Arrasmith, Strudwick William (1898-1965), Photograph Collection, c. 1930-1950

Held by The Filson Historical Society

Creator:  William Strudwick Arrasmith

Title:  Photograph Collection, c. 1930-1950

Rights: For information regarding literary and copyright interest for these papers, contact the Curator of Special Collections.

Size of Collection:  .33 cubic feet

Location Number:  016PC13

Scope and Content Note

The William Strudwick Arrasmith Photograph Collection is housed in one photograph box collection containing 10 folders of photographic items varying in formats, including photographic prints, sketches, negatives, and real photograph postcards. The collection documents the life and work of William Strudwick “Arra” Arrasmith, an architect who is primarily known for designing Greyhound bus terminals throughout the eastern United States. Dates of photographs appear to range from around 1930 to 1950, but most of the material is undated. Some photographs are labeled with individuals’ names and location.

Related Collections:
William Strudwick Arrasmith papers [Mss. A A773]
Edward Willis Baldwin, Jr. papers [Mss. A B181]
Frank Wrenick papers [Mss. A W945]

Historical Note

William Strudwick “Arra” Arrasmith was born in Hillsboro, North Carolina in 1898 to Thomas and Mary Arrasmith. Arrasmith studied architecture at the University of Illinois and graduated in 1921. After graduation, Arrasmith briefly worked in New York City before moving to Louisville, Kentucky, where he worked with local architect E.T. Hutchings before moving to the renowned architect Brinton B. Davis’ firm. After leaving Davis’ firm, Arrasmith became business partners with Clarence Stinson, and later Hermann Wischmeyer. During the Great Depression, Arrasmith, a member of the Army Reserves, was called to active duty and given command of a Civilian Conservation Corps detachment. In 1936, Fred Hoyt Elswick joined the firm, making it Wischmeyer, Arrasmith, and Elswick. Around 1935, the firm submitted a design proposal for the Louisville terminal to the Southeastern Greyhound Company, for whom Arrasmith had previously done small projects. The firm successful completed the Louisville terminal and won subsequent commissions for terminals in Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Cincinnati, and Chicago. During World War II, Arrasmith was assigned command of construction of Camp Atterbury in Indiana, before serving overseas in Europe. Upon returning to the United States, Arrasmith renewed his work with Greyhound as an in-house architect and moved to Cleveland to be closer to their headquarters. Around 1950, Arrasmith returned to Louisville, but continued to work primarily on Greyhound projects. In 1953, Arrasmith formed Arrasmith & Tyler with Will Tyler. The firm continued to undertake some projects for Greyhound but the relationship diminished with changes in Greyhound’s longtime executive leadership. This partnership dissolved in the early 1960s. Arrasmith worked as a sole practitioner for a few years before forming Arrasmith & Judd with Arnold Judd in 1963. In 1965, Arrasmith died at the age of 67. Arrasmith was married to Elizabeth “Betty” Arrasmith (1901-1999), with whom he had one child, Anne Lewis (née Arrasmith).

Source: Wrenick, Frank E. The Streamline Era Greyhound Terminal The Architecture of W.S. Arrasmith, McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers,
Jefferson, North Carolina and London, 2007.

Folder List 

Box 1: 
Folder 1: Family and personal photographs, undated (016PC13.1-.14).

Folder 2: Washington, D.C. Greyhound terminal grand opening photographs, 1940 (016PC13.15-18).

Folder 3: Proposed Cleveland Greyhound terminal and unidentified Greyhound terminal exterior renderings, undated (016PC13.19-20).

Folder 4: Annual Greyhound fishing outing in Canada photograph, undated (016PC13.21).Folder 5: Lytle Creek CCC Camp Co. 908 photographs and postcards, undated (016PC13.22-35).

Folder 6: Pontoon Bridge 1937 flood in Louisville photographs, 1937 (016PC13.36-37).

Folder 7: Military Service during World War II photographs, c. 1940 (016PC13.38-47).

Folder 8: Sketches of Italy, greeting cards and other drawings by Arrasmith, 1941-1943 (016PC13.48-56).

Folder 9: Washington, D.C. Greyhound terminal exterior and two men with perspective drawing of proposed administration building for the Chicago Tribune photographs and negative, undated (016PC13.57-61).

Folder 10: Evangelical Hospital, Library building for State Normal School (Bowling Green, Ky.), Farm Credit Administration of Louisville, a photograph print of Louisville’s Greyhound Station, and other building plans exterior renderings, undated (contains photographs 62-67).

 

Subject Headings 

Architecture – Kentucky – Louisville
Arrasmith, Elizabeth, 1901-1999
Arrasmith, William Strudwick, 1898-1965
Civilian Conservation Corps (U.S.)
Commercial buildings – Kentucky – Louisville
Floods – Kentucky – Louisville – 20th century
Greyhound Lines, Inc.
World War, 1939-1945