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Morris Lapidus Papers

An inventory of his papers at Syracuse University

Overview of the Collection

Creator: Lapidus, Morris
Title: Morris Lapidus Papers
Dates: circa 1915-2010
Quantity: 24 linear ft.
Abstract: Papers of the architect and designer, includes photographs and slides, a limited number of architectural drawings, correspondence and personal and professional writings.
Language: English
Repository: Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries
222 Waverly Avenue
Syracuse, NY 13244-2010
https://library.syracuse.edu/special-collections-research-center

Biographical History

Morris Lapidus (1902-2001) was a Russian-born American architect and designer.

Morris Lapidus was born on November 25, 1902 in Odessa, Russia, the son of Estonian and Polish Jews. In 1903, his family immigrated to New York City. They lived in lower Manhattan before moving to Brooklyn, first to Williamsburg and during his high school years to East New York. Lapidus's design sensibility was shaped by his experience of life in New York's tenements and exposure to the spectacle of Coney Island. He graduated from the Boys High School in Bedford-Stuyvesant and enrolled in New York University, intending to purse a degree in drama. He hoped to become an actor but eventually turned his attention to scenic design. He transferred to Columbia University's School of Architecture during the 1920s. Lapidus was deeply interested by -- but received little instruction in -- the revolutionary modernism of European architects such as Le Corbusier, Mies van der Rohe and Eliel Saarinen. His first job (while he was still in school) was in the drafting room of Warren and Whetmore, a prominent New York architecture firm.

He received his bachelor's degree in Architecture from Columbia in 1927. He was hired first by the firm Block and Hess, developing the ornamentation for buildings, and then by the architect, Arthur Weiser. Lapidus's big break came when he began to work for Ross-Frankel, a firm that designed storefronts. He began to create distinctive, and very modern, storefronts, which used color and light to draw customers into the store. He also developed a number of characteristic forms known as "cheese holes," "woggles" and "bean poles," which he would continue to use throughout his career.

Lapidus worked for Ross-Frankel for 15 years, finally opening his own office during World War II. He continued to design store fronts until one of his clients introduced him to Ben Novak, who was building a hotel in Miami Beach called the Sans Souci. His work with Novak on the Sans Souci led to other commissions, and Lapidus quickly made a name for himself as the associate architect for a number of hotels in the area: the Nautilus, the DiLido, the Biltmore Terrace and the Algiers. His most famous individually-designed hotels were built during the 1950s, including the Fontainebleau and the Eden Roc. Lapidus used techniques learned in storefront and stage design to create dramatic public spaces that provided guests with a sense of adventure and escape.

In addition to hotels he worked on other public spaces, such as the 1960 redesign of Lincoln Road in Miami Beach, turning it into one of the nation's first pedestrian malls. He also built office buildings, private residences, and community and religious buildings, although they were a smaller percentage of his architectural output. Lapidus continued to enjoy a lucrative and international career in hotel design throughout the 1970s. He retired in 1983, at which time he destroyed most of his drawings.

Lapidus often found himself at odds with an architectural establishment that favored some version of Modernism. His reputation began to be resuscitated with An Architecture of Joy, a controversial exhibition of his work mounted by the Architectural League of New York in 1970. Beginning in 1994, he worked with architect, Deborah Desilets, who devoted herself to changing the critical perception of Lapidus's work. Both Lapidus and Desilets gave many lectures on his legacy, and together they designed furniture and a night club, Aura, at 613 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach, FL.

Lapidus married his wife, Beatrice Perlman, in 1929. The couple had two sons, Richard, a lawyer, and Alan who followed in his father's footsteps and became an architect. Morris Lapidus died at home after an accidental fall, on January 18, 2001 at the age of 98.

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Scope and Contents of the Collection

Spanning most of the twentieth century, the Morris Lapidus Papers comprise biographical material, correspondence, architectural work, writings and memorabilia of the Russian-born American architect, as well as a limited number of presentation drawings for several of his major projects. Documenting the development of Lapidus' philosophy of the "architecture of joy", the collection illuminates the career of this designer of retail stores, hotels and apartments.

Personal papers consists of a large number of family photographs and memorabilia, along with correspondence between Lapidus and his childhood friend, Manfred Lee (one half of the mystery-writing duo known as Ellery Queen), lists of books and records owned by Lapidus and some biographical publications/resumes.

Professional papers includes information on awards and honors that Lapidus received, exhibitions of his work, and photographs of most of his projects. This series also contains a very limited number of drawings for projects such as the Eden Roc, Americana and Fontainebleau Hotels. Correspondence mostly dates to later in Lapidus's career and relates to organizing lectures of his work. Much of the preparatory material for those lectures can also be found here.

Writings contains articles, books and essays (both fiction and architecture-related) written by Morris Lapidus. It also contains numerous newspaper and magazine articles about Lapidus and his work, in addition to a couple of thesis papers on Lapidus.

The final series is devoted to Deborah Desilets, a Florida architect and fashion designer who worked with Lapidus beginning in 1994. It is often difficult to distinguish between the output of Desilets and Lapidus during this time, especially as she often helped him to arrange and prepare lectures and developed his preliminary designs into more finished products. This series contains only material for which her authorship was clear, or which relates to projects wherein she was not working on Lapidus's behalf.

Note: Audiovisual items have been assigned unique ID numbers (lapidus_01, lapidus_02 and so on). Please reference these numbers when requesting these items.

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Restrictions

Access Restrictions

The majority of our archival and manuscript collections are housed offsite and require advanced notice for retrieval. Researchers are encouraged to contact us in advance concerning the collection material they wish to access for their research.

Access to computer media or recordings requires advance notice.

Use Restrictions

Written permission must be obtained from SCRC and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.

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Subject Headings

Persons

Desilets, Deborah.
Ibelings, Hans.
Lapidus, Morris.
Lee, Manfred B. (Manfred Bennington), 1905-1971.
Pelli, Cesar.
Queen, Ellery.
Risom, Jens.
Sanders, Joel.
Spear, Laurinda.
Tisch, Preston.
Wallace, Mike, 1918-2012.

Corporate Bodies

Architectural League of New York.
Columbia University.
Cooper-Hewitt Museum.
Florida International University.
Morris Lapidus Associates.
Morris Lapidus, Harle & Liebman.
Smithsonian Institution.

Subjects

Architect-designed furniture.
Architects -- United States.
Architectural design.
Architectural drawing -- United States -- 20th century.
Architectural firms.
Architectural practice.
Architecture -- Designs and plans.
Architecture -- Human factors.
Architecture -- Psychological aspects.
Architecture -- United States -- 20th century.
Architecture -- Vocational guidance.
Architecture, American.
Furniture designers.
Hotels -- Designs and plans.
Painting -- United States -- 20th century.
Russian Americans.
Stores, Retail -- Designs and plans.

Genres and Forms

Architectural drawings (visual works)
Articles.
Audiocassettes.
CD-ROMs.
Correspondence.
DVDs.
Essays.
Exhibition catalogs.
Interviews.
Lectures.
Photographs.
Scripts (documents)
Slides (photographs)
Sound recordings.
Speeches (documents)
VHS.

Occupations

Architects.

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Morris Lapidus Papers,
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

Gift of Morris Lapidus, 1970-1988.

Additional materials gift of Deborah Desilets, 2011.

Finding Aid Information

Created by: PRB
Date: Feb 1995
Revision history: 1 Jun 2005 - EAD file created (MRR); 12 Dec 2012 - Desilets contribution integrated (TMH); 24 Mar 2016 - corrections to boxes 11 and 12 (MRC); 26 Feb 2018 - media locations and descriptions updated (MRC); 18 Jul 2023 - Box 13-14 contents refoldered, descriptions updated (MRC); 13 Mar 2024 - Boxes 4 and 10 corrected (MRC)

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Inventory

Personal papers
Biographical material
Box 1 Biographical publications 1961-1994
Box 1 List of library books
Box 1 List of musical records
Box 1 Mailing list 1974 - ML/BL copy
Box 1 Resumes 1955-1974, undated
Correspondence
Box 1 Lee, Manfred B. (aka Ellery Queen) 1956-1961
Box 1 Miscellaneous 1956-2005, undated
Memorabilia
Oversize 9 Artifacts - art materials, mugs, sculpture, etc.
Oversize 10 Artifacts - art materials, hard hat, vase, etc.
Box 1 Biographical memorabilia 1922-1927, 2001, undated
Box 1 Book plates
Oversize 9 Books - includes Ellery Queen novel (signed), Vitruvius's Ten Books on Architecture and Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead
Box 1 Holiday cards 1971-1973, 2001
Oversize 3 Holiday cards 1971-1973 - oversize
Box 1 Hotel memorabilia
Oversize 3 Hotel memorabilia, oversize
Oversize 9 Hotel guestbooks
Box 2 Passports and driver's license, Beatrice Lapidus 1960-1987
Box 2 Passports, Morris Lapidus 1949-1999
Photographs
Box 2 Album, 1955 trip to Europe 1955
Box 2 Album, celebrities
Box 2 Album, childhood and family
Box 2 Album, Aura and miscellaneous portraits circa 1995
Box 2 Family (4 folders)
Box 3 House contents
Box 3 Morris Lapidus
Oversize 3 Photographs, oversize - mostly family photographs, includes one album of photographs with clients, architectural models, etc. (5 folders)
Box 3 Paintings
Box 3 Miscellaneous
Box 3 Miscellaneous photocopies of photographs
Box 3 Slides - trip to China
Box 3 Travel memorabilia
Travel videos
Box 28 Europe Mr. Lapidus - Home video of Morris and Beatrice Lapidus’s trip to Europe Liberty FF. Paris-France-Switzerland-Italy-Venice-Rome-Austria-Findland-Sweden-Norway-More! (VHS) (ID#: lapidus_01)
Box 28 Morris & Bea Travels (?) - Video from travels to Taipei, Phillippines, Singapore, Penang, Bangkok, Angkor Wat, Hong Kong, Salzburg, Bad Gastein, Oberammergau, Munich, Macoa, Hawaii (VHS) (ID#: lapidus_02)
Oversize 10 Morris and Bea Europe Trip - possibly a digital version of a VHS tape (lapidus_01) (DVD) (ID#: lapidus_17)
Oversize 10 Morris and Bea, Taipei, Malaysia, Hawaii Trip - possibly a digital version of a VHS tape (lapidus_02) (DVD) (ID#: lapidus_18)
Box 4 Writing supplies
Miscellaneous
Oversize 4 Artwork - matted, artist unclear; some are photocopies (4 folders)
Audiovisual materials
Audiovisual items have been assigned unique ID numbers (lapidus_01, lapidus_02 and so on). Please reference these numbers when requesting these items.
Oversize 10 A.S. Beck Beginning - Cass 1 Side 1 (DVD) (ID#: lapidus_44)
Oversize 10 [Untitled - A.S. Beck?] - Cass 1 Side 2 (DVD) (ID#: lapidus_45)
Oversize 10 [Untitled - A.S. Beck?] - Cass 2 Side 1 (DVD) (ID#: lapidus_46)
Oversize 10 [Untitled - A.S. Beck?] - Cass 2 Side 2 (DVD) (ID#: lapidus_47)
Oversize 10 [Untitled - A.S. Beck?] - Cass 3 Side 1 (DVD) (ID#: lapidus_48)
Oversize 10 [Untitled - A.S. Beck?] - Cass 3, Side 2 (DVD) (ID#: lapidus_49)
Oversize 10 [Untitled - A.S. Beck?] - Cass 4, Side 1 (DVD) (ID#: lapidus_50)
Oversize 10 [Untitled - A.S. Beck?] - Cass 4, Side 2 (DVD) (ID#: lapidus_51)
Oversize 10 [Untitled - A.S. Beck?] - Cass 5, Sides 1 and 2 (DVD) (ID#: lapidus_52)
Oversize 10 [Untitled - A.S. Beck?] - Cass 6, Side 1 (DVD) (ID#: lapidus_53)
Oversize 10 [Untitled - A.S. Beck?] - Cass 6, Side 2 (DVD) (ID#: lapidus_54)
Oversize 10 [Untitled - A.S. Beck?] - Cass 7, Side 1 (DVD) (ID#: lapidus_55)
Oversize 10 [Untitled - A.S. Beck?] - Cass 7, Side 2 (DVD) (ID#: lapidus_56)
Oversize 10 [Untitled - A.S. Beck?] - Cass 8, Side 1 (or A) (DVD) (ID#: lapidus_57)
Oversize 10 [Untitled - A.S. Beck?] - Cass 8, Side 2 (or B) (DVD) (ID#: lapidus_58)
Oversize 10 [Untitled - A.S. Beck?] - Cass 9, Sides 1 and 2 (DVD) (ID#: lapidus_59)
Oversize 10 [Untitled - A.S. Beck?] - Cass 10, Side 1 (or A) (DVD) (ID#: lapidus_60)
Oversize 10 [Untitled - A.S. Beck?] - Cass 10, Side 1 (or A) (DVD) (ID#: lapidus_61)
Oversize 10 [Untitled - A.S. Beck?] - Cass 10, Side 2 (or B) (DVD) (ID#: lapidus_62)
Oversize 10 [Untitled - A.S. Beck?] - Cass 11, Sides 1 and 2 (or A and B) (DVD) (ID#: lapidus_63)
Oversize 10 [Untitled - A.S. Beck?] - Cass 12, Side 1 (or A) (DVD) (ID#: lapidus_64)
Oversize 10 [Untitled - A.S. Beck?] - Cass 12, Side 2 (or B) (DVD) (ID#: lapidus_65)
Oversize 10 [Untitled - A.S. Beck?] - Cass 13, Side 1 (or A) (DVD) (ID#: lapidus_66)
Oversize 10 [Untitled - A.S. Beck?] - Cass 13, Side 2 (or B) (DVD) (ID#: lapidus_67)
Oversize 10 Eiber (DVD) (ID#: lapidus_34)
Oversize 10 Florida Moving Image Archive - MiMo Bus Tour WC11143; Boxing TVS0361; Glamour WC08329 (DVD) (ID#: lapidus_35)
Oversize 10 Florida Moving Images Archive # WCO64SO; Miami Mendini 03/15/1999 (DVD) (ID#: lapidus_28)
Oversize 10 Morris Lapidus Master (8 mm Hi8 Video) (ID#: lapidus_16)
Oversize 10 Morris Lapidus Washington Deborah - L.R. (DVD) (ID#: lapidus_40)
Box 28 Miami Mendini 03/15/1999 (VHS; running time 23 min) (ID#: lapidus_09)
Oversize 10 Sunrise Assisted Living, Intro into the Victorian Sunrise - possibly a digital version of a VHS tape (lapidus_14) (DVD) (ID#: lapidus_42)
Box 28 Travels with Harry - Show #12 (VHS) (ID#: lapidus_14)
Oversize 10 Travels with Harry #12 - DVD, digitized version of lapidus_14 VHS tape (DVD) (ID#: lapidus_43)
Oversize 10 Various programs - Miami Ad School-Student Reel; FL Moving Image WC11156; Miami Miami, Schöne; Sitten in Sobe, Claus Kleber (DVD) (ID#: lapidus_36)
Box 28 [Untitled] (VHS) (ID#: lapidus_15)
Box 4 Miscellaneous - includes symposium announcements, Spanish language exercises, etc. (2 folders)
Oversize 4 Miscellaneous - includes lecture announcement and journal cover; matted (2 folders)
Professional papers
Awards and honors
Oversize 3 American Institute of Architects 1944 - membership certificate
Oversize 3 American Institute of Architects, Miami Chapter 2000 - Hall of Fame for Design
Oversize 3 American Jewish Literary Foundation 1960 - citation
Oversize 3 Columbia University 1927 - bachelor of architecture degree
Box 4 Cooper-Hewitt Museum 2000 - National Design Award
Box 4 Florida International University 1998 - honorary degree
Box 4 Legion of Honor 1988
Box 4 Library of Congress 1973 - certificate of honor
Box 4 National Council of Architectural Registration Boards 1945 - license
Box 4 New School of Architecture - certificate of appreciation
Oversize 3 State of Florida 1946 - certification
Box 4 State of Florida 1997 - commendation
Oversize 3 State of New York 1930 - certification
Oversize 3 Temple Emanu-El 1964 - certificate
Box 4 Test of Time award 1987 - entry materials
Box 4 A tribute to Morris Lapidus / Gateway dedication 1999-2005
Correspondence
Box 4 Inventory of correspondence - includes personal and professional correspondence
Box 4 American Institute of Architects, Florida 1991
Box 4 Architectural League of New York 1996
Box 4 Berens, Carol 1994
Box 4 Blair, Gwenda 1990-1998
Box 4 Brooklyn Museum of Art 2000
Box 4 Columbia University 1986-2000, undated
Box 4 Cooper-Hewitt Museum 2000-2001
Box 4 Design and Architecture Senior High School, Miami 1998
Box 4 Florida International University 1997-2001
Box 4 Georgia Institute of Technology 2000
Box 4 Harvard University, Graduate School of Design 1996-2000
Box 4 Ibelings, Hans 1991-1997
Box 4 Jewish Museum of Florida
Box 4 Kalemeris, James 2000-2001
Box 4 Louisiana Tech University 1997-2001
Box 5 Miodrag, Mitrasinovic 1996
Box 5 National Building Museum 1996
Box 5 Ohio State University, Austin E. Knowlton School of Architecture 1998
Box 5 Pelli, Cesar 1997
Box 5 Risom, Jens 2000-2004
Box 5 Rizzoli International Publications 1995-1996
Box 5 Roots Toronto 1997
Box 5 Sanders, Joel 1995
Box 5 Smithsonian Institution 2000, undated
Box 5 Soeters, Sjoerd 1992-1995
Box 5 Spear, Laurinda 1992-1993
Box 5 Stuart, John 1994-1995
Box 5 Syracuse University 1966-1996
Box 5 Tisch, Preston 2000
Box 5 University of Texas at Austin, School of Architecture 1997-2002
Box 5 Wood & Zapata 1997
Box 5 Miscellaneous 1946-1949
Box 5 Miscellaneous 1950-1953
Box 5 Miscellaneous 1962-1966
Box 5 Miscellaneous 1983-1989
Box 5 Miscellaneous 1990-1995
Box 5 Miscellaneous 1996-1999
Box 5 Miscellaneous 2000
Box 6 Miscellaneous 2001-2002
Box 4 Letters/scan of letters (CD) (ID#: lapidus_68)
Exhibitions
Box 6 40 Years of Art and Architecture: Morris Lapidus (University of Miami, Joe & Emily Lowe Art Gallery) 1967
Oversize 3 40 Years of Art and Architecture: Morris Lapidus (University of Miami, Joe & Emily Lowe Art Gallery) 1967 - exhibition handouts
Box 6 An Architecture of Joy (The Architectural League of New York) 1970
Oversize 3 An Architecture of Joy (The Architectural League of New York) 1970 - exhibition handout, original newsprints version and photocopy
Box 6 Forum Design (Hochschule für künsterlische und industrielle Gestaltung in Linz) 1980
Box 6 Happiness and delight: De architectuur van Morris Lapidus (Nederlands Architectuurinstituut) 1992
Box 6 Morris Lapidus: Mid-Century Modernist (California State University in Long Beach, University Art Museum) 1997
Oversize 3 Morris Lapidus: Mid-Century Modernist (California State University in Long Beach, University Art Museum) 1997 - framed exhibition announcements
Box 6 Morris Lapidus Paintings (Lowe Levinson Gallery)
Box 6 A Quest for Emotion + Motion in Architecture (Art Center South Florida) 2010
Interviews
Audiovisual items have been assigned unique ID numbers (lapidus_01, lapidus_02 and so on). Please reference these numbers when requesting these items.
Box 6 Mike Wallace 1961 - transcript from the television program P.M. East
Box 28 House of Style #27, Paris Edition 1993 (VHS) (ID#: lapidus_03)
Oversize 10 House of Style #27, Paris Edition 1993 (1) 1993 - possibly a digital version of a VHS tape (lapidus_03) (DVD) (ID#: lapidus_19)
Oversize 10 House of Style #27, Paris Edition 1993 (2) 1993 - possibly a digital version of a VHS tape (lapidus_03) (DVD) (ID#: lapidus_20)
Box 6 Abramovitz, Ingrid (House & Garden) April 29, 1998
Box 28 Live Wire TV, “Morris Lapidus” 07/22/1998 (VHS) (ID#: lapidus_08)
Oversize 10 Live Wire TV #30 07/22/1998 - possibly a digital version of a VHS tape (lapidus_08) (DVD) (ID#: lapidus_26)
Oversize 10 Morris Lapidus [interview] 11/18/1998 (DVD) (ID#: lapidus_27)
Oversize 10 M. L. CNN Report 07/11/2000 (DVD) (ID#: lapidus_29)
Box 28 Charlie Rose: Morris Lapidus 11/23/2000 - interview with Morris Lapidus (VHS) (ID#: lapidus_10)
Oversize 10 Charlie Rose Interview 11/23/2000 - interview with Morris Lapidus; possibly a digital version of a VHS tape (lapidus_10) (DVD) (ID#: lapidus_30)
Box 28 Morris Lapidus with Mark Hurt 02/04/2001 (VHS) (ID#: lapidus_11)
Oversize 10 Morris Lapidus Mark Hurt 02/04/2001 (DVD) (ID#: lapidus_31)
Box 6 Cohen, Gary article on Meyer Lansky for which Morris was interviewed
Oversize 10 Morris Lapidus Join us at the Bass, Parts 5, 6, 7, 8 - program at the Bass Museum of Art; possibly a digital version of a VHS tape (lapidus_12) (DVD) (ID#: lapidus_37)
Box 6 Klotz & Cook
Box 28 Join Us at the Bass, Part 5, 6, 7, 8 - program at the Bass Museum of Art (VHS) (ID#: lapidus_12)
Oversize 10 CBS Sunday, Morris Lapidus Passage (DVD) (ID#: lapidus_32)
Oversize 10 CBS Sunday, Morris Lapidus Passage (DVD) (ID#: lapidus_33)
Oversize 10 Open to the Public Show 48 (DVD) (ID#: lapidus_39)
Box 28 Pride of Place - Robert A. M. Stern interviews Morris Lapidus (VHS) (ID#: lapidus_13)
Oversize 10 Price of Place, Robert Stern - Robert A. M. Stern interviews Morris Lapidus; possibly a digital version of a VHS tape (lapidus_13) (DVD) (ID#: lapidus_41)
Box 6 Unidentified interview - partial transcript of taped conversation
Lectures
Box 6 Allmann Award acceptance speech 1963
Box 6 Ancient Civilizations
Box 7 Ancient Civilizations
Box 7 Announcements 1992-1997, undated
Oversize 4 "The Architects of Miami Beach" [1998] - signed poster
Box 7 "Beyond Walls" (Massachusetts Institute of Technology / San Diego)
Box 7 "The Dynamics of Restaurant Design" 1959
Box 7 "The Edges of Architecture" 1997
Box 7 "Fifty Years as an Architect" (Winterend Lecture, University of Washington) 1980 - includes slides
Box 7 GDCI luncheon lecture 1961
Box 7 "Hotel Design & Merchandising" (Seminar at Cornell University, School of Hotel Administration)
Box 12 Lincoln Road for AIA Welcome from Morris Lapidus Archive 02/26/2010 (CD) (ID#: lapidus_71)
Oversize 4 "Morris Lapidus" 1997 - poster
Box 28 Morris Lapidus Day, Dash Media Center 04/16/1998 (VHS) (ID#: lapidus_07)
Oversize 10 Morris Lapidus Day, Dash Media Center 04/16/1998 - possibly a digital version of a VHS tape (lapidus_07) (DVD) (ID#: lapidus_25)
Oversize 4 "Morris Lapidus in Miami Beach" - program
Oversize 10 "Off Color," Al Eiber House Jul 1997 (DVD) (ID#: lapidus_23)
Oversize 10 "Off Color," Al Eiber House Jul 1997 (DVD) (ID#: lapidus_24)
Oversize 4 "Pressing Style" 1997 - posters
Box 7 Young Architects' Forum keynote address 1992
Box 28 Morris Lapidus Lecture, FAMU SOA Spring Lecture Series March 24, 1997 - Morris Lapidus Lecture given at the Florida A & M University School of Architecture (VHS) (ID#: lapidus_06)
Oversize 10 FAMU SOA Spring Lecture Series March 24, 1997 - Morris Lapidus Lecture given at the Florida A & M University School of Architecture; possibly a digital version of a VHS tape (lapidus_06) (DVD) (ID#: lapidus_22)
Box 28 Harvard 1994 Short Clips Lecture 1994 (VHS) (ID#: lapidus_04)
Box 28 Harvard Lecture, VTM, Morris Lapidus 1994 (VHS) (ID#: lapidus_05)
Oversize 10 Morris Lapidus Lecture Harvard 1994 - 1994 lecture given by Morris Lapidus at Harvard University; possibly a digital version of a VHS tape (lapidus_05) (DVD) (ID#: lapidus_21)
Oversize 10 Morris Lapidus Lecture (DVD) (ID#: lapidus_38)
Box 7 Miscellaneous lecture notes
Office records
Box 7 Deed of gift to Bass Museum of Art 1996
Box 7 Lecture arrangements 1997-1999, undated
Box 7 Letterhead
Box 7 Memorable quotes - about or by Lapidus
Box 7 Office brochures (2 folders)
Box 8 Office brochures mock-ups
Box 8 Press releases 1950-1995, undated
Box 8 Staff - list of office alumni
Projects
Box 8 Lists of work (3 folders)
Box 8 17 Battery Place, office building (New York, New York) - black and white photograph
Box 8 18th Street building (Washington, DC) 1966 - black and white photograph
Box 8 555 Madison Avenue (New York, New York) 1957 - black and white photograph
Box 8 Ainsley building (Miami, Florida) 1951, undated - black and white photographs
Box 8 Aldine Paper Company - black and white photograph
Box 8 Alix of Miami (Miami, Florida) - black and white photograph
Box 8 Algiers Hotel (Miami Beach, Florida) - photocopy
Americana Hotel (Bar Harbour, Florida)
Oversize 7 Drawings - includes floor and site plans (one has a color photograph of the model attached)
Box 8 Photographs - black and white and color
Americana Hotel (New York, New York)
Oversize 7 Drawings - floor plans
Box 9 Photographs - black and white and color
Americana Hotel (San Juan, Puerto Rico)
Oversize 7 Drawings - includes site and floor plans
Box 9 Photographs - black and white
Oversize 5 Andros Island / Inter-Bahamas Clubdominium (Bahamas) - color photographs of renderings
Box 9 Ansonia store (Miami Beach, Florida) - black and white photographs and photocopy
Arawak Hotel (Jamaica)
Oversize 7 Drawings - floor plans (one has a black and white photograph attached)
Box 9 Photographs - black and white with one color photograph of drawing
Box 9 Arlen Beach Hotel (Miami Beach, Florida) - black and white photographs
Box 9 Armstrong's showroom 1933 - black and white photograph
Box 9 Aura (Miami, Florida) 1999, undated - color photographs and press materials
Aruba Caribbean Hotel (Aruba)
Oversize 7 Drawings - includes perspective view, site plan and floor plans
Box 9 Photographs - black and white, includes some transparencies and photocopies
Oversize 5 Photographs - oversize black and white
Box 9 Aventura Hotel (North Miami, Florida) circa 1969 - black and white photograph
Box 9 Barton's Candy Shop - black and white photographs and photocopy
Box 9 Beaunit Mills (New York, New York) - black and white photograph
Box 9 Beck Shoes - black and white photographs and photocopy
Box 9 Bedford-Stuyvesant pool (Brooklyn, New York) - black and white and color photographs
Box 9 The Beehive (Catchogue, New York) 1955, undated - black and white photographs
Box 9 Bender's office building (Washington, DC) - black and white photograph of rendering
Box 9 Biscayne office building (Miami, Florida) - color photographs
Box 9 Blair Towers (Baltimore, Maryland) 1959 - black and white photographs
Oversize 7 Boatel (New Port Richey, Florida) - drawings include site plan, floor plans and elevations
Box 9 Bon Bini (St. Martin, Virgin Islands) - black and white photograph
Box 9 Bond store 1947-1949, undated - black and white photographs
Box 9 Bond store (Chicago, Illinois) - black and white and color photographs
Box 9 Bond store (Cincinnati, Ohio) - black and white photographs
Box 9 Bond store (New York, New York) 1948, undated - black and white and color photographs
Box 9 Bostonian Shoes (Chicago, Illinois) 1940, undated - black and white photographs
Box 9 Broadway Maintenance (New York, New York) 1948 - black and white photograph
Causeway Motel (Tampa, Florida)
Oversize 7 Drawings - floor plans
Box 9 Photographs 1960, undated - black and white
Box 9 Chalk House (Washington, DC) 1966, undated - black and white photographs
Chicopee Hotel (Chicopee, Massachusetts)
Oversize 7 Drawing - master plan
Box 9 Photographs - black and white photographs
Box 9 Citizens' Federal (Miami, Florida) 1974, 1980, undated - black and white and color photographs
Box 9 Colonial Plaza Motel (Orlando, Florida) - black and white photographs
Box 9 Concord Hotel (Kraniesha Lake, New York) - black and white photographs
Box 9 Concordia Gardens (Puerto Rico) - black and white photograph
Box 9 El Conquistador Hotel (Fajardo, Puerto Rico) 1970 - black and white and color photographs, photocopy
Box 9 Continental restaurant (Paramus, New Jersey) 1957, undated - black and white photographs
Box 9 Crescent Park (East Orange, New Jersey) 1966, undated - black and white photographs
Box 9 Crystal House (Miami Beach, Florida) 1960-1962, undated - black and white photographs and color photograph of rendering
Box 9 Crystal Motors (Brooklyn, New York) 1948 - black and white photograph
Box 9 Cuff links - auctioneer's catalogue featuring cuff links designed by Lapidus
Box 9 Dade office building - color photograph of rendering
Box 10 Daniel Tower Hotel (Hertselea, Israel) - black and white and color photographs
Box 10 Development homes T. Huntington - black and white photograph
Box 10 Dilido Hotel (Miami Beach, Florida) - black and white photographs and photocopies
Distilled Spirits Institute, 1939 New York World's Fair (New York, New York)
Box 10 Photographs 1939 - black and white
Oversize 5 Photographs 1939 - oversize black and white photograph of model
Box 10 The Dorchester (Boca Raton, Florida) - black and white photographs of renderings
Box 10 Doubleday Doran Book Shops 1932 - black and white photograph
Box 10 Douglas Shoe Company - black and white photographs
Box 10 Dutch Inn (Atlanta, Georgia) - color photograph of rendering
Box 10 E Street office building (Washington, DC) 1966 - black and white photographs
Eden Roc Hotel (Miami Beach, Florida)
Oversize 5 Color renderings
Oversize 7 Drawings - floor plans, includes black and white photograph of Harry's bar
Box 10 Photographs 1954-1955, undated - black and white and color, includes transparencies and photographs of renderings
Box 10 Edward's Shoes (Washington, DC) 1949 - color photograph
Box 10 Executive House apartment hotel (Chicago, Illinois) - black and white photographs
Box 10 Eymer and Amand 1934 - black and white photograph
Box 10 Fairfield Towers (Brooklyn, New York) 1966 - black and white photographs
Box 10 Fairview Country Club (Greenwich, Connecticut) 1968 - black and white photograph
Finn / Eiber residence
Box 10 E. B. A.I.A. Eiber House 1960 [photographs] (CD) (ID#: lapidus_69)
Oversize 5 Photographs - oversize black and white of drawings
Box 10 Florsheim Shoes circa 1932 - black and white photographs
Oversize 7 Fortuna Beach Hotel (Fajardo, Puerto Rico) - photostats of drawings include aerial perspective, site plans and floor plans
Fontainebleau hotel (Miami Beach, Florida)
Oversize 7 Drawings - includes floor plans and perspective sketch
Box 10 Photographs - black and white and color, includes black and white photographs of renderings and photocopies; includes "Test of Time" award entry form and 3 CDs with digital photos (3 folders)
Box 10 Forsythe Shoes 1929 - black and white photographs
Box 10 Furniture designs - sketches, computer printouts, etc.
Box 11 Furniture promotional materials (2 folders)
Box 11 G Street office building (Washington, DC) circa 1963 - black and white photograph
Box 11 George and Lester's clothing store - black and white photograph
Box 11 Golden Triangle Hotel (Norfolk, Virginia) - black and white photographs
Box 11 Gombe Hotel (Nigeria) - color photograph of rendering
Box 11 Gussman Olympic Theater (Miami, Florida) - color photograph
Box 11 Hamilton House apartment (Miami, Florida) - black and white photographs
Box 11 Harbour Court Marina (N. Miami Beach, Florida) - color photograph of rendering
Box 11 Hartley's (Miami, Florida) - black and white photograph
Box 11 Hebrew Academy (Miami Beach, Florida) 1927 - black and white photograph
Box 11 Herbert's - black and white photographs
Box 11 Hewlett Jewish Center (East Rockaway, New York) - black and white photographs
Box 11 Hilton Hotel (Macon, Georgia) 1939 - black and white photographs
Box 11 Hoffritz for Cutlery - black and white photograph
Oversize 5 Holiday Springs Village (Margate, Florida) - color photograph of rendering
Box 11 Holly (Loredo, Texas) - black and white photograph
Box 11 The Hollywood (West End, New Jersey) - black and white photograph
Box 11 Hotel Continental (Ecuador) - black and white photographs of model
Box 11 Howard Johnson's Motor Lodge (New York, New York) - black and white photographs
Indies House (Duck Key, Florida)
Oversize 7 Drawings - drawings include site and floor plans
Box 11 Photographs 1959, undated - black and white
Box 11 Interama - black and white and color photographs of renderings, transparency; possibly the same as the International Trade Center for Miami
Oversize 7 Interkontinentaler Flughafen Hotel (Zürich, Switzerland) - drawings include site plan, floor plans, elevations and interior perspectives
International Inn (Tampa, Florida)
Oversize 7 Drawings - includes floor plans and perspective
Box 11 Photographs - black and white
International Inn (Washington, DC)
Oversize 7 Drawings - includes elevations and floor plans
Box 11 Photographs - black and white
Oversize 8 International Trade Center for Miami (Miami, Florida) - site plans and photostats of elevation; possibly the same as Interama
Box 11 Jacksonville Sky Center (Jacksonville, Florida) - black and white photographs
Box 11 Jewish Federation office building (Miami, Florida) - black and white photographs and black and white photograph of rendering
Box 11 John Forsythe - black and white photographs
Box 11 Kay Jewelers 1938, 1943 - black and white photographs
Box 11 The Kensington (Pompano Beach, Florida) - black and white photograph of rendering
Box 11 Lapidus apartment (8th Street) 1940 - black and white photographs
Box 11 Lapidus apartment (Miami, Florida) - black and white and color photographs
Box 11 Lapidus office (Miami Beach, Florida) - color photographs
Box 11 Lapidus office (New York, New York) 1929, 1945, undated - black and white photographs
Box 11 Lauderdale Seasons (Ft. Lauderdale, Florida) - black and white photograph of rendering
Lincoln Road Mall (Miami Beach, Florida)
See also Lincoln Road Mall redesign for related projects by other architects.
Box 12 Photographs 1959-1960, undated - black and white, includes some photocopies and notes
Box 12 Preservation materials 1971-1994, undated
Box 12 Loew's Midtown Motor Inn (New York, New York) - black and white photographs
Box 12 London Character Shoes - black and white and color photographs
Box 12 Maisel restaurant (Sunny Isles, Florida) - black and white photographs
Box 12 Mangel's clothing store - black and white photographs and photocopy
Box 12 Martin's department store (Brooklyn, New York) 1943-1944, undated - black and white and color photographs and photocopy
Box 12 Medical Care Center (St. Petersburg, Florida) - black and white photograph of rendering
Box 12 Meridian office building 1960 - black and white photograph
Oversize 5 Miami Beach - aerial color photograph includes some Lapidus hotels
Oversize 5 Miami Beach Fire Station (Miami Beach, Florida) - black and white photographs
Box 12 Miami Beach Topa (Miami Beach, Florida) - color photograph
Box 12 Musicians' Club of America (Coral Gables, Florida) - color photograph of rendering
Box 12 Namm's (The Elm Club) (West End, New Jersey) - black and white photograph
Box 12 Nurse's residence, New York Convalescent Home (Brooklyn, New York) - black and white photograph
Box 12 Nyack, The Sorrento hotel (Miami Beach, Florida) - black and white photograph
Box 12 Oceanside Plaza (Miami Beach, Florida) - black and white photograph
Box 12 Olympic building (New York, New York) 1970 - black and white photograph
Box 12 Orlando Hotel (Orlando, Florida) - black and white photograph of rendering
Box 12 Palm Beach Gardens (Palm Beach, Florida) - black and white photograph of rendering
Box 12 Paradise Island Hotel (Nassua, Bahamas) - black and white and color photographs and color photograph of rendering
Box 12 Parisian Bootery 1928 - black and white photograph
Box 12 Parker Tower (Hollandale, Florida) - black and white photographs and black and white photograph of rendering
Box 12 Peach Tree Battle Towers (Atlanta, Georgia) - black and white photograph of rendering
Box 12 Plaza 32 (Miami Beach, Florida) - black and white photograph of rendering
Oversize 7 Ponce de Leon Hotel (San Juan, Puerto Rico) - photostats of elevations and floor plans, map of Puerto Rico
Box 12 Pool and recreation building (Brooklyn, New York) - color photograph
Box 12 Postman's glove and handbag store 1941 - black and white photograph
Box 12 Presidential Towers (New York, New York) - black and white photographs
Box 12 Rainbow Shop 1942 - black and white photographs
Box 12 Ray's Dresses - black and white photograph
Box 12 Regal Shoes 1931 - black and white photograph
Box 12 Regency Towers (Miami Beach, Florida) - black and white photographs
Box 12 Rivergate Plaza (Miami, Florida) - color photographs and black and white and color photographs of renderings
Oversize 5 Riverside Elementary School (Miami, Florida) - color photograph of rendering
Box 12 Rock-A-Bye shop - black and white photograph and photocopy
Box 12 Roots Store (Toronto, Canada) - color photographs, photocopies, working drawings
Box 12 Royal Coast Condominium (Pompano Beach, Florida) - black and white photographs
Box 12 Royal Embassy (Miami Beach, Florida) - black and white photographs
Box 12 Sach's (Bronx, New York) - black and white photographs
Box 12 El San Juan Hotel (Puerto Rico) - black and white photograph
Box 12 Sans Souci Hotel (Miami Beach, Florida) 1949, undated - black and white and color photographs and photocopy
Box 12 Schine Center (Los Angeles, California) 1959 - black and white photograph of rendering
Box 12 Seacoast Towers (Miami Beach, Florida) - black and white and color photographs, black and white photographs of models and drawings, transparency and article
Box 12 Seagram's offices (New York, New York) 1934 - black and white photograph
Box 12 Shaare Zion (Brooklyn, New York) - black and white photograph
Box 12 Shadow Mountain (West Virginia) - color photograph of rendering, possibly of resort buildings
Sheraton Motor Inn (New York, New York)
Box 12 Photographs 1959-1970, undated - black and white and photocopy
Oversize 7 Photostats - floor plans
Box 13 Sherman Box Tie (New York, New York) 1946 - black and white photograph
Box 13 Skyline Motor Inn (Washington, DC) - black and white photographs
Box 13 Slatkin's Furs (Brooklyn, New York) - black and white photograph
Oversize 7 Sterling Forest Hotel (Tuxedo Park, New York) - drawings include site plan, elevation and floor plan
Box 13 South Shore Community Center (Miami Beach, Florida) - black and white and color photographs, black and white photographs of model
Summit Hotel (New York, New York)
Box 13 Photographs 1960, undated - mostly black and white, includes color photograph of rendering and photocopy
Oversize 7 Photostats - floor plans
Box 13 Preservation materials 2004-2007, undated
Box 13 Surfside apartments - black and white photograph
Oversize 7 Swiss Air Hotel (Zürich, Switzerland) - drawings include perspective, site plan and floor plans
Box 13 Temple Beth-El - black and white photograph
Box 13 Temple Beth Tfiloh (Baltimore, Maryland) - black and white photographs of renderings
Box 13 Temple Judea (Temple Israel?) (Miami, Florida) - black and white photograph
Box 13 Terrace Towers (Miami, Florida) - black and white photographs and black and white photograph of rendering
Box 13 Toy Center of the U.S.A. (New York, New York) - black and white photographs
Trelawny Beach Hotel (Jamaica)
Box 13 Photographs - black and white and color
Oversize 5 Photographs - oversize color photographs of renderings
Box 13 Trump Village (Brooklyn, New York) 1966 - black and white photographs, transparencies, and photocopies
Box 13 University of Miami, Gussman Concert Hall (Miami, Florida) - black and white and color photographs, color photographs of renderings and photocopy
Oversize 5 University of Miami, School of Business Administration (Miami, Florida) - perspective drawings
Box 13 Uriss Hilton (New York, New York) 1960 - black and white of rendering
Box 13 Variety Children's Hospital (Miami, Florida) - black and white and color photographs
Box 13 Vermont & K. Street office building (Washington, DC) - black and white photographs
Box 13 Victoria Plaza (Miami Beach, Florida) - black and white photograph
Box 13 Villa Fontana - color photographs and negatives
Box 13 Voyager Motel - black and white photograph
Box 13 Wallach's clothing store - black and white photographs
Box 13 Wally Frank Ltd. - black and white photograph
Oversize 4 Watch designs - 2 sketches with matting
Box 13 Weeghman's restaurant (New York, New York) 1933 - black and white photograph
Box 13 Wise Shoe - black and white photograph
Box 13 Woods of Lauderdale development (Ft. Lauderdale, Florida) - color photograph of rendering
Oversize 5 Unidentified bar - pencil drawing on tracing paper
Oversize 5 Unidentified projects (possibly by Deborah Desilets) - notes and sketch of floor plan on mailing envelope
Miscellaneous
Oversize 8 Artwork 1974, 1991, 2000, undated - drawing of "The Faces of Israel," paintings and lithograph (?) plates (2 folders)
Oversize 5 Dinnerware - color photographs (unclear whether it was designed by Lapidus)
Oversize 8 Drawings
Box 13 Friedman Scans from Morris Lapidus Collection 02/25/2004 (CD) (ID#: lapidus_70)
Box 13 Negatives (2 folders)
Box 13 Permits 1949-1955
Box 13 Photocopies
Box 14 Photocopies
Box 14 Photographs - black and white, includes photographs of renderings, color transparency, and photocopies (2 folders)
Oversize 5 Sketchbook
Oversize 4 Sketches (2 folders)
Oversize 5 Sketches
Oversize 8 Sketches 81 items
Box 14 Slide set - 95 slides with accompanying list of titles and descriptions, including an introduction by Lapidus
Box 14 Slide lists (1) - miscellaneous lists, including a copy of the slide set list (see above)
Box 14 Slide lists (2) - detailed list with descriptions, spanning the years 1926-1992 (3 folders)
Box 14 Slide lists (3) - detailed list with descriptions, spanning the years 1926-1992 (4 folders)
Box 15 Slides (5 folders)
Box 16 Slides (4 folders)
Oversize 5 Watercolor
Projects by other architects
Lincoln Road Mall redesign
See also Lincoln Road Mall for materials related to Lapidus's original design.
Box 16 Bermello & Associates 1992
Box 17 Descam 1992
Box 17 Duany & Plater-Zyberk 1992
Box 17 Geddes Brecher Qualls Cunningham 1992
Box 17 Harries / Héder Collaborative 1992
Box 17 J. P. Friedman & Associates 1992
Box 17 Lincoln Road Design Team 1992
Box 18 Project for Public Spaces 1992
Box 18 Raquel Ramati & Associates 1992
Box 18 Robert A. M. Stern Associates 1992
Box 18 Roma Design Group 1992
Box 19 Stair, Wilson A., Jr.
Box 18 Strategic Planning Group 1992
Box 19 Thompson & Wood, et al. 1994 - master plan report
Box 19 UDA Architects, et al. 1992
Box 19 Miscellaneous designs 2008, undated
Oversize 8 Spear residence - working drawings 1-5, A-1 toA-9, S-1 to S-5 and topographical survey
Box 19 St. Regis hotel 2005, undated
Box 19 Tallahassee Planned Unit Development 1977, 2002
Box 19 Miscellaneous - slides
Writings
Box 20 Bibliographies
By Lapidus
Articles
Box 20 Published 1944-1964, 2003, undated
Box 20 Unpublished 1933-1967, undated (3 folders)
Box 20 Biographical essays (2 folders)
Box 21 Biographical essays (2 folders)
Books
An Architect and the American Dream
Box 21 Epilogue
Box 21 Manuscript (2 folders)
Box 22 Architectural Practice and the Business of Architecture
Box 22 An Architecture of Joy (2 folders)
Fontainebleau Saga
Box 22 Manuscripts (2 folders)
Box 22 Transcripts of tapes
Lilith and the Rabbi
Box 23 Excerpts
Box 23 Manuscripts (2 folders)
Box 23 Publicity
Lectures
Transcripts and videos of lectures can be found under the professional papers series.
Box 23 Plays 1951-1964, undated
Box 23 Miscellaneous
On Lapidus
Books
Box 24 Excerpts
Box 24 Miami and its Beaches
Box 24 Publicity
Box 24 Brochures 2004, undated - published by the Greater Miami Convention & Vistors' Bureau
Box 24 Magazine articles 1960-1997 (4 folders)
Box 25 Magazine articles 1998-January 2002 (6 folders)
Box 26 Magazine articles December 2004-January 2009 (5 folders)
Box 27 Magazine articles February 2009-December 2010, undated (4 folders)
Oversize 1 Magazine articles, oversize 1962-2000
Oversize 1 Newspaper articles, oversize 1963-1997 (2 folders)
Oversize 2 Newspaper articles, oversize 1997-2010, undated (3 folders)
Box 27 Newspaper articles, photocopies
Theses
Box 27 "Morris Lapidus: Architecture as Intentional Nonsense" - John Cook
Box 27 "The Upright Jive of Morris Lapidus" 1994 - Daniel Tashman
On other architects
Box 29 Magazine articles 1994-2002, undated (2 folders)
Oversize 2 Newspaper clippings (2 folders)
Deborah Desilets
Professional Papers
Box 29 Calendars 1995-2000 - includes many appointments with Lapidus (2 folders)
Box 29 Correspondence 1980-2008
Box 29 Hertz, Hal - note attached reads "copies for DD"
Box 29 Lapidus Foundation proposal
Box 29 Lapidus music CD
Box 29 Lapidus video proposals 1997
Box 29 Publicity 1996-2001, undated
Box 29 Publicity compilations on Lapidus - contains notes and articles on Lapidus and his career (1 folder)
Box 30 Publicity compilations on Lapidus - contains notes and articles on Lapidus and his career (2 folders)
Box 30 Resumes
Box 30 Miscellaneous
Writings
Books
Box 30 An Architecture of Joy 2010 - partial galley copy (essay), annotated, and publicity for book
Oversize 6 An Architecture of Joy - partial galley copy (photographs), annotated
Oversize 6 The Ritz-Carlton South Beach - galley copy, annotated
Lectures
Box 30 Georgia Tech lecture
Box 30 "Pressing Style" 1997, 2003 - in collaboration with Deborah Desilets
Box 30 Unidentified lecture 2006
Box 30 Play - "The Shiksa & the Altacaca" 2001
Box 30 Miscellaneous
Miscellaneous
Oversize 10 Charlie Rose name badges
Box 31 Furniture notebook
Oversize 6 Galley of untitled book on Herman Miller - annotated
Box 31 Knoll Design Symposium booklet 1999 - annotated by Desilets
Box 30 Notes and clippings (2 folders)
Notes on dredging and man-made islands
Box 30 Papers
Box 30 7 Lamps Lapidus, Dredging VO (CD) (ID#: lapidus_73)
Box 30 M Islands Manmade 1920 - 1920s (CD) (ID#: lapidus_72)

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