Robert W. Peters Records
Collection
Identifier: MSS-1091-BC
Scope and Contents
The Robert W. Peters Records collection contains project files of work created by Robert W. Peters between 1961-2001. Included in the collection are project and site descriptions, site plans, floor plans, elevations, drawings, magazine clippings, passive solar design documentation, photographs, negatives, and other materials from Peters’ proposed and built structures in New Mexico, Florida, Texas, Iowa, Illinois, and Virginia. The collection also contains an extensive biography and CV, portrait photographs, lecture and essay notes, and exhibition materials relating to Peters’ curated exhibit “Architecture: The Art of Chicago.”
Dates
- 1961 - 2001
Conditions Governing Access
The collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
Limited duplication of CSWR material is allowed for research purposes. User is responsible for compliance with all copyright, privacy, and libel laws. Permission is required for publication or distribution.
Biographical / Historical
Born on March 24, 1935, Robert W. Peters received his Master of Architecture degree from Yale University in 1961 and has since worked as a practicing architect in Illinois and New Mexico. Peters is known for his research and design of passive solar buildings, research on energy conservation practices, and historic preservation planning and design.
As a Senior Designer in the Chicago office of Skidmore Owings and Merrill, from 1961 to 1974, his projects included college and university buildings, urban planning and design and interior architecture. Peters also worked on historic preservation projects, including, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Robie House for the University of Chicago and Henry Hobson Richardson’s Glessner House for the Chicago Architecture Foundation. From 1967 to 1977 he served as vice-president of the Board of Directors and Director of Exhibitions for the Chicago Architecture Foundation, curating seventeen exhibitions to further public understanding of the role of architecture and design in the life of the city.
During this period, Peters lectured at various universities and his work and writing were featured in multiple publications, including, Progressive Architecture and the Prairie School Review. In 1975, he received an Award of Excellence for his “Prairie Avenue Heritage District Study”, which formed the basis for establishment of the Prairie Avenue Historic District in Chicago, from the journal, Design and Environment.
Peters moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico in 1974 where he established a practice and taught Urban Planning at the University of New Mexico. While in New Mexico, his work in architecture and urban design earned him several awards, including an award from the National Passive Solar Energy Society. His work was featured in multiple design exhibitions, including at the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris and the University of New Mexico Art Museum. In 1992 he was elected to membership in the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Architects.
Extent
2 boxes
Language of Materials
English
- Title
- Finding Aid of the Robert W. Peters Records
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Katie Conley
- Date
- 2022/01/10
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
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
cswrref@unm.edu
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
cswrref@unm.edu