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Becket (MacDonald) Papers Documenting the Work of Wurdeman and Becket, Welton Becket and Associates and the Becket Group
2012.M.43
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Contributing Institution:
Special Collections
Title: MacDonald Becket papers documenting the work of Wurdeman and Becket, Welton Becket and Associates, and the Becket Group
Creator:
Welton Becket and Associates
Creator:
Wurdeman and Becket
Creator:
Becket, MacDonald
Creator:
Becket Group
Identifier/Call Number: 2012.M.43
Physical Description:
56 Linear Feet
(41 boxes)
Date (inclusive): 1944-2011
Abstract: Albums of clippings, letters, photographs and ephemera, as well as brochures, company newsletters and related materials collected
by MacDonald Becket, document the work of the successive architectural firms of Wurdeman and Becket, Welton Becket and Associates,
and the Becket Group.
Physical Location: Request access to the physical materials described in this inventory through the
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Language of Material: Collection material is in English.
Gift of MacDonald and Diane Becket. Acquired in 2012.
Born and raised in Seattle, Washington, MacDonald Becket received his B.Arch in 1952 from the University of Southern California
(USC). While still a student, Becket began to work part-time at Wurdeman and Becket, the Los Angeles architecture firm of
his uncle, Welton Becket. From the summer of 1948, which he spent operating a blueprint machine, MacDonald Becket progressed
through the ranks of the firm. Upon his graduation from USC, he became a project manager for Welton Becket and Associates,
the new firm his uncle formed after the death of Walter Wurdeman. His first assignment involved a parking structure for one
of the firm's highest profile projects, Bullock's Pasadena. In the following years, MacDonald Becket led a broad range of
projects, helped develop the firm's New York office, and progressively expanded his role within the firm; all of which culminated
in his being named as president of the firm shortly before Welton Becket's death in January 1969. In this position and then
as chief executive officer and chairman of the board, MacDonald Becket oversaw the expansion of the firm into a global architectural
giant. With growth, the structure of the firm also changed. By the early 1980s, the Becket Group headed by MacDonald Becket
operated several subsidiaries, including Becket International, Welton Becket Associates, Becket Construction Administrators
and Becket Investments. In 1987, the Becket Group merged with Ellerbe, a Minnesota-based firm, to form Ellerbe Becket.
In addition to his leading role at Welton Becket and Associates and the Becket Group, MacDonald Becket has been active in
architectural, academic, cultural and diplomatic circles. A fellow of the American Institute of Architects, Becket has served
on the Board of Directors of the National Institute of Building Sciences and on the United States Capitol Architect's Long-Range
Planning Committee. Becket is also a benefactor of USC, from which he earned a certificate in business economics in addition
to his architecture degree.
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The collection is arranged by type of material.
Scope and Content of Collection
Albums of clippings, letters, photographs and ephemera, as well as brochures, company newsletters and related materials collected
by MacDonald Becket, document the work of the successive architectural firms of Wurdeman and Becket, Welton Becket and Associates,
and the Becket Group.
Thirty-seven albums recording the work of the firms, their principals and associates form the bulk of the collection. Created
in-house by the firms, the albums are generally annual compilations of clippings taken from newspapers and magazines, many
of which were gathered by a clipping service. The clippings, which range in date from 1944 to 1986, were drawn from a broad
range of sources, ranging from specialized architectural periodicals, shelter and lifestyle magazines and obscure trade publications,
to local newspapers. The early albums are composed almost exclusively of clippings, but as they progress through time, they
also include limited amounts of other materials, such as photographs, letters and ephemera. In addition to individual architectural
and planning projects, the material in the albums documents broader aspects of the firm and its partners, such as professional
activities, staffing, general profiles, announcements of speaking engagements and committee work, exhibitions of the firm's
work and awards received. Contrasting with these chronological records, a final album is a more personal scrapbook, focusing
on the career of MacDonald Becket.
The archive also includes promotional brochures and employee newsletters created by the firms, as well as miscellaneous materials.
The various promotional brochures range from the mid 1950s presentation of Welton Becket and Associates work, "Vision...Through
Supervision," to one marking the Ellerbe Becket merger in the late 1980s. An incomplete set of the "WB Reporter," the employee
newsletter, presents highlights of architectural projects and awards, as well as profiles of staff. A small number of miscellaneous
items, primarily articles and brochures, relating to MacDonald Becket and his interests complete the collection.
Welton Becket architectural drawings and photographs, 1913-2009, Accession no. 2010.M.83.
MacDonald Becket papers documenting the work of Wurdeman and Becket, Welton Becket and Associates, and the Becket Group, 1944-2011,
The Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles, Accession no. 2012.M.43
http://hdl.handle.net/10020/cifa2012m43
The collection was housed upon receipt by Vladimira Stefura. In 2014 Jan Bender began reattaching loose clippings in the scrapbooks.
This process was continued in 2016 by Kathryn Reuter, a summer intern, and then by Ann Harrison. A preliminary finding aid
for the collection was created in 2015 and expanded in 2016 by Ann Harrison.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Architectural firms
Scrapbooks -- 20th century
Clippings (information artifacts)
Architects -- California -- Los Angeles -- 20th century
Los Angeles (Calif.) -- Buildings, structures, etc. -- 20th century
Architecture -- California -- Los Angeles -- 20th century
Becket, Welton D.
Wurdeman and Becket
Wurdeman, Walter C.
Becket Group
Becket, MacDonald
Welton Becket and Associates