Phil Durham Papers
Phil Durham designed commercial, residential, and community projects in St. Louis, and through the United States.
The bulk of the collection consists of correspondence, files, drawings, specifications, photographs, and scale models for architectural projects at Rubio|Durham and Studio|Durham. It also includes material samples, architectural guidelines, marketing materials, and awards.
Also included are materials created by Phil Durham while a student of architecture at Washington University (1979-1985), and employed at HOK (circa 1985-1992).
Featured projects include Sierra Point Hotel, Brisbane, California, 1990; Debord Lake House, Osage Beach, Missouri, 1992; Bethany Place, Belleville, Illinois, 2000; 1856 Menard, St. Louis, Missouri, 2002; 7722 South Big Bend, SWT Designs, Shrewsbury, Missouri, 2004; Muny Upper Plaza, Forest Park, St. Louis, Missouri, 2004; and Terrace View, Citygarden, 2009.
For a list of projects, see the Project Title List here.
Dates
- Creation: 1979-2019
Conditions Governing Access
Open.
Conditions Governing Use
Users of the collection must read and agree to abide by the rules and procedures set forth in the Materials Use Policies.
Providing access to materials does not constitute permission to publish or otherwise authorize use. All publication not covered by fair use or other exceptions is restricted to those who have permission of the copyright holder, which may or may not be Washington University.
If you wish to publish or license Special Collections materials, please contact Special Collections to inquire about copyright status at (314) 935-5495 or spec@wumail.wustl.edu. (Publish means quotation in whole or in part in seminar or term papers, theses or dissertations, journal articles, monographs, books, digital forms, photographs, images, dramatic presentations, transcriptions, or any other form prepared for a limited or general public.)
Extent
174 boxes (Includes 47 flat-file drawers.)
95361 digital_files (237 Gigabytes; 82 optical disks (71 CDs, 11 DVDs, and 2 floppy disks) )
Biographical Information
Philip Andrew Durham (1961 - 2018) was born in Providence, Rhode Island, and spent his childhood living on Long Island and in upstate New York. He was educated at Washington University in St. Louis where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1983, and a Masters of Architecture in 1985. Starting with his first semester in 1979, Phil maintained detailed project books organizing his work.
After graduation, Phil Durham was hired as a project designer at Hellmuth, Obata & Kassabaum (KOK). He worked for seven years on multiple commercial projects including shopping malls and hotels across the US, Mexico and Europe.
In 1992 Phil formed Rubio|Durham Architects with offices in Chicago and St. Louis. In 2002 the firm was reorganized as Studio|Durham Architects, where Phil practiced until his unexpected death in 2018.
Phil described Studio|Durham as,
“a full-service architectural firm dedicated to working with clients in a highly interactive process … fulfilling the client’s program and budget needs while maintaining a commitment to award winning design. The firm seeks to design projects that are sensitive to their environment and context ... creating an architecture of lightness and clarity.”
The firm often developed projects with a series of models built from paper and balsa wood, along with sketches and material collages. Models served as both a design tool and as a method of facilitating communication with clients and consultants.
From large projects, such as the landscape integrated City Garden restaurant in downtown St. Louis, to pro-bono permit drawings in the community, Phil insisted all projects receive detailed attention and the highest quality work.
Phil embraced the use of sketching and model creation throughout his career. After computer-aided drafting (CAD) became standard in the 2000s, Phil was hesitant and often referred to the computer as “soulless.” However, in time he incorporated the technology and remained progressive in the construction documentation process. Throught his life, Phil continued the practice of commenting on working designs in red ink, and doing preliminary designs by hand.
A founding principle of Studio|Durham was work with non-profit and community organizations in urban neighborhoods, including Habitat for Humanity, Bethany Place, Clinton-Peabody Housing, Corner Science Store Inc., and Forsyth School. These projects allowed the firm to express its commitment to city life, and to work on projects with a greater social context. Studio|Durham was located at 1856 Menard, a 10,000 square foot warehouse in the Soulard neighborhood of St. Louis. The existing shell was renovated per historic standards to create offices and a loft apartment upstairs. Double-doors provide access to an entry courtyard, created by removing the roof and first floor structures. Purchase of adjacent property allowed creation of a garden, and rear parking for the renovated structure. In 2005 Soulard Restoration Group awarded the property Best Total Renovation Award.
-- text adapted from "Section & Detail: The Work of Phil Durham" exhibited in Olin Library, Spring 2020, by Miranda Rectenwald, Curator of Local History, and Gregory Cuddihee, Sam Fox School Instructional Technician, and friend of Phil Durham.
Arrangement
The collection is organized into seven series by type of materials.
Series 1: Client Files
Sub-Series 1.1 Rubio|Durham (arranged by job number)
Sub-Series 1.2 Studio|Durham (arranged by job number)
Series 2: Oversized Drawings (arranged chronologically, and then by job number)
Series 3: Small Scale Drawings (arranged chronologically, and then by job number)
Series 4: Models (arranged by size)
Series 5: Studio Durham Office
Sub-Series 5.1: General Files
Sub-Series 5.2: Material Library and Objects
Series 6: Phil Durham Personal Papers
Series 7: Digital Files (Contact Special Collections for access)
Job numbers were assigned by the creating firm in roughly chronological order. Rubio|Durham used a 5-digit system, although many projects lack as assigned number. Studio|Durham used a 4-digit system. Some projects which began under Rubio|Durham, and then were continued by Studio|Durham may have documents assigned a number in both schemas.
If a project lacks a job number, archive staff have organized materials alaphabetically by street name and address.
Source of Acquisition
Accession number LH-2019-001. Gift of Hali Durham, June 10, 2019.
Processing Information
Processed by Anna Lopatin.
- Title
- Phil Durham Papers
- Description rules
- dacs
- Language of description
- eng
Collecting Area Details
Part of the Local History Collecting Area
Miranda Rectenwald
Olin Library, 1 Brookings Drive
MSC 1061-141-B
St. Louis MO 63130 US
(314) 935-5495
spec@wumail.wustl.edu