Virginia Union University.

The works that Robinson completed as an architect for the Virginia State Board of Health include plans and designs for the Catawba, Blue Ridge, and Piedmont Tuberculosis sanitoriums (rehabilitation center, hospice, etc.). Robinson’s work in this role also affected the lives of people from underrepresented groups, as the Piedmont institution was developed specifically for the care of Black residents of Virginia.

Series 4, Project photograph files (circa 1855-1999, undated; 9 boxes, 15 folders), includes many of the project photograph files from the architectural firm. Although there are some items from Robinson’s time with the firm, the large majority are dated and document the projects from after his death on August 20, 1932. The photograph file index introduces the rest of the series, which includes prints, negatives, photo documentation from John Binford Walford and Oscar Pendleton Wright’s photograph albums, and undated presentation photos.