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Robert Kirkbride faculty records

 Record Group
Identifier: PC-02-18-01

Abstract

The records in this collection, dating from 1985-2013, document Parsons School of Design faculty member Robert Kirkbride's involvement in faculty bodies and reviews of academic programs at The New School, primarily between 2004 and 2013, including his role as faculty advisor on the design and construction of the New School University Center at 65 Fifth Avenue. Also represented are materials documenting Kirkbride's participation in the curriculum review of various Parsons undergraduate programs and events and exhibitions in Parsons' Product Design Department.

Dates

  • 1986-2013
  • Majority of material found within 2005-2010

Creator

Extent

1.3 Cubic Feet (1 box)

Language of Materials

English

Scope and Contents

These files, compiled by Parsons School of Design Professor of Architecture and Product Design Robert Kirkbride, mostly relate to Kirkbride’s positions in various faculty bodies at The New School between 2004 and 2013. These committees include a facilities planning committee during the time of the planning of the University Center building at 65 Fifth Avenue (also referred to as the "Signature Building" in the records), an academic policies committee, the Parsons Faculty Assembly, curriculum review working groups, and the Provost’s Advisory Committee for Parsons. Kirkbride kept files of committee meeting agendas with handwritten notes, working documents that were often annotated, and printed email conversations with members of the various committees. These files also contain many documents relevant to the Product Design Department in the same period, and in particular on the senior thesis studio shows for the department.

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research use. Two documents containing faculty identification numbers are restricted for 50 years from creation date of the items in accordance with The New School Archives’ confidentiality policy. Please contact archivist@newschool.edu for more information.

Conditions Governing Use

To publish images of material from this collection, permission must be obtained in writing from the New School Archives and Special Collections. Please contact: archivist@newschool.edu.

Biographical Note

Robert Kirkbride is a professor of architecture and product design at Parsons School of Design at The New School. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Design of the Environment and Master of Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania, where his masters thesis was advised by Giuseppe Zambonini. He received his Ph.D. in the History and Theory of Architecture from McGill University.

Kirkbride became associate professor of architecture and product design at Parsons in 2005, and was made a full professor in 2019. He served as thesis coordinator for Product Design until 2009, and interim director of the department in 2009-2010. During this period Kirkbride was deeply involved in the planning process for the construction of Kerrey Hall at 65 5th Avenue, serving on the Provost’s Task Force for the design of that building and as the facilities planning representative for the University Faculty Senate. From 2016 until 2021, Kirkbride served as dean of the School of Constructed Environments at Parsons. He also serves on the faculty advisory committee for Memory Studies.

In 1999, Kirkbride founded the architectural design firm studio ‘patafisico. In 2014, he co-founded PreservationWorks, an organization dedicated to preserving extant “Kirkbride Buildings,” mental asylums built according to the specifications of 19th century psychiatrist and Robert Kirkbride’s relative, Thomas Story Kirkbride.

Sources:

Kirkbride, Robert. LinkedIn, 2023. https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-kirkbride-88b98610

Robert Kirkbride, robertkirkbride.com/. Accessed 30 May 2023.

Arrangement

Arranged alphabetically in a single series.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Transferred from Robert Kirkbride's office in the School of Constructed Environments to The New School Archives, 2016.

Related Materials

The New School Archives holds several records related to Parsons School of Design and its departments including the Parsons School of Design academic programs collection (PC.02.01.02), which includes audiovisual materials, exhibition catalogs, posters, publications, student work, and other various formats from departmental transfers and personal donations by Parsons School of Design faculty, students and administrative staff beginning in 2009.

The New School Archives also holds the records of faculty members of the Parsons School of Design such as the Parsons School of Design Product Design Department, Richard Yelle records (PC.02.03.01), which contains administrative records, information on competitions and exhibits, student work, course descriptions, and evaluations produced during his term as department chair of Product Design, and the Parsons School of Design Product Design Department, Tony Whitfield records (PC.02.03.02), which consists of documentation created by Parsons School of Design's Product Design Department between 1990-2015 were that were created or received by various individuals, including Richard Yelle and Tony Whitfield.

Processing Information

Kirkbride's original folder titles have been retained, except in cases where the processing archivist grouped folders together that contained materials related to the same topic and period. The processing archivist has also spelled out acronyms and abbreviations on folder titles.

Title
Guide to the Robert Kirkbride faculty records
Status
Completed
Author
Jack Wells and Victoria Fernandez
Date
August 18, 2023
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin