Last revised: July 2009
Architecture Resources Gateway - Plans and Images
Concepts: How to find drawings, photographs, blueprints, digital drawings and renderings, or books and magazines with reproductions of plans.
Plans and images exist for both buildings that were constructed and those that were not. Whether researching an individual building, a site, a style, or a concept, you may find yourself needing to consult a variety of visuals in order to understand the evolution or creation of a work of architecture.
This guide functions as an independent entity in a series designed for the new and returning architecture researcher. Consult the entire series at Architecture Resources Gateway.
Table of Contents
Useful Reference Books
- Stierlin, Henri. Encyclopaedia of World Architecture. London: Macmillan, 1977.
LOCATION: UMCP Architecture Library Folio
CALL NUMBER: NA200 .S74 - Teague, Edward H. World Architecture Index. New York: Greenwood Press, 1991.
LOCATION: UMCP Architecture Library Reference
CALL NUMBER: NA202 .T4 1991 - Weston, Richard. Key buildings of the twentieth century: plans, sections, and elevations. New York: W.W. Norton, 2004.
LOCATION: UMCP Architecture Library Folio
CALL NUMBER: NA2705 .W44 2004 - Wilkes, Joseph A. (Ed.) Encyclopedia of architecture: design, engineering & construction. New York: Wiley, 1988.
LOCATION: UMCP Architecture Library Reference
CALL NUMBER: NA31 .E59 1988
Subject Headings (catalog keywords)
Use these when browsing in the catalog – pick “subject beginning with…” as the type of search. An example of this kind of search is pictured below the list.
- Architectural drawing
- Architecture - designs and plans
- Architecture – pictorial works
- Blueprints
- Art and architecture
Some Relevant Databases
- ARTstor (images)
- Avery Index to Architectural Periodicals (articles that may include plans or drawings)
- Oxford Art Online (use the images search)
The University of Maryland has 1776 images up on ARTstor - view them from the ARTstor homepage by clicking on "University of Maryland" under Institutional Collections at the bottom center.
Special UM Resources
- Here's a specific guide all about building plans.
- Check out the Visual Resources Center in the School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation.
- Always be aware that images may be under copyright.
Journals to Browse
You will find interesting American and worldwide journals from the nineteenth century on in the Architecture Library. These two are well illustrated and often include plans or drawings.
- GA Document
LOCATION: UMCP Architecture Library Current Periodicals and Periodical Stacks
Call Number: NA680 .G32 - Progressive Architecture (formerly Pencil Points)
LOCATION: UMCP Architecture Library Periodical Stacks
Call Number: NA1 .P7
Websites and Digital Collections to Consider
- American Architectural Foundation prints and drawings collection
- Armenian Architecture (Rensselaer Digital Collections)
- Art Institute of Chicago Special and Digital Collections
- Casselman Archive of Islamic and Mudejar Architecture in Spain (University of Wisconsin)
- Cities and Buildings Database (University of Washington Libraries)
- Digital Collections Registry – Art/Architecture
- Great Buildings Online
- Historic American Buildings Survey/Historic American Engineering Record
- Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
- Life Magazine photographs on Google
Search tips: try words or phrases like "building construction", skyscrapers, architecture; or search by place or by names of individual architects. - New York Public Library Digital Gallery
Strategic Research
Good research is complicated, especially in the digital and academic environments. No guide can begin to cover all the sources available, so Ask a Librarian when you need more information. Contact the subject area specialists for more information or to design a strategic and specific research plan: lotis@umd.edu, 301-405-9260 or pcossard@umd.edu, 301-405-6316.
This guide was authored by Kim Detterbeck and Lara Otis.
