Available for use in the Manuscripts Division reading room. Advance notice is requested.
There are no restrictions on the use of materials in this collection. Copies can be requested if the condition of the originals warrants it.
Percy Dwight Bentley collection (N 186), Northwest Architectural Archives, University of Minnesota Libraries, Minneapolis.
Percy Dwight Bentley was born on January 30, 1885 in LaCrosse, Wisconsin. He graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University in 1907 and the Illinois Institute of Technology in 1911. Before becoming a professional architect, Bentley was an accomplished pianist and played with a St. Paul (MN) orchestra.
Bentley was a protégé of Frank Lloyd Wright and designed many large residences in the LaCrosse area. He also designed homes and businesses in St. Paul. He was a member of the following architectural firms: Bell & Bentley, Bentley and Hausler, Percy D. Bentley and Bentley-Worthen Architects. In 1935, Bentley relocated to Oregon, and continued his architectural career in the Eugene area. Percy Bentley died on February 2, 1968.
The collection contains plans for two buildings designed by Percy D. Bentley, the Freeman residence (1928) in Minneapolis and the Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity house at the University of Minnesota (1928). Remodeling plans, designed by Albitz Design Inc., of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity are also included in the collection (1975, 1978).
An unpublished finding aid with detailed contents is available in the Manuscripts Division.
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the University of Minnesota Libraries. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using these headings.