Louis H. Asbury papers

Collection

Identifier: MS0145

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

Nearly one-half of these papers are architectural drawings. Most of the sets of drawings are complete, including floor plans, sectionals, elevations, and foundations. Some renderings are included, and are listed in the appendix of this inventory. Office files consist of specifications, correspondence, and other material relating to Asbury's projects. Most of the rest of the group consists of Asbury's architectural reference material, record books, a few personal writings and letters, pictures, and printed items concerning Asbury and his designs.

Dates

1906 - 1975
1908 - 1956

Creator

Asbury, Louis H. (Louis Humbert) (Person)

Physical Description

ca. 11,100 items (6 linear feet, including approx. 300 sets of architectural drawings).

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Some material may be copyrighted or restricted. It is the patron's obligation to determine and satisfy copyright or other case restrictions when publishing or otherwise distributing materials found in the collections.

Biographical / Historical

Born October 15, 1877, in Charlotte, Louis Humbert Asbury graduated from Trinity College (now Duke University) in 1900 and completed a special two-year architectural course at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1903. That year, he began working for the firm of Rossiter and Wright in New York City. He then took a position with Cram, Goodhue, and Ferguson, of Boston, where he remained until 1908. In 1906, Asbury and his friend Bob Tappan traveled extensively in Europe by bicycle, studying the Gothic architecture of England, France, and Italy. On April 30, 1908, Asbury married May Crosby of Boston. He returned to Charlotte in 1908, where he opened an office and became the first North Carolina member of the American Institute of Architects. A series of ill-timed real estate investments forced Asbury into bankruptcy in 1935 and he closed his office. From 1935 to 1936, he worked for the Federal Housing Authority in Asheville and Greensboro, N.C. Asbury then reopened his Charlotte firm, with his son, Louis Asbury Jr., joining him in 1939, but the United States's increasing involvement in World War II led him to close the office once again. From 1942 to 1945, Asbury worked for the Army Post Engineers in Greensboro, then reopened his firm in 1945 after the war. Asbury retired in 1956 and died in Charlotte on March 19, 1975.

Extent

6 Linear Feet

Additional Description

Overview

Architectural drawings, office files, record books, and other material documenting the career of an early Charlotte architect. Includes drawings and specifications for residences, institutions, churches, and business offices in Charlotte and elsewhere in North Carolina.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Transfer from Southern Historical Collection, UNC at Chapel Hill, 1997.

Related Materials

M. E. Boyer Papers (UNCC Manuscript 94). Charlotte Law Building Minute Book (UNCC Manuscript 239). Charlotte Mecklenburg Historic Landmarks Commission Reports (UNCC Manuscript 77). Mary Kratt Papers (UNCC Manuscript 113).