Marcel Sedletzsky

An Introduction to the Marcel Sedletzsky Archive

Introduction | Biography | Selected Projects | OAC Finding Aid | Wild Coast Press
 

UC Santa Cruz is honored to be the repository for Architect Marcel Sedletzky's archive and to publish Marcel Sedletzky: Architect and Teacher, an elegant and informative documentation of this singular architect's achievements. The mission of UCSC's Special Collections is to document and preserve the cultural legacy of the Monterey Bay Area for the scholars and citizens of our communities. I invite you to visit the UC Santa Cruz campus to experience how the excellence in research, library collections, and cultural programming enriches the lives of all of us on the Central California Coast.  -- MRC Greenwood  Former Chancellor, UC Santa Cruz

 
Marcel Sedletzky's solo practice in the Monterey area continued for only 14 years, through 1974, at which time he closed his architectural office to teach at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo. There, along with his teaching activities, he continued to design and build houses, including his own retirement home in Mexico.
Marcel left little written record of his design process, of how he moved from concept to proposal to finished design. There exist a few handwritten notes, cryptically recording what clients said they wanted, the number of bedrooms, palettes for interior finishes, the texture of a wall, etc. However, he did leave his drawings. It is through these fluid, fast sketches that one can trace the evolutionary process from initial idea through concept to finished plan.
The core of this archive is the hundreds of drawings, amassed over a design career spanning several decades. These project drawings and plans are documented by slides and photographs of the built projects.