Series III: Lacy Atherton and Davis (LAD) Vertical Subject Files, 1940 - 1989
Series
Scope and Content:
From the Collection:
The Vertical Files contain a wide range of materials including official Wilkes College and Wilkes University documents, historical references, building plans, State and Federal paperwork, tourism information and guide pamphlets, photographs, correspondence, financial paperwork, personal documents, and academic and extracurricular program history. The files contain more than a century of data in this multitude of subjects, with the earliest files dating to 1910 and the latest to 2017.
Dates
- 1940 - 1989
Access
Open for research with some folders restricted due to sensitive or confidential information.
Extent
From the Collection: 32 boxes
Language of Materials
From the Collection: English
Series III: Lacy Atherton and Davis (LAD) Vertical Subject Files, 1940 - 1989
Series III: Lacy, Atherton, and Davis (LAD) Vertical Subject Files, 1940-1989, is arranged alphabetically and contains a variety of photographs of buildings and the construction thereof, as well as architectural blueprints and some of the financial information for the company. Lacy, Atherton, and Davis (LAD) was an architectural design company founded by John W. Davis, 1910-1968, James Oscar Lacy, 1918-2005, and Thomas Henry Atherton, 1884-1978, in 1945 in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. Originally established as Lacy and Atherton in 1943, the company expanded to become Lacy, Atherton, and Davis in 1945 when John W. Davis joined the firm. Several local institutions in Northeastern Pennsylvania hired the architectural firm which included, but were not limited to, academic institutions such as universities and school districts, cities and towns, banking companies, churches, hospitals, and even a prison. The company operated through the 1980s, although it is unclear when it actually shut down.
Born in 1884, Thomas H. Atherton was a graduate of both Princeton University (1906) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1909). Initially a draftsman in New York, his architectural claims to fame emerged with his post-World War One work on the Pennsylvania Battle Monuments with Paul P. Cret and his 1929 Wilkes-Barre design for the Kirby Health Center. Atherton founded his own firm in 1941, being joined by James O. Lacy in 1943 and John W. Davis in 1945. Atherton retired from his firm and moved South in 1970, dying in 1978.
Born in 1910, John W. Davis graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1932 with a Bachelor’s of Science. He established his own firm in 1934, however it had shut down by 1941, leaving him to join Lacy and Atherton in 1945, forming Lacy, Atherton, and Davis. He became the head pf the Harrisburg branch of the company sometime around its establishment in 1956, and died in 1968.
Born in 1918, James Oscar Lacy graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1941. Much of his earliest career was spent designing runways during the War, until he joined up with Thomas Atherton’s company in 1943. He directed much of the company’s workings from the 1950s until his retirement in the early 1980s. Lacy led a quiet retirement in the Wyoming Valley until his death in 2005.
Born in 1884, Thomas H. Atherton was a graduate of both Princeton University (1906) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1909). Initially a draftsman in New York, his architectural claims to fame emerged with his post-World War One work on the Pennsylvania Battle Monuments with Paul P. Cret and his 1929 Wilkes-Barre design for the Kirby Health Center. Atherton founded his own firm in 1941, being joined by James O. Lacy in 1943 and John W. Davis in 1945. Atherton retired from his firm and moved South in 1970, dying in 1978.
Born in 1910, John W. Davis graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1932 with a Bachelor’s of Science. He established his own firm in 1934, however it had shut down by 1941, leaving him to join Lacy and Atherton in 1945, forming Lacy, Atherton, and Davis. He became the head pf the Harrisburg branch of the company sometime around its establishment in 1956, and died in 1968.
Born in 1918, James Oscar Lacy graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1941. Much of his earliest career was spent designing runways during the War, until he joined up with Thomas Atherton’s company in 1943. He directed much of the company’s workings from the 1950s until his retirement in the early 1980s. Lacy led a quiet retirement in the Wyoming Valley until his death in 2005.
https://www.philadelphiabuildings.org/pab/app/ar_display.cfm/21512
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/225532679/john-william-davis
https://www.timesleader.com/archive/1079794/james-lacy-may-7-2005
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/225532679/john-william-davis
https://www.timesleader.com/archive/1079794/james-lacy-may-7-2005
Repository Details
Part of the Wilkes University Archives Repository
Contact:
84 W South St.
Wilkes-Barre PA 18701 US
570-408-2000
570-408-7823 (Fax)
ask.archives@wilkes.edu
84 W South St.
Wilkes-Barre PA 18701 US
570-408-2000
570-408-7823 (Fax)
ask.archives@wilkes.edu