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Morgan, Walls & Clements Collection
archMWC
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Table of contents
Contributing Institution:
The Huntington Library
Title: Morgan, Walls & Clements collection
Identifier/Call Number: archMWC
Physical Description:
233 Linear Feet
(40 boxes, 48 oversize folders)
Date (inclusive): 1895-2002 (bulk
1900-1960)
Abstract: A collection of architectural drawings
and some correspondence from Los Angeles architectural firm Morgan, Walls & Clements,
1895 to 1960. Many projects represent the work of principal architect Stiles O. Clements,
who practiced alone beginning in 1937.
Language of Material: Materials are in
English.
Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at
the Huntington Library for more information.
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
RESTRICTED: Box 40 (microfilm reels). Use digital reproductions in the Huntington Digital
Library. Originals available by special permission only.
The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from
or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The
responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining
necessary permissions rests with the researcher.
[Identification of item]. Morgan, Walls & Clements collection, The Huntington Library,
San Marino, California.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Robert O. Clements, 1979 and 1983.
Morgan, Walls & Clements was first established in Los Angeles in 1868 by New York-born
architect Ezra F. Kysor (1834-1907). Kysor's first major commission was the Pico House in
1869. In 1876 he partnered with his draftsman, Octavius Weller Morgan (1850-1922), who was
born and educated in England and immigrated to the United States in 1871. Kysor & Morgan
designed, among other buildings, St. Vibiana's Cathedral. After Kysor retired in 1888,
Morgan partnered with John A. Walls (1858-1922), born in New York, to become Morgan &
Walls. They were later joined by Morgan's son, architect Octavius Weller Morgan Jr.
(1886-1951), and the firm became Morgan, Walls and Morgan. In 1920, Stiles O. Clements
(1883-1966) joined the firm, and in recognition of his emergence, in 1923 the firm was
re-named Morgan, Walls & Clements, the name it held until 1937. Stiles Oliver Clements
was born in Maryland and attended Drexel Institute, Philadelphia, and the Boston Institute
of Technology (now M.I.T.) before coming to Los Angeles in 1911. Clements established his
own practice in 1937, and in 1955, was joined by his son, architect Robert O. Clements
(1918-1987). Stiles Clements retired in 1965 and died a year later. The firm continued as
Robert Clements & Associates, then in 1985 became Clements & Clements, recognizing
the participation of Robert O. Clements' sons: architect Robert O. Clements Jr. (1943-2021)
and Stiles Michael Clements (1952-).
This collection contains original architectural drawings and microfilm of drawings and
correspondence from architectural firm Morgan, Walls & Clements, dating between 1895 and
1960. Some material bears the names of forerunner and successor firms during those years,
particularly Stiles O. Clements, who practiced on his own beginning in 1937. Materials
include sets of original drawings for 129 projects from 1900 to 1960, and microfilm of
drawings for more than 600 projects from 1895 to 1951, as well as over 10,000 pieces of
business correspondence from the 1930s. Many of the plans are incomplete, and this material
represents only a portion of the firm's entire output. The microfilm was created by the firm
after 1951.
The majority of projects represented are commercial buildings in downtown Los Angeles,
Hollywood, and the Wilshire Boulevard corridor. They include theaters, office and store
buildings, banks, industrial warehouses, manufacturing plants, apartment buildings, and
schools, among others. Some projects are in cities and communities of greater Los Angeles
County, and three are in Arizona and Oregon. The firm was known for large-scale Art Deco and
Streamline Moderne buildings, contributing many significant public buildings to Los Angeles
between the wars. Notable projects in the collection are: the Pellissier Building and
Wiltern Theater, the Hollywood Turf Club, Richfield Tower (demolished), the Samson Tire and
Rubber Company, Music Box Theater, and the Mayan Theatre. (There are no drawings for the
Richfield Tower or El Capitan Theater, two of their well-known buildings.) In the 1930s and
1940s, under Stiles Clements, the firm designed many Streamline Moderne-style Ralph's
Grocery Company markets, and Sears department stores.
There are a few residential projects, including original drawings for the Merritt Adamson
residence in Malibu (Adamson House), and pioneering Malibu businesswoman May K. Rindge's
residence. There are also six blueprint drawings for the residence of Octavius W. Morgan Jr.
in Los Angeles.
In the 1990s, the Huntington Library Conservation Department flattened and encased many of
the drawings in mylar for preservation; these are now stored in oversize folders. The
Conservation Department also surveyed the collection and created a Survey and Condition
Report in 2005. Erin Chase housed the drawings and created an inventory. In 2022, Suzanne
Oatey completed processing the collection and created a finding aid.
Organized in three series:
- Drawings, approximately 1900-1960
- Microfilm of drawings and correspondence, approximately 1895-1951
- Additional donations
Existence and Location of Copies
The microfilm has been digitized in its entirety and the digital reproductions are
available in the
Huntington Digital Library: Morgan, Walls & Clements collection:
Microfilm.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Architectural drawings (visual works)
Blueprints (reprographic copies)
Business records
Correspondence (letters)
Microfilms
Architects -- California -- Archives
Architecture -- California -- 20th century
Architecture, Domestic -- California -- Los Angeles
Decoration and ornament, Architectural --
United States
Grocery trade -- Buildings, structures, etc.
Industrial buildings -- Design and construction
Los Angeles (Calif.) -- Buildings, structures, etc.
Malibu (Calif.) -- Buildings, structures, etc.
Office buildings -- Design and construction
Theaters -- California -- Los Angeles
Clements, Robert, 1918-1987
Clements, Stiles Oliver, 1883-1966
Morgan, Walls & Clements
Adamson, Merritt, 1888-1949 -- Homes and haunts
Rindge, May, 1864-1941 -- Homes and haunts