Scope and Content Note
The papers of Charles Follen McKim (1847-1909) span the years 1838-1929, with the bulk concentrated in the period 1866-1909. The collection was assembled from various sources by his biographer, Charles Moore, and is organized in five series: Diary, Letterbooks, General Correspondence, Subject File, and Miscellany.
The McKim Papers document the professional and personal life of one of the preeminent American architects of his time and, in a series of Letterbooks, illustrate the development of American architecture through the letters and reports written under his signature as a partner in the New York architectural firm of McKim, Mead & White. Two volumes of letterbooks in this series contain McKim’s letters in support of the American Academy in Rome, an institution founded in 1897 by McKim and administered by him until his death in 1909. The academy’s purpose was to promote the advancement of the fine arts in America by enabling promising American students to study in Europe amid classic works of arts, and its operations are further documented in the Subject File. The General Correspondence series contains mostly transcripts, although some original letters are also included, as well as letters exchanged by McKim with family members. Photographs and printed matter are contained in the Miscellany series, as is a partial calendar of McKim’s correspondence, compiled by Moore.
Charles McKim was the son of James Miller McKim, a prominent Philadelphia abolitionist who was an active participant in the Underground Railroad and secretary of the American Freedman’s Union Commission. The General Correspondence series contains transcripts of letters written by James McKim to his son while Charles was attending Harvard University and L’Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris that detail the efforts of former abolitionists to provide aid for newly freed enslaved persons in the years immediately following the Civil War. Copies of letters from other family members, including McKim’s mother, sister, and brother, are also located in the General Correspondence and provide personal glimpses into the family life and domestic affairs of the McKim family.
James McKim was a confederate of William Lloyd Garrison, and Charles forged lifelong friendships with Garrison’s sons, Francis Jackson Garrison and Wendell Phillips Garrison. A transcript of a diary kept by McKim recalls a walking tour taken by him, along with the Garrison sons, in 1863 through eastern Pennsylvania and the Gettysburg battlefield. Correspondence with the Garrisons can also be found in the General Correspondence and Letterbooks.
The series of Letterbooks contains the most fully developed source material in the collection relating to McKim’s architectural career. They are his personal letterbooks and include not only letters written by McKim in his capacity as representative of his firm but also those written by him of a more personal nature, especially those to his daughter, Margaret. The alphabetical indexes of correspondents, which are located at the beginning of each volume, reveal an impressive number of names of notable figures of the day, both those who consulted with McKim as clients and colleagues and those with whom he worked, including many important artists and architects. The Letterbooks reflect McKim’s role as supervisory architect and his involvement in the development of his firm’s architectural contracts, from structural conceptions and engineering details to the design elements of both interior and exterior decorations. Included among the works of his firm that are represented in these books are McKim’s designs for the World’s Columbian Exposition at Chicago, the Morningside Heights campus at Columbia University, the University Club, and the restoration of the White House. Extensive material documents McKim’s participation with the Senate Commission on the Improvement of the District of Columbia (in which capacity he advised Congress on the location and treatment of the public buildings and grounds along the Mall), including his membership on the Grant Memorial Commission. The General Correspondence series supplements the letterbooks, providing added detail to several of McKim’s major architectural works mentioned above, as well as to other projects such as the Rhode Island State House at Providence, Boston Symphony Hall, and the Boston Public Library. A separate file containing correspondence, reports, and financial records relating to the design and construction of the Boston Public Library is also included in the Subject File.
McKim became an important supporter of professional and educational societies and social clubs, including active membership in the American Institute of Architects, the Century Club, and the University Club. References to McKim’s participation in other public and private organizations can also be found in the Letterbooks.