Friday, November 13, 2015

DIY Rathbone DeBuys

In the early 1930s, New Orleans architect Rathbone DeBuys (1874-1960) was experiencing hard times. He laid off his fourteen employees and reduced his office space. Faced with typing his own correspondence and juggling various contract documents, he designed this time-motion suite in the Hibernia Bank Building and wrote an article about his efforts.

He made the 96 x 30" conference table with griffin legs that he purchased in an antique shop. A sash and door company supplied the top, and DeBuys built an informal truss to tie the elements together. He placed all of his active job files on the table so that they would be close at hand.

Read more in American Architect (June 1932).

Image above:  Rathbone DeBuys Office, Hibernia Bank Building, 812 Gravier Street. 1932. As reproduced in Rathbone DeBuys. "An Architect Cuts Office Time." American Architect 141:2608 (June 1932): p.16.




7 comments:

Thomas said...

What a great image! Would love to look around that office.

Keli Rylance said...

After this office, he set up one in his home.

Thomas Rosell said...

Are any of the building photographs visible identifiable?

Keli Rylance said...

Yes, nearly all. The SEAA has most of the original photographs, and the majority were also reproduced in his firm publication: http://voyager.tcs.tulane.edu/vwebv/holdingsInfo?bibId=3472100

Thomas Rosell said...

Oh wow. Add that to my list of things to view on my next visit. One of the photographs resemble the old Hancock Bank in Pass Christian, MS
http://mdah.state.ms.us/arrec/digital_archives/series/cooper/detail/18227

Keli Rylance said...

I believe that is the Hancock Bank! We do not have any photographs or plans of the building here, but his firm brochure [hyperlink above] lists the bank as one of his "OTHER WORKS."

To the right of the image you are referencing is the Allen Tupper Residence, 1565 Exposition Blvd.

Thomas Rosell said...

The American Architect v.96 has a floor plan and what looks to be the same photograph.

http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=njp.32101082377381;view=1up;seq=567

What fun it would be to identify all the buildings in the photograph.