Frederick H. Meyer Collection, 1904-1962
Processed by the Archives Staff; machine-readable finding aid created by Archives Staff and the Electronic Text Unit Staff
Environmental Design Archives
© 2000
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/
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
Frederick H. Meyer Collection, 1904-1962
Collection Number: 1976-1
Environmental Design ArchivesUniversity of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, California
- 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 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.
Collection Title: Frederick H. Meyer Collection,
Date (inclusive): 1904-1962
Collection Number: 1976-1
Creator:
Meyer, Frederick H., 1872-1961
Meyer & O'Brien
Meyer & Johnson
Meyer & Evers
Extent: 6 boxes, 30 flat boxes, 8 flat file drawers
Repository:
Environmental Design Archives.
University of California, Berkeley.
Berkeley, California.
Abstract: The collection documents the architectural work of Frederick H. Meyer, completed in a number of partnerships. It contains
records of a wide range of building types throughout California.
Language:
English.
Collection is open for research.
All requests for permission to publish, reproduce, or quote from materials in the collection should be discussed with the
Curator.
[Identification of item], Frederick H. Meyer Collection, (1976-1), Environmental Design Archives. University of California,
Berkeley. Berkeley, California.
The collection was donated in 1976.
Architects--California.
Architecture--California.
Breweries.
Hospital architecture.
Vernacular architecture--California.
Frederick H. Meyer (1876-1961)
Frederick H. Meyer was born in San Francisco. His father was a cabinet maker and Frederick attended pubic and private schools.
He began his career in the early 1890s as a draftsman for a planing mill and worked in a number of architectural offices prior
to beginning his own practice. He is listed in the San Francisco City Directory under Newsom & Meyer in 1899-1900, under
his own name in 1901 and as Meyer & O'Brien beginning in 1902.
Meyer was a prolific designer, responsible for many of the buildings designed in the San Francisco area after the 1906 earthquake
and fire. In 1913, Under Jim Rolph's Mayoral administration, Meyer was appointed to serve as one of the three members of the
San Francisco Civic Center Commission, whose tasks included the evolution and supervision of the City's Civic Center plan.
A fellow of the AIA, Meyer's practice consisted primarily of public, commercial and industrial projects, including public
libraries, breweries, hospitals, and public schools. Among his most notable buildings are the Humboldt Bank and the Monadnock
Building, tall buildings for their time and recognized for their innovative use of large glass areas and their incorporation
of fire-safety designs and equipment. An avid sailor, Meyer was active in numerous professional, civic and recreational organizations.
He practiced with a variety of firms including: Meyer & O'Brien (Smith); Meyer & Johnson (Albin R.); Meyer & Evers (Albert
J.); Howard (John G.), Meyer & Reid (John Jr.); Riedy (Dodge A.) & Meyer; Meyer, Peugh (W.D.), Rist (Martin) and Pflueger
(Timothy L.); Meyer & Associates - Jorgenson (Mark T.), Keyser (Lawrence H); The successor firms to Meyer's practice were
Ashley (George Fred), Keyser & Runge; Johnson (Alfred W.) & Runge; Runge (Chris W.) (1906-1972).
Sources:
Municipal Blue Book of San Francisco, 1915
Municipal Blue Book of San Francisco, 1915
Unpublished biography on Ashley, Keyser and Runge letterhead, 1961 (photocopy), Environmental Design Archives
Records of the architectural practice of Frederick H. Meyer span the years 1904-1962 and are organized into three series:
Office Records, Project Records, and Additional Donations. A job index, found in the office records, provides a comprehensive
list of Meyer's projects. Office records also include photograph albums.
The collection primarily consists of project records containing specifications and plans, and photographs of completed projects.
These records document the work done by Meyer in a number of partnerships, and contain a wide range of building types throughout
the state. Projects include office buildings such as San Francisco's Humboldt Bank and Monadnock Buildings; club buildings
such as the Elks Lodge in Bakersfield, and California Hall and the YMCA in San Francisco; Lagunda Honda and San Francisco
General, and Sutter Hospital in Sacramento; numerous Pacific Gas & Electric substations, breweries, banks, hotels, schools,
industrial structures, commercial buildings, firehouses, and a few residences. There are drawings for most projects and specifications
for some.
The Environmental Design Library houses his library of 165 books and 90 magazines. The bulk of the collection was donated
in 1976.
Title: Chris W. Runge Collection
Identifier/Call Number: (1976-3),
Contributing Institution: Environmental Design Archives
Series Description
Boxes 1-4
I. Office Records , ca. 1904-1962
Scope and Content Note
Consists of an index of Meyer's projects and photograph albums documenting various projects.
A. Job Index
B. Photographs
Boxes 5-36, Flat Files
II. Project Records , 1904-1962
Scope and Content Note
Although the bulk of the drawings are primarily for San Francisco projects there are drawings for buildings throughout the
state. Most projects are well-documented and include office buildings, club buildings, utilities, breweries, banks, hotels,
schools, industrial structures, commercial buildings, firehouses; medical facilities, and a few residences.
A. Specifications
B. Drawings
III. Additional Donations
Scope and Content Note
Terra cotta lion's head from Rialto Building in San Francisco.