Collection Scope From the Collection: This collection has two main components: Ben Baldwin’s correspondence, written almost exclusively to Harry Weese, and work for his book, An Autobiography in Design. All the stages of authorship, from proposal to finished product are represented, including efforts made by his niece Shirley Young Weese to see the book to publication. Series I: Personal (1938-2000) contains letters by Ben Baldwin to Harry Weese, chiefly from 1939-1940, just after they left Cranbrook. They reflect...

Abstract Benjamin “Ben” Baldwin was a critically acclaimed interior designer and architect known for a sense of lyrical order and refined taste. His garden designs were as important as his interiors and reflected a philosophy, “The whole thing was to make the space beautiful.” Born in Montgomery, Ala. on March 29, 1913, Baldwin was awarded a scholarship to the Cranbrook Academy of Art, which he attended from 1938-39. While there, he worked under Eliel Saarinen in architecture and town planning, and...