Skip to main content
Please contact the Booth Family Center for Special Collections for assistance with accessing these materials.

Frederick W. Cron - John Joseph Earley collection

 Collection
Identifier: GTM-771003

Scope and contents note

The Frederick W. Cron and John Joseph Earley Collection is stored in two document boxes and one oversized box. The first box includes correspondence to John J. Earley, correspondence to Frederick W. Cron, Earley's awards, speeches, and biographical materials. The second box includes photographs of Earley's work in both color and black and white, printed information on concrete processes, and newspaper clippings relating to Earley's work. The last box includes oversized photographs of Earley's work and color sketches by Earley.

The Archives of American Art at the Smithsonian Institute also holds a small collection of photographs of Earley's work, and a microfilm copy of the rare, out-of-print biography "John Joseph Earley: The Man Who Made Concrete Beautiful" written by Frederick William Cron.

Dates

  • 1922-1969

Conditions Governing Access note

Most manuscripts collections at the Georgetown University Booth Family Center for Special Collections are open to researchers; however, restrictions may apply to some collections. Collections stored off site require a minimum of three days for retrieval. For use of all manuscripts collections, researchers are advised to contact the Booth Family Center for Special Collections in advance of any visit.

Conditions Governing Use

Researchers are solely responsible for determining the copyright status of the materials being used, establishing who the copyright owner is, locating the copyright owner, and obtaining permission for intended use.

Biographical note

John J. Earley (1881-1945), an artisan and sculptor, is best remembered as the inventor of the Earley Process, a technique also known as polychrome, architectural, or mosaic concrete. He and his father, James Earley, ran a studio out of Manassas, VA, where they designed architectural sculpture for buildings for the Washington D.C. area, including the Library of Congress and the Franciscan Monastery.

Frederick W. Cron (b. 1906) wrote the book entitled, "John Joseph Earley: The Man Who Made Concrete Beautiful" (Ft. Collins, CO: Centennial Publications, 1975). Cron also wrote, "A Review of Highway Design Practices in Developing Countries" (Washington, DC: World Bank, 1975). He had retired from the Federal Highway Administraiton when he was the lead author of "Practical Highway Esthetics" (New York: American Society of Civil Engineers, 1977).

[Sources on Cron: Archives of American Art (Smithsonian Institution) Online; GU Library Hoya Search; World Cat].

Extent

2.75 Linear Feet (4 boxes (1 oversized flat))

Language of Materials

English

Title
Frederick W. Cron - John Joseph Earley collection
Status
Completed
Author
Georgetown University Library Booth Family Center for Special Collections, Washington, D.C.
Description rules
Local Practice
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
English

Repository Details

Part of the Georgetown University Manuscripts Repository

Contact:
Lauinger Library, 5th Floor
37th and O Streets, N.W.
Washington DC 20057