Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use

The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials. Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form: http://bit.ly/scuareproduction . Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form: http://bit.ly/scuapublication . Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form.

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research.

Preferred Citation

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Liane Zimbler Architectural Collection, Ms1988-005, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Source of Acquisition

The collection was donated to the International Archive of Women in Architecture in 1988 and 1994.

Processing Information

The processing, arrangement, and description of the Liane Zimbler Architectural Collection commenced in October 2003 and were completed in March 2004. Some preliminary processing was done prior to this time.

Biographical Note

Liane Zimbler was born in Czechoslovakia in 1892. She studied Art and Architecture at the State Art School in Austria, became the first women in Europe to be awarded an architect's license, and opened offices in Vienna and Prague. Her work ranged from bank buildings, offices, and stores to homes and designs for multi-purpose, mass-produced furniture. Her other activities included serving as chairman of the Austrian board of the International Housing Society and giving lectures on the sociological and artistic aspects of housing to students and various women's clubs.

Fleeing the Nazi invasion of Austria, Zimbler moved with her family to Los Angeles, California in 1938. There she worked with interior decorator Anita Toor and began to pursue a career in interior design. She soon headed her own design firm, did considerable lecturing and wrote articles on topics connected with decorating problems, and regularly took part in design shows and exhibitions. Her daughter, Eva Zimbler Huebscher, joined her as an apprentice in 1958 and thereafter became her associate. They became well known as a mother-daughter team.

Zimbler was a member of the American Institute of Interior Designers and the Association of Women in Architecture. Her work was published in various architecture and design periodicals (such as Interior Design, Designers West, and The Architectural Digest) and in the home section of daily newspapers (such as the Los Angeles Times). She also contributed articles and columns to various publications.

Zimbler carried on her design work until she was well into her seventies. She died in 1987 in Los Angeles.

Scope and Content

The collection consists of material related to Liane Zimbler's work as an architect and interior designer in Vienna, Austria during the time period from 1921 to 1938 and in Los Angeles, California, during the time period from 1941 to 1975. Material includes photographs, slides, stereo transparencies and viewing device, exhibition programs, architectural and interior design periodicals, newspaper and magazine clippings, manuscripts of biographical essays, speeches, and articles, presentation and design drawings, and correspondence. The collection documents Zimbler's various projects (some in conjunction with her daughter, Eva Zimbler Huebscher), her participation in various design exhibitions and shows, her contribution to various publications, and her speeches to various organizations.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged into one series of Professional Papers and five subseries according to type of material.

Series I. Professional Papers, 1912-1982, 1993-1994 This series consists of material created and collected by Zimbler in the course of her work as an architect and interior designer. Some material relates to her various projects in Vienna including the Harpner residence (1933) and the Preminger residence (1935). Most of the material relates to her various projects in Southern California including Dr Toch's residence, Santa Monica (1941), the Panzer residence, Beverly Hills (1942), the Barbas residence, Beverly Hills (1951), the Candianides Residence, Ventura (1961), the Barasch residence, Los Angeles (1960-1965), as well as to her participation in American Institute of Decorators (A.I.D) shows (1954, 1960-1961, 1967, 1973), "Living with Famous Paintings" shows (1956, 1958-1959, 1961) and Design House West shows (1970-1971). The series is arranged into five subseries, Subseries A. Correspondence, Subseries B. Writings, Subseries C. Drawings, Subseries D. Printed Material, and Subseries E. Photographs and Other Graphic Material.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• International Archive of Women in Architecture (IAWA)
• Women -- History

Rights Statement for Archival Description

The guide to the Liane Zimbler Architectural Collection by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 ( https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/ ).