Archives Center, National Museum of American History

Guide to the Alfons Bach Papers

Summary
Palm Trail Plaza, Del Ray Beach, Florida
Palm Trail Plaza, Del Ray Beach, Florida
Collection ID:
NMAH.AC.1272
Creators:
Bach, Alfons, 1904-1999
Dates:
1934-1992
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
6 Cubic feet
4 boxes
Repository:
Scope and Contents
Scope and Contents
Biographical files cover the period from 1938-1989 and include resumes, clippings, correspondence, certificates, awards, speeches, brochures for exhibitions, and artwork.
The project files cover the period from 1934-1961 and contain clippings, catalogs, brochures, and scrapbooks. This material documents Bach's work as an industrial designer, architect, and painter from 1934-1992.
The files on the Ridgeway Center mall are particularly extensive. Photographs cover the period from 1937-1961 and document Bach's design projects, particularly the Ridgeway Center, his house in Stamford, and the Miami and New York offices of Callaway Mills. Portraits of Bach and his family are included as well.
Glass lantern slides document Bach's interior and exterior design projects. Also included are several signed and numbered prints of Bach's watercolor scenes of the Riviera.
Arrangement
Arrangement
The Collection i s arranged into three series.
Series 1: Biographical Materials and Project Files, 1934-1989 Series 2: Photographs, 1942-1961 Series 3: Lantern slides (glass), undated
Biographical / Historical
Biographical / Historical
Industrial designer, architect, and painter. Born in Germany, 1904. Bach studied film directing and design in Europe. He turned to industrial design upon immigrating to the United States in 1926. His design work from 1932-1953 include a Philco radio, furniture for Heywood-Wakefield, carpets for Bigelow-Sanford, and appliances for General Electric. Bach designed and built his own home in Stamford, Connecticut, in 1938.
In the late 1940s, he developed a plan for one of the first shopping malls in America, the Ridgeway Center in Stamford, Connecticut. He remodeled the interior and exterior of Sach's furniture store, 1948-1949, and redesigned the Seneca Textile Building on 34th Street in Manhattan in 1952. Bach moved to Florida in 1959, where he designed the Palm Trail Plaza, a marina apartment complex in Delray Beach, completed in 1961. In addition, Bach was also a noted painter. His watercolors were featured in numerous exhibitions in the United States and Europe.
Administration
Author
Alison Oswald
Immediate Source of Acquisiton
Collection donated by Alfons Bach in 1993.
Processing Information
Collection processed by Alison Oswald, archivist and Isaac Meth, Intern, 2022.
Custodial History
The collection was transferred to the Archives Center from the Cooper-Hewitt Museum in 2012.
Using the Collection
Restrictions on Access
Collection is open for research but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.
Preferred Citation
Alfons Bach Papers, Archives Center, National Museum of American History
Conditions Governing Use
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Related Archival Materials
Materials at the Smithsonian
Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, Drawings and Prints Department holds 431 drawings of designs for furniture, textiles, lamps, pianos, clocks, appliances, and retail, office, and home interiors
Keywords
Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Industrial designers -- United States Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Slides Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Clippings Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Aerial Photographs Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sketches Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Architects -- United States Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Design, Industrial -- United States Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Photographs -- 20th century Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Plans Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Proposals Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Exhibition catalogs Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Writings Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Speeches Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Awards Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Display of merchandise Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Furniture design -- United States Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Radio -- Receivers and reception Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Carpets -- United States Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Interior decoration -- United States Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Architecture -- Designs and plans Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Shopping malls -- United States Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Scrapbooks Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Watercolor painting -- United States Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Certificates Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Apartment houses Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Heywood-Wakefield Company Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Callaway Mills Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Palm Trail Plaza Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Philco Corporation Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sach's New York Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Bigelow-Sanford Carpet Company Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Cooper-Hewitt Design Archive Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Seneca Textile Building Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
General Electric Company Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Ridgeway Center Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Archives Center, National Museum of American History
P.O. Box 37012
Suite 1100, MRC 601
Washington, D.C. 20013-7012
Business Number: Phone: 202-633-3270
Fax Number: Fax: 202-786-2453
archivescenter@si.edu