Archives and Special Collections at NYSID: Mission and Scope of Collections

Mission

The mission of the NYSID Archives & Special Collections is to collect, preserve and provide access to materials related to the practice of interior design and the development of professional organizations within the field, as well as the official and historical records of the College.  Through the collections, The NYSID Archives & Special Collections seeks to support interior design research, as both professional practice and academic discipline.

About

In 2013, NYSID founded its Archives in response to recognition that there was little-to-no collection of materials related to either the pedagogy or business of interior design, and that the records of the profession’s early leaders were in danger of being forgotten or discarded. The NYSID Archives & Special Collections assumes the mission of preserving this material for future generations of interior designers and researchers.

The NYSID Archives & Special Collections, housed within the NYSID Library, is comprised of both the NYSID Institutional Archives and the NYSID Interior Design Special Collections.

The NYSID Institutional Archives was officially formed in anticipation of NYSID’s centennial in 2016.  It is the official repository for the records of the College and includes materials related to the history of the College and the evolution of interior design pedagogy at NYSID from its founding in 1916 to the present day.

The NYSID Interior Design Special Collections are comprised of the archives of both individual designers and design firms. The following describes a selection of our holdings:

• Yale R. Burge Antiques and Interiors Collection, with material related to Yale R. Burge Antiques, Inc. (1955-2013) a renowned, New York city based purveyor of antique furniture, décor and select furniture reproductions
• Joseph Grusczak, ASID & William DeGraff Archival Collection, which contains drawings, renderings and business records created by Grusczak Associates, Inc., an interior design firm that worked on projects ranging from high-end residential homes to large-scale projects for the InterContinental Hotel group, and whose namesake, Joseph Grusczak, is a NYSID alumnus (Design Diploma, 1956)
• Sarah Tomerlin Lee and Tom Lee Collection, comprised of business and personal papers documenting this design couple’s prolific careers (for more information and digitized items see the “Designing Duo” exhibition website)
• Emily Malino papers, material spanning her dynamic career as founder of her own interior design firm, syndicated columnist, author of the book “Super Living Rooms”, consultant to companies such as Monsanto and Sears, teacher and lecturer, vice-president at Perkins + Will, wife of U.S. Congressman James Scheuer, and last but not least, mother to four children
• Joann Nelsen Collection, a collection of hand-painted textile and wallcoverings designs created by Nelsen (1937 – 2013) for companies including Schumacher, Waverly, and First Editions (you can read more about this collection in the April 8, 2016 New York Times article, “Wallpaper Archive,” here.)
• The entire back files of Contract and Interiors magazines, donated to NYSID by publisher John Rouse. 
• Dennis Miller Associates records, which document architect Dennis Miller’s founding of his furniture showroom in New York City in 1985, at the height of the studio art furniture scene, as well his working relationships with artists and artisans such as Matthew Hoey (Corian chair), Wendell Castle, Clodagh, Vladimir Kagan, David Rockwell, and Morris Lapidus, among others.

The NYSID Archives & Special Collections actively seeks materials from interior designers, firms, and professional organizations at every level of influence.  The Archives also accepts donations of NYSID-related materials from alumni, former staff and faculty, and friends and/or family of these individuals.  For more information about what types of materials the NYSID Archives & Special Collections collects, please see the Collection Development Guidelines for both the NYSID Institutional Archives and the NYSID Interior Design Special Collections. 

For more information about our collections, see the full LibGuide, "Archives at NYSID: an overview"