Willis Polk Collection 1934.01
Campbell J. Crabtree
University of California, Berkeley. College of Environmental Design. Environmental Design Archives
1998
230 Bauer Wurster Hall #1820
Berkeley, CA 94720-1820
designarchives@berkeley.edu
Contributing Institution:
University of California, Berkeley. College of Environmental Design. Environmental Design Archives
Title: Willis Polk Collection
Creator:
Polk, Willis
Identifier/Call Number: 1934.01
Physical Description:
31 Linear Feet:
2 boxes, 5 flat boxes, 5 flat file drawers, 20 tubes, 3 frames
Date (inclusive): 1890-1937
Language of Material:
English
.
Access Statement
Collection is open for research. Many of the Environmental Design Archives collections are stored offsite and advance notice
is required for use.
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], Willis Polk Collection, Environmental Design Archives, University of California, Berkeley.
Funding
Arrangement and description of this collection was funded by a grant from the Getty Foundation.
Biographical Note
Born in Jacksonville, Illinois, Willis Polk (1867-1924) was the son of carpenter Willis Webb Polk. He began working with a
local contractor at the age of eight, and within five years had become an office boy in the firm of architect Jerome B. Legg.
By 1885, Polk and his father had established a partnership in Kansas City under the name W. W. Polk & Son. The company's projects
were primarily for small suburban homes or row houses, and the younger Polk was responsible for the design of some of these
commissions.
Polk's shift from the realm of tradesman to that of the professional architect came in 1887. At that time Polk left the partnership
with his father to become a draftsman for the firm of Van Brunt & Howe, a pair of Boston architects who were moving their
practice to Kansas City. The architectural theories of Henry Van Brunt influenced Polk's designs and prompted him to pursue
an informal education in the theory and practice of architecture. Within two years Polk worked for at least five different
architects across the United States, gaining exposure to a variety of design ideas, and attended architecture classes given
by William Robert Ware at Columbia University. In 1889, Polk joined the office of A. Page Brown and moved with Brown's firm
to San Francisco.
Although Polk was a talented designer, his lack of business sense and volatile, demanding personality hindered many of his
professional endeavors. His first partnership, with Fritz Maurice Gamble, lasted just over a year. Polk then entered into
partnership with his father and brother, opening the office of Polk & Polk in 1892. With Polk designing, his brother Daniel
serving as draftsman, and his father overseeing technical matters and field operations, they attained moderate success, primarily
with residential commissions. After Polk's father retired in 1896, he attempted his own practice. Polk took over the Ferry
Building project after A. Page Brown's death, but even with this major project he couldn't sustain the office. Polk filed
for bankruptcy in 1897.
Though his own career was inconsistent during these years, Polk became an active and outspoken advocate for the architectural
profession and the standards of good design. During 1890-91 he published three issues of the Architectural News, conceived
as an alternative to the conservative California Architect and Building News. In addition to Polk, John Galen Howard, Ernest
Coxhead, and Bertram Goodhue were contributors to the publication. In 1894, Polk led the Guild of Arts and Crafts, an organization
of artists and architects, in an effort to create a Board of Public Works that would approve the design of all municipal projects.
Polk also wrote a series of short critiques for The Wave, a San Francisco weekly review, between 1892 and 1899. At times harsh
in his criticisms, Polk often alienated colleagues and former associates with his comments.
Polk married Christina Barreda Moore in 1899, and the couple moved to Chicago in 1901 so that Polk could work with Daniel
H. Burnham. Burnham was an early city planning expert, and his firm was well-known for the design of large commercial buildings.
At Burnham's office, Polk entered the upper ranks, taking responsibility for several major projects in his two years with
the firm. Burnham and his interest in city planning, would influence Polk's career even after he returned to San Francisco.
Upon Polk's return to the city in 1903, he entered into a partnership with George Alexander Wright, an association that continued
until 1906.
When Burnham was commissioned in 1904 to develop a master plan for the city of San Francisco, Polk assisted in the plan's
preparation. Presented in 1906, the Burnham Plan was never realized due to issues of property ownership and the need for quick
rebuilding after the 1906 fire. Understanding the money-making potential offered by the reconstruction, Burnham opened a West
Coast office with Polk in charge. Among Polk's commissions for D. H. Burnham & Co. were the renovation of the Pacific Union
Club, reconstruction of the Mills Building, and numerous projects for the Spring Valley Water Company, including the Water
Temple at Sunol. William Bourn, president of the Spring Valley Water Company and a friend and supporter of Polk's, also commissioned
the architect for residential projects, including Empire Cottage (1897-98) and Filoli (1914-15).
Burnham closed his San Francisco branch in 1910, and Polk opened his own firm, named Polk & Co. In 1911 he was named supervising
architect of the Panama-Pacific International Exposition and became active in the effort to save the Exposition's Palace of
Fine Arts when the fair closed in 1915. This was one of many opportunities taken by Polk to challenge city officials on architectural
and building issues. The most well-publicized of these was the Hobart Building controversy when Polk challenged the building
inspector and the mayor over what he felt were outdated building codes. Polk took his battle to the public by publishing advertisements
in the newspapers and hanging a series of 18 x 20 foot signs from the building. Despite these conflicts, Polk & Co. completed
more than one hundred major commercial buildings and domestic residences in the Bay Area.
Sources:
Longstreth, Richard.
On the Edge of the World: Four Architects in San Francisco at the Turn of the Century. Cambridge, Massachusetts: The MIT Press, 1983.
Longstreth, Richard.
A Matter of Taste: Willis Polk's Writings on Architecture in the Wave. San Francisco: Book Club of California, 1979.
System of Arrangement
The collection is arranged into four series: Professional Papers, Office Records, Art and Artifacts, and Additional Donations.
Scope and Contents
The Willis Polk collection documents Polk's architectural career, his professional involvement and his interest in the civic
improvement of San Francisco. Architectural drawings from 1890-1924 form the bulk of the collection, as well as additional
manuscript records. The collection is arranged into four series: Professional Papers, Office Records, Art and Artifacts, and
Additional Donations.
Series I: Professional Papers spans the years of 1890-1937 and contains correspondence, professional writings, news clippings,
scrapbooks, and photographs. This includes writings from the Architectural News, the Arts and Crafts Guild of San Francisco,
the controversy surrounding the construction of the Hobart Building, and the effort to preserve the Palace of Fine Arts. Photographs
include portraits of Polk, and a group photograph of him and his colleagues. This series also contains records created or
collected by Polk's widow, Christina Barreda Polk.
Series II: Office Records spans a short range of years from 1893-1897 and consists of financial ledgers and published records
and photographs from completed projects, as well as photographs and lithographs of built and unbuilt projects.
Series III: Project Records contains correspondence, drawings, and photographs related to Polk's projects from 1890-1924.
The bulk of this series consists of architectural drawings. Correspondence and other written documentation exists only for
three projects: The Spring Valley Water Company Mason Street Building, The Women's City Club of San Francisco, and an uncompleted
San Francisco War Memorial. Photographs are of finished projects as well as
drawings, models, the original Willis Polk table with terra cotta supports, and Linderhof Palace.
Series IV: Arts and Artifacts is comprised of Polk's office furniture as well as sculptures, etchings, sketches, and paintings
created or collected by Polk spanning the years of circa 1890-1924. This includes art created by Willis Polk: a drawing of
a window at Mission San Jose in San Antonio, a sketch of Mabel Street in San Francisco, a watercolor of the Keith residence
and Swedenborgian Church, and an oil painting of the San Francisco Skyline. Also includes a landscape painting and a portrait
of Polk by William Keith.
While the majority of the collection was donated in 1934 by Polk's widow in conjunction with the Friends of Willis Polk, Series
V: Additional Documents is comprised of separately donated materials. These materials range from circa 1890-1951 and includes
manuscripts, drawings, and photographs. Drawings in this series includes: William Bourn, Jr. residence, San Francisco; Mrs.
William Bourn residence, St. Helena; Charles Webb Howard residence, Oakland; Examiner Building, San Francisco; proposed casino
for the Hotel Arcadia, Santa Monica; Admission Day Monument; and proposed Administration Building, California Midwinter International
Exposition. Also includes photographs, drawings, and documents relating to the Ralston White "Garden of Allah" residence and
microfiche reproductions of the plans for the Charles Templeton Crocker Residence. Collection also includes material related
to the Polk family including photographs of W.A. Polk, Daisy Polk, Willis J. Polk; correspondence to, from, and about Daisy
Polk; photographs of drawings and buildings (by Frances Benjamin Johnston) and 2 issues of Architectural News (1890, 1891).
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Architects -- California.
Architects -- California -- San Francisco Bay Area.
Architecture--California--San Francisco Bay Area--20th century.
Architecture--Domestic--California--San Francisco Bay Area.
PROFESSIONAL PAPERS SERIES I.
1887-1937
Scope and Contents
Contains correspondence, professional writings, news clippings, scrapbooks, and photographs. Includes documentation of Polk's
involvement with the Architectural News and the Arts and Crafts Guild of San Francisco, his conflict with Mayor Rolf over
the Hobart Building, and the effort to preserve the Palace of Fine Arts. Photographs include portraits of Polk, and a group
photograph of he and his colleagues. This series also contains some records created or collected by Polk's widow, Christina
Barreda Polk.
Correspondence A.
1890-1924
Box 1, Folder 3
Architectural News
1890-1891
Box 1, Folder 6
Preservation of the Fine Arts Palace
1915
Box 1, Folder 4
The Guild of Arts & Crafts of San Francisco, Action to Create a Board of Public Works
1894
Box 1, Folder 5
Hobart Building Controversy
1914-1915
Reference Files C.
1887-1922
Box 1, Folder 8
Building Report and Specification
n.d., 1922
Box 2
News Clippings Scrapbook
1901-1914
Box 3
"Civic Beautification' of America" Clipping from The Graphic
1911
Box 3
Clippings Scrapbook of The American Architect and Building News
1887-1901
Post-Mortem Materials E.
1924-1937
Box 1, Folder 9
Post-Mortem Materials
1924-1937
OFFICE RECORDS SERIES II.
1893-1897
Financial Records A.
1893-1897
Box 1, Folder 1
Items from Polk Scrapbook
n.d.
Built and Unbuilt Projects C.
n.d.
Box 1, Folder 6
Photographs
n.d.
General
Consists of photographs and lithographs of built and unbuilt projects by Willis Polk and his firms. Some identified projects
include: the Robert Louis Stevenson Memorial, the Linderhof residence, a proposal for a Golden Gate Park Stadium, and a proposal
for an addition to the New Chronicle Building
PROJECT RECORDS SERIES III.
1890-1924
Scope and Contents
Arranged alphabetically by project.
Consists of correspondence, drawings, cashbook, and photographs related to Polk's projects. The bulk of the series consists
of architectural drawings, which can be accessed through the card file index. Correspondence and other written documentation
exists only three projects: The Spring Valley Water Company Mason Street Building, The Women's City Club of San Francisco,
and an uncompleted San Francisco War Memorial.
Alexander Young Building (Honolulu, HI)
1900
flat-file-drawer W 6.6, Flat-File 1
Boericke, Dr. William (San Francisco, CA)
1890
Creator: Polk & Gamble
General
residential
flat-file-drawer W 6.6, Flat-File 2
Bourn Jr., Wm. (San Francisco, CA)
n.d.
Creator: Polk & Polk
General
residential
flat-file-drawer W 6.6, Flat-File 40
Bourn Sr., Mrs. Wm. "Madrono" (St. Helena, CA)
1898
Creator: Polk & Gamble
General
residential
flat-file-drawer W 6.6, Flat-File 41
Breeze, Thomas H. (Fair Oaks) (San Mateo, CA)
1907
Creator: Burnham & Company
General
residential
flat-file-drawer W 6.6, Flat-File 3
California Mid-winter International Expo. Proposed Admin. Bldg. (San Francisco, CA)
1893
Creator: Polk, Willis
General
exposition
flat-file-drawer W 6.6, Flat-File 42
Carolan, Francis Estate (Burlingame, CA)
1909
Creator: Burnham, Daniel Hudson, 1846-1912
General
residential
Chamberlain & Procter (San Francisco, CA)
1920
General
residential-multi
flat-file-drawer W 6.6, Flat-File 5
Chamberlain & Procter (San Francisco, CA)
1917
General
residential-multi
flat-file-drawer W 6.6, Flat-File 6
Crocker (Hillsborough, CA)
1894, 1916
Crocker Building - proposed (San Francisco, CA)
n.d.
flat-file-drawer W 6.6, Flat-File 43
Design: Hall of Fame
n.d.
Design: Stadium in Golden Gate Park (San Francisco, CA)
n.d.
Dohrmann, A.B.T. (San Francisco, CA)
1919
flat-file-drawer W 6.6, Flat-File 44
Empire Mines (Grass Valley, CA)
1905-1906
Creator: Polk & Wright
General
industrial
flat-file-drawer W 6.6, Flat-File 7
Ferry Building - Peristyle & Arch at the foot of Market Street (San Francisco, CA)
1897
Filoli Estate (Woodside, CA)
n.d.
First National Bank Building of San Francisco (San Francisco, CA)
1907
Creator: Polk & Burnham
General
commercial
Frederick's & Co (San Francisco, CA)
1909
flat-file-drawer W 6.7, Flat-File 8
Fuller & Co. Warehouse (San Francisco, CA)
n.d.
Creator: Wright & Polk
General
commercial
Garden of Allah [see White, Ralston]
Griffith, Misses A.S. & C.L. (San Francisco, CA)
1910
flat-file-drawer W 6.7, Flat-File 9
Henshaw, William G. (Oakland, CA)
1911
flat-file-drawer W 6.7, Flat-File 10
Henshaw, William G. (San Francisco, CA)
n.d.
flat-file-drawer W 6.7, Flat-File 11
Hooker, Katherine P. [see also Dohrmann] (San Francisco, CA)
1913
flat-file-drawer W 6.7, Flat-File 12
Hooker, R.G. (San Francisco, CA)
1908
flat-file-drawer W 6.7, Flat-File 13
Hotel Arcadia (Santa Monica, CA)
1893
flat-file-drawer W 6.7, Flat-File 45
Howard, Charles Webb (Oakland, CA)
n.d.
Creator: Polk & Gamble
General
residential
flat-file-drawer W 6.7, Flat-File 46
Howison, G.H.
n.d.
Creator: Polk & Gamble
General
residential
flat-file-drawer W 6.7, Flat-File 14
Jackling, D.C. (Hillsborough, CA)
1918
flat-file-drawer W 6.7, Flat-File 15
Lee, Cuyler (Oakland, CA)
1913
flat-file-drawer W 6.8, Flat-File 16
Martin, Mrs. Walter S. (Hillsborough, CA)
1915
Creator: Polk & Company
General
residential
Merchants Exchange Building (San Francisco, CA)
n.d.
Mills Building Addition (San Francisco, CA)
1912-1913
Moffitt, J.K. (Piedmont, CA)
1911
Creator: Burnham & Company
Creator: Polk & Company
General
residential
flat-file-drawer W 6.8, Flat-File 18
Naphtaly, S.L. (San Francisco, CA)
1913
flat-file-drawer W 6.8, Flat-File 19
Opera House interior (San Francisco, CA)
ca. 1912
flat-file-drawer W 6.8, Flat-File 47
Osbourne, Lloyd (San Francisco, CA)
n.d.
flat-file-drawer W 6.8, Flat-File 20
Drawings
n.d.
Creator: Polk & Percy, G.W.
Pacific Union Club (San Francisco, CA)
1909
flat-file-drawer W 6.8, Flat-File 21, Tube 17-18
Pacific Union Club- alterations (San Francisco, CA)
1919
PG & E Jesse Street Station (San Francisco, CA)
1905-1909
Creator: Burnham & Polk
General
industrial
Pullman, Mrs. Hariett; Carolands Estate (Hillsborough, CA)
1914
Creator: Polk & Sanson
General
residential
flat-file-drawer W 6.8, Flat-File 22
Robert Lewis Stevenson Memorial, Portsmouth Square (San Francisco, CA)
n.d.
Competition: San Francisco City Hall (San Francisco, CA)
ca. 1912
flat-file-drawer W 6.10, Flat-File 23
San Francisco National Bank (San Francisco, CA)
1908-09
Creator: Burnham & Company
General
commercial
flat-file-drawer W 6.10, Flat-File 24
San Francisco Plan (San Francisco, CA)
1905
Creator: Burnham, Daniel Hudson, 1846-1912
flat-file-drawer W 6.10, Flat-File 25
San Francisco War Memorial (San Francisco, CA)
1923-1924
Creator: Bakewell & Brown
Creator: Lansburgh, Gustave Albert , 1876-1969
General
cultural
San Francisco, United Railroads - street lamps (San Francisco, CA)
1916
Creator: Lentelli, Leo
General
transportation
flat-file-drawer W 6.10, Flat-File 26, Tube 21
Selby, Mrs. H.I. (San Francisco, CA)
n.d.
flat-file-drawer W 6.10, Flat-File 27
Sisters of the Holy Name Family (San Francisco, CA)
1911
Creator: Polk & Company
General
residential-multi
flat-file-drawer W 6.10, Flat-File 28
Spring Valley Water Co. Mason St. (San Francisco, CA)
1922
St. Mark's Parish (Berkeley, CA)
1908-12
flat-file-drawer W 6.10, Flat-File 29, Tube 22
St. Matthew's Church (San Mateo, CA)
n.d.
flat-file-drawer W 6.10, Flat-File 30
Stevenson, Mrs. R.L. (San Francisco, CA)
n.d.
Creator: Polk & Percy, G.W.
General
residential
flat-file-drawer W 6.10, Flat-File 31
Swedenborgian Church - art piece (San Francisco, CA)
n.d.
Tilden Admission Day Monument (San Francisco, CA)
1896
flat-file-drawer W 6.10, Flat-File 32
Torquay Town Site, Cascade Improvement Co. (South San Mateo, CA)
1907
Creator: Burnham & Company
flat-file-drawer W 6.10, Flat-File 33
Unidentified
circa 1890
Creator: Polk & Gamble
General
residential
flat-file-drawer W 6.10, Flat-File 34
Unidentified
1904
Creator: Wright & Polk
General
commercial
Unidentified
n.d.
Creator: Wright & Polk
General
cultural
Box 1, Folder 5
Unidentified drawings
1890, n.d.
Unidentified photo studies (San Francisco, CA)
n.d.
flat-file-drawer W 6.10, Flat-File 35
Unidentified tower memorial
n.d.
flat-file-drawer W 6.10, Flat-File 36
Union Passenger Terminal at Goat Island (Proposed) (San Francisco, CA)
n.d.
University Club Building (San Francisco, CA)
1904
Creator: Wright & Polk
General
recreational
Valentine, J.A. Rey (Belvedere, CA)
1893
flat-file-drawer W 6.10, Flat-File 36A
Viavi Co. (Law Bros.) (San Francisco, CA)
1930
Creator: Polk & Company
General
commercial
flat-file-drawer W 6.10, Flat-File 37
Welch, Mrs. Andrew (San Francisco, CA)
1915
flat-file-drawer W 6.10, Flat-File 38
White, Ralston "Garden of Allah" (Mill Valley, CA)
1914-1917
Women's City Club (National League for Women's Service) (San Francisco, CA)
1923
ART AND ARTIFACTS SERIES IV.
1890-1915
Scope and Contents
Contains Polk's office furniture as well as sculptures, etchings, sketches, and paintings created or collected by Polk. Includes
a portrait of Polk by William Keith and two bookcases designed by Polk.
Box 3
Drawing of Mission San Jose Window in San Antonio, Texas
1890
Box 4
Polk Sketch of Mabel Street, San Francisco
1902
Box 1, Folder 1
Watercolor of Keith Residence and Swedenborgian Church
1900
Box 4
Award to Polk from Panama Pacific International Exposition
1915
Box 6
Polk Oil Painting of San Francisco Skyline
1902
Carved Oak Bookcases (2)
n.d.
Physical Description: 2 Artifact:EDA Reading Room
Walnut desk
n.d.
Physical Description: 1 Artifact:EDA Reading Room
Oak Table with Terra Cotta Supports
n.d.
Physical Description: 1 Artifact:EDA Reading Room
Putnam Bronze
n.d.
Physical Description: 1 Artifact:EDA Reading Room
Pegasus Bronze
n.d.
Physical Description: 1 Artifact:EDA Reading Room
frame 48, frame 63
Keith, William Oil Paintings (1 landscape, 1 portrait)
n.d.
ADDITIONAL DONATIONS SERIES V.
1890-1924
Scope and Contents
Series contains drawings, reproductions of drawings, and a portrait, donated separately from the original donation. Drawings
in this series include: William Bourn, Jr. residence, San Francisco; Mrs. William Bourn residence, St. Helena; Charles Webb
Howard residence, Oakland; Examiner Building, San Francisco; an unidentified residence; proposed casino for the Hotel Arcadia,
Santa Monica; Admission Day Monument; proposed Administration Building, California Midwinter International Exposition; and
the Merchants Exchange Building.
Box 4
Portrait of Willis Polk, by Bruce Porter A.
Drawings for Bourn Residence B.
flat-file-drawer W 6.9, Flat-File 41
Drawings of Residences, Exposition, and Commercial Buildings C.
Drawings of Merchants Exchange Building D.
Box 1, Folder 1
Microfiche Reproduction, Charles Templeton Crocker Residences (Uplands) E.
Ralston White Residence "Garden of Allah," Mill Valley, CA F.
flat-file-drawer W 6.9, Flat-File 39
Drawings of Filoli Estate G.
Box 5, Folder 7
Polk, Daisy correspondence (to, from, about)
Box 5, Folder 9
Polk, W.W. and Polk, W.A. photographs
Creator: Genthe, Arnold, 1869-1942
Box 5, Folder 10
Buildings and Drawings of Building Photographs
Creator: Johnston, Frances Benjamin
Box 5, Folder 11
Architectural News (2 volumes)
1890, 1891
