Hello! I am an Archivist at Kennedy Library's Special Collections and Archives. I can help you navigate archives research and primary sources, from Kennedy Library's Special Collections and Archives to around the world and online.
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Special Collections and Archives
Kennedy Library, Cal Poly
Special Collections and Archives houses the personal and professional papers of Palm Springs architect William F. Cody.
Combined, the materials fill over 92 boxes, 69 flat files, and 29 tubes.
Types of materials include:
drawings of built and unrealized projects
correspondence with clients and colleagues
publicity files
photographs
examples of Cody’s student work
Searching the collections
Special Collections and Archives holds two collections of Cody’s work that when combined document Cody’s significant career. Many projects have materials in both collections, so it is recommended to search across both collections to find all relevant documents.
The two collections having "finding aids" or guides that are searchable through the Online Archive of California. You can search them separately at the following links:
The collections were organized by archivists. Records related to projects are divided by type of record and format: publicity and public relations, presentation drawings, architectural drawings, project records (correspondence, project specifications, etc.), and photographs. Not all projects have all types of records.
Projects are identified with the following information, when known:
Client Name
project type
job #
Country Club (if applicable)
city, state
year of project (approximate)
FF stands for flat file, which indicates oversized drawings stored in folders. TUBE indicates oversized drawings (5 ft. or longer) rolled on tubes.
A flat file folder may contain between 1 to 15 items. A box folder may contain between 1 to 30 items. A tube can contain 1 to 2 items.
Digitized materials
We are digitizing materials from the collections on a regular basis.
You can search a specific client or project name, location, or keyword.
If you want to search both collections at the same time, here is a custom advanced search that will allow you to search both.
You can check to see if a specific folder or item has been digitized by searching the image identifier number (a unique number for each item digitigized). The formatting of image identifiers is: MS#-SeriesLetter-SubseriesNumber-Box#-Folder#-imagenumber. To find images from one folder, for example:
007-3-e-20-01-* (adding an asterisk searches everything that includes that first string).
There are also digitized photos of Cody projects by Julius Shulman at the Getty. See below for how to search these photos.
Books and articles on William F. Cody
The library has books that include research on William F. Cody. Some of these books are located in Special Collections and can be requested to the reading room if you ask the staff.
Other archives and museums also hold archives that relate to Cody's collections here at Cal Poly.
The Getty's Julius Shulman Photography Archives have digital access to many of the projects Shulman photographed for Cody. You can search for these photos here on the Getty's Digital Collections on Primo.
The Palm Springs Historical Society has photos and other records of the Cody family. Learn more at their website.
Search the Cody finding aids and identify Boxes or Flat File Folders you would like to look at. You will give this list of materials to the archives and they will pull the material before your visit.
When requesting materials, it is important to track the collection title or manuscript number (MS 007 or MS 163) to differentiate between them. For example, there is a Box 1 in MS 007 AND MS 163.