Fonds CJA - Charles Jencks Archive

Identity area

Reference code

CJA

Title

Charles Jencks Archive

Date(s)

  • [1950s]-2019 (Creation)

Level of description

Fonds

Extent and medium

[Not yet known]

Context area

Name of creator

Jencks, Charles Alexander
(1939-2019)

Biographical history

Charles Jencks was born on 21 June 1939 in Baltimore, Maryland. His parents were Gardner Jencks, a pianist and composer, and Ruth (nee DeWitt Pearl). He took at BA in English Literature at Harvard University (1961) and then a BA and MA at Harvard Graduate School of Design (1965) He received a PhD from London University in 1970 for his thesis "Modern architecture: the tradition since 1945" which led to a series of articles in Arena and to the publication Modern Movements in Architecture (1972). From 1961 to 1973 he was married to Pamela Balding and had two sons, Justin and Cosmo. He married Maggie Keswick Jencks and had two children, John and Lily. Maggie died in 1995. In 2006 he married Louisa Lane Fox . He died on 13 October 2019.

Repository

Jencks Foundation at The Cosmic House

Archival history

The majority of the collection was created in 19 Lansdowne Walk (now known as The Cosmic House) , and has remained in situ. After Charles death, additional portions of the the Archive which had been stored in family homes in Scotland and Cape Cod (USA) were brought to The Cosmic House.

Immediate source of acquisition or transfer

The Charles Jencks Archive is the property of Lily Jencks, and has been on loan to the Jencks Foundation since 2021.

The Cosmic House and its fixtures and fittings are the property of a family trust. The Cosmic House has been managed by the Jencks Foundation since 2021.

Content and structure area

Scope and content

The archive primarily covers the period from the early 1960s when Jencks started writing about architecture to his death in 2019. Jencks did not consistently retain papers so there are gaps in the collection and some more personal material remains with the family. The Jencks Foundation sees The Cosmic House as an integral part of Charles Jencks' Archive, and so, the fixtures and fittings within The Cosmic House are also included. Similarly Charles Jencks' extensive library is included as part of the Archive, as this is key to understanding Jencks intellectual life and is working methods.

The archive includes
-Drawings, plans and models, photographic materials and documentation around both the creation and the refurbishment of The Cosmic House, the Garden of Cosmic Speculation and Charles' Jencks other architectural and landscape design projects.
-Charles Jencks' writings; includes early writings (including both school work and fiction), Charles Jencks' publications and documentation relating to various publications; lecture notes and documentation relating to lecturing, and unpublished writings.
-Documentation around Jencks' role in the setting up and running of the Maggie's Centres and other work activities such as acting as juror on architectural competitions and selections committees.
-Materials used by Jencks to inform his work including his extensive library of publications and press clippings relating to architecture, art, post modernism and science; research notes, drafts, correspondence and other documentation relating to Jencks writings and his relationships with architects and writers.
-Jencks audio-visual collection including his large slide library and other photographic material, as well as a small amount of video and audio material.
-Charles Jencks' artwork and a small amount of miscellaneous, mainly administrative, material.

Appraisal, destruction and scheduling

Accruals

System of arrangement

Jencks used different approaches to organising his papers over time and also had assistance from a number of PAs. From 2011 to 2013 Megan Burke worked part-time with Charles Jencks to organise the Archive. This primarily meant organising and labelling material in the Architectural Library and in the bookcases in Winter and Spring. Jencks wanted to keep publications relating to individuals or topics together with his own notes, and in some cases also correspondence and other documentation related to those people or topics.

This catalogue tries to respect both Jenck's "original order" where possible and also his Post-Modernist thinking. For more one the system of arrangement, please see the page Our Cataloguing Approach

Conditions of access and use area

Conditions governing access

Access to the collection is by appointment. Please see Booking A Research Appointment for more information.

Conditions governing reproduction

Copyright in materials created by Charles Jencks is held by Lily Jencks. No items may be reproduced without prior permission.

Language of material

  • English

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