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Color portrait of Paul Cret sitting at desk
Cret, Paul Philippe

Paul Philippe Cret Collection (062), Architect, 1876-1945

Paul Cret was the Professor of Design of the School of Fine Arts of the University of Pennsylvania from 1903-1937. He was the dominant force in American architectural education and had a profound impact on an entire generation of architects. Cret had an important national practice and designed major museums, libraries, government buildings, academic buildings, monuments, bridges, and city and campus plans including the Benjamin Franklin Bridge and Parkway, the Washington Memorial Arch at Valley Forge, and the Barnes Foundation.

The largest part of this collection comprises drawings by Paul Cret: student drawings, travel sketches, competition drawings and project drawings. The collection also contains a small number of construction drawings for a few projects. Also included are reproductions of Cret drawings, clippings related to Cret projects, photographic portraits of Cret, World War I photographs of Cret and by Cret, and other materials of biographical interest.

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