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Harry J. Baldwin papers

 Collection
Collection number: ahc.MSS999

Scope and Content

The collection includes files that document Baldwin's landscape architecture career. The Project Records contain correspondence and other materials related to projects completed by Baldwin and Associates and show Baldwin's collaboration with such practitioners as African American architect Leon G. Allain and female landscape architect Edith Harrison Henderson. The Professional Papers contain Baldwin's coursework at the University of Georgia, professional correspondence, registration documentation, and civic and professional memberships.

Dates

  • 1947-2001, undated

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use

Unpublished manuscripts are protected by copyright law. (Title 17, U.S. Code) Permission for use must be cleared through the Kenan Research Center at the Atlanta History Center. Licensing agreement may be required.

Administrative/Biographical History

Harry Joseph Baldwin (1923-2010), the son of Kelsie James Baldwin and Nellie Smith Baldwin, was born in the West End neighborhood of Atlanta, Georgia. He graduated from Technological High School in Atlanta in 1943. He served as an Aviation Cadet in the Navy, Patrol Service Unit 1-3, from 1943-1946. In 1949, Baldwin graduated from the University of Georgia with a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture, studying under Hubert Bond Owens, dean of the University of Georgia School of Landscape Architecture (now the School of Environmental Design). He was employed by Martini and Associates, Atlanta, Georgia (1949-1952); Lyles, Bissett, Carlisle & Wolff, Columbia, South Carolina (1952-1955); and Bartholomew & Associates, Atlanta, Georgia (1955-1957). In 1957, Baldwin became an associate partner in Martini and Associates. He assumed ownership of the firm upon the death of Eugene R. Martini in 1965. In August 1967 the name was changed to Baldwin and Associates.

Administrative/Biographical History

Baldwin practiced landscape architecture until 2005. He is one of the most significant post-World War II landscape architects in the Southeast. Baldwin is recognized as having a keen three-dimensional eye harmonizing with the natural topography in developing his landscape designs. He has been referred to as the "grandfather of landscape architecture" in the metropolitan Atlanta area by other practitioners, mentoring many landscape architects during his long practice. During his six-decade career Baldwin's work encompassed marina, government, institutional, commercial and residential land development projects in Atlanta and the Southeast. Some of his notable projects include Killearn Estates (a 7,500-acre Florida land development project), DeKalb County parks (a large-scale expansion as a result of bond referendum), Morehouse Medical School, West Georgia College master plan, Salvation Army Territorial Headquarters, Rankin Smith Jr. residence, Prince Faisal M. Saud Al Kabir residence, Bald Ridge Marina, Shepherd Spinal Center, Fort Eustis Virginia Army Base, Falcon Football Team Training Center, Georgia Pacific Tower Plaza, and Martin Luther King Jr. Village.

Administrative/Biographical History

Baldwin was a fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects, former president and trustee of the Georgia Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects, and distinguished alumni from the University of Georgia. He was also a visiting lecturer at both the University of Georgia School of Environmental Design and Georgia Institute of Technology Extension Service-Site Planning. He was a member of the Atlanta Civic Design Commission (now the Atlanta Urban Design Commission).

Extent

9.591 linear ft. (23 document cases)

Language

English

System of Arrangement

This collection is organized into two series: Series (I.) Project records, arranged alphabetically by project name, and Series (II.) Professional papers, arranged alphabetically by subject headings.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of Lynn Baldwin Briggs and Harry J. Baldwin, 2009 (CGL 2009.161).

Bibliography


  • J. E. Geshwiler, "'Grandfather' of Local Landscaping," Atlanta Journal-Constitution, March 14, 2010, B10.
  • Jim King interview by Fred Mobley, March 31, 2010.
  • Roy Ashley interview by Fred Mobley, March 24, 2010.
Title
Harry J. Baldwin papers
Author
Fred Mobley and Jennifer Yankopolus
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding aid is written in English.

Repository Details

Part of the Kenan Research Center at Atlanta History Center Repository

Contact:
130 West Paces Ferry Road
Atlanta GA 30305
404-814-4040