Edward S. Parsons Architectural Drawings
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
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.
- Architects -- Nevada -- Reno
- Architectural drawings
- Architecture -- Nevada -- Reno
- Berlin Mill (Berlin, Nev.)
- Douglas County. Court House (Nev.)
- Driggs House (Virginia City, Nev.)
- Historic buildings -- Conservation and restoration -- Nevada
- Lake Mansion (Reno, Nev.)
- Morrill Hall (Reno, Nev.)
- Nevada State Capitol (Carson City, Nev.)
- Parsons, Edward S., 1907-1991
- Piper's Opera House (Virginia City, Nev.)
Creator
- Parsons, Edward S., 1907-1991 (Creator, Person)
- Title
- A Guide to the Edward S. Parsons Architectural Drawings
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- staff
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the University of Nevada, Reno. Special Collections Department Repository
Mathewson-IGT Knowledge Center
1664 N. Virginia St.
Reno Nevada 89557-0322 USA
775-682-5665
775-682-5724 (Fax)
specoll@unr.edu