Edward S. Parsons Architectural Drawings

Collection

Identifier: NAA3

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

Parsons' architectural drawings include those for residences, schools, churches, the Nevada State Hospital, and Fire stations. Drawings for the following historic restoration projects are also included: Lake Mansion, Reno; Bower's Mansion, Washoe Valley; Driggs House and Piper's Opera House, Virginia City; Berlin Mill, Berlin, Nevada; Nevada State Capitol building, Carson City; Douglas County Court House; and Morrill Hall, University of Nevada, Reno.

Dates

1939-1982

Creator

Parsons, Edward S., 1907-1991 (Creator, Person)

Restrictions

Collection is open for research. Materials must be used on-site; advance notice suggested. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law.

Biographical Note

Edward Shier Parsons was born in Tonopah, Nevada in 1907. He attended schools in Salt Lake City and Reno. Interested in an architectural career from a very early age, Parsons studied his profession at the University of Southern California and graduated in architecture from the University of Pennsylvania. He returned to Nevada to establish his practice and to engage in a wide variety of activities related to his profession. A brief stint in the army provided the only interruption in his productive career.

Mr. Parsons’s career exemplifies integrity and caring. His integrity is reflected in his numerous projects, from the many graceful homes he designed to the innovative Incline High School and the functional yet pleasing buildings at the University of Nevada, Reno: Fleischmann Agriculture and Home Economics, the Orvis School of Nursing, and the first three phases of the Medical School complex.

He also describes serving his community and the state of Nevada as a citizen member of numerous boards and committees. Parsons has been the leader in Nevada in historic preservation restoring numerous buildings and in his service to the National Trust for Historic Preservation. He also served as state preservation coordinator for Nevada for the American Institute of Architects, and as an active member of the Comstock Historic District Commission, the Nevada Historic Preservation Review Committee, and Washoe Landmark Preservation, Inc. He has been professionally involved in the restoration of the State Capitol Building, Morrill Hall on the UNR campus, Bowers Mansion, Lake Mansion, the Berlin Mill, the Virginia City, Belmont and Genoa courthouses, Fort Churchill and other projects.

[Biographical note taken from Edward S. Parsons: Charrette! The Life of an Architect. University of Nevada, Reno Oral History Project, 1983]

Biographical Note--MARC

Reno, Nevada, architect who practiced from 1938-1982. In addition to designing new structures, Mr. Parsons also supervised the restoration of many historic structures in western Nevada.

Extent

1 Cubic Feet (Drawings for 296 projects)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Edward Shier Parsons graduated in architecture studies. Contains architectural drawings include those for residences, schools, churches, the Nevada State Hospital, and Fire stations. Drawings for the following historic restoration projects are also included: Lake Mansion, Reno Bower's Mansion, Washoe Valley Driggs House and Piper's Opera House, Virginia City Berlin Mill, Berlin, Nevada Nevada State Capitol building, Carson City Douglas County Court House and Morrill Hall, University of Nevada, Reno (1939-1982).

Arrangement

Arranged by project number.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Donated by Edward S. Parsons on January 27, 1982.

Related Materials

82-02: Edward S. Parson Papers 91-17: Edward S. Parsons, F.A.I.A. Edward S. Parsons: Charrette! The Life of an Architect. University of Nevada, Reno Oral History Project, 1983