Constantinos A. Doxiadis Archives
The "Constantinos A. Doxiadis Archives" are hosted at the Benaki Museum - Pireos St. Annexe, Athens, Greece. They contain nearly all of Doxiadis' original writings, projects, drawings and photographs, as well as the full body of his correspondence, professional memoranda and notes. A significant part of the catalogue is available for on-line search.
The Archives are open and accessible to researchers on an appointment basis. Click here for the Rules for the Use of Constantinos A. Doxiadis Archives.
The collection includes textual records (approximately 450 meters of shelf-space), drawings and maps (approximately 3,500 items), photographic material (printed photographs and negatives), slides (approximately 5,500 items), audio tapes (286 items), and motion picture material (100 items). Most of this material is in English and/or Greek, but there are also documents in German and French.
The Archives span the years 1890-1980, with the bulk of the materials produced during the period 1936-1975.
A multilevel description of the collection on a customized computer database system permits sophisticated on-line search operations access. The retrieval system permits access to the index by using either key words or, on occasion, full text retrieval.
The collection consists of three types of material:
I. C. A. Doxiadis' Personal Archives
II. The largest part of the Archives of Doxiadis Associates and the Doxiadis Organization, from their foundation until C. A. Doxiadis' death, in June 1975
III. The Athens Center of Ekistics' Archives
I. C. A. Doxiadis' Personal Archives
The term C. A. Doxiadis Personal Archives refers to items which C. A. Doxiadis placed in this category, originally so designated by him. Briefly, the Personal Archive consists of:
- Strictly personal biographic material.
- Material from the years 1936-1951 (from the dawn of his professional career up to the end of his service at the Greek Public Administration Office). A major part of this material refers to the period when C. A. Doxiadis served at the Ministry of Reconstruction and the Ministry of Co-Ordination.
- Writings and Lectures. Drafts, copies, and printed versions, revisions, research materials and related items pertaining to Doxiadis' books, magazines and newspaper articles (published and unpublished), as well as interviews, radio addresses, reports, memoranda, letters, miscellaneous writings destined for limited publication. Lectures imprinted in manuscripts, audio tapes and motion picture documents.
- Writings about C.A.Doxiadis: texts and references published in the daily and periodical (national and international) press. They describe and acknowledge the work and activities of C.A. Doxiadis and the organizations founded by him. Although initiated by Doxiadis himself, this is treated as an ever-expanding series.
- General Scientific Material and Working Files: notes, photocopies of articles, books, photographs, etc., related to C. A. Doxiadis' research.
- Signs, Correspondence and Confidential Correspondence: a large series reflecting the relations between C.A. Doxiadis and the staff of the organizations he founded as well as the relations with independent professionals (technicians, economists, diplomats, politicians, scientists). This series is a vital source of biographical and scientific information.
- Slides in thematic and numerical order extensively used in his publications and lectures.
- Motion picture documents: more than 90 items on C.A. Doxiadis (e.g. "moments with D"), DA Projects, (e.g. "The Housing Program of Iraq") and other activities.
- Negatives and photos
- Architectural Plans and Sketches, drawn by C.A. Doxiadis. This a total of 80 drawings which have been preserved by specialists of the Benaki Museum in Athens.
II. The Archives of Doxiadis Associates and the Doxiadis Organization
The body of this section is the so-called DOX series: more than 1,500 bound volumes of documents covering the majority of Doxiadis Associates' projects in Greece and abroad (correspondence, weekly and monthly progress reports, etc.)
Of particular interest are the Diaries and Survey Districts: 58 bound volumes describing C.A. Doxiadis' journeys in countries and cities where he and/or his associates worked. This series contains a multitude of photographs with descriptions and comments.
III. The Athens Center of Ekistics Archives
This section contains documents covering the activities of the Athens Technological Organization (Athens Technological Institute and Athens Center of Ekistics). The following sub-sections are included:
- Research programs. Various materials (correspondence, reports, questionnaires, maps, charts, photographs, publications, etc.), relative to four long-running programs developed as part of the Athens Center of Ekistics' activities.
1. "The City of the Future" (COF)
2. "The Capital of Greece" (COG)
3. "The Human Community" (HuCo)
4. "The Ancient Greek Cities" (AGC) - Athens Month of Ekistics: material from the Annual International Meetings organized by ACE. The best known of these meetings are the DELOS Symposia (1-12). For all symposia there are informative materials, announcements, papers of participants, the discussions held (in printed form); newspaper clippings (presenting reactions of the press at the time); photographs, negatives and audio-visual material. The audio tapes (more than 300) are for the most part accompanied by shorthand notes and sketches. Similar material exists from other meetings (International Ekistics Seminar, Doxiadis Seminar, Conference on Education, and others). Of particular interest is the series "Participants", which pertains to the co-operation of ACE with acknowledged personalities from the areas of science and art from all around the world (Arnold Toynbee, Buckminster, Fuller, Margaret Mead, etc.) and includes distinctive biographical and scientific information.
- Graduate School of Ekistics: extensive administrative and educational material relative to the function of the postgraduate programs organized by ACE (seminars, lectures, information material, student files and copies of student assessments).
- Ekistics: material related to the periodical publication of ACE (correspondence, conference records of the editorial committee, essays, illustrated material, etc.).
- World Society of Ekistics: material related to the activities of the Society and its co-operation with ACE.
- Athens Technological Institute: material related to the function of all eight Technical Schools.