Urban Innovations Group records
Scope and Content of the collection
The Urban Innovations Group (UIG) records consists of materials relating to projects undertaken by the Urban Innovations Group under Charles Moore’s direction. It contains design sketches, prints, slides, negatives, personnel photographs, transmittals, and publications dating from circa 1973-1992. While the majority of the buildings documented are located in and around Los Angeles, California and throughout the United States, the collection also contains records for two German projects.
The collection details well-known commissions, such as New Orleans’ Piazza d’Italia, Beverly Hills Civic Center, and Oceanside Civic Center, as well as minor projects and designs that were proposed but never realized, such as Moore’s redevelopment of Houston’s Hermann Park. It also contains a compilation of articles pertaining to the work of architects and students through the Urban Innovations Group. Several publications cover details of Moore’s other work, including the construction of his home in Austin and reviews of his book The City Observed, Los Angeles.
This collection is still being processed. Please consult Archives staff for more information.
Dates
- Creation: 1973-1992
Creator
- University of California, Los Angeles. School of Architecture and Urban Planning. Urban Innovations Group (contributor, Organization)
Policies Governing Use and Access
This collection is open for research. Researchers must register and agree to copyright and privacy laws before using archival materials. As all or portions of this collection may be housed off-site, advance notice of at least three working days is required for retrieval. Certain items may require additional time for flattening or humidifying before they can be viewed. Access is by appointment only. Please contact the archives’ reference staff for further information.
Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations. Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals without the consent of those individuals may have legal ramifications (e.g., a cause of action under common law for invasions of privacy may arise if facts concerning an individual’s private life are published that would be deemed highly offensive to a reasonable person).
The Alexander Architectural Archives operate in accordance with applicable federal or state laws and regulations, providing unrestricted access to university records not covered by state and federal right to privacy acts.
The Alexander Architectural Archives, The University of Texas Libraries, and The University of Texas at Austin, assume no responsibility for infringement of literary property rights and copyright or for liability to any person for defamation or invasion of privacy that results from a researcher’s use of collections.
Researchers agree to indemnify and hold harmless The University of Texas at Austin, and their officers, employees, and agents from and against all suits, claims, actions, and expenses arising out of use of collections held by the libraries. Please alert staff if anything inappropriate is found during research.
Copyright interests in this collection may not have been transferred to the University of Texas. Researchers assume full responsibility for observing all copyright, property, and libel laws as they apply. Additionally, the public use of material must be cited. See citation information below.
Administrative History of Urban Innovations Group
The Urban Innovations Group (UIG) was a teaching practice, part of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Architecture and Urban Design department, established to give students practical experience working with clients and developing projects. It was founded in 1971 by Harvey S. Perloff, then dean of the department, who envisioned an initiative that would join physical and urban planning in city design. This visionary group worked on a number of significant buildings and urban spaces in the Los Angeles area, around the United States, and abroad.
In 1974, renowned architect Charles Moore joined the UCLA faculty and began working with UIG. Moore enhanced the program by bringing in significant commissions, including the Piazza d’Italia, Beverly Hills Civic Center, and the Los Angeles Bunker Hill masterplan. Members of the group also won design competitions, including a 1986 bid to design the civic center in Oceanside, California.
The Urban Innovations Group gave architecture students the opportunity to collaborate with practicing architects in all stages of the architectural process, from design to construction. The group operated for 23 years, disbanding in 1993.
Sources:
“Architecture Team Wins National Competition,” University Bulletin: A Weekly Bulletin for the Staff of the University of California, 34.27: March 30-April 4, 1986.
Charles Moore and Urban Innovations Group drawings and model, Architecture and Design Collection. Art, Design & Architecture Museum; University of California, Santa Barbara.
Charles W. Moore Archives, Alexander Architectural Archives, University of Texas Libraries, The University of Texas at Austin.
“History,” UCLA Architecture and Urban Design, https://web.archive.org/web/20190321140650/http://www.aud.ucla.edu/welcome/history.html
Partial Extent
3168 drawings
Partial Extent
6 Linear Feet
Partial Extent
4000 slides
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
The Urban Innovations Group, founded in 1971, was a teaching practice at The University of California, Los Angeles' Architecture and Urban Design School. The collection primarily documents the group's work on various buildings and urban spaces throughout Los Angeles and the United States. Record types include project records, photographs, drawings, slides, and publications.
Other Finding Aids
Unpublished inventory in the Archive.
Click to download an Excel spreadsheet version of the preliminary checklist for the unprocessed portion of the Urban Innovations Group records.
Click to download an Excel spreadsheet version of the drawings inventory.
Processing Information
Processing is not completed. Please see Archives' staff for more information.
Collection Processors
Drawings processed by Nathan Sheppard in spring 2012, Anthony Vannette in spring 2016.
Subject
- Moore, Charles Willard, 1925-1992 (contributor, Person)
- Perloff, Harvey S. (contributor, Person)
- Title
- Urban Innovations Group records
- Author
- Finding aid created by Abigail Norris
- Date
- 2019
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Alexander Architectural Archives Repository
University of Texas Libraries
101 E. 21st Street
Austin Texas 78712 United States
(512) 495-4621
apl-aaa@lib.utexas.edu