Paton Price papers on Frank Lloyd Wright's New Theater for Hartford CT, 1948-1958

After clicking 'Submit Request', users will login with their UNI and password (Columbia affiliates) or their special collections account (external users). Appointments are required and will be arranged according to each individual repository's policy.


Series I: Correspondence

is made up of 73 letters, 12 telegrams, 1 invoice and 1 contract between Frank Lloyd Wright and The New Theater Corporation. The letters primarily documents the efforts of theater director Paton Price to construct a "New Theater" designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in Hartford, CT. As the project takes shape, the letters offer a window into the relationship Wright had with his clients.



Box 01 Folder 01 Price, Paton to Frank Lloyd Wright, 1948 Feb 20

Letter : 3 p. ; re: request to hire FLLW to design a small theater in the Hartford, CT area



Box 01 Folder 02 Wright, Frank Lloyd to Paton Price, 1948 Mar 10

Letter : 1 p.



Box 01 Folder 03 Price, Paton to Frank Lloyd Wright, 1948 May 24

Letter : 1 p.



Box 01 Folder 04 Masselink, Eugene to Paton Price, 1948 Jun 15

Letter : 1 p.



Box 01 Folder 05 Price, Paton to Frank Lloyd Wright (Draft), 1948 Sep 25

Letter : 1 p.



Box 01 Folder 06 Price, Paton to Frank Lloyd Wright, 1948 Oct 14

Letter : 1 p. ; re: project support and obstacles



Box 01 Folder 07 Price, Paton to [Eu]gene Masselink, 1948 Oct 24

Letter : 1 p.



Box 01 Folder 08 Price, Paton to Frank Lloyd Wright, 1948 Oct 24

Letter : 1 p. ; re: requesting contracts and sketches to present to the Zoning Board



Box 01 Folder 09 Eugene Masselink to Paton Price, 1948 Oct 29

Letter : 1 p. ; re: fundraising for the theater and reasoning behind wanting to name the building the Frank Lloyd Wright Theater



Box 01 Folder 10 Price, Paton to Frank Lloyd Wright, 1948 Nov 2

Letter : 2 p.



Box 01 Folder 11 Frank Lloyd Wright Invoice, 1948 Nov 5

Invoice : 1 p.



Box 01 Folder 12 Contract for New Theatre Corporation, 1948 Nov 6

Letter : 1 p.



Box 01 Folder 13 Price, Paton to Eugene Masselink, 1948 Nov 6

Letter : 1 p.



Box 01 Folder 14 Masselink, Eugene to Paton Price, 1948 Nov 10

Letter : 1 p.



Box 01 Folder 15 Price, Paton to Frank Lloyd Wright, 1948 Nov 30

Letter : 1 p. ; re: fundraising



Box 01 Folder 16 Price, Paton to Eugene Masselink, 1948 Dec 11

Letter : 1 p.



Box 01 Folder 17 Wright, Frank Lloyd to Paton Price, 1948 Dec 15

Letter : 1 p.



Box 01 Folder 18 Wright, Frank Lloyd to Paton Price, 1948 Dec 28

Telegram : 1 p.



Box 01 Folder 19 Price, Paton to Frank Lloyd Wright, 1948 Dec 30

Telegram : 1 p. ; re: Hartford's Avery Memorial Museum requesting to exhibit the model and preliminary drawings of the New Theater



Box 01 Folder 20 Price, Paton to Frank Lloyd Wright (Draft), 1949

Letter : 4 p.



Box 01 Folder 21 Price, Paton to Frank Lloyd Wright, 1949 Jan 1

Letter : 2 p. ; re: challenges to the site, the Hartford Times luncheon



Box 01 Folder 22 [Price, Paton to Frank Lloyd Wright ?] (Draft), 1949 Jan 8 [?]

Envelope: 1 item ; draft written on envelope addressed to Paton Price from The Hartford Times



Box 01 Folder 23 Price, Paton to Frank Lloyd Wright, 1949 Jan 11

Telegram : 1 p.



Box 01 Folder 24 [Masselink, Eugene] to Paton, Price, 1949 Jan 19

Letter : 1 p. ; re: model



Box 01 Folder 25 Masselink, Eugene to Paton Price, 1949 Jan 22

Telegram : 1 p.



Box 01 Folder 26 Masselink, Eugene to Paton Price, 1949 Jan 22

Letter : 1 p. ; re: model



Box 01 Folder 27 Price, Paton to Masselink, Eugene, 1949 Feb 3

Letter : 1 p. ; re: the Hartford Times luncheon



Box 01 Folder 28 Masselink, Eugene to Paton Price, 1949 Feb 15

Letter : 1 p.



Box 01 Folder 29 Price, Paton to Eugene Masselink (Draft), 1949 Mar

Letter : 1 p.



Box 01 Folder 30 Price, Paton to Eugene Masselink, 1949 Mar 8

Letter : 3 p. ; re: model being exhibited at MOMA, progress on the New Theater brochure, and increasing theater seating capacity



Box 01 Folder 31 Wright, Frank Lloyd to Paton Price, 1949 Mar 14

Letter : 1 p. : re: "Would rather increase diameter of house than balcony to increase seating. Can do if imperitive [sic]. Reluctant."



Box 01 Folder 32 Masselink, Eugene to Paton Price, 1949 Mar 23

Letter : 1 p.



Box 01 Folder 33 Masselink, Eugene to Paton Price, 1949 Mar 25

Telegram : 1 p.



Box 01 Folder 34 Price, Paton to Eugene Masselink, 1949 Apr 1

Letter : 1 p.



Box 01 Folder 35 [Weston, Marcus] to Paton Price, 1949 Apr 7

Letter : 2 p.



Box 01 Folder 36 Wright, Frank Lloyd to Paton Price, 1949 Apr 16

Letter : 1 p.



Box 01 Folder 37 Masselink, Eugene to Paton Price, 1949 Apr 28

Letter : 1 p.



Box 01 Folder 38 Masselink, Eugene to Paton Price, 1949 May 20

Letter : 1 p.



Box 01 Folder 39 Howe, John to Paton Price, 1949 Jun 2 [?]

Letter : 1 p.



Box 01 Folder 40 Price, Paton to Olgivanna Frank Lloyd Wright, 1949 Jun 17

Letter : 1 p.



Box 01 Folder 41 Price, Paton to Frank Lloyd Wright, 1949 Aug 5

Letter : 2 p. ; re: site changes, brochure, model exhibition



Box 01 Folder 42 Wright, Frank Lloyd to Paton Price, 1949 Aug 17

Letter : 1 p.



Box 01 Folder 43 [Weston, Marcus] to Paton Price, 1949 Aug 28

Letter : 1 p.



Box 01 Folder 44 Masselink, Eugene to Paton Price, 1949 Sep 24

Letter : 1 p.



Box 01 Folder 45 Masselink, Eugene to Paton Price, 1949 Nov 11

Letter : 1 p.



Box 01 Folder 46 Price, Paton to Frank Lloyd Wright (Draft and Western Union response), 1949 Dec 12

Letter : 2 p.



Box 01 Folder 47 Howe, John to Paton Price, 1949 Dec 13

Letter : 1 p.



Box 01 Folder 48 Howe, John to Paton Price, 1950 Jan 1

Letter : 1 p.



Box 01 Folder 49 Price, Paton to Frank Lloyd Wright, 1950 Jan 7

Letter : 1 p.



Box 01 Folder 50 Wright, Frank Lloyd to Paton Price, 1950 Jan 10

Telegram : 1 p.



Box 01 Folder 51 Price, Paton to Frank Lloyd Wright, 1950 Jan 11

Letter : 2 p. ; re: Travelers Insurance rejection of site, "These disappointments, deflections and postponements only stiffen my determination - if such a thing is possible - to see this theatre built and built this year."



Box 01 Folder 52 Wright, Frank Lloyd to Paton Price, 1950 Jan 25

Letter : 1 p. ; re: Edgar Kaufmann, "I think we can forget Kaufmann! He is "in" with the N.Y. Insurance gang who work with Dowling, Easkin, et al and isn't what he used to be."



Box 01 Folder 53 Masselink, Eugene to Paton Price, 1950 Jan 25

Letter : 1 p.



Box 01 Folder 54 Paton, Price to John How, 1950 Jan 29

Letter : 1 p.



Box 01 Folder 55 Wright, Frank Lloyd to Paton Price, 1950 Jan 31

Telegram : 1 p.



Box 01 Folder 56 Price, Paton to Frank Lloyd Wright, 1950 Feb 20

Letter : 4 p. ; re: plan to purchase Thompson site in West Hartford, fees, and "items relating to extra-income possibilities."



Box 01 Folder 57 "Important Items" (Draft), [1950 Feb 20]

Letter : 6 p. ; re: project details such as ticket booth, linens, parking area, etc.



Box 01 Folder 58 Wright, Frank Lloyd to Paton Price, 1950 Feb 28

Letter : 1 p.



Box 01 Folder 59 Wright, Frank Lloyd to Paton Price, 1950 Mar 11

Letter : 1 p.



Box 01 Folder 60 Price, Paton to John Howe, 1950 Mar 11

Letter : 1 p.



Box 01 Folder 61 Price, Paton to Frank Lloyd Wright, 1950 Mar 17

Letter : 1 p.



Box 01 Folder 62 Price, Paton to Frank Lloyd Wright, 1950 Mar 17

Letter : 2 p.



Box 01 Folder 63 Price, Paton to John Howe, 1950 Mar 28

Letter : 1 p.



Box 01 Folder 64 Howe, John to Paton Price, 1950 Apr 22

Letter : 1 p.



Box 01 Folder 65 Howe, John to Paton Price, 1950 May 16

Letter : 1 p.



Box 01 Folder 66 Price, Paton to Frank Lloyd Wright, 1950 Jun 2

Telegram : 1 p.



Box 01 Folder 67 Price, Paton to Frank Lloyd Wright, 1950 Jun 8

Telegram : 1 p.



Box 01 Folder 68 Price, Paton to Frank Lloyd Wright, 1950 Jun 9

Telegram : 1 p.



Box 01 Folder 69 Wright, Frank Lloyd to Paton Price, 1950 Sep 29

Letter : 1 p. ; re: "What's up? You aren't pouting are you?"



Box 01 Folder 70 Johnson, H.F. to Paton Price, 1950 Oct 2

Letter : 1 p.



Box 01 Folder 71 Price, Paton to Eugene Masselink, 1950 Oct 11

Letter : 1 p.



Box 01 Folder 72 Price, Paton to Frank Lloyd Wright, 1950 Oct 30

Letter : 1 p.



Box 01 Folder 73 Price, Paton to Frank Lloyd Wright, 1950 Nov 2

Letter : 1 p. ; re: "No, Mr. Wright, I will never pout -- no matter what the deflection or disappointment. We shall go doggedly on; nothing is going to delay for long or prevent us from eventually building this theatre."



Box 01 Folder 74 Howe, John to Paton Price, 1950 Nov 8

Letter : 2 p.



Box 01 Folder 75 Price, Paton to Frank Lloyd Wright, 1950 Dec 5

Letter : 1 p. ; re: given up Thompson site



Box 01 Folder 76 Telegram to Paton Price, 1951 Jan 23

Telegram : 1 p.



Box 01 Folder 77 Masselink, Eugene to Paton Price, 1951 Feb 27

Letter : 1 p. ; re: model damage



Box 01 Folder 78 Howe, John to Paton Price, 1951 May 16

Postcard : 1 item



Box 01 Folder 79 Bolles, John B. to Paton Price, 1958 Feb 11

Letter : 1 p.



Box 01 Folder 80 Paton, Price to John B. Bolles, 1958 Feb 16

Letter : 1 p. ; re: "Mr. Wright and I both were so disgusted with the smallness and meanness and viciousness of the nature of the opponents of our enterprise, that we abandoned the project for Hartford."



Box 01 Folder 81 Paton, Price to Frank Lloyd Wright, 1958 Apr 9

Letter : 2 p.



Box 01 Folder 82 Wright, Frank Lloyd to Paton Price, 1958 Apr 22

Letter : 1 p. ; Envelope : 1 item



Box 01 Folder 83 Howe, John to Paton Price, undated

Letter : 2 p. (2 separate letters)



Box 01 Folder 84 [Price, Paton ?] to Eugene Masselink, undated

Telegram : 1 p.



Box 01 Folder 85 Price, Paton to Frank Lloyd Wright, undated

Letter : 1 p.



Box 01 Folder 86 Price, Paton to Frank Lloyd Wright, undated

Letter : 1 p.



Box 01 Folder 87 Masselink, Eugene to Paton Price, undated

Letter : 1 p.



Box 01 Folder 88 Envelopes, 1948-1951, undated

20 items