Carol O'Neale Culnan 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], Carol O'Neale Culnan Architectural Collection, 1966-2016, Ms2025-037, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Summary

Extent:
5 Cubic Feet
Abstract:
The Carol O'Neale Culnan Architectural Collection contains a mixture of personal and business records related to Culnan's personal life and her architectural practice. Her papers include student work, fiber art and woven textiles, and photographs. Her project records span a variety of projects in the Baltimore/Washington metro area and southwest Virginia, primarily residential projects, and include original drawings and other files documenting jobs and clients spanning the years from 1966 to 2016.
Language:
Materials are in English.
Preferred citation:

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Carol O'Neale Culnan Architectural Collection, 1966-2016, Ms2025-037, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Background

Scope and content:

This collection contains a mixture of personal and business records related to Carol O'Neale Culnan and her architectural practice. Her papers include student work, fiber art and woven textiles, and personal photographs. Project records span a variety of projects in the Baltimore/Washington metro area and southwest Virginia, primarily residential projects, and include original drawings and reproductions, client correspondence, notes, details, costing, and specifications. Her project documentation spans the period from 1975 to 2016, and some projects she collaborated on with her husband, Kenneth S. Culnan, under the practice named CONC. Also included is Kenneth Culnan's architectural license and he is featured as a subject in some of her photographic work.

Biographical / historical:

Carol Ann O'Neale of Alexandria, Virginia, was born on June 14, 1947, to parents William Leroy O'Neale and Ada Esther Vandenberg. Attending Mount Vernon High School and later graduating from Fort Hunt High School in 1965, O'Neale participated in many extracurriculars, including art club, French club, class council, and majorettes. In 1970, she obtained a bachelor's degree from the College of Architecture at Virginia Tech. Shortly after graduation, on September 3, 1970, O'Neale married fellow Virginia Tech School of Architecture graduate Kenneth S. Culnan, and changed her name to Carol O'Neale Culnan.

In the early 1970s the couple moved into a row house on Swann Street NW near Dupont Circle in Washington, D.C., and performed a gut rehabilitation of the building. Carol Culnan's college roommate Kathleen Cruise got her a job working for Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill (SOM) on the Pennsylvania Avenue Commission, an urban renewal project based on Nathaniel Owings' proposed mixed-use development of the Avenue. Culnan worked for another firm (DNY&A) under contract with the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) to consult on architectural services for the Metrorail system then under construction (its first line would open in March 1976); she resigned from the firm in early 1975, citing lack of growth and variety in her work in her letter to her supervisors.

For the next nine years the Culnans continued to live in Washington, D.C.. Carol Culnan obtained her license in Washington, D.C., and Maryland, and she practiced architecture independently, working on a mixture of residential and commercial projects, both new build and rehabilitation. In 1984 the couple sold their row house and moved to a rural Virginia community in the Strasburg area, where they continued to practice architecture.

The Culnans were hobbyist antiquarians and collected antique tools, trains, and hurricane lamps. In 1996, Carol and Kenneth joined the Early American Industries Association, a society focused on the history of American tools, crafts, and trades. The couple remained active in the Association for the remainder of their lives. Additionally, Carol raised goats for a time, carded and dyed her own wool, and wove textiles; she also had a lifelong interest in photography. Carol O'Neale Culnan passed away on February 11th, 2025, nearly seven years after Kenneth, who died in April of 2018.

Acquisition information:
Materials were donated to Special Collections and University Archives in May of 2025.
Processing information:

The processing, arrangement, and description of the Carol O'Neale Culnan Architectural Collection was completed in November 2025.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged into the following series and sub-series:

I. Personal Papers

a. Student Work II. Professional Papers

III. Project Records

a. Files b. Drawings Within these groupings files are organized chronologically.