Robinson Neil Bass papers, 1945-2004
(Document/manuscript/pamphlet/archival material)

Organization:Two series: I. Building Projects; II. Personal Papers;,Arrangement: Series I. Alphabetical by project name; Series II. Roughly chronologically

Materials housed in Special Collections Division of the Main Library, Nashville Public Library

In library use only. Available by appointment

Please inquire in advance of visiting the Special Collections Division as the oversized nature of these materials typically requires special preparations to be made by staff. Many items may be quite fragile and/or require special handling to access.

Scope and Content: Architectural and personal papers of Robinson Neil Bass, consisting primarily of architectural plans and renderings, news clippings, photographs, scrapbooks, and related materials documenting numerous commercial, residential, and government buildings designed by Bass through the latter half of the twentieth century. The collection is organized in to two series: I. Building Projects; and II. Personal Papers.

Series I. Building Projects comprise the bulk of the collection, containing over 100 rolled architectural drawings and renderings, some photographs or mounted drawings, dedication programs, promotional or descriptive brochures and booklets for specific buildings, photographic transparencies and slides, notices of design awards, scrapbooks, clippings and articles. Among the many projects documented in this collection include: Capitol Boulevard redevelopment; Nashville’s waterfront redevelopment plan; Botanic Hall at Cheekwood; an automatic teller machine called "Quicksilver" for Commerce Union bank, when these were still a new innovation; Glencliff Elementary School; Olin Hall at Vanderbilt; the visitors center at The Hermitage; and United Paperworkers International Union national headquarters in Nashville. He also built a number of private residences, apartment buildings, and retirement homes, as well as working on several projects for the State of Tennessee and the Metropolitan Government of Nashville. A substantial number of drawings exist for the Ron and Becky Sohr house, located in Forest Hills, Davidson County. Unusual structures such as a jungle gym, a fort, a castle, architectural details such as a desk, fireplace, mailboxes, and other features are also included in the collection.

Series II. Personal Papers contain items from Bass' education at Yale University, including what may be a student portfolio of designs. A small amount of correspondence with fellow architect and Yale alumnus Fred Mahaffey criticizes the work of architect Robert Stern, including his design for the new main Nashville Public Library building in 2002. Other materials in Bass' personal papers include documents related to his service in the U.S. Navy (1953-1955); his design for a game called "Marble Football"; an unattributed booklet entitled "An Expression of the Strong Architectural Tradition in the South" which links Jeffersonian classicism to elements of modern design as expressed in the Sears store in Augusta, Georgia (ca. 1960); articles profiling Bass or his career; course catalogs from the O’More School of Design, where Bass taught 1982-1984; materials relating to the death of his father, Clark Neil Bass in 1984; and accolades and congratulations sent by friends and colleagues when Bass was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award from Excellence in Development in 1997.

Cite as: [Project or folder title], [Series title], Robinson Neil Bass Papers, Special Collections Division, Nashville Public Library

Copyright deeded to Nashville Public Library at time of acquisition.

The Nashville Public Library is not equipped to scan or reproduce copies of oversized materials. Such requests will require special arrangements and will be addressed on a case-by-case basis. Please plan ahead.

Robinson Neil Bass;,Gift;,2004.,Acc. 2004.047

Related Materials: The Charles W. Warterfield, Jr. Architectural Slides; numerous collections created by Historic Nashville, Inc.; and Excellence in Development Project Nomination Files are also held by the Special Collections Division.

Robinson Neil Bass was born in Nashville, Tennessee on June 6, 1928, the son of Clark Neil Bass. He graduated from McCallie School in Chattanooga, Tenn. in 1945; attended the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, graduating with a bachelor's degree in economics in 1949; and attended Yale University, obtaining a bachelor's degree in architecture in 1953. He married the former Clara McDonald in Nashville on April 3, 1954. They had three daughters. He served in the United States Navy from 1954-1956, obtaining the rank of Lieutenant (jg), with a portion of his time assigned to public works in the Canal Zone. After his discharge, he went to work for A. I. Aydelott in Memphis, where he may have worked on designs for the Sears building in Augusta, Georgia. In 1960, he formed the firm Warterfield & Bass with Charles W. Warterfield, Jr. in Nashville, Tenn. In 1967, he opened his own firm, Robinson Neil Bass and Associates, with offices in a renovated 19th-century building at 170 Second Avenue North in downtown Nashville. Bass held a lifelong interest in historic preservation, helping to create Historic Nashville, Inc. (HNI) a preservation organization and served as its first executive director. Despite this, Bass' own design style was very contemporary, demonstrated in such works as Olin Hall at Vanderbilt University, the United Paperworkers International headquarters building, Glencliff Elementary School, and the design of the Ron and Becky Sohr house. He received several awards, including a $10,000 grant in 1974 from the National Endowment for the Arts to create a study of developing Nashville's waterfront; and the Lifetime Achievement Award from Excellence in Development in 1997. He died in Nashville on Jan. 28, 2014.

In English

Finding aid available in the repository;,folder level control.,https://catalog.library.nashville.org/Record/CARL0001015748/DownloadSupplementalFile?fileId=174

In the custody of the creator, Robinson Neil Bass, until donated to the Special Collections Division in 2004.

plans,rehouse;,2004-2006;,Jean Muirhead and Marty O'Reilly, volunteers

plans,inventory;,2010;,Leanne Garland

process;,2023;,Linda Barnickel, with assistance from Rose Mary Reed, volunteer

No further accruals are expected

Book jacket image digital identifier: RNBass-Projects-Waterfront-Bassmodelphoto