New Acquisitions: 2024, Part 1

Started in Cincinnati, Ohio by two electrical engineers in 1913, Formica is now a leading powerhouse in decorative laminate products for furniture and countertops. In 2024, Formica gifted its extensive archive of pattern samples to the Museum, featuring recognizable patterns such as Skylark and Opaline, which date back to the early years of the company’s history. As an integral part of interior design and decorative arts over the past 100+ years, this collection is an incredibly important addition to the Museum’s permanent collection.  

Donor: Formica Group, Inc.  
Image: Vintage chip chain, 2024.2.1

John Blatteau, a well-known neoclassical architect who has worked extensively in DC, Maryland, and Virginia, was born and raised in Philadelphia. His firm, John Blatteau Associates, was founded in 1983 and has won awards from the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and the Pennsylvania Society of Architects. He generously gave, on behalf of himself and associate Stephen Bonitatibus, architectural drawings, sketches, and watercolors from John Blatteau Associates’ impressive work history to the Museum. 

Donor: John Blatteau 
Image: Architectural sketch, Les Halles Development, Paris, France, 2024.3.110

In 1992, art gallery owner Leah Poller purchased a townhouse on Capitol Hill. In the home, she discovered a roll of stencils that were once used to decorate the ceilings of the townhouse. The ceiling stencils are an excellent example of methods and techniques craftsmen used historically to construct elements of the built environment. In 2024, Poller donated eight of these stencils to the Museum.  

Donor: Leah Poller
Image: Stencil

Astrolog, a plastic building block intended to streamline and simplify the building of affordable single-family homes, was designed by Dan Breckenridge Moore in the 1960s and originally marketed in the 1970s. Though it was not a commercial success, the product foreshadowed the DIY movement and modular homes shift in the 1980s. Moore’s two children donated his design and production materials for Astrolog and the more commercially successful AZT tape. 

Donor: Jon B. Moore & Nancy Moore Deely
Image: Astrolog prototype, 2024.5.3

Bertram Galbraith, owner and founder of the Virginia Armeture Company in Salem, Virginia, built large engines for the US military during WWII; his son was also an engineer who served as the Water Commissioner for the City of Rockville in the 1950s. Laura Camacho, Galbraith’s granddaughter, inherited engineering tools from both her grandfather and father’s impressive careers that she donated to the Museum in 2024.  

Donor: Laura Camacho
Image: Hinged box, architectural tool, 2024.7.31a

Two Federal-era (1780-1820) chairs that first belonged to Commodore John Rodgers were then passed on to his son-in-law, General Montgomery C. Meigs, the designer of the Old Pension Building. This building is where the National Building Museum now resides, and its collection holds several items related to Meigs. David Williamson III, one of Meigs’ descendants, generously donated these chairs to the Museum. 

Donor: David Williamson III 
Image: Side chair, 2024.8.1, 2024.8.2

Though now understood to be incredibly dangerous if deteriorated or broken, asbestos has been a major component of the construction process for decades. Two boxes of asbestos tile samples, found in a house in Champaign County, Illinois in 2004, were salvaged by Karen Kummer with the goal of donating them to a museum dedicated to architectural history as material samples. In 2024, this goal was realized when the tiles were donated to the Museum.  

Donor: Karen Kummer 
Image: Kentile Vinyl Asbestos Tile. 2024.9.2w

This architectural toy from the 1950s, donated by Donald Albrecht in 2024, depicts a movie set in the country western style. As an addition to the Museum’s extensive Architectural Toys Collection, this set gives children the opportunity to learn important engineering and architectural concepts while at play.  

Donor: Donald Albrecht 
Image: Architectural toy, 2024.10.1