Neild-Somdal Associates Records

Architectural firm that oversaw the construction of the Harry S. Truman Library

The records of Neild-Somdal Associates consist of correspondence between Harry S. Truman, Edward Neild, and others concerning the architectural design and construction of the Harry S. Truman Library, along with related surveys, drawings, and floor plans.

Size: 5 linear inches (about 800 pages).
Access: Open.
Copyright: Mrs. Dewey Somdal donated to the United States Government her copyright interest in all documents included in this collection. Documents created by United States Government employees in the course of their official duties are also in the public domain. Copyright interest in other documents presumably belongs to the creators of those documents, or their heirs.
Processed by: Erwin J. Mueller (1974); Kamera Moore (2009).

Neild-Somdal Associates was founded in 1908 by Edward Neild, who was nationally recognized for his architectural designs, especially of courthouses. Dewey Somdal joined the architectural firm in 1923. Neild designed the Jackson Country Courthouse in Kansas City, Missouri during the time that Harry S. Truman served as a County Judge, and also offered consultation on the renovation of the White House during the Truman Administration. President Truman later sought out the services of Neild-Somdal Associates in constructing his presidential library.

The Records of Neild-Somdal Associates include correspondence relating to the construction of the Harry S. Truman Library. In addition to President Truman’s correspondence with Edward Neild, the collection includes correspondence with Neild’s partner, Dewey Somdal; with David D. Lloyd, Executive Director of the Harry S. Truman Library, Inc.; with Alonzo Gentry of Gentry and Voskamp, the Kansas City architectural firm that assisted with the project; and with others. Also included are geological and topographical surveys, architectural floor plans, proposals for the purchase of land plots, and communications concerning interior and exterior design.

Neild-Somdal Associates had a long professional relationship with Truman as the firm that helped construct the Jackson Country Courthouse and assisted with the renovation of the White House during Truman’s years in public office. The documents in this collection describe the preliminary construction plans of the library beginning with land surveys in 1950.

The correspondence between Neild and Truman focused on the construction of the library. Also included in the collection are Truman’s personal sketches of the library as he envisioned it, and preliminary estimates concerning the financial cost of the library.

Additional documents concerning the construction of the Harry S. Truman Library can be found at in the Records of the Harry S. Truman Library, Inc., and in the papers of David D. Lloyd.