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State Historical Survey and Planning Office. Foundations From the Past, 1974.

 Item — Box: 28, Item: 16

Scope and Content

From the Collection: The major component of boxes 1-11 of this collection is research material that Chester H. Liebs used to write his 1985 book, Main Street to Miracle Mile: American Roadside Architecture. There are reports, handbooks, booklets, student papers, clippings, notebooks, course description, brochures, correspondence, documentation for state historic sites surveys, photocopies of articles and excerpts from books. This research material is organized by subject and the seven commercial building types used as chapter titles in the book. The chapter titles are auto showroom, gas stations, supermarkets, miniature golf courses, drive-in theaters, motels and restaurants. There is information on subcategories such as diners, coffee shops and drive-ins under restaurants. Boxes also include all book reviews of Main Street to Miracle Mile as well as both publisher and public correspondence about the publication.

Boxes 12-19 cover a range of materials pertaining to Liebs’ lifelong professional and personal work in historic preservation in the United States. There are documents that cover an extensive range of topics regarding the Historic Preservation Program at the University of Vermont founded by Liebs including: starting proposals, course materials, grant applications, flyers, documentation of community outreach projects, and photographs. Preservation course materials from other universities including Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music and the University of New Mexico are also included. Boxes also contain newspaper clippings, journal articles, VHS and cassette recordings, case studies, awards, and conference materials documenting Liebs’ involvement in historic preservation in the United States.

Box 20 contains images used for his book Main Street to Miracle Mile, published in 1985. Folders contain black and white reproductions of photographs and illustrations Liebs obtained from various archives in the United States to use in his book Main Street to Miracle Mile. The copyright for the photographs belong to each institution they came from. Box 21 contains over 300 slides Liebs’ decades of photographic documentation of historic buildings and cultural landscapes between 1971 and 1993. The boxes contain both black and white and color slides documenting roadside structures and architecture such as motels, theaters, shopping complexes, main streets, and neon signs. Images are primarily from the United States. Digital images can also be viewed on New Mexico Digital.

Boxes 22-31 contain state-specific and country-specific materials, pamphlets, brochures, notes, and leaflets. The materials are subdivided by regions (Northeast, Midwest, South, West, and International)

Boxes 32-35 contain materials, pamphlets, brochures, notes and leaflets, arranged topically.

Dates

  • 1974.

Language of Materials

From the Collection: English

Access Restrictions

The collection is open for research.

Extent

From the Collection: 35 boxes (36.5 cu. ft.)

Repository Details

Part of the UNM Center for Southwest Research & Special Collections Repository

Contact:
University of New Mexico Center for Southwest Research & Special Collections
University Libraries, MSC05 3020
1 University of New Mexico
Albuquerque NM 87131
505-277-6451