Dorothee Stelzer King Architectural Collection

Access and use

Location of collection:
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Special Collections, University Libraries (0434)
Newman Library
Virginia Tech
P.O. Box 90001
560 Drillfield Drive
Blacksburg, VA 24062-9001
Contact for questions and access:
Phone: (540) 231-6308
Fax: (540) 231-3694
Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Terms of access:

Permission to publish material from Dorothee Stelzer King Architectural Collection must be obtained from Special Collections, Virginia Tech.

Preferred citation:

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: Dorothee Stelzer King Architectural Collection Ms2013-023, Special Collections, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Summary

Extent:
6.92 Cubic Feet 6 boxes; 6 oversize folders
Creator:
King, Dorothée
Abstract:
Born in Berlin, Germany. Dorothee Stelzer King is an architect and professor who has practiced in Germany, the United States, and the Bahamas. The collection consists of material (drawings, presentation boards, photographs, and printed material) created and accumulated by King as a student and during her professional career. Some examples include: her award-winning student project of creating a flexible and transportable exhibition hall and her project work for the Government of the Bahamas. Materials in this collection range in date from 1950-2008.
Language:
Material is in English and German.
Preferred citation:

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: Dorothee Stelzer King Architectural Collection Ms2013-023, Special Collections, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Background

Scope and content:

The collection consists of material created and accumulated by King during the course of her days as a student and her professional career. This material primarily comprises drawings, presentation boards, photographs, and printed material related to various design projects undertaken by King during the time period 1957 to 1988. Also included within the collection is a detailed biographical narrative written by King describing the trajectory of her career and a family history and genealogy titled "From the Basilius, Gersdorff and Horn Families to the King, Kruppa and Stelzer Families", also written by King.

Biographical / historical:

Born in Berlin, Germany. King is an architect and professor who has practiced in Germany, the United States, and the Bahamas. She graduated from the Hochschule fur Bildende Kunste (HBK) with the title 'Diplom Architect HBK Berlin' in 1962. Upon graduating from HBK she worked for two years (1962-1964) in the architectural office of Dipl. Ing. Hilde Westrom, one of the few independently working women architects in Berlin. King would go on to receive the Airlift Memorial Scholarship and Fulbright Travel Grant allowing her to study under Louis I. Kahn in his Master Studio at the University of Pennsylvania (1965-1967). Her experiences with Kahn would greatly influence her own style of teaching at the Pratt Institute School of Architecture (1969-1981) and other organizations.

King and her husband, fellow architect Douglas King, were offered the opportunity to work as architects with the Government of the Bahamas in Nassau (1981-1985). There she primarily worked on projects for the Ministries of Health and Housing including: public rental units with a senior citizen complex, design for a high school library in Cooperstown, and as project architect and head construction supervisor for the Bahamas Nursing School. 1985-1991 saw King commuting between New York, Nassau, and Florida as she finished supervising the Bahamas Nursing School and partnered with her husband on a design-build company called Kingston Homes in West Palm Beach, Florida. Shortly after returning to New York full-time (1991) King began teaching at several New York institutions and public schools within the city (1993-2008).

Acquisition information:
The Dorothee Stelzer King Architectural Collection was donated to Special Collections in December 2008.
Processing information:

The processing, arrangement, and description of the Dorothee Stelzer King Architectural Collection was completed in May 2013. Additional donations processed in September 2021.