Bard & Calkins records

Description data TOP

unitid

{"value"=>"6198", "type"=>"local_mss"}

{"value"=>"b21170332", "type"=>"local_b"}

{"value"=>"MssCol 6198", "type"=>"local_call"}

unitdate

{"value"=>"1876-1960", "type"=>"inclusive", "normal"=>"1876/1960"}

{"value"=>"1901-1933", "type"=>"bulk", "normal"=>"1901/1933"}

unittitle

{"value"=>"Bard & Calkins records"}

physdesc

{"format"=>"structured", "physdesc_components"=>[{"name"=>"extent", "value"=>"76.52 linear feet", "unit"=>"linear feet"}, {"name"=>"extent", "value"=>"183 boxes", "unit"=>"containers"}], "supress_display"=>true}

repository

{"id"=>"MSS", "value"=>"Manuscripts and Archives Division"}

abstract

{"value"=>"Bard & Calkins was a New York City law firm that practiced corporate and estate law. The firm's records date from 1876 to 1960, and consist of case records, correspondence files, and financial information. The collection provides insight into the clients and organizations Bard & Calkins represented, and details about specific cases, legal proceedings, and the firm's financial activities."}

prefercite

{"value"=>"<p>Bard & Calkins records, Manuscripts and Archives Division, The New York Public Library.</p>"}

origination

{"value"=>"Bard & Calkins", "type"=>"corpname", "role"=>"creator"}

bioghist

{"value"=>"<p>Bard & Calkins was a New York City law firm that specialized in corporate and estate law. The firm, which was located at 25 Broad Street in lower Manhattan, was founded in 1901 by Albert S. Bard (1866-1963) and Leighton Calkins (1868-1955), who met while attending Harvard Law School. The firm represented such clients as the American Wood Working Machine Company, Barbour & Company, Fanchòn Royer Pictures, the Jacob Ahles Brewing Company, Otis Elevator Company, the Pilgrim Paper Company, and the private estates of numerous clients. Additionally, Bard & Calkins served as legal counsel to the United States Finishing Company, a cotton and textile company which formed in 1899 from a consolidation of the Norwich Bleaching, Dyeing, and Printing Company; the Dunnell Manufacturing Company; and the Reid and Barry Company. Albert Bard's father, Charles Bard, who was a prominent banker in Norwich, Connecticut, served as director of the United States Finishing Company until 1913, and remained involved as an officer until his death in 1921. Bard & Calkins provided legal support for the company's acquisitions of the Sterling Dyeing and Finishing Company; Silver Spring Bleaching and Dyeing Company; Apponaug Print Works; and the Queen Dyeing Company.</p> <p>In addition to his legal work with Bard & Calkins, Albert Bard was a civic activist and preservationist. He was a co-founder of the Citizen's Union, a government watch dog group that was initially formed as a political party in 1897. Bard was also a member of the City Club of New York City, the Honest Ballot Association, the Fine Arts Federation of New York, and the Municipal Arts Society of New York. Bard successfully organized in opposition to the Brooklyn-Battery Bridge project, was a key figure in the preservation of Castle Clinton, and because of his interest in protecting city streets from billboard advertisements, served as legal counsel for the Mayor's Billboard Advertising Commission. Bard is most well-known for his role in the passage of the Bard Act in 1956, which enabled cities in the State of New York to pass laws protecting landmarks.</p> <p>Leighton Calkins served as Mayor of Plainfield, New Jersey from 1915 to 1920, as well as president of the New Jersey State League of Municipalities. An avid golfer, Calkins is notable for having invented the handicap system and coining the term \"par,\" which he devised for the Plainfield Country Club in 1904.</p>"}

scopecontent

{"value"=>"<p>The collection dates from 1876 to 1960 (bulk dates 1901-1933), and contains the records of the law firm of Bard & Calkins. The majority of the files are case records, which reveal the clients that Bard & Calkins represented, and the legal matters the firm's partners handled. The collection also holds professional correspondence and financial records.</p>"}

{"value"=>"<p class='list-head'>The Bard & Calkins records are arranged in three series:</p>\n<ul class='arrangement series-descriptions'>\n<li><div class='series-title'><a href='/mss/6198#c1402893'>Series I: Case Records</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1876-1960</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>Series I contains files of cases litigated by Bard & Calkins, as well as legal matters in which the firm's partners were involved. The files hold agreements, attorney work product, background research, contracts, correspondence, court papers, legal filings, and wills. These papers detail the legal work done by the firm, and provide insight about the clients they represented. The files address individual estate cases, and the proceedings of large companies the firm represented. A large portion of these files are dedicated to Bard & Calkins' work with the United Finishing Company, which offer insight into the American Cotton and Textile industry in the first half of the twentieth century, and document various mergers, acquisitions, and corporate restructuring. All files in this series are arranged alphabetically by client name or subject matter. The original file names were preserved.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/mss/6198#c1403396'>Series II: Correspondence</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1899-1953</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>Series II is arranged chronologically, and holds Bard & Calkins' incoming and outgoing business and professional correspondence. These correspondence files address the day-to-day operations of the firm, as well as communications with clients. The majority of the correspondence is bound in letter books that were assembled by Bard & Calkins. Each book contains an alphabetical index of individuals and corporations whose letters are held in the volume.</p></div></li><li><div class='series-title'><a href='/mss/6198#c1403419'>Series III: Financial Records</a></div>\n<div class='series-date'>1901-1937</div>\n<div class='series-description'><p>The Bard & Calkins financial records contain bill books, cash books, journals, ledgers, financial statements, tax information, and trial balance sheets. These files address the firm's finances, operating costs, billing information, and accounting practices. The financial records are arranged chronologically by format.</p></div></li></ul>\n", "type"=>"arrangement"}

acqinfo

{"value"=>"<p>Donated by the Estate of Albert S. Bard, 1963.</p>"}

processinfo

{"type"=>"processing", "value"=>"<p>Compiled by <span class=\"name\">Heather Lember</span>, <span class=\"date\">2017</span>.</p>"}

dsc_type

combined

date_start

1876

keydate

1876

date_end

1960

date_inclusive_start

1876

date_inclusive_end

1960

date_bulk_start

1901

date_bulk_end

1933

extent_statement

76.52 linear feet (183 boxes)

Update Collection TOP

Update from EAD XML File

Child components TOP

1. Series I: Case Records [268/1]
2. Series II: Correspondence [4/1]
3. Series III: Financial Records [6/1]