Dennis & Farwell and Oliver P. Dennis Architecture Photographs photCL 218
Suzanne Oatey
The Huntington Library
April 2021
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, California 91108
reference@huntington.org
Contributing Institution:
The Huntington Library Photo Archives
Title: Dennis & Farwell and Oliver P. Dennis architecture photographs
Identifier/Call Number: photCL 218
Physical Description:
1.67 Linear Feet
(1 box)
Date (inclusive): approximately 1895-1913
Abstract: Photographs of Los Angeles-area
buildings and residences designed by Oliver P. Dennis or his partnership Dennis &
Farwell, approximately 1895 to 1913.
Language of Material: Materials are in
English.
Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at
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[Identification of item]. Dennis & Farwell and Oliver P. Dennis architecture
photographs, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Purchased from Stephen White Gallery, February 1978.
Dennis & Farwell was a Los Angeles architecture firm formed in 1895 by architects
Oliver P. Dennis (1858-1927) and Lyman Farwell (1864-1933). They designed many commercial,
institutional, and grand residential buildings in the Los Angeles region through 1913, when
the partnership dissolved.
Dennis continued working on his own or in brief partnerships into the early 1920s. Farwell went on to serve in the California State Assembly.
Dennis continued working on his own or in brief partnerships into the early 1920s. Farwell went on to serve in the California State Assembly.
Oliver P. Dennis was born in New York and worked as an architect from 1889 to 1895 in
Tacoma, Washington. From 1895-1913 he was part of the partnership Dennis & Farwell in
Los Angeles.
Two albums of photographs of buildings and houses designed by Oliver P. Dennis or Dennis
& Farwell, primarily in the Los Angeles area, approximately 1895-1913. One album is
titled: "Dennis and Farwell. Architects, Los Angeles," and the other: "Oliver P. Dennis,
Architect, Los Angeles," though some buildings appear in both albums. The prints are black
and white and primarily 8 x 10 inches, and there are no identifications except for a few
names in pencil. The images include many exteriors and interiors of grand residences of the
turn of the 20th century, showing furnishings and decor. Identified residences include those
of: Henry Fisher, Redlands (1897); Erasmus Wilson, West Adams (1903); John Cline, West Adams
(1903) and Rollin B. Lane, Hollywood (1909), now the Magic Castle nightclub. Other buildings
shown include: Union Bank, Pasadena (many interiors), Culver City Grammar School, Hotel
Hollywood (1902), Merchants Trust Company building, Hotel Chickasaw, F.P. Fay building, as
well as high schools, churches, and other office buildings. Several houses and buildings are
unidentified.
Processed by Huntington Library staff, late-20th century. In 2021, Suzanne Oatey created a
finding aid.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Architecture -- California -- 19th
century
Architecture -- California -- 20th century
Architecture, Domestic -- California -- Los Angeles
Commercial buildings -- California -- Los Angeles
Los Angeles (Calif.) -- Buildings, structures, etc.
Schools -- California -- Los Angeles
Photographs
Photograph albums
Dennis & Farwell
Dennis, Oliver P., 1858-1927
Farwell, Lyman, 1864-1933
Magic Castle (Club)
Box 1
Dennis & Farwell and Oliver P. Dennis architecture photographs