Description
Reginald D. Johnson (1882-1952) was an
architect who worked primarily on residential and commercial projects in Southern California
from about 1910 through the 1940s. Johnson was best known for the English and Mediterranean
style mansions he built for wealthy clients in Pasadena and Santa Barbara in the 1920s. He
later embraced more progressive and inclusive ideas about housing which included planned
communities such as Baldwin Hills Village. The collection spans the years 1906 to 1947 and
consists primarily of plans, photographs and drawings of Johnson's architectural projects in
Los Angeles and Santa Barbara, California.
Background
Reginald Davis Johnson was born July 19, 1882, in Westchester, New York. In 1895, his
father, the Right Reverend Joseph Horsfall Johnson, was appointed the first bishop of the
Protestant Episcopal Southern California Diocese. Johnson's first years in California were
spent in a mansion on Grand Avenue in Pasadena, California, before attending Morristown
School in Morristown, New Jersey. During his childhood, the family made trips to Europe, and
he later claimed to have studied architecture in Paris (though it is unclear where). He
completed his education first at Williams College and then at the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology, graduating from there in 1910. Johnson returned to Pasadena shortly thereafter
to embark on his own architecture practice in 1912.
Extent
11.68 Linear Feet
(4 boxes, 2 oversize folders)
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Availability
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