Accession Number: 2015.1.4
Scope & Content: Pencil drawing of the APH building from the back, looking northwest with a proposed new structure in the forground; the proposed structure has three levels and an attic, appears to be brick with raised quins on corners on the second and third levels; first floor windows are six pane, second and third story windows are six over six; gable roof; seen in background on right is 1933 APH plate storage vault, seen in background on left is original plate storage vault--with some annex material on the rear there that was never constructed-- and just a peek of the original 1883 building; drawing is framed on left by a large evergreen tree and on the right by a towering elm tree; legend at bottom, "Proposed Library & Stack Building for the American Printing House for the Blind, Inc. 1839 Frankfort Ave. Louisville, Ky./Arthur G. Tafel/ Architect/ 140 South Third--City--".
Creator: Tafel, Arthur G.
Interview Date: / /
Collection: APH Archives / RG 18: Maintenance
Credit Line: APH Collection, 2015.1
Administrative History: Arthur Gustave Tafel (1891-1974) was the son of German immigrants and before partnering with Edward Schickli, Tafel designed the Bauhaus style Administration Building of the American Printing House for the Blind on Frankfort Avenue in 1955, and the Coca-Cola plant in Shelbyville, KY. Despite the construction of three annex spaces between 1923-1933, braille and educational aids production had dramatically expanded to the point that by 1935, additional new space was being considered. This annex on the rear of the building was never built, but the drawing was published in the 1935-1936 APH Annual Report. Instead, APH rented additional manufacturing space on South Brook Street in 1939 and explored options to move off Frankfort Avenue entirely. A new annex, based on a more ambitious design unrelated to this one, but also designed by Arthur Tafel, would not be built until 1947.
Subjects: Blueprints Construction Factories Landscaping plans Office buildings Storage facilities