Gene A. Chesley (1935-1981) was a highly regarded scenic designer, theatre historian, and teacher. Chesley taught in the Dramatic Art Deparment at the University of California Davis from 1963 until his death at age 46 in 1981. As a UCD faculty member, Chesley began an eleven-year project to identify and document extant historic theatres, opera houses, and performance halls in all fifty states. He became a renowned authority on American theatres built between 1800 and 1914, and a strong advocate for the renovation and preservation of theatres. The bulk of the Chesley Collection concerns research conducted for the National List of Historic Theatre Buildings and Chesley's involvement in restoration projects undertaken during the 1970s. The material dates from the early 1800s to 1984, with most of the collection dating from 1969 to 1982.The depth of information concerning individual theatres varies considerably, depending on the thoroughness of the person(s) who responded to Chesley's letter of inquiry. Chesley's questionnaire was often returned with very little information, although in other cases, respondents carefully documented both the history and the architecture of the site. Some files contain only a newspaper account of the renovation of a particular theatre while other files hold a broad range of materials, including original correspondence, playbills, newspaper articles, photographs, slides, postcards; blueprints and drawings; historical files; and project files.
The Chesley Collection includes correspondence; reports and forms; playbills and programs; newspaper clippings; photographs, negatives, and slides; postcards; blueprints and drawings; and historical and project files.
