Who says architects can't do archival research? An email conversation got me thinking about a Persuasions concert from 1973 that I saw at Cornell when I was an architecture student (they opened for Stevie Wonder). Being at Cornell's Olin Library to return a book, I decided to check out the trove of concert posters in the "Rare and Manuscript Collections" held at the Carl A. Kroch Library, an underground addition to Olin Library designed by Shepley, Bulfinch, Richardson and Abbott that opened in 1992. Once there, I was presented with two large folders containing a sample of their collection, including posters for at least two of the concerts I attended: Stevie Wonder and the Persuasions on March 30, 1973 in Bailey Hall; and Joni Mitchell with Tom Scott and the L.A. Express on Feb. 3, 1974 in Barton Hall. On the other hand, I did not come across posters for two other concerts that I attended: the Incredible String Band on May 14, 1971 in Bailey Hall; and Aretha Franklin on Sept. 17, 1971 in Barton Hall. For the record, both Bailey Hall concerts were great, whereas the two held in Barton Hall were marred by a terrible acoustic environment. The ticket prices were in the range of $3.50–$4.50, which seems incredibly low, but it still felt a bit pricey for me at that time, given my student budget ($4.00 in 1971 is equivalent to about $30 in 2024). This may explain why I passed up all those incredible performances. If only I could go back in time…
Samples from Cornell's larger poster collection are here arranged in chronological order, from September 1972 (Elton John) to April 1975 (Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock). I took the photos with my iPhone and straightened them out a bit using PhotoShop. Click on any of the thumbnails to see an enlarged image.
Click on any of the thumbnails to see an enlarged image.
First posted 23 February 2024. Last updated: 23 February 2024