Welcome to the Archives of The Paul Rudolph Institute for Modern Architecture. The purpose of this online collection is to function as a tool for scholars, students, architects, preservationists, journalists and other interested parties. The archive consists of photographs, slides, articles and publications from Rudolph’s lifetime; physical drawings and models; personal photos and memorabilia; and contemporary photographs and articles.

Some of the materials are in the public domain, some are offered under Creative Commons, and some are owned by others, including the Paul Rudolph Estate. Please speak with a representative of The Paul Rudolph Institute for Modern Architecture before using any drawings or photos in the Archives. In all cases, the researcher shall determine how to appropriately publish or otherwise distribute the materials found in this collection, while maintaining appropriate protection of the applicable intellectual property rights.

In his will, Paul Rudolph gave his Architectural Archives (including drawings, plans, renderings, blueprints, models and other materials prepared in connection with his professional practice of architecture) to the Library of Congress Trust Fund following his death in 1997. A Stipulation of Settlement, signed on June 6, 2001 between the Paul Rudolph Estate and the Library of Congress Trust Fund, resulted in the transfer of those items to the Library of Congress among the Architectural Archives, that the Library of Congress determined suitable for its collections. The intellectual property rights of items transferred to the Library of Congress are in the public domain. The usage of the Paul M. Rudolph Archive at the Library of Congress and any intellectual property rights are governed by the Library of Congress Rights and Permissions.

However, the Library of Congress has not received the entirety of the Paul Rudolph architectural works, and therefore ownership and intellectual property rights of any materials that were not selected by the Library of Congress may not be in the public domain and may belong to the Paul Rudolph Estate.

LOCATION
Address:
City: Davidson
State: North Carolina
Zip Code: 28035
Nation: United States

STATUS
Type: Housing
Status: Project

TECHNICAL DATA
Date(s): 1973
Site Area:
Floor Area:
Height:
Floors (Above Ground): 3
Building Cost: $2.5 million USD (1973)

PROFESSIONAL TEAM
Client: Davidson College
Architect: Paul Rudolph
Associate Architect:
Landscape:
Structural:
MEP:
QS/PM:

SUPPLIERS
Contractor:
Subcontractor(s):

Housing for 200 Students for Davidson College

The project scope is to design 5 new dormitory buildings for Davidson College, a private liberal arts college located in Davidson, North Carolina. Each building is to house 50 upperclassmen, for a total of 250 students. The dormitories are expected to be constructed and occupied by Fall of 1975.
Davidson College at the time has 980 beds, with dormitories able to house 945 students, with 205 students living off campus. The Board of Trustees approves growing the student body to 1,500 students.
Davidson College creates the Future Student Housing Committee which issues a scope of work for new student dormitories. The committee is chaired by Dean of Students Will Terry. Over 23 applicants submit proposals including Rudolph. President Samuel R. Spencer Jr. notes that Rudolph in unquestionably the most eminent of the people considered.
When asked by the committee to outline his basic attitudes toward the problem of student housing, Rudolph says that he is very impressed by the quality of life which is possible in the Italian hill-town. The individual family units provide privacy when that is physiologically and psychologically necessary but since the contour of the hill causes the units to be built in such close proximity, the roof of one unit frequently becomes a terrace or balcony for its neighbor. Thus personal interaction is readily available when psychologically appropriate and a general feeling of community emerges quite natural. He therefore proposes to incorporate the primitive architype of the Italian hill-town into his design for student housing at Davidson.
During the selection process, President Spencer indicates the committee knows that a Rudolph designed structure will be more expensive than a conventional dormitory.
Rudolph is chosen to design the project in the Fall of 1973. When asked why he decided to do the project, Rudolph replied that he “liked to do all sorts of building problems.”
Rudolph’s design is inspired by the architecture of the nearby Phi and Eu Halls on the campus. He designs a cluster of five or six three-story units, each capable of housing approximately 40 students. Balconies in these units provide common spaces where the inhabitants of adjoining rooms may congregate, and intimate piazzas make it possible for those living in one unit to mingle with those of an adjoining one.
The project budget is between $1.6-1.8 million USD. Rudolph’s proposal is estimated to cost $2.5 million USD.
After learning of the estimated cost, Davidson administrators ask Rudolph to submit a more economical version of the same plan. According to Dean of Students Terry, the second drawing was “very fine.” However, with an estimated 8.5% interest rate, the room fees would still be equal to at least $1400 USD annually per student in order to provide for the repayment of interest, principle, and annual operating costs. This amount is close to three times the present rate that students pay for housing.
By January 1974, the Budget, Building and Grounds Committee considers short and long term options which will enable dorm capacity to keep pace with increasing enrollment. Vice President for Finance and Development C. David Cornell says that due to not sufficient time to construct permanent new dormitories before the next fall, conversion of existing structures or sections of structures into housing would be a “virtual certainty.”
The project remains unbuilt.

“.. a series of apartments, actually a series of living clusters, with kitchenettes, designed for casual living.”

— Rudolph's description of the floor plan in Ainsworth, T. (1973, September 14). College Approves Plans for 5 New Dormitories. The Davidsonian, p. 1

“The plans are really exciting. They show some real appreciation for what the students themselves said they wanted in a housing questionnaire that went around last year. The main reason we chose Rudolph was the interest and sensitivity he displayed to what we wanted.”

— Dean of Students Will Terry in Ainsworth, T. (1973, September 14). College Approves Plans for 5 New Dormitories. The Davidsonian, p. 1