Volz & Associates, Inc. collection
Scope and Content of the collection
The Volz & Associates, Inc. collection represents records created and collected during its business activities from 1978-2017, resulting in office records and professional project records.
Collection contents cover historic preservation of architecture and its interiors, resulting in Conservation Assessment Program (CAP) surveys funded by IMS (now IMLS) for small museum projects and/or restoration records for over 300 notable projects including county courthouses, historic homes, churches, and university buildings. While most of the firm’s work stayed in Texas, some projects extended to other parts of the United States.
Office Records (Series A), created in the course of maintaining and running a business, include reference and other resources used to manage and maintain an architectural historic preservation and interiors firm. These records are not yet processed.
Records created as products of the firm's work include project records in analog and digital formats, found in Project Files (Series B), Consulting (Series C), and Drawings (Series D). Project Files typically include records for restoration projects and are made up of documents related to each project’s development. Record types include historical research, field notes, master plans, specifications, construction documents, contracts, contractor bids, work orders, submittals, bound project manuals, surveys, and close out documents that detail the final stages of renovations including historic finish selections. Visual components include photographic documentation and drawings. The images include detail shots for restoration, before and after comparisons, and professional photographs for marketing purposes. Historic research includes scanned historic photographs and documents found in various repositories in Texas. Communication records consist of Correspondence between the firm and the clients, partners, and governments associated with individual buildings. Consulting records represent the firm's work in an advisory capacity and include projects funded through the IMS (now IMLS) Conservation Assessment Program (CAP). Record types are similar to those in the Project Files series. Likewise, there is generous overlap between the two series. Researchers should consult both series for project-related papers. The Drawings series is composed primarily of construction and a few design drawings.
Record formats include analog materials comprised of over 271.25 linear feet, or approximately 395 boxes, of papers and 8,625 sheets of drawings. Office Records are not yet processed. The Volz & Associates, Inc. collection contains 42.8 GB of born-digital material (59,086 digital files).
Because the firm is still active, accruals are expected.
Dates
- Creation: 1854-2017
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 have not 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.
Digital files in this series are partially processed and may not be accessible for research.
Administrative History of Volz & Associates, Inc.
Volz & Associates, Inc. is a historic preservation and interior design firm based in Austin, Texas. Founded by husband-and-wife team architect John Volz and interior designer Candace Volz, the firm began in 1978 as a historic interiors consulting company led by Candace. John joined her nine years later, and they formed Volz & Associates, Inc., offering services in “architecture, architectural conservation, and restoration.” Principal Architects Teresa (Tere) O’Connell and Chris Hutson joined in 1997 and 1998 and became partners in 2005 and 2012, respectively. O’Connell left the firm in 2015 and Hutson departed the following year. Over the years, the firm has operated under several different names, including Volz O’Connell Hutson, Inc. and Volz O’Connell Hutson Architecture. After O’Connell and Hutson left, the firm returned to its original name, Volz & Associates, Inc.
Volz & Associates, Inc. has helped conserve and restore hundreds of buildings across the United States, with the bulk of the work concentrated in Texas. Notable buildings include the Texas State Capitol and Governor’s Mansion, the Alamo, The University of Texas' Main Building, and numerous Texas county courthouses. Volz & Associates, Inc. has received many awards for its work, including the Associated Builders and Contractors of America’s “National Award of Excellence” (1999) and the Texas Historical Commission’s “Award of Excellence in Historic Architecture” (1999).
Sources:
Volz & Associates, Inc. "Biographies." Accessed 2019 March 11. http://volzassociates.com/profile/biographies/.
Volz & Associates, Inc. "Design Philosophy." Accessed 2019 March 11. http://volzassociates.com/profile/design-philosophy/.
Volz & Associates, Inc. "Recognition." Accessed 2019 March 11. http://volzassociates.com/profile/recognition/.
Partial Extent
271.25 Linear Feet
Partial Extent
8625 drawings
Partial Extent
42.8 Gigabytes
Partial Extent
257 cds
Partial Extent
468 floppy_disks
Partial Extent
85 zip_disks
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Volz & Associates, Inc., founded 1987, is a historic preservation firm based in Austin, Texas that preserves and restores historic buildings across the United States. This collection documents the firm’s architectural and preservation consulting projects, including those funded by the Conservation Assessment Program (CAP) for small museums. Record types include project records, photographs, architectural drawings, Computer-Aided Design (CAD) files, historical research, and correspondence. These records are represented in both analog and digital formats throughout the collection. Accruals are expected.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged into four series: Series A: Office Files, which includes files related to the operations of Volz & Associates; Series B: Project Files, which includes architecture and construction projects; Series C: Consulting, which includes buildings for which Volz & Associates conducted Conservation Assessment Program (CAP) surveys and advised for historic preservation; and Series D: Drawings, which includes construction and design drawings.
Physical files are arranged alphabetically by building and retain the original order in which they were received from the firm. Digital records are arranged in chronological order after the physical files for each building. Several series contain records represented in both the analog and the digital formats.
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
The most common file types for digital records are JPEG File Interchange Format (.jpg), Microsoft Word Document (.doc), Tagged Image File Format (.tif), Plain Text File (.txt), and AutoCAD Drawing (.dwg). These materials have been processed at the disk level. Many disks contain files related to several different projects. Researchers will notice that some data loss has occurred on early files.
Digital files in this series are partially processed and may not be accessible for research. The Archives cannot guarantee access for files created using proprietary software, such as CAD files, due to lack of required software.
Other Finding Aids
Drawings: Inventory of processed architectural drawings in the Volz & Associates Inc. collection.
Digital records: Inventory of processed digital material in the Volz & Associates Inc. collection.
Unprocessed papers: Inventory of unprocessed records in the Volz & Associates Inc. collection.
References to works by or about Volz & Associates, Inc.
-- compiled by Nancy Sparrow
- At Work. (2008, February 10). Austin Business Journal.
- Barnes, M. (2012). No Detail Unrestored; Pair Have Commodore Perry Mansion in Elegant Shape. Austin American Statesman, Life & Style, D1.
- Carmack, L. (2013, April 22). Comal County Courthouse Restored to Its 1898 Glory. County Magazine.
- Christensen, L. (2012, September/October). Ancient Oaks, A Glorious Texas Restoration. Cedar Shake and Shingle Bureau, Architectural West.
- Hauser, V. P. (1997). Case Study: Christ Church. Texas Architect, 47(2), 27.
- Hauser, V. P. (1997). Restoring a Landmark. Texas Architect, 47(2), 40-43.
- Hightower, J. B. (2013). A Romanesque Rebirth. Texas Architect, 63(3), 42-47.
- Massey, J. and Maxwell, S. (2013, December). 20th Century Houses in Austin’s Pemberton Heights. Old House Journal.
- Oldest Building at the Alamo gets a New Roof. (2014, August 18). Texas General Land Office press release.
- Preservation Texas honor awards. (2014). Texas Architect, 64(3), 19-20.
- Sanchez, M. L. (2011). Homestead Reclaimed. Texas Architect, 61(3), 42-49.
- Sayers Bartosh, K. Country Cottage Bedrooms: Historical Tips and Ideas. www.about.com.
- Spencer, I. (2005). 'Golden Age' Revival. Texas Architect, 55(2), 30-33,59.
- Volz, J. R. (1975). Brick bibliography. APT : Bulletin of the Association for Preservation Technology, 7(4), 38-49.
- Volz, J. R. (2011). [Review of the book Comparative Architectural Details: A Selection from Pencil Points, 1932-1937, ed. by Milton W. Greenfell.] APT Bulletin, 42(4), 58-11.
- Volz, J., & Association for Preservation Technology. (1975). Paint bibliography. Association for Preservation Technology.
Processing Information
This collection is partially processed. Preservation work is ongoing.
Digital files in this collection are partially processed. Digital records were stored on 468 3.5” floppy disks, 257 CDs, 85 zip disks, and 1 flash drive. Disk images were created for each media item. The disk image numbers are titled using Volz’ original labeling system, with the Alexander’s accession number added to the beginning. The disk image number indicates the type of media the files were originally stored on: images labeled 01_xxx came from 3.5” floppy disks, images labeled 02_xxx came from CDs, images labeled 03_xxx came from zip disks, and images labeled 04_xxx came from flash drives. Researchers will notice that some data loss has occurred on early files.
Many disks contain files related to several different projects. In these cases, the extents referenced at the item level refer to the contents of the disk and not the total number of files related to the project (ex.: 2017009_02_253 contains 657 MB with 2,416 total files, not 657 MB for each project listed).
Collection Processors
Drawings processing: Anthony Vannette, 2018-2019
Papers processing: Amanda Ryan, 2018-2019; Genevia Chamblee-Smith, 2023; Zoe Grout 2024-2025, and Stephanie Tiedeken, 2018-2025.
Electronic Records processing: Jade Snelling, Sara Rogers and Abigail Norris, 2017-2019
Subject
- Teresa O’Connell (contributor, Person)
- John Volz (contributor, Person)
Genre / Form
- CD-ROMs
- Digital file formats
- Field notes
- Office files
- architectural drawings (visual works)
- contract documents
- correspondence
- floppy disks
- photographs
- project files
- slides (photographs)
Geographic
Topical
- Architecture
- Architecture, Domestic--Oklahoma
- Architecture, Domestic--Texas
- Architecture--Conservation and restoration
- Buildings--Repair and reconstruction
- Historic buildings--Conservation and restoration--United States
- Historic buildings--Preservation
- Public buildings--Texas
- churches (buildings)
- county courthouses
- government office buildings
- historic house museums (buildings)
- historical society museums (buildings)
- houses
- museums (buildings)
- university buildings
- Title
- Volz & Associates, Inc. collection
- Author
- Inventory prepared by Abigail Norris, Amanda Ryan, Anthony Vannette, Sara Rogers, Jade Snelling, Zoe Grout and Stephanie Tiedeken.
- 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