Photographing Architectural History II: Willard Stewart Preserves the 1930s

By David Cardillo, Digital Initiatives and Preservation

Willard Stewart (1915-2003), one of Wilmington, Delaware’s most prominent professional portrait photographers, became the primary photographer for the Delaware Federal Writers’ Project and photographed numerous Delaware buildings and landscapes. These photographs document his contributions to the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS).

They also make up many of the 246 photographs in the Willard Stewart Photographs of Delaware collection, freely and digitally available for easy access. While most of the photographs in the collection are undated, two of them specifically list 1936 and 1938. This, along with the fact that some of the photographs appear in WPA publications from those same years, suggests the rest of the photographs may also date around that time.

For example, the photograph below of Pencader Presbyterian Church is circa the 1930s. While the church was first incorporated in the early 1700s, the structure is somewhat modern. According to Delaware Archives, the structure had been razed and rebuilt several times, with the most recent structure constructed in the 1850s.

Pencader Presbyterian Church, circa 1930s. Willard Stewart Photographs of Delaware collection.

A few decades later, Rockford Tower was built. Constructed in 1889 during the industrialization of Wilmington, the tower was once a functional water tower with an observation deck. Today, it remains one of Delaware’s more distinctive landmarks, affording visitors a splendid view of the city as it was built on one of the highest points in Wilmington.

Rockford Tower in Rockford Park, circa 1930. Willard Stewart Photographs of Delaware collection.

While Rockford Tower remains standing, the Kensy J. Van Dyke House was demolished in 2020 following an arson attack in 2017 that left the house severely burned. Prior to that, the house had been part of the Wilmington landscape for centuries. It was constructed in three stages, including additions and improvements. When first built in the late 1700s, it was one-and-a-half stories tall. In the mid-1800s, it was raised to a full two-story structure, and in the late 1800s, a two-and-a-half-story wing was added.

Kensy Van Dyke House, focus on recent late 1800s addition, circa 1930s. Willard Stewart Photographs of Delaware collection.

The Willard Stewart Photographs of Delaware collection is not the only collection of architectural photography available through the UD Library, Museums and Press. When viewing this collection alongside others, like the W. Barksdale Maynard Photographs of Delaware Collection that was featured in a recent post, you can gain insight on phases of restoration on structures within Wilmington.

For example, the photograph below shows the Charles du Pont House circa the 1930s while the photograph of the same building from the W. Barksdale Maynard collection is from 2020. When viewed side-by-side, you can see how the house in the earlier photograph looks a bit worn compared to the vibrant structure with new windows, fencing and other restorations photographed just a few years ago.

Charles I du Pont House, circa 1930s. Willard Stewart Photographs of Delaware collection

Charles I du Pont House, 2020. W. Barksdale Maynard Photographs of Delaware Collection

Both the Willard Stewart and the W. Barksdale Maynard collections show the value of photography in preserving historical architecture. When browsed together, you can really appreciate the advances in photographic technology – from the black-and-white photographs by Stewart to the “born digital” (meaning pictures taken with a digital camera as opposed to pictures developed and later scanned) photographs by Maynard.

Photographs of architecture throughout history help to see their evolutions and renovations while also preserving the style of the era in which the buildings were originally constructed. After all, after enough time, as in the case of the Kensy Van Dyke house, photographs may be all that’s left.

The Willard Steward Photographs of Delaware collection contains 246 photographs of landscapes and buildings in Delaware. In addition to historic buildings, Stewart also documented businesses, factories, farms, waterscapes, and undeveloped land. Materials within the collection have been digitized for easier access. Researchers with an interest in architecture, photography and Delaware history may find this collection particularly useful.