Homer Delawie Papers
Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego
Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego
Copyright 2011
9500 Gilman Drive
La Jolla 92093-0175
spcoll@ucsd.edu
Descriptive Summary
Languages:
English
Contributing Institution:
Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego
9500 Gilman Drive
La Jolla 92093-0175
Title: Homer Delawie Papers
Identifier/Call Number: MSS 0727
Physical Description:
7.5 Linear feet
(8 archives boxes and 25 oversize folders)
Date (inclusive): 1945-2007
Abstract: Papers of San Diego architect Homer Delawie. The papers document Delawie's career as an architect, with information on both
completed and unrealized projects. While files exist for many projects, the collection contains very few actual architectural
plans. The collection does include correspondence, photographs, newspaper clippings, and ephemera.
Biography
Homer Delawie was born in Santa Barbara, California in 1927. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy at age 17, shortly before the end
of World War II. Following his time in the military, Delawie joined the U.S. Forest Service in Los Padres National Forest.
He left forestry work to study architecture at California Polytechnic State University, in Luis Obispo. Delawie graduated
in 1951, later becoming the school's first licensed architect.
In 1954, while visiting San Diego, Delawie met architect Lloyd Ruocco. The two architects began working together, forming
a partnership in 1958. Delawie struck out on his own in 1961, running his own firm until 1966, when he partnered with Al Macy.
Two years later, they were joined by John Henderson. That firm split and, at the time of Delawie's retirement in 1997, the
firm had become Delawie, Wilkes, Rodrigues, Barker, and Bretton Associates.
Delawie and his firm designed numerous modern residences throughout San Diego, as well as exhibit space for SeaWorld and
the San Diego Zoo, Thurgood Marshall College residence halls on the UCSD campus, and the Coronodo Ferry Landing. Along with
his architectural practice, Delawie participated in civic planning and development issues. He served on the City of San Diego
Planning Commission, the Housing Appeals Advisory Board, and the Historic Resources Board. Delawie was a founding member of
Save Our Heritage Organisation, helping to save the Sherman-Gilbert House. He received lifetime achievement awards from the
California Council of the American Institute of Architects in 1997 and Save Our Heritage Organisation 2002.
Homer Delawie died in 2009, at age 81.
Scope and Contents of Collection
The Homer Delawie Papers document Delawie's career as an architect in San Diego. While the collection mainly consists of
photographs and clippings that illustrate various architectural projects, it also contains a small amount of correspondence,
drafts of a book featuring Delawie's work, and ephemera related to his life and career.
Arranged in five series: 1) BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS, 2) CORRESPONDENCE, 3) PROJECT FILES, 4) PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES, and 5)
SUBJECT FILES.
SERIES 1: BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS
The BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS series is arranged in two subseries: A) General and B) Datebooks.
A) The General subseries contains certificates and awards, magazine and newspaper clippings about Delawie and his work, photographs
of Delawie, and material related to his career as an architect.
B) The Datebooks subseries is comprised of Delawie's personal datebooks from 1960 through 1984. The books contain information
related to both Delawie's personal and professional life.
SERIES 2: CORRESPONDENCE
The CORRESPONDENCE series is small and letters are generally professional in nature. The series is arranged chronologically
with correspondence from George Hasslein and photographer Douglas Simmonds filed seperately.
SERIES 3: PROJECT FILES
The PROJECT FILES series comprises the bulk of the collection. These files mainly contain newspaper clippings and magazine
tearsheets, as well as photographs, many taken by photographer Douglas Simmonds. In some cases, files contain additional information
such as proposals for unrealized projects, historical designation reports, and ephemera related to the sale of homes designed
by Delawie. The series contains only a small number of architectural drawings. These oversize drawings are identified as plans
and listed, by project, in the PROJECT FILES folder list. The series also includes one reel of microfilm that contains drawings
for several residential, educational, and commerical projects, ranging in date from 1959-1971. The microfilm does not include
drawings for any of Delawie's own homes.
The series is arranged alphabetically by project, with unidentified projects located at the end of the project list. Also,
one folder related to Delawie's furniture design is located at the end of the series.
SERIES 4: PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES
The PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES series brings together Delawie's activities outside of, but often still related to, his architectural
practice. The series is arranged in two subseries: A) Committees & Lectures and B) Writings.
A) The Committees & Lectures subseries reflects Delawie's service on many city and professional committees, including the
City of San Diego Planning Committee and the San Diego Historic Site Board. While the collection contains minimal information
about that work, it does contain a small amount of correspondence, meeting minutes, and committee reports. Two folders contain
student responses to lectures given by Delawie at the California Polytechnic State University. The subseries is sorted by
committee or event, then arranged chronologically.
B) The Writings subseries is comprised of material related to the publication of a book about Delawie's work,
Homer Delawie, FAIA, as well as a 2005 calendar with images of Delawie's many residential projects.
SERIES 5: SUBJECT FILES
The SUBJECT FILES series contains information collected by Delawie on professional colleagues and architectural interests.
Files for Rob Roy Bittman Jr. and Lloyd Ruocco include information regarding their advancement to Fellow of the American Insittute
of Architects. Also included in the Lloyd Ruocco files is a videocassette showing the construction of Ruocco's Design Center
on 5th Avenue. The footage, clearly reformatted from an original film not in this collection, was filmed ca. 1949. The series
also contains slides of San Diego. The majority are images of the city's downtown, most likely from Delawie's time on the
Planning Committee.
Restrictions
The videocassette in Series 5) SUBJECT FILES is restricted. Researchers must request a user copy be produced.
Acquisition Information
Acquired 2010.
Preferred Citation
Homer Delawie Papers, MSS 727. Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego.
Publication Rights
Publication rights are held by the creator of the collection.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Public architecture -- California -- San Diego -- 20th century
Architecture, Domestic -- California -- San Diego -- 20th century
Architectural firms -- California -- San Diego
Architecture -- California -- San Diego County -- 20th century
Architecture -- California -- San Diego
Delawie, Homer -- Archives
Delawie Bretton Wilkes Associates
Box 1, Folder 1
Architect license
1951-2007
Box 1, Folder 2, Oversize FB-510-02
Box 1, Folder 3
San Diego Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, Award of Excellence - Received for Delawie Residence #1
1960
Box 1, Folder 4
Fellowship in the American Institute of Architects
1972
Box 1, Folder 5
California Polytechnic State University Class Reunion of 1951, 50th reunion
2001
Box 1, Folder 6, Oversize FB-510-03
Clippings about Homer Delawie
1950-2007
Box 1, Folder 7
Diploma from California State Polytechnic College
1951
Box 1, Folder 8
Interview transcript
April 1, 2007
Box 1, Folder 10
Photographs of Homer Delawie
Box 1, Folder 11
Miscellaneous biographical material, including posthumous material
Box 4, Folder 4
Hasslein, George
1979-2001
Box 4, Folder 5
Simmonds, Douglas
1960-1961
Firm information & ephemera
Box 4, Folder 6
Delawie and Macy / Delawie, Macy and Henderson
Box 4, Folder 7
Delawie/Bretton/Wilkes Associates, AIA
Box 4, Folder 8
Delawie Wilkes Rodrigues Barker & Bretton Associates
Box 4, Folder 10
Andrusson Residence (1967)
Box 4, Folder 11
Aquarium Gulf Marina, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia - Joint proposal
1981
Box 4, Folder 12, Oversize MC-014-01
Azalea PRD, 2758 & 2768 Azalea Drive - Designed 1987
Box 4, Folder 13
City College Beautification
Box 4, Folder 14, Oversize FB-510-04
Box 4, Folder 16
Crist/LaPoint Residence, addition (1969)
Delawie Architectural Office Building, Presidio Drive (1962)
Box 4, Folder 18, Oversize MC-014-02
Floor plans for remodel
1991
Delawie Residence #1, 1773 Torrance Street (1958)
Box 4, Folder 19, Oversize FB-510-06
Box 4, Folder 20, Oversize MC-014-03
Plans for an addition
General
Plans are water damaged, making some of the information illegible.
Box 4, Folder 21
Application for historical designation
2007
Box 4, Folder 22
Delawie Residence #2, 1833 Neale Street (1964)
Delawie Residence #3, 2749 Azalea Drive (1973)
Box 5, Folder 1-2, Oversize FB-510-07
Box 5, Folder 3, Oversize MC-014-04
Box 5, Folder 6, Oversize MC-014-05
Gilmore Residence - Plans on trace
Box 5, Folder 7
Goldzband Residence (1964)
Box 5, Folder 8
Hurley Residence, Borrego Springs (1965)
Box 5, Folder 9
James R. Mills Building / MTS Headquarters
Box 5, Folder 10, Oversize MC-014-06
Jungman Residence - Plans on trace
Box 5, Folder 12
La Jolla Shores Residence
Box 5, Folder 13
Lanthorn Residence (1963)
Box 5, Folder 14
Linklater/Swarts Production House (ca. 1964)
Box 5, Folder 15
Marine Corps Air-Ground Combat Center Housing, Twentynine Palms - Concept design descriptive statement
1979
Box 5, Folder 16, Oversize FB-510-08
The Mexico Pacific Shop (1964)
Box 5, Folder 17
M.L. Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center
Box 5, Folder 19
North Island Barracks (1967)
Box 5, Folder 20
Park Garden Apartments (1959)
Box 5, Folder 21
Plaza de Balboa, Balboa Park (1972)
Box 5, Folder 22
Porter Office Building addition
Box 5, Folder 23
Porter Residence, remodel (1964)
Box 5, Folder 24, Oversize FB-510-10
Porter Triplex, Mission Beach (1962)
Box 5, Folder 25, Oversize FB-510-11
Randolph Residence (1961)
Box 5, Folder 26
San Diego Zoo, Clark Children's Theatre (1959)
Box 5, Folder 27
San Diego Zoo, Elephant & Giraffe Enclosures
Box 5, Folder 28
SeaWorld, Penguin Exhibit & Shark Exhibits, San Diego & Florida
Box 5, Folder 29, Oversize FB-510-12
Senterfit Residence (1960)
Box 5, Folder 30
Straza Electronics Building, El Cajon (1960)
Box 5, Folder 31, Oversize FB-510-13
Tel Aviv Zoological Gardens (ca. 1973)
Box 6, Folder 1
Temple Beth Israel - Proposal
1993
Box 6, Folder 2
Thompson Medical Library (ca. 1968)
University of California, San Diego Thurgood Marshall College Residence Halls (1988)
Box 6, Folder 4
California Council of the American Institute of Architects (CCAIA) Design Awards entry proposal
1988
Box 6, Folder 5
University of California, San Diego Perlman Ambulatory Care Center
Box 6, Folder 6
Westphal/Chapman Residence (1962)
Box 6, Folder 7, Oversize MC-014-07
Wolonik Residence addition - Plans on trace
World Trade Center Memorial Competition
Box 6, Folder 9, Oversize MC-014-08
Miscellaneous & unidentified projects
Box 6, Folder 10, Oversize FB-510-14
Box 6, Folder 11, Oversize MC-014-09
Box 6, Folder 12
Project plans on microfilm
Box 7, Folder 1
Delawie Collection Storage Cubes
Box 7, Folder 2
City of San Diego Planning Committee - Appointment
1972-1982
Box 7, Folder 3-4
California Polytechnic State University lectures - Student responses
1980 & 1983
Box 7, Folder 5
University of California, San Diego Board of Overseers, Education Committee
1992-1998
Box 7, Folder 6
San Diego Historic Site Board
1995-2003
Box 7, Folder 7
City of San Diego Historical Resources Board
2000-2003
Box 7, Folder 8, Oversize FB-510-15
Save Our Heritage Organisation, Modernism Committee
2003-2006
Homer Delawie, FAIA (ca. 2002)
Box 7, Folder 11, Oversize FB-510-16
Box 7, Folder 14
Modernist Houses by Homer Delawie, FAIA, 1958-1973 - 2005 calendar
Box 8, Folder 3, Oversize FB-510-17
Box 8, Folder 5
Videocassette (VHS) showing the construction of The Design Center, 3611 5th Avenue
ca. 1949
Conditions Governing Access
Restrictions Apply
Box 8, Folder 6
San Diego images - Slides
