Guide to the Norbert Troller Collection, 1900-1993

AR 7268 / MF 500

Processed by LBI Staff

Leo Baeck Institute

Center for Jewish History

15 West 16^th Street

New York, N.Y. 10011

Phone: (212) 744-6400

Fax: (212) 988-1305

Email: http://www.lbi.org/ask

URL: http://www.lbi.org

© 2009 Leo Back Institute, New York. All rights reserved.

Center for Jewish History, Publisher.

Finding aid was encoded in EAD 2002 by Chris Bentley on December 30, 2009. Description is in English.

2010-11-29  encoding of linking to digital objects from finding aid was changed from <extref> to <dao> through dao_conv.xsl

Biographical Note

Born in Bruenn, Austria-Hungary (now Brno, Czechoslovakia) in 1896, Norbert Troller served as a soldier in World War I, spending time as a prisoner-of-war in Italy. After the war he studied architecture in Brno and Vienna and worked as an architect in Brno until the German occupation of Czechoslovakia. He was deported to Theresienstadt in 1942, where he worked as an architect for the Jewish self-adminstration of the camp, and produced works of art as well. In 1944 he was imprisoned by the Gestapo, and was sent to Auschwitz later that year. After liberation, he lived briefly in Cracow, and then reopened his architectural business in Prague and Brno. He emigrated to the United States in 1948 and worked for the National Jewish Welfare Board in New York designing Jewish community centers, before opening his own practice. He died in 1981.

Scope and Content Note

Extensive autobiographical manuscript by Troller, with illustrations and other supporting material, discussing his family and community, his early life, and his experiences during and after the Holocaust.

Material relating to Troller's career as an architect, including educational documents, professional papers, clippings, and blueprints.

Extensive photograph collection documenting Troller's life and work in Czechoslovakia and the United States, including photos of buildings designed by him in both countries; photocopies of artwork by Troller, many from his time at Theresienstadt, including items from the Leo Baeck Institute's art collection.

Material relating to an exhibit of Troller's work at the Yeshiva University Museum in 1982.

See inventory list.

Arrangement

• Box LIST (Overview):
• Box 1. MEMOIR MANUSCRIPTS; GENEALOGY; DRAWINGS;PHOTOS; DOCUMENTS(COPIES); BROCHURES; NOTES; CLIPPINGS; CURRENT INVENTORY AND OLD Box LISTS; undated, 1724, c.1900-1998
• Box 2. MANUSCRIPTS; DRAWINGS; CAPTIONS; PHOTOS; CORRESPONDENCE; POST CARDS; ART WORK; AUTOBIOGRAPHY; Box LISTS, ETC.; undated, c1900-1982
• Box 3. PERSONAL & PROFESSIONAL DOCUMENTS; MEMOIR MANUSCRIPTS; REFERENCES; CORRESPONDENCE; PHOTOS; ARTWORK; NOTES; CLIPPINGS; OLD Box LISTS; undated, c1900-c1982
• Box 4. MANUSCRIPTS, DRAFTS; SPECIFICATIONS; PHOTOS; ARTWORK; CLIPPINGS; Box LISTS; ETC.; undated, c1900-1993
• Box 5. ARCHITECT PLANS AND BLUEPRINTS; ALSO MAP; U.S.A. AND CANADA; 1949-1958 (OSL 23)
• Box 6. STAMMBAUM; c1945; ARCHITECT PLANS AND BLUEPRINTS; U.S.A.; 1950-1957 (OSL 24)
• Box 7. Clippings (concentration camp); ARCHITECT PLANS AND BLUEPRINTS; U.S.A.; undated, 1944-c.1980 (OS 45)
• ADDENDA (not microfilmed); undated, 1919-1993

Access and Use

Access Restrictions

Open to researchers.

Access Information

Collection is digitized. Follow the links in the Container List to access the digitized materials.

Collection is microfilmed, use MF 500 (Addenda not microfilmed).

Readers may access the collection by visiting the Lillian Goldman Reading Room at the Center for Jewish History. We recommend reserving the collection in advance; please visit the LBI Online Catalog and click on the "Request" button.

Use Restrictions

There may be some restrictions on the use of the collection. For more information, contact:
Leo Baeck Institute, Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street, New York, NY 10011
email: lbaeck@lbi.cjh.org

Access Points

This collection is indexed under the following headings in the online catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search the catalog using these headings.

• Individuals:

  • Troller, Norbert, 1896-1981

• Subjects:

  • Architecture, commercial
  • Architecture, residential
  • Archival Materials
  • Artwork
  • Auschwitz (Concentration or internment camps)
  • Austria
  • Bittner, Oscar
  • Bruenn
  • Canada
  • Concentration or internment camps
  • Czechoslovakia
  • Emigration and immigration -- after 1945 -- USA
  • Grapic Arts
  • Holocaust
  • Holocaust survivors
  • Italy
  • Manuscripts
  • Memoirs
  • Military service -- World War, 1914-1918
  • New England
  • New York (City)
  • Photographs
  • Prague
  • Professions and occupations -- architects
  • Professions and occupations -- artists
  • Public welfare
  • Synagogue architecture
  • Theresienstadt (Concentration or internment camps)
  • Troller, Cilli
  • Troller, Ludwig
  • Troller, Norbert, 1900-1984
  • Vienna
  • World War, 1914-1918
  • World War, 1914-1918 -- prisoners of war
  • Yeshiva University

Related Material

The art collection of the LBI also has an extensive collection of artwork of Troller's from his time in Theresienstadt.

Separated Material

Photographs have been removed to the LBI Photograph Collection.

Microfilm

Collection is available on 9 reels of microfilm (MF 500).

• Reel 1: 1/0 - 1/15
• Reel 2: 1/16 - 1/27
• Reel 3: 1/28 - 2/11
• Reel 4: 2/12 - 2/35
• Reel 5: 2/36 - 3/13
• Reel 6: 3/14 - 3/38
• Reel 7: 4/1 - 4/16
• Reel 8: 4/17 - 4/43
• Reel 9: 5/1 - 7/13

Preferred Citation

Published citations should take the following form:

Identification of item, date (if known); Norbert Troller Collection; AR 7268; box number; folder number; Leo Baeck Institute.

Other Finding Aid

See inventory list

Container List

The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.

Follow the links to access the digitized materials.