Collection Guide
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St. Francis Wood Homeowners Association Collection
2007.-01
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Contributing Institution:
University of California, Berkeley. College of Environmental Design. Environmental Design Archives
Title: St. Francis Wood Homeowners Association Collection
Creator:
Gutterson, Henry, 1884-1954
Creator:
Howard, John Galen, 1864-1931
Creator:
Masten & Hurd
Creator:
Morgan, Julia, 1872-1957
Creator:
Merchant, William Gladstone, 1889-1962
Creator:
Morrow, Gertrude Comfort, 1888-1983
Creator:
Olmsted Brothers
Creator:
Steilberg, Walter T., 1887-1974
Identifier/Call Number: 2007.-01
Physical Description:
75 Linear Feet:
45 oversized flat boxes, 4 cartons, 2 document boxes, 2 flat file drawers
Date (bulk): 1912-1946
Date (inclusive): 1912-2010
Language of Material:
English
.
Collection open for research.
All requests for permission to publish, reproduce, or quote from materials in the collection should be discussed with the
Curator.
St. Francis Wood Homeowners Association Collection, Environmental Design Archives. College of Environmental Design. University
of California, Berkeley. Berkeley, California.
Located in the southwestern corner of San Francisco, St. Francis Wood is a prime example of the "Garden City" ideals of neighborhood
planning popular at the turn of the 20th century. The Olmsted Brothers firm laid out the curving street plan as well as the
neighborhood parks. John Galen Howard acted as the first supervising architect and also designed the entrance gates, the Circle
fountain and other neighborhood amenities and infrastructure. Howard turned the role of supervising architect over to Henry
Higby Gutterson who served from 1914-1954. Unlike many residential developments that offered only stock plans, St. Francis
Wood developers encouraged houses designed by prominent architects for specific clients.
Although Henry H. Gutterson (75 houses) and Masten & Hurd (77 houses) designed nearly 1/3 of the houses in the subdivision
(152 total of 509), many of the prominent San Francisco architects are represented here. These include: Julia Morgan, Martin
Rist, Kent & Hass, Walter Ratcliff, Jr., Herman C. Baumann, Warren Perry, William Merchant, Harold Stoner, Gertrude Comfort
Morrow, and others. Landscape areas have been designed by the Olmsted Brothers, Harry Shepherd, and others.
Period Revivals of traditional English, French and Italian idioms dominate. The St. Francis Wood Home Association, formed
by Duncan McDuffie in 1912, took over the maintenance of the neighborhood's parks and boulevards a decade later. Today, much
of Duncan McDuffie's original vision remains. St. Francis Wood is recognizably different from many of the neighborhoods that
surround it. Its wide lots, curving streets and lush landscaping make the neighborhood a retreat from the rush of urban life.
The collection consists of the fragile original plans and specifications for the houses in St. Francis Wood. Unlike the rest
of the collections at the EDA, these plans are listed by address on the project index.
Henry Gutterson Collection (1956-2), Environmental Design Archives
John Galen Howard Collection (1955-4), Environmental Design Archives
John Galen Howard Pictorial Collection, 1885-1920 (PIC 1967.016-1967.018), The Bancroft Library, University of California,
Berkeley
Stafford Jory Collection (2005-12), Environmental Design Archives
Mason-McDuffie Co. Records, 1904-1983 (MSS 89/12 c), The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley
William G. Merchant/Hans U. Gerson Collection (2001-15), Environmental Design Archives
Julia Morgan Collection (1959-2), Environmental Design Archives
Irving F. and Gertrude Comfort Morrow Collection (1992-1), Environmental Design Archives
Olmsted Brothers Collection (1969-2), Environmental Design Archives
St. Francis Wood Homeowners Association Collection (2005-17), Environmental Design Archives
Harry W. Shepherd Collection (1998-11), Environmental Design Archives
Walter T. Steilberg Collection (1973-1), Environmental Design Archives
Ward Thomas Collection (2005-1), Environmental Design Archives