Illinois Institute of Technology

University Archives and Special Collections collects and preserves the historical records of Illinois Institute of Technology, a technological university located on the Near South side of Chicago, as well as those of its predecessor institutions.

University Archives and Special Collections' archival holdings include the records of Illinois Tech and its predecessor institutions, Armour Institute of Technology and Lewis Institute, as well as many important records of the Institute of Design, representing the eras both before and after its merger with Illinois Tech in 1949. We also collect personal papers from faculty, staff, and alumni that illustrate their direct connections with the university and the impact of their Illinois Tech training and experience on their professional work. The archives holds some unique manuscripts and secondary collections related to architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and his activities at IIT from 1938-1958, along with other materials related to IIT’s Modernist campus architecture. Its collections include paper records, audio-visual documentation, and electronic records and files created by university faculty, staff, and offices. There is also a collection of wire recorders from the 1930s and 1940s (laboratory models and commercial versions) produced by Armour graduate Marvin Camras in his long career with the IIT-associated Armour Research Foundation (later IIT Research Institute).  University Archives and Special Collections has two special topical collecting scopes beyond the Illinois Institute of Technology narrative: the history of Bronzeville and Chicago’s near South Side (including including the South Side Redevelopment Collection, Central South Area Plan Materials, and South Central Association materials), and the history of modernism in U.S. architecture and design that reflects the influence of Germany’s Bauhaus movement. In addition, Illinois Tech’s Galvin Library holds born-digital oral histories from the Institute of Design’s Photography program alumni, as well as a small collection of rare volumes on the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition.