Descriptive Summary
Access
Publication Rights
Preferred Citation
Acquisition Information
Scope and Content of Collection
Indexing Terms
Additional collection guides
Descriptive Summary
Title: E. Stewart Williams Collection
Dates: Bulk 1950-1990
Collection Number: 2002; S2015.4-5; S2016.2-4; S2016.11
Creator/Collector:
Williams, E. Stewart
Extent: 9 linear feet plus flat file drawers
Repository:
Palm Springs Art Museum
Palm Springs, California 92263
Abstract: The architecture designed by E. Stewart Williams FAIA (1909-2005) from 1947 until his retirement in 1996 is integral to the
fabric of Palm Springs. Producing residencies, banks, schools, hospitals, and colleges, he initially worked with his father
Harry and bother Roger in the firm Williams, Williams and Williams, and later with John Porter Clark, as Williams, Clark and
Williams. Educated at Cornell University and the University of Pennsylvania, Williams was grounded in the Beaux-Arts tradition,
and became a confirmed Modernist. Beginning with his first residential design, a home for Frank Sinatra, Williams used a spectrum
of materials--natural and industrial--to create structures that had the elegance and simplicity of Modern aesthetics combined
with a textural and chromatic sensitivity to the desert. His works include the Palm Springs Art Museum, numerous financial
institutions and residences in Palm Springs.
Language of Material: English
Access
The collection is open to qualified researchers by appointment only.
Publication Rights
No interpretive restriction is placed on material. Separate permissions to be obtained for publishing material. Property
rights to the physical object belong to the Palm Springs Art Museum. Literary rights, including copyright, are retained by
the creators and their heirs. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright and pursue
the copyright owner or his or her heir for permission to publish where Palm Springs Art Museum does not hold the copyright.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item]. E. Stewart Williams Collection . Collection Number: 2002; S2015.4-5; S2016.2-4; S2016.11 . Palm
Springs Art Museum
Acquisition Information
The E. Stewart Williams Collection was acquired in November 2002 (Gift agreement with E. Stewart Williams) and supplemented
by additional gifts from Erik and Sidney Williams (S2015.4) and Mari Anne Pasqualetti (S2015.5) in 2015. In 2016, additional
gifts from Erik and Sidney Williams were received (S2016.2, S2016.3, S2016.4) and Geoffrey and Linda Williams (S2016.11, 2021.2).
Scope and Content of Collection
The collection contains five series – architectural drawings, photographs, awards, miscellaneous materials, and media recordings
(VHS + DVD).
Indexing Terms
Architecture - California - Palm Springs
Palm Springs - Buildings, structures, etc.
Historic Buildings – California - Palm Springs
Williams, E. Stewart (Emerson Stewart) (1909-2005) - Archives
Palm Springs, California
Architects – California - Palm Springs
Additional collection guides