Guide to the Records of the Edgar J. Kaufmann Charitable Foundation, 1936-1987
Arrangement
Repository
Heinz History Center
Title
Records of the Edgar J. Kaufmann Charitable Foundation
Creator
Edgar J. Kaufmann Charitable Foundation
Creator
Edgar J. Kaufmann Charitable Foundation
Collection Number
MSS#154
Extent
10.0 cubic feet(20 boxes)
Date
1936-1987
Abstract
Edgar J. Kaufmann (-1955) founded the Edgar J. Kaufmann Charitable Trust in 1946 for the prevention of cruelty to children or animals. These records include correspondence, meeting minutes, financial materials, various grant proposals, and other sundry items.
Language
The material in this collection is in English.
Author
This guide to the collection was originally prepared by Rachel Balliet on May 1, 1995. Revisions occurred to the finding aid as a part of the encoding process in Spring 2000.
Sponsor
This finding aid has been encoded as a part of the Historic Pittsburgh project a joint effort of the University of Pittsburgh and the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania. Funding for this portion of the project has been donated by the Hillman Foundation.
History of the Edgar J. Kaufmann Charitable Foundation (1946-1989)
Edgar J. Kaufmann (-1955) founded the Edgar J. Kaufmann Charitable Trust in 1946 to be "used exclusively for religious, charitable, scientific, literary and/or educational purposes for the prevention of cruelty to children or animals." Kaufmann served as president of the Trust from 1946 until 1955 and his wife, Liliane S. Kaufmann, served on the Board of Trustees from 1946 until 1951. His second wife, Grace Kaufmann, served for only a few months in 1955. Edgar Kaufmann died in 1955, at which time the Edgar J. Kaufmann Charitable Foundation was established. A ten-year report, published in 1956, announced that the Trust had given almost two million dollars in donations and pledges since its founding. The largest of these contributions, of over a million and a half dollars, went to the Public Auditorium Authority for construction of the Civic Arena (Pittsburgh, Pa). Other donation recipients during the first ten years included Montefiore Hospital, the Allegheny Conference on Community Development, the Civic Light Opera, and the Allegheny County Community Chest.
The Charitable Trust continued to operate for eight years after Edgar Kaufmann's death until most of its funds had been donated, thereby terminating the Trust. The Charitable Foundation that had been established immediately after his death absorbed the Trust's remaining funds. Kaufmann's son, Edgar Kaufmann, jr. (he preferred the lower case "j") served as president of the Charitable Foundation. The Foundation continued to fund projects similar to those funded by the Charitable Trust, but broadened the scope of donations to include international charitable, educational, and religious endeavors with an emphasis on arts related projects. The Charitable Foundation operated until June of 1979 when funds for grants were diminished and the Foundation was dissolved.
Edgar J. Kaufmann was president and executive officer of Kaufmann's Department Store, a large Pittsburgh-based retail store started in 1871 by his father, Morris, and his uncles, Isaac, Henry, and Jacob. The Kaufmann brothers were German-Jewish immigrants who first settled in Birmingham (Pittsburgh's Southside) where they opened a small dress shop on Carson Street. The business was successful and by 1878 the brothers opened a new, larger store on Fifth Avenue and Smithfield Street in Pittsburgh's downtown district, where the large-scale department store is still in operation and now owned by the May Company.
In 1913, at the age of twenty-eight, Edgar J. Kaufmann became president of Kaufmann's Department Store after working various jobs within the company. Before entering the family business however, Edgar J. Kaufmann graduated from Yale University and worked for some time at the Chicago-based retail firm, Marshall Fields and Company. Throughout his forty-two year career with Kaufmann's, Edgar was a devoted participant and supporter of many civic, cultural, and charitable projects. He was a founding member of the Urban Redevelopment Authority and member of the Allegheny Conference on Community Development. He was active in the planning of various re-development projects in Pittsburgh's downtown district and was an ardent supporter of the Civic Light Opera. Edgar J. Kaufmann married Liliane S. Kaufmann, the only daughter of his uncle Isaac Kaufmann. They had one son, Edgar, jr. (1910-1989). After the death of Liliane S. Kaufmann in 1953, Edgar married Grace Kaufmann in September 1954, only seven months before his own death in Palm Springs (Ca.). Despite a prenuptial agreement signed by his second wife, his widow filed suit against his estate asking for a larger settlement. The case was eventually dismissed by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. However, lengthy litigation froze some of Edgar J. Kaufmann's estate and suspended the activity of his Charitable Trust for several months.
Edgar Kaufmann, a significant patron of the arts, commissioned Frank Lloyd Wright to build "Fallingwater," the famous summer home of the Kaufmann's in Ohiopyle (Pa.). Edgar, jr., who studied architecture with Wright helped organize this commission which was completed in 1936. The house remained in the family until 1963, when Edgar, jr. donated the house and accompanying guest house with 1,500 acres to the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy. The house was then opened to the public. A visitor's center was erected nearby providing tours, lectures, and a research facility to those studying the architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright. In 1953, another commission for Frank Lloyd Wright's services was planned by Edgar Kaufmann and his son. The commission was for a luxury apartment building on Grandview Avenue in Mt. Washington (Pittsburgh, Pa.). Despite preliminary construction work, the building was never completed.
Edgar Kaufmann, jr., lived in New York City most of his life and worked as a curator of art at the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art and as a professor of art history at Columbia University. As president of the Edgar J. Kaufmann Charitable Foundation, Edgar, jr. supported the work of Frank Lloyd Wright not only by donating "Fallingwater" but by helping to secure the preservation of many of his buildings including the Unity Temple and Robie House in Chicago (Il.). In 1958, Edgar Kaufmann, jr., published Drawings in Color by Frank Lloyd Wright commemorating the architect's 90th birthday. Kaufmann donated the proceeds of the book to the Charitable Foundation and the Bear Run Foundation, an agency related to the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy. In addition to supporting the work of Frank Lloyd Wright, Edgar Kaufmann, jr. helped to recognize the talent and contribution from artists everywhere. In 1960, he established the Kaufmann International Design Award, which was administered by the International Institute for Education and was the largest annual award granted for research and merit in the field of Design. Despite the award's prestige, it was given only seven times and the program ended in 1967.
Oliver M. Kaufmann (1898-1980), the brother of Edgar J. Kaufmann, joined the Board of Trustees of the Charitable Foundation after his brother's death in 1955. Oliver M. Kaufmann was vice-president of Kaufmann's Department Store until his retirement in 1956. During his career with the department store, Oliver M. Kaufmann served in both world wars. In 1957 he represented Kaufmanns and the May Company (which merged with the department store in 1946) on a United States Trade Commission sponsored tour of Europe. The tour was aimed at bringing business leaders from the United States and throughout Europe together to exchange ideas in business and trade. In 1967, he attended the International Pro-Deo Conference where international business leaders exchanged ideas on the problems of economic development in Latin America. In addition to staying active in the business community after his retirement, he also served as a representative to both the Edgar J. Kaufmann and the Henry Kaufmann Foundations. He was a contributing participant in many local charitable, cultural, and Jewish causes. In 1967 he administered the donation of the Irene Kaufmann Settlement buildings in the Hill District (Pittsburgh, Pa.) to the Hill House Association which was a joint effort by both the Edgar J. and Henry Kaufmann Foundations. During the 1960s, Oliver M. Kaufmann served on the executive management and building committees for Montefiore Hospital and served on the Board of Directors for the Pittsburgh Symphony. For over thirty years he was an active member of the Board of Directors for the Irene Kaufmann Center and Young Men's and Women's Hebrew Association ("Y-IKC") and later the Jewish Community Center. Oliver Kaufmann, his wife Freda and their two children lived on "Pine Hill Farm" in Moon Township (Pa.) until 1962 when they sold the property to Robert Morris College. In 1965, Oliver Kaufmann and his wife established the Oliver M. and Freda T. Kaufmann Endowment to be administered by the United Jewish Federation. Throughout his retirement Oliver Kaufmann continually supported the Jewish Community Center (JCC). In 1978, the JCC honored him with an 80th Birthday Celebration and the dedication of the Oliver M. Kaufmann Teen Village at Emma Kaufmann Camp, a summer camp administered by the JCC..
Scope and Content Notes
The Edgar J. Kaufmann Charitable Foundation Records are housed in twenty archival boxes and are arranged into three series. Series have been designated for administrative materials, grant files, and personal papers. These records include correspondence, meeting minutes, financial materials, various grant proposals, and other sundry items. These records provide comprehensive information on a variety of topics both locally and nationally including cultural and civic development, arts and education, and general social welfare work. The early Charitable Trust records are limited and primarily document donations given to charitable causes in Pittsburgh while the Charitable Foundation records are more comprehensive and document donations given internationally. The administrative records detail the operation and organization of the Foundation. The grant files document the size of each donation and usually detail information about the organizations receiving support. The personal papers include some papers from Edgar Kaufmann, jr., but primarily consist of the papers of Oliver M. Kaufmann and would serve as a good source for those studying his involvement with the international business community and his charitable work including the "Y-IKC" and Montefiore Hospital.
Arrangement
Three series have been designated for administrative materials, grant files, and personal papers.
The Edgar J. Kaufmann Charitable Foundation Records are housed in twenty archival boxes.
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Joan Kaufmann Mendelsohn (Records.) 1993
Preferred Citation
Records of the Edgar J. Kaufmann Charitable Foundation, 1936-1987, MSS#154, Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania
Processing Information
This collection was processed by Rachel Balliet on May 1, 1995.
Revision and rearrangement for the encoded version of the finding aid provided by Kimberly A. Tryka on January 26, 2000.
Conditions Governing Use
Property rights reside with the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania. Literary rights are retained by the creators of the records and their heirs. For permissions to reproduce or publish, please contact the curator of the Archives.
Separated Materials
To the photographic collection, one box of photographs has been separately arranged as MSP# 154. These materials include photographs from various projects funded by the Charitable Foundation and of Edgar J. Kaufmann attending social and professional events. Most of the photographs are of Oliver M. Kaufmann. These include several photographs taken while he was in service during World War II, and others in which he appeared, including one taken during the dedication of a plaque commemorating the service of Kaufmann's Department Store employees during the war, and photographs of the United States Trade Commission tour and the International Pro Deo Conference. There are several photographs from the 80th birthday party held for Oliver M. Kaufmann at the Jewish Community Center (Pittsburgh, Pa.) and some of him with his wife Freda and their children.
To the oversized photographic collection, one folder has been separately arranged as MSR# 154. This includes one photograph of the performance, "A Children's Flower Garden" at the Irene Kaufmann Settlement (1920).
To the oversized collection, two folders have been separately arranged as MSO# 154. The first folder contains early family trees and topographical and survey maps of Oliver M. Kaufmann's Pine Hill property (Moon Township, Pa.) and of Fallingwater (Ohiopyle, Pa.). The second folder contains blueprints of the proposed museum for the Allegheny County Jail (1958) and redevelopment plans and maps for Pittsburgh's downtown district (c1950).
Subjects
Corporate Names
Allegheny Conference on Community Development.
Allegheny County Jail
Brashear Association (Pittsburgh, Pa.).
Fallingwater (Ohiopyle, Pa.).
Gateway to Music (Pittsburgh, Pa.).
Irene Kaufmann Center (Pittsburgh, Pa.).
Irene Kaufmann Settlement (Pittsburgh, Pa.).
Kaufmann International Design Award.
Jewish Community Center (Pittsburgh, Pa.).
Montefiore Hospital (Pittsburgh, Pa.).
United States Trade Commission.
Urban Redevelopment Authority (Pittsburgh, Pa.).
Young Men and Women's Hebrew Association.
Personal Names
Kaufmann, Edgar J., 1885-1955.
Kaufmann, Edgar J. Charitable Trust.
Kaufmann, Edgar, jr. (-1989).
Kaufmann, Oliver M. (-1980).
Other Subjects
Arts, finance.
Arts, scholarships, fellowships, etc.
Charitable uses, trusts, and foundations -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh.
Charities -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh.
Cities and towns -- Planning --Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh.
Civic improvement -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh.
Community programs, Urban -- New York -- New York.
Community programs, Urban -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh.
