Home Improvement with Leon De Valinger
By David Cardillo, Digital Initiatives and Preservation
Thanks to a generous endowment from the Friends of the UD Library, a curated selection of materials from the Leon De Valinger Papers in our Special Collections was recently digitized and made available on UDSpace.
Leon De Valinger (1905-2000) served as the state archivist of Delaware from 1941 to 1970. While his papers primarily relate to his career, they also include family papers that date as far back as 1752 as well as some of his own collections of historical papers through 1999. (In another digital collection, we also have De Valinger’s master’s thesis from the University of Delaware, The Development of Local Government in Delaware, 1638-1682.)
One of De Valinger’s major accomplishments as state archivist was overseeing a renovation of Buena Vista, the historic home of the Greek Revival style that was originally purchased and built by Senator John M. Clayton in the mid-1800s. During this renovation in the 1960s, the house and property were restored and upgraded to serve as a state museum, meeting and conference location, and visiting quarters for ambassadors and other dignitaries.
Within the digitized items of the Leon De Valinger Papers, you will find a variety of materials that speak to the various tasks and elements involved with a restoration.
This includes detailed and extensive inventory lists and schematics of floor plans, as well as invoices that document the many historical details that went into the renovation, including associated costs.
 Floor plan of the parlor of Buena Vista. |
 Invoice for paint supplies. |
The collection also includes information related to the materials used, costs of materials and labor, and the local contractors selected to take part in the renovation. You will even find fabric samples for furniture that various businesses provided.
Fabric samples from Gurian’s 45th Street Fabrics, Inc.
Since Buena Vista was being transformed into a museum, meeting space and visiting quarters, you will also find pamphlets related to a great variety of equipment and appliances.
There are multiple pamphlets from sellers and manufacturers advertising then-modern appliances so that the building could serve as a conference center. There are also pamphlets for some more exotic landscaping for the grounds of Buena Vista, in addition to invoices and other documents related to tree maintenance, pest control and lawn care.
 Information pamphlet for high-capacity dishwashers. |
 Information for a waterfall kit, |
When renovations were completed and Buena Vista was opened to the public, press releases, which included pictures, were used to advertise the facility.
South Hall of Buena Vista
Since De Valinger’s time, Buena Vista has been further renovated – now serving as a conference center, retreat, and wedding and event location – but even today, you can still recognize rooms and furniture that were integrated during the 1960s renovation from the Buena Vista website and Instagram account. In addition to those photos, the Leon De Valinger Papers help ensure the legacy of the state archivist’s work.
The Leon De Valinger Papers contain the personal and professional records of De Valinger, primarily related to his work as a historian and as the Delaware state archivist. Materials within the Leon De Valinger Papers are made freely and digitally available through the UD Library, Museums and Press. Researchers with an interest in Delaware history and culture, the evolution of the archives profession, and the practices of conservation and preservation may find these papers particularly useful.