This collection contains materials on Hazel Wood Waterman’s architectural career and personal life in San Diego in the first half of the twentieth century, as well as some family papers going back to the late nineteenth century.

Hazel Wood Waterman was born May 5, 1865 in Tuskegee, Alabama. She arrived in California in the early 1880’s when her father, Reverend Jesse Wood, migrated to Oroville. Hazel attended the University of California Berkley from 1882-1883, as an art student. There she met her future husband, Waldo Sprague Waterman, son of California Governor Robert Waterman. Following her marriage on April 11, 1889, Hazel moved with her husband to Cuyamaca where Waldo supervised his father’s mining operations at Stonewall Mine and Hazel became a mother. In 1891, the couple moved to San Diego. They had three children: Robert Wood, Helen Gardner, and Waldo Dean. Hazel’s husband, Waldo Sprague, died on February 24, 1903. Following his death, Hazel enrolled in correspondence courses, studying architectural drafting which marked the beginning of her famed career as an architect.

0.75 Linear feet (2 boxes)

The San Diego History Center (SDHC) holds the copyright to any unpublished materials. SDHC Library regulations do apply.

This collection is open for research.