Collection Guide
Collection Title:
Collection Number:
Get Items:
View entire collection guide
Search this collection
Table of contents
Description
The Willis Polk collection documents Polk's architectural career, his professional involvement and his interest in the civic
improvement of San Francisco. Architectural drawings from 1890-1924 form the bulk of the collection, as well as additional
manuscript records. The collection is arranged into four series: Professional Papers, Office Records, Art and Artifacts, and
Additional Donations.
Background
Born in Jacksonville, Illinois, Willis Polk (1867-1924) was the son of carpenter Willis Webb Polk. He began working with a
local contractor at the age of eight, and within five years had become an office boy in the firm of architect Jerome B. Legg.
By 1885, Polk and his father had established a partnership in Kansas City under the name W. W. Polk & Son. The company's projects
were primarily for small suburban homes or row houses, and the younger Polk was responsible for the design of some of these
commissions.
Extent
31 Linear Feet:
2 boxes, 5 flat boxes, 5 flat file drawers, 20 tubes, 3 frames
Restrictions
All requests for permission to publish, reproduce, or quote from materials in the collection should be discussed with the
Curator.
Availability
Collection is open for research. Many of the Environmental Design Archives collections are stored offsite and advance notice
is required for use.