Doris Duke papers on the Shangri La residence, 1932-2003
Navigate the Collection
Summary
- Creator:
- Duke, Doris
- Abstract:
- Traveling through many Muslim countries and parts of India during her honeymoon, Doris Duke was fascinated by Islamic cultural traditions, art and architecture. A visit to the Taj Mahal inspired Duke to eventually commission plans for the house she built in Hawaii. Duke engaged the architectural firm of Wyeth and King to design her Hawaiian home, and architects Marion Sims Wyeth and H. Drewry Baker worked closely with Duke to design the home, with Duke providing sketches and photographs of buildings and architectural details she had seen during her travels. Throughout her life, Doris Duke enthusiastically designed and redesigned her home and gardens, and in 1965 made a codicil in her will directing her executors to organize a foundation to manage and maintain Shangri La for the study and understanding of Middle Eastern art and culture. The collection tells the story of Shangri La, the most intimate of Doris Duke's residences. While the collection spans the years 1932 to 2003, the materials primarily begin in 1936, with correspondence relating to early discussions of architects to design Shangri La in what was then the U.S. Territory of Hawaii, and end in the mid to late 1990s with materials related to the handling of the Estate of Doris Duke after her death in 1993. The materials primarily detail the design, construction, decoration, and furnishing of Shangri La and the routine business matters of its daily operation.
- Extent:
- 16.8 Linear Feet
approx. 10,680 Items - Language:
- Material in English, French
- Collection ID:
- RL.01434
Background
- Scope and content:
-
The Doris Duke papers on the Shangri La residence (formerly SL.2 and SL.2.8) are part of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation Historical Archives which were donated to the Duke University. David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. The collection tells the story of Shangri La, the most intimate of Doris Duke's residences. While the collection spans the years 1932 to 2003, the materials primarily begin in 1936, with correspondence relating to early discussions of architects to design Shangri La in what was then the U.S. Territory of Hawaii, and end in the mid to late 1990s with materials related to the handling of the Estate of Doris Duke after her death in 1993. The collection is arranged into three series: Correspondence, Administrative Records, and Architectural Records. Nearly half of the correspondence specifically pertains to the design, construction, decoration, and furnishing of Shangri La. The remaining materials in the series detail the activities of Shangri La and include correspondence and memoranda documenting the routine business matters of its daily operation. The materials included in the Administrative Records series primarily document the expenses and daily operations of running and maintaining the Hawaiian residence. Included in this series are invoices and receipts for repairs and renovations to the residence, expenses and expenditures, and inventories of furniture, fixtures, and other household items. Also included in this series are weekly security reports, location diaries of Doris Duke's whereabouts, and recipes for a variety of meals that were presumably prepared at Shangri La. A majority of the architectural records in this collection are related to the design and construction of Shangri La. The materials in this collection are arranged loosely in chronological order.
- Biographical / historical:
-
In 1935, when Doris Duke and her husband James Cromwell embarked on a honeymoon tour of the world, little did she know the trip would profoundly affect the rest of her life. Traveling through many Muslim countries and parts of India, she was fascinated by Islamic cultural traditions, art and architecture. A visit to the Taj Mahal inspired Duke to commission plans for a bedroom and bathroom suite in Florida but which eventually became the nucleus for the house she built in Hawaii. Duke engaged the architectural firm of Wyeth and King to design her Hawaiian home. Marion Sims Wyeth and supervising architect H. Drewry Baker worked closely with Duke to design the home, with Duke providing sketches and photographs of buildings and architectural details she had seen during her travels. Construction of the home began in early 1937 and the Cromwells moved into the main home in December of 1938. Completed at a cost of $1.4 million, the estate was at the time the most extensive residential project in the Territory of Hawaii. Furnishing the home was another major undertaking. Doris Duke and her husband traveled to Europe and the Middle East for four months in 1938 to acquire furnishings for their new home. Accompanied by Mary Crane, a graduate student at New York University, the purchases were deliberate and extensive and Duke was intimately involved in the decisions pertaining to their installation and display in the estate. Throughout her life, Doris Duke enthusiastically designed and redesigned her home and gardens, and in 1965 made a codicil in her will directing her executors to organize a foundation to manage and maintain Shangri La for the study and understanding of Middle Eastern art and culture.
- Acquisition information:
- Materials in the Doris Duke papers on the Shangri La residence were received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book Manuscript Library as a donation from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation in June 2009.
- Processing information:
-
Processed by Mary Samouelian, August 2010
Encoded by Mary Samouelian, August 2010
Accession UA2009-0030 is described in this finding aid.
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Subjects
Click on terms below to find related finding aids on this site. For other related materials in the Duke University Libraries, search for these terms in the Catalog.
Contents
Using These Materials
- Using These Materials Links:
-
Using These Materials
- Restrictions:
-
Collection is open for research.
Researchers must register and agree to copyright and privacy laws before using this collection.
All or portions of this collection may be housed off-site in Duke University's Library Service Center. The library may require up to 48 hours to retrieve these materials for research use. Due to the fragility of the Architectural records, The library may require up to 48 hours to retrieve these materials for research use.
Please contact Research Services staff before visiting the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library to use this collection.
Digital use copies in this collection have been migrated to a library server and can only be accessed onsite in the Rubenstein Library Reading Room. To request access please contact Research Services prior to visiting the library.
- Terms of access:
-
The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to Duke University. For more information, consult the copyright section of the Regulations and Procedures of the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library.
- Before you visit:
- Please consult our up-to-date information for visitors page, as our services and guidelines periodically change.
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of item], Doris Duke Papers on the Shangri La residence, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation Historical Archives, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.
- Permalink:
- https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/m1jm6q