Guide to the Will A. Benshoff Collection

Processed by Teresa Fitzgerald; machine-readable finding aid created by Genie Guerard
Pasadena Museum of History
Research Library and Archives
470 West Walnut Street
Pasadena, California 91103-3594
Phone: (626) 577-1660, Ext. 13
Fax: (626) 577-1662
Email: research@pasadenahistory.org
URL: http://www.pasadenahistory.org
© 2000
Pasadena Museum of History. All rights reserved.

Guide to the Will A. Benshoff Collection

Pasadena Museum of History



Research Library and Archives

Pasadena, California

Contact Information:

  • Pasadena Museum of History
  • Research Library and Archives
  • 470 West Walnut Street
  • Pasadena, California 91103-3594
  • Phone: (626) 577-1660, Ext. 13
  • Fax: (626) 577-1662
  • Email: research@pasadenahistory.org
  • URL: http://www.pasadenahistory.org
Processed by:
Teresa Fitzgerald
Encoded by:
Genie Guerard
© 2000 Pasadena Museum of History. All rights reserved.

Descriptive Summary

Title: Will A. Benshoff Collection
Origination: Benshoff, Hazel
Extent: 6 Boxes
Repository: Pasadena Museum of History
Pasadena, California 91103-3594
Language: English.

Administrative Information

Access

Collection is open to the public for research. Use is restricted by rules intended to protect and preserve the materials in good condition for the future. For additional information please contact the Pasadena Museum of History.

Publication Rights

Use of the materials is governed by all applicable copyright law. The Pasadena Museum of History reserves the right to restrict any materials from reproduction at any time. Property rights reside with the Pasadena Museum of History. Literary rights are retained by the creators of the records and their heirs. The Museum's physical ownership of the materials in its collection does not imply ownership of copyright. It is the user's responibility to reslove any copyright issues related to the use and distribution of reproduced materials. For permission to reproduce or to publish, please contact the Pasadena Museum of History.

Preferred Citation

Suggested citation of these records: [Identification of item], Will A. Benshoff Collection, Research Library and Archives, Pasadena Museum of History.

Biographical Note

Will Alton Benshoff (1869-1959) was a Pasadena architect. He moved to California from Ohio in 1891. Benshoff's architectural projects include the Lincoln Avenue Methodist Church (relocated to Heritage Square), the original buildings of Turner and Stevens Mortuary, Polytechnical Elementary (forerunner of Caltech), the First Methodist Episcopal Church, the Magnolia Hotel, and hundreds of Victorian-style private homes in Pasadena and neighboring cities.
Benshoff's wife Claudine was the daughter of Frank Stevens, founder of Stevens Hardware, and sister of Arthur Bush Stevens, co-founder of Turner and Stevens Mortuary.

Scope and Content

The Benshoff Collection includes approximately 1,000 architectural drawings and blueprints of homes, churches, and businesses; contracts and project specifications; approximately 200 negatives and 125 photographs of architectural subjects (including some of Benshoff's projects), family, and views in and around Pasadena; papers related to the Stevens family, Stevens Hardware, and Turner and Stevens Mortuary; and personal papers.
An oral history of Hazel Benshoff, the architect's daughter, is also available in the library.

Box 1

Architectural drawings

Box 2

Architectural drawings

Box 3

Building specifications

Box 4

Papers related to architectural projects

Box 5

Personal papers and photographs

Box 6

Negatives