Collection context
Summary
- Creators:
- Outcault, John F., 1927-1998
- Extent:
- 38.0 Linear feet (24 record storage boxes, loose rolls)
- Language:
- Preferred citation:
-
John F. Outcault architectural drawings, Architecture and Design Collection; Art, Design & Architecture Museum, UC Santa Barbara
Background
- Scope and content:
-
The papers document John Outcault's architectural designs in the Coachella Valley in California through technical drawings, renderings and sketches. Some files also contain related papers and a few photographs, but original and reproduction drawings form the bulk of the collection. The papers appear to offer a complete view of Outcault's career, date from 1957 to 1998 and span circa 38 linear feet.
- Biographical / historical:
-
John Outcault was born in 1927 in Chicago, Illinois. His parents moved to Palm Springs in 1936. They owned and operated the Townhouse Hotel (now the Avalon). Outcault graduated from Palm Springs High School in 1945 and served in the U.S. Navy in 1946.
Outcault attended the University of Southern California School of Architecture in 1946-1952, graduating with a B. of Architecture. While he was a student he apprenticed in the offices of Clark and Frey, in Palm Springs. Outcault worked in several different offices before opening his own practice. He worked for the State of California Division of Architecture, 1952-1953; for Alfred Easton Poor, Architect in New York City, 1953-1956; for Clark, Frey & Chambers in 1956. In that same year he opened his architecture office in Palm Desert. Outcault received his New York Architecture license in 1954, and his California license in 1957.
Outcault had two children with his first wife, Betty, whom he married in 1957. He married Francis Outcault in 1974. In the early days of Palm Desert, he served on the Board of Trustees of the College of the Desert, was active in the development of the Living Desert Reserve, and involved in the growth and incorporation of the city of Palm Desert.
Between 1957 and 1998 Outcault designed many commercial, public, and residential buildings, most of them located in the Coachella Valley. He died in 1998.
- Custodial history:
-
The Palm Desert Historical Society received the papers from Outcault's family. Through the efforts of Palm Desert residents Jim West and Karen Prinzmetal, the Historical Society donated the papers to the UC Regents, UCSB in January 2017.
- Arrangement:
-
Collection is arranged chronologically by client or project name in boxes; collection is arranged alphabetically in finding aid.
- Physical location:
- ADC oversize shelves: loose rolls (unprocessed) Mosher: boxes 1-9, 10-24
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Indexed terms
- Names:
- Outcault, John F., 1927-1998
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
Open for use by qualified researchers.
Title is transferred to the UC Regents.
- Preferred citation:
-
John F. Outcault architectural drawings, Architecture and Design Collection; Art, Design & Architecture Museum, UC Santa Barbara
- Location of this collection:
-
University of California, Santa BarbaraSanta Barbara, CA 93106-7130, US
- Contact:
- (805) 893-2724