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Myron S. Falk family papers

Call Number

MS 3047

Date

1867-1950, inclusive

Creator

Falk, Myron S. (Myron Samuel)

Extent

17.67 Linear feet in 17 boxes of various sizes and four oversize folders

Language of Materials

Materials primarily in English, with some correspondence and bills in French, Italian, Asian languages, and, possibly, Dutch.

Abstract

The Myron S. Falk family papers include correspondence, financial ledgers, diaries, photographs, print matter, artifacts, and film pricipally related to Falk, a New York City based engineer, and his immediate family, and to a lesser extent to his wife Milly's family, the Einsteins . Myron Falk (1878-1945) worked as a consulting and chief engineer for the New York State Water Supply Commission and multiple construction and manufacturing companies. He was also on the Board of Directors or an officer of various institutions, including Wonham, Bates, and Goode Trading Corp. and Mt. Sinai Hospital. Additionally, Falk was Vice President at the American Bemberg Corporation, and served as a Lieutenant during World War I and World War II in the Ordnance Department building ammunition plants. For his work, Falk traveled often, going to Cuba, Brazil, and the Mediterranean, as well as China, Japan, and Korea with the American Silk Mission in 1923, during which he wrote detailed correspondence to his children.

Biographical/Historical Note

Myron S. Falk was born in New York City on 13 September 1878. His parents were Arnold Falk (1843-1891) and Fannie Falk (1856-1920). Falk graduated as a Civil Engineer from Columbia University in 1899, and as a Mechanical Engineer from Stevens Institute in 1900. He received his Ph.D. from Columbia in 1904. He spent ten years at Columbia teaching in the Civil Engineering Department, where he wrote text books on the design of bridges with Professor of Civil Engineering, William A. Burr. While teaching, Falk was made head of the Testing Laboratory which resulted in his book "Cements, Mortars and Concretes." In 1904 he was appointed a member of the New York Bay Pollution Commission by Governor Benjamin B. Odell to investigate the pollution of New York Harbor. In 1905 he was appointed Consulting Engineer to the New York State Water Supply Commission, which had control and supervision of all water supplies in the state, including New York City. In 1905, he became Chief Engineer of the Godwin Construction Company. Two years later he became Chief Engineer of H.H. Oddie Inc, a New York construction firm. At the same time, he formed an association with Albert B. Hager, Civil Engineer, with whom he designed many steel building frames for architects.

In 1917 Falk was appointed Major in the Ordnance Department of the Army and was in charge of the production of raw materials for the Ammunition Division during World War I. He was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel before his retirement in July 1919. He became Chairman of the Board of Directors of Wonham, Bates & Goode Trading Corporation in 1920, which was a branch of M. Samuel & Co. Ltd, of London, an importing and exporting firm for whom he made trips to China, Japan, Brazil, Cuba, etc. In 1923, he traveled with the American Silk Mission to China, Japan, and Korea to discuss silk trade. He resigned his position at Wonham in 1927 to become Vice President and Chief Engineer of the American Bemberg Corporation, for which he built a large plant for the manufacture of rayon at Johnson City, Tennessee. He was also Consulting Engineer to many other projects, such as the construction of the Temple Emanu-El at 65th Street and Fifth Avenue in New York City. He also served as an officer and director of the Mercury Theatre.

Falk retired from all active work in 1928 but in 1941, in the months leading to America's entry into World War II, he returned to the Ordnance Department as Consulting Engineer to the Ammunition Division. Based primarily in Washington, Falk was a special assistant to the chief of the division on matters concerning the construction and operation of about seventy powder, explosives and loading plants. In late 1942, Falk was commissioned into the Army and assigned to the St. Louis Ammunition Branch as Head Engineer, before transferring in 1943 to the New York District as Principal Engineer of Industrial Production.

Falk was also associated with various organizations, some referencing his Jewish heritage, such as the Hebrew Technical Institute, the Institute for the Deaf, the Home for Aged and Infirm Hebrews, chairman of the Lavanburg Foundation, and trustee and chairman of the Building and Laboratory Committees of Mt. Sinai Hospital. He was in Harmonie Club, Engineers Club, Columbia University Club, and the Army-Navy Club.

In 1903, Falk married Milly Judith Einstein (1883-1915) whose father was Henry L. Einstein, a wool manufacturer and owner of New York Press. The Falks had two daughters, Eleanor and Mildred, and a son, Myron Falk Jr., who was known as "Johnny." Falk purchased in 1913 Tophill Farm on King Street in Greenwich, Conn.; the property is commonly referred to in the documents as being in Port Chester, N.Y., which was the closest town center/train station. After Falk's death in 1945, the property was sold to the Thermix Corporation as their new headquarters. It was in the vicinity of what is now the Brunswick School's pre-and lower schools.

[This biography was drawn primarily from biographical notes found within the collection, and a New York Times obituary.]

Arrangement Note

The records are arranged in seven series as follows:

Series I. Travel (1888-1937)

Series II. Subject Files (1895-1945)

Series III. Financial and Legal Papers (1910-1947)

Series IV. Print Matter (1889-1932)

Series V. Photographs (1903-1928, undated)

Series VI. Artifacts (1869-1945, undated)

Series VII. Film (circa 1920s-1950s)

The collection arrived in a somewhat disorganized fashion and the processing archivist established the above overall organization. Nonetheless, if materials of various formats or subjects were found together in envelopes or folders, the archivist did not sort them into various series, but left them together. Therefore, although the series may appear rigid, the subject matter can be found in various parts of the collection. Accordingly, it is recommended that researchers look through all the series to ensure they have identified all relevant materials.

Scope and Contents Note

The Myron S. Falk papers include documents related to the personal and professional life of Myron S. Falk (1878-1945), an engineer from New York City. The collection spans from 1867-1947, although the bulk of the collection dates from the 20th century, after Falk graduated with a Civil Engineering degree from Columbia University (1899) and Mechanical Engineering degree from Stevens Institute of Technology (1900).

Falk's professional career is represented in this collection through his published works on engineering and his correspondence with companies he worked for, such as H.H. Oddie Inc, the American Bemberg Corporation, and the trading company Wonham, Bates, and Goode, for whom he would often travel.

A significant portion of travel correspondence, ephemera, and photographs derives from his journey in 1923 to China, Japan, and Korea with the American Silk Mission, which met with and discussed trade with silk manufacturers.

Additionally, there is an abundance of financial and legal documents regarding Falk and his family, including wills, estate and trust accounts, tax documents, ledgers, appraisals of his homes, and general financial correspondence and bills, some of which touch upon his involvement with Mercury Theatre.

There is also a scrapbook that contains information that commemorates important events involving Falk and his family, such as Columbia University Class of 1899 memorabilia, World War I and World War II clippings, clippings on their home Tophill Farm, and his children's wedding invitations and graduation pamphlets.

Also included in the collection is correspondence from Falk's time in the Ordnance Department during World War I and World War II, where he worked designing and manufacturing ammunition plants. Correspondence and artifacts also represent the numerous associations he was involved in, such as the Harmonie Club, the Society of American Magicians, Mt. Sinai Hospital committees, and Congregation Emanu-El. There is also a significant amount of condolence notes from when Falk died in 1945.

The collection also holds an assortment of photographs of his family and travels, some of which are in photo albums with captions or indexes, and others are loose with little identifying information.

Also in the collection are reels of film. Many of these were taken by Falk on his travels during the 1920s and later and many are home movies of his family. Several of the reels are from the years after Falk's death and were taken by Myron Falk, Jr. The family had many of these digitized and the digital files are on a USB and a set of DVDs.

Access Restrictions

Materials are stored offsite and advance notice is required for use. Please contact manuscripts@nyhistory.org prior to your research visit to coordinate access. Keep in mind that it will take between two (2) and five (5) business days for collections to arrive, and you should plan your research accordingly.

Use Restrictions

Taking images of documents from the library collections for reference purposes by using hand-held cameras and in accordance with the library's photography guidelines is encouraged. As an alternative, patrons may request up to 20 images per day from staff.

Application to use images from this collection for publication should be made in writing to: Department of Rights and Reproductions, The New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024-5194, rightsandrepro@nyhistory.org. Phone: (212) 873-3400 ext. 282.

Copyrights and other proprietary rights may subsist in individuals and entities other than the New-York Historical Society, in which case the patron is responsible for securing permission from those parties. For fuller information about rights and reproductions from N-YHS visit: https://www.nyhistory.org/about/rights-reproductions

Preferred Citation Note

This collection should be cited as Myron S. Falk family papers, MS 3047, New-York Historical Society.

Immediate Source of Acquisition Note

Gift of Robert Lewis Lenzner, 2016. Film donated by Nancy Falk and Michael S. Falk, 2016. Additional materials collected from various family members and donated by Nina Lenzner Evison, February 2021.

Separated Materials Note

Nitrate negatives were removed from the collection and placed into separate storage.

Collection processed by

Alexandra Gomer (2018) and Larry Weimer (2021)

About this Guide

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-08-21 15:46:34 -0400.
Using Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language: Description is written in: English, Latin script.

Processing Information Note

Collection processed by archival intern Alexandra Gomer, Spring 2018. Additional materials were donated in 2021 and processed by archivist Larry Weimer.

Repository

New-York Historical Society
New-York Historical Society
170 Central Park West
New York, NY 10024