Description
The Roy C. Wilson papers span 54 linear feet and date from circa 1924 to circa 1966. The collection consists of files organized
by project containing: cost analysis worksheets, letters to clients regarding particular project, architectural drawings,
Wilson’s office meeting minutes, receipts from reprographics companies, interoffice memos, and contracts.
Background
Roy C. Wilson was born in 1887 in Freemont, Kansas. In 1900, his family moved west to southern California. At age 12, Wilson
left school and started work at the firm of Edwin C. Thorne as a draftsman. Wilson left Thorne’s firm for Berkeley, California,
where he begun to take classes in architecture at the University of California. After the earthquake struck San Francisco
in 1906, Wilson left Berkeley and moved back to Los Angeles where he married his Thorne’s daughter. The two moved to Santa
Paula in 1914. Around 1915, Wilson established the first architectural practice in Ventura County. He received three commissions
from the Limoneira Company: a residence for the company’s President, C.C. Teague (known today as the Teague mansion), a company
headquarters building, and a recreation facility on the company’s ranch. Other notable projects include: the William (Guiseppi)
Ramelli residence, Hueneme Elementary School, and the Foster Bowl in Ojai, California. Roy C. Wilson died in 1975.