William C. Hays Collection, 1894-1962

Processed by the Archives Staff; machine-readable finding aid created by Archives Staff and the Electronic Text Unit Staff
Environmental Design Archives
College of Environmental Design
230 Wurster Hall #1820
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, California, 94720-1820
Phone: (510) 642-5124
Fax: (510) 642-2824
Email: archives@socrates.berkeley.edu
http://www.ced.berkeley.edu/cedarchives/
© 2000
The Regents of California. All rights reserved.

Note

Arts and Humanities--Architecture History--California History--Bay Area History History--California History Geographical (By Place)--California Geographical (By Place)--California--Bay Area History--University of California History History--University of California History--UC Davis History History--University of California History--UC Berkeley History Geographical (By Place)--University of California--UC Davis Geographical (By Place)--University of California--UC Berkeley

William C. Hays Collection, 1894-1962

Collection Number: 1977-1

Environmental Design Archives



University of California, Berkeley

Berkeley, California

Contact Information:

  • Environmental Design Archives
  • College of Environmental Design
  • 230 Wurster Hall #1820
  • University of California, Berkeley
  • Berkeley, California, 94720-1820
  • Phone: (510) 642-5124
  • Fax: (510) 642-2824
  • Email: archives@socrates.berkeley.edu
  • URL: http://www.ced.berkeley.edu/cedarchives/
Processed by:
Archives Staff
Date Completed:
March 1999/April 2000
Encoded by:
Archives Staff
Funding:
Arrangement and description of this collection was funded by a grant from the Getty Foundation.
© 1999 The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.

Descriptive Summary

Collection Title: William C. Hays Collection,
Date (inclusive): 1894-1962
Collection Number: 1977-1
Creator: Hays, William Charles, 1873-1963
Extent: 11 boxes, 1 card file box, 1 flat box, 2 flat file drawers, framed drawings
Repository: Environmental Design Archives.
University of California, Berkeley.
Berkeley, California.
Abstract: The collection documents the career of William C. Hays as an architect and as an educator working for the University of California.
Language: English.

Administrative Information

Access

Collection is open for research.

Publication Rights

All requests for permission to publish, reproduce, or quote from materials in the collection should be discussed with the Curator.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], William C. Hays Collection, (1977-1), Environmental Design Archives. University of California, Berkeley. Berkeley, California.

Acquisition Information

The collection was donated in 1977.

Access Points

Architects--California.
Architecture--California.
Architecture--Study and teaching--California--Berkeley.
Campus planning--California--Berkeley.
University of California, Berkeley--Buildings and Campus Development Committee.
University of California--Buildings.
University of California, Berkeley--School of Architecture.

Biography

William C. Hays (1873-1963)
William Hays was born in Philadelphia in 1873 to parents Charles Henry and Helen Reeder Hays. He received his bachelor's degree in architecture in 1893 from the University of Pennsylvania. Upon graduation, Hays won a travelling fellowship that allowed him to complete his studies at the American Academy in Rome and in Paris. He also traveled around Europe and in Egypt during that time. In 1921 Hays married Elah Hale of Berkeley and the two had a son, Charles Harrison, and a daughter, Dale.
Hays' professional career started in Philadelphia, where he began practice in 1894. He moved to San Francisco in 1904, and was a member of the firm Howard & Galloway from 1906 to 1908. He began his own practice in 1908. In addition to his design work, Hays had a distinguished career as a professor of architecture at UC Berkeley. He taught from 1906 to 1943, and was the acting director of the school from 1917 to 1919. Among his many roles in the development of the UC campuses, Hays was the supervising architect for the UC Davis campus from 1918 to 1944, and chairman of Building Location and Campus Development for the UC Berkeley campus in the 1940s. He designed buildings for UC San Francisco, UC Davis, and UC Berkeley, including Giannini Hall and fraternity houses.
Hays was a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects and a charter member of the Beaux Arts Institute. He authored various articles on architectural topics for the Architect and Engineer and other journals. Hays lived in Berkeley until his death in 1963 at the age of 89.

Scope and Contents Note

The William C. Hays collection spans the years 1894-1962, documenting his career as a practicing architect and educator. Textual records include correspondence, handwritten notes, specifications, lecture notes, exams and quizzes, articles and reports. The records also contain architectural drawings, framed illustrations, photographs, slides, and some students' work. The collection is organized into five series: Personal Papers, Professional Papers, Faculty Papers, Project Records, and University of California.
A large portion of Hays' records concern housing and dormitory planning for several University of California campuses, including Berkeley, Davis, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, and Santa Cruz. Hays participated in many aspects of the creation of new dormitories, including finding locations and designing the buildings. Other documents include notes about the historical plan for the UC Berkeley campus and correspondence regarding the future plan for the campus. Much of the collection is comprised of photostat reproductions of original correspondence and clippings.

Related Collections

Title: "Parentage--High School--University of Pennsylvania Days"(1955)
Identifier/Call Number: magnetic tape reel
Contributing Institution: Environmental Design Archives, University of California, Berkeley
Title: Order, Taste and Grace in Architecture: Oral History Transcript and Related Material
Identifier/Call Number: Oral History Project
Contributing Institution: The Bancroft Library
UC Berkeley
Berkeley, CA

Box 1, Flat Files

I. Personal Papers , 1894-1962

Scope and Content Note

Contains biographical memoirs and clippings, a partial transcript of Hays' oral history, portrait photographs, and a small amount of correspondence. Records relating to University of Pennsylvania include memoirs, clippings, publications, and drawings.
Box 1

II. Professional Papers , 1909-1939

Scope and Content Note

Comprised of correspondence with other Bay Area architects, correspondence and reports from the American Institute of Architects, and correspondence with various federal officials relating to the building and development of government buildings in Washington, D. C. Records relating to Hays' architectural writing include typescripts, correspondence with numerous periodicals, and clippings of published articles.
 

A. Correspondence and Reports

 

B. Writings

Boxes 2-4, 13

III. Faculty Papers , 1912-1958

Scope and Content Note

Consists of lecture notes, assignments, exams, and quizzes. Also contains glass lantern slides that may have been used by Hays as teaching aids, and 8 x 10 negatives of UC Berkeley students' drawings.
 

A. Course Materials

 

B. Student Work

Box 5

IV. Project Records , 1912-1958

Scope and Content Note

Specifications, correspondence, drawings, and photographs of schools, churches, and houses in Northern California and dormitories for the College of the Pacific. Also includes project lists. (University of California projects can be found in Series IV.)
 

A. Files

 

B. Drawings

Boxes 6-12, Flat Files

V. University of California , 1918-1958

 

A. Administrative Files, UC Berkeley Campus Planning

Scope and Content Note

Contains historical information, photographs, correspondence, drawings, and reports relating to the UC Berkeley campus plan and city zoning issues.
 

B. Housing

Scope and Content Note

Arrangement

Arranged by campus.
Specifications, correspondence, reports, and drawings relating to student housing issues and specific dormitory buildings on the Berkeley, Davis, Los Angeles, and Santa Barbara campuses.
 

C. Project Records

Scope and Content Note

Arrangement

Arranged by campus, alphabetically within.
Correspondence, specifications, photographs, and drawings of buildings on the Berkeley campus, including Doe Library and Giannini Hall. Also contains photographs, specifications, and reports relating to buildings on the Davis, San Francisco, and Santa Cruz campuses.