James Murray Howard Collection University of Virginia Historic Buildings and Grounds Collection digitized files

Unprocessed Material

Identifier: ViU-2023-0098

Staff Only

Content Description

This collection contains the digitized files from the slides created and maintained by James Murray Howard (1948-2008) the Architect for Historic Buildings and Grounds at the University of Virginia from 1982 to 2002. Howard supervised a comprehensive restoration program for the Academical Village, overseeing numerous restoration projects over the course of his career. This image collection is his personal archive of his research into the history of the creation of Jefferson’s buildings, of techniques and processes used in their construction, decoration and restoration, and of his teaching career directing what he called “a practical working laboratory for University students.” The projects were chiefly on the Academical village, and the images document the before, during, and after of many mid-late 20th century projects. The photos taken during construction often document construction techniques and provide information about paints, finishes, and paint archaeology. The collection also contains images of general university interests, such as donor parties or students in class.

Acquisition Type

Transfer

Provenance

Transferred by the Digital Production Group, 29 June 2023. This project was a collaboration between University of Virginia Library and Sarita Herman from the Historic Preservation Unit of the Academic Division of Facilities Planning and Construction. Facilities hold the physical slides from which the files were made.