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Finding Aid for the Cliff May papers, circa 1931-circa 1989
0000156
0000156
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Title: Cliff May papers
Identifier/Call Number: 0000156
Contributing Institution:
Architecture and Design Collection, Art, Design & Architecture Museum
Language of Material:
English
Physical Description:
350.0 Linear feet
(184 record storage boxes and 55 flat file drawers)
Date (inclusive): circa 1931-circa 1989
creator:
May, Cliff, 1908-1989 -- Archives
Partially processed collection, open for use by qualified researchers.
Gift of Cliff May, 1989. Additional materials gifted by Michael May in 2001, David Balfour in 2003, and Greg Friedman 2011.
Cliff May papers, Architecture and Design Collection. Art, Design & Architecture Museum; University of California, Santa Barbara.
Born in San Diego, Cliff May (1908-1989) was a sixth-generation Californian. He studied business at San Diego State College
from 1929-1931, but left without a diploma. After leaving San Diego State, May began building Monterey style furniture. Furniture
building led to building his first house with help from developer Roy Lichty, his father-in-law. Before May moved to Los Angeles,
in 1936, he had built 35 houses over a 5 year period in San Diego. Cliff May relocated to Los Angeles to work with financier
John A. Smith. Together they embarked on building and marketing May’s urban ranch house designs for Riviera Ranch, a subdivision
in West Los Angeles. By 1943, he had established a national reputation as a designer of custom California Ranch Houses. May
participated in
House Beautiful's Pace Setter Program, a series of exhibition houses, by designing the first Pace Setter House, which was built in Riviera
Ranch in 1948. As Cliff May Homes Incorporated, May sold low-cost ranch home plans to developers. May designed and built the
corporate headquarters for the Lane Publishing Company (
Sunset magazine) in Menlo Park and the Robert Mondavi winery in Rutherford, California. May maintained an active architectural practice in
Los Angeles until his death in 1989.
The Cliff May papers span 350 linear feet and date from circa 1931 to circa 1989. The collection is comprised of architectural
drawings and reprographic copies, clippings, correspondence, photographs, awards, financial records such as budgets and expense
reports organized by project, legal files, appointment books, one model, and ephemera.
Related Archival Materials note
Jody Greenwald research materials on Cliff May, Architecture and Design Collection. Art, Design & Architecture Museum; University
of California, Santa Barbara.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
May, Cliff, 1908-1989
May, Cliff, 1908-1989
Architects -- California
Architectural drawings
Architecture -- California
Architecture -- California -- 20th century
Architecture -- California -- Los Angeles -- 20th Century
Architecture -- United States -- 20th century -- Sources
Architecture, Modern -- 20th century -- California
Correspondence
Dwellings -- Design and construction -- Economic aspects -- United States
Modern movement (Architecture) -- California
Negatives
Photographic prints
Prefabricated houses -- United States
Ranch houses--Design and construction
Sketches
Specifications
Transparencies