Linda Kiisk 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:

The collection is open for research.

Terms of access:

The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials.

Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form: http://bit.ly/scuareproduction. Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form: http://bit.ly/scuapublication. Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form.

Preferred citation:

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Linda Kiisk Architectural Collection, Ms2015-054, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Summary

Extent:
17 Cubic Feet 8 archival boxes, six long rectangular boxes, three map case drawers
Creator:
Kiisk, Linda
Abstract:
Linda Kiisk is an artist, architect, and educator specializing in sustainable design and historic preservation. This collection documents her personal and professional activities between 1968-2013, including her architectural studies, organizational activities, travel, projects, and career with her practice, Studio EESTI.
Language:
The materials in the collection are in English.
Preferred citation:

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Linda Kiisk Architectural Collection, Ms2015-054, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Background

Scope and content:

This collection documents the activities of Linda Kiisk (1968-2012). It contains personal materials from childhood through retirement, including student work and biographical information. This collection also contains materials documenting Kiisk's career as an educator, researcher, and architect by representing business records, architectural drawings, design sketches, correspondences, clippings, photographs, and material catalogs related to several professional projects. Her major projects include Colorado State University's Institute for the Built Environment, "20 on 20/20 Vision", and "When Shadows Vanish." In addition, class lecture notes, conference information, promotional materials, home models, and course assignments are included. Furthermore, the collection includes offices records such as correspondences and financial records.

Biographical / historical:

Born to an Estonian father and a German mother in northern Virginia, Linda Kiisk (1950-present) is an artist, architect, and educator specializing in sustainable design and historic preservation. Kiisk earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting & Sculpture from the College of William and Mary in 1979 and a Master of Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania in 1982. After graduation, she served as an architectural consultant for several firms in Pennsylvania, including Robert Couch, John Milner Associates, and Lymen Perry. In 1988, she began teaching at Mount Vernon College and led the Summer Study Abroad Program in Finland. In 1991, Kiisk founded Studio EESTI (Environmental Evolution Studio and Teaching Institute) to specialize in designs that teach and practice architecture. In 1994, Kiisk joined Colorado State University as a construction management professor. She cofounded CSU's Institute of the Built Environment, a multidisciplinary sustainable design and construction initiative serving public and private American institutions. Additionally, Kiisk joined the University of Wyoming in 2000 as an architectural engineering professor and studied the design and construction techniques of the Kuna Indians as a Fulbright scholar in Panama in 2004.

Since then, Kiisk has served as a member to several professional associations, including the American Institute of Architects (AIA), Women in Architecture (WIA), Union Internationale Des Femmes Architectes (UIFA), and the National Architectural Accrediting Board. Kiisk published "20 on 20/20 Vision" as a collection on papers on diversity in design in 2003 and "When Shadows Vanish" as a self-help manual in how educators, students, and professionals see the world. She served as an architect for the Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office in 2016. In her own words, this collection contains the "inside story of being a first-generation American, single parent, architect, and professor."

Acquisition information:
The Linda Kiisk Architectural Collection was donated to Special Collections and University Archives in 2015, with additions in 2017.
Processing information:

The processing, arrangement, and description of the Linda Kiisk Architectural Collection commenced in April 2017 and completed in March 2018.

Arrangement:

Arrangement of these materials reflects the Standard Series for Architecture and Landscape Design Records (Shepherd and Lowell). The intellectual structure reflects the following series and subseries:

Series I. Personal Papers

  • Biographical Information
  • Diaries
  • Student Work
  • Travel
  • Photographs
Series II. Professional Papers
  • Correspondence
  • Writings
  • Presentations
  • Associations
  • Awards
  • Research Notes
  • Research Files
Series III. Faculty Papers
  • Administrative
  • Course Materials
  • Research Notes
  • Research Files
  • Student Work
  • Institute for the Built Environment
  • Minoan Project
Series IV. Office Records
  • Correspondence
  • Financial Records
Series V. Project Records
  • Files
  • Photographs
  • Drawings
  • Hogue Residence
  • McGurk Residence
  • Smith Residence
  • Cooper House Tavern
  • Steigerwald Residence
  • Stephans Residence
  • Sigal Kitchen
  • Wientzen Residence
  • Godfrey Residence
  • Mellon Residence
Series VI. Art & Artifacts