HOME ABOUT IN PRINT SLAYTON RECORDS PHOTO GALLERY LANDMARK STATUS LINKS CONTACT Slayton House Records William Slayton was a prodigious diarist and kept meticulous records all his life, including an incredibly detailed journal. He also saved cards, letters, notes, receipts, canceled checks and other materials that comprised his extraordinary life. VIGNETTES "VIGNETTES" By Wiilliam L. Slayton In his collection, “Vignettes,” Slayton recorded every detail of his life, from his youth in Topeka and Omaha, to his first jobs, his academic career, his marriage and children, his time in the Army Air Corps, his posting to Washington, his travels and, of course, his extraordinary work with Pei and other notable architects and dignitaries on the Slayton House and other landmark projects. Three sections, outlined below, highlight Slayton’s remarkable life and his work with Pei. Vignettes: Table of Contents i - xxi A look through the Table of Contents gives some idea of the breadth of Slayton’s life and career, as well as the exhaustive records he kept, from his first fishing trip (p. 25) to his broken arm (p. 31), from the uniform he wore in the Cadet Corps (p. 70) to Prohibition (p. 115), from his move and work in Washington (p. 200) to meeting I.M. Pei (p. 224) and Frank Lloyd Wright (p. 244). It’s all there. View Table of Contents (13) Vignettes: Pei / Zeckendorf 1955 - 1961 This section of “Vignettes,” excerpted below, is Slayton’s account of how he and Pei first met while working together at a real estate development firm, and charts the beginning of their professional and personal relationship. This is the period before the Slayton House was conceived and covers the time when Slayton and Pei (whom Slayton called Ieoh Ming) worked together on the Southwest Washington Redevelopment Project, from 1955-1961, when L’Enfant Plaza and other notable Washington D.C.-federal developments were conceived and executed. View Pages 223 - 237 Vignettes: "Building Our House" 1958 - 1961 Slayton’s association with Pei and their work on the Slayton House are particularly well documented. This section provides an incredibly detailed rendition of their collaboration on the house, and includes the history of the design and development, as well as sketches, drawings, letters, maintenance records and other original documents. View Pages 247 - 260 Vignettes: Life Magazine Recounts the Life Magazine article in which Slayton was featured along with eight other city planners. See Life Magazine article under "IN PRINT." View Page 279 JFK LIBRARY -- SLAYTON PAPERS 1962 - 1964 From 1961-1966, Slayton served as the Commissioner of the Urban Renewal Administration in the Department of Housing and Urban Development and in 1978 as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Foreign Buildings. His papers from those periods are collected in the JFK Library/National Archives, and include correspondence, below, pertaining to Pei’s design of the Slayton House. View Pages (9) LETTERS February 27, 2004 To Dan Snyder from architect Hugh Newell Jacobsen December 19, 1979 To Ms. Maxine Cheschire, Washington Post, from William Slayton The first letter, from Jacobsen to Snyder, introduces the second letter, a 1979 missive that Jacobsen unearthed from Slayton to Washington Post gossip columnist Maxine Cheschire. The Slayton letter refers to a Post article on Jacobsen in which Pei’s involvement in the Slayton House is mentioned. Apparently, Pei downplayed his involvement in residential architecture and Slayton sought to set the record straight about Pei’s committed and in-depth collaboration in the design and building process. View Jacobsen Letter View Slayton Letter DRAWING OF HOUSE October 1984 Illustrator unknown (signature illegible). View Drawing SLAYTON HOUSE LETTERHEAD View Letterhead SLAYTON FAMILY XMAS CARD December 1959 A sense of humor about construction is always helpful. View Card SLAYTON FAMILY XMAS CARD December 1960 This card was created as a one piece photograph. The cover has a double-exposed montage effect. View Card 25 YEARS OF RECORD HOUSES Award of Excellence The Slayton House by I.M. Pei and Associates is recognized as one of the nation's most significant houses of the year in Record Houses of 1964. View Award MAINTENANCE / BUDGET 1958 - 1988 Detailed payment record of the design and construction of the Slayton House, including payments to Pei, purchase of the lot, closing costs, bricks, blueprints, and other costs associated with the house. View Pages (13) TOP Important notice: Illustrations and photographs in this website are included for reference only and may not be reproduced, for any reason, without the permission of the rightful owners. Slayton House • 3411 Ordway Street, NW • Washington DC