Identity elements
Reference code
Name and location of repository
Level of description
Title
Date(s)
- 1923-1996 (Creation)
Extent
Name of creator
Biographical history
Bertram A. Weber was born in Chicago, Illinois to Peter, an architect, and Bertha (nee Werkmeister) Weber. Weber enrolled at Northwestern University in 1916. With America's involvement in World War I growing, Weber put his studies on hold in 1918 to enter naval training. Soon after the armistice, he began work at his father’s architectural firm, remaining there eight months, after which he went back to school to pursue a bachelor's degree in architecture. He graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with this degree in 1922.
Fresh out of school, Weber worked a short time for Howard Van Doren Shaw. However, after his father’s death in 1923, Weber joined the family firm and along with Charles White formed White & Weber in 1924. Weber married Dorothea (nee Brammer) in 1928. They had two children, son John and daughter Dorie. After Charles White’s death in 1936 Weber began to practice independently, simply known as Bertram A. Weber, architect. In 1973 when his son joined him in his practice, Weber & Weber was formed.
Weber's career spanned almost 65 years, during which time he worked on a diversity of public, private residential, and commercial projects. Weber retired in 1987. He died two years later in 1989 in Pompano Beach, Florida.
Content and structure elements
Scope and content
A substantial portion of the Weber & Weber Collection contains documents relating to the Ravinia Festival Park as Bertram Weber worked on a number of architectural projects at the park. These documents include correspondence and architectural proposals and plans for work on the Pavilion, West Parking Lot, Murray Theater, Gate Building, First Aid Building, and West Toilet Building, among others. Related to Ravinia, there are also financial documents, annual reports, festival publications, art exhibit documents, festival flag designs, as well as Board of Trustee and Executive Committee meeting minutes.
Also in the collection are personal documents of Bertram Weber. This includes correspondence between he and clients and family and friends, as well as documents related to the various clubs and associations to which Weber belonged. The collection also contains architectural tools used by both Bertram and John Weber.
The collection contains a number of building plans and blueprints from projects designed by Weber. These projects include both private residences and public buildings, such as churches, schools and retirement homes. Highlighting two major projects on which Weber worked, there are two series devoted to the Aurora and Exmoor Country Clubs. They contain documentation ranging from designs and contracts to a drawing log, cost estimates and test reports.
System of arrangement
The collection is divided into six series. An effort has been made to keep the folders in all series in the original order in which they were donated. However, some folders have been rearranged to provide more coherence within the collection. The documents contained in each folder are arranged chronologically.
Conditions of access and use elements
Conditions governing access
Physical access
Technical access
Conditions governing reproduction
Languages of the material
- English
Scripts of the material
Language and script notes
Finding aids
Acquisition and appraisal elements
Custodial history
Immediate source of acquisition
Donated by John B. Weber in 2005
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information
Accruals
Related materials elements
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related archival materials
Related descriptions
Notes element
Specialized notes
Alternative identifier(s)
Description control element
Rules or conventions
Sources used
Access points
Subject access points
Place access points
Name access points
- Ravinia Festival Association (Subject)
- Trinity Episcopal Church (Highland Park, Ill.) (Subject)
- Church of the Ascension (Chicago, Ill.) (Subject)
- Evans Scholars Foundation (Subject)