Inventory of the Ernest and Esther Born Collection, 1924-1985
Lorna Kirwan
Environmental Design Archives
College of Environmental Design
230 Wurster Hall #1820
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, California, 94720-1820
Phone: (510) 642-5124
Fax: (510) 642-2824
Email: designarchives@berkeley.edu
http://archives.ced.berkeley.edu
© 2009
The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.
Inventory of the Ernest and Esther Born Collection, 1924-1985
Collection number: 2001-16, 2015-04
Environmental Design Archives
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, California
- Processed by:
- Lorna Kirwan
- Date Completed:
- 2005
- Encoded by:
- Devan McGirr
© 2009 The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.
Descriptive Summary
Title: Ernest and Esther Born collection
Dates: 1924-1985
Collection number: 2001-16, 2015-04
Creator:
Born, Ernest, 1898-1992
Creator:
Born, Esther, 1902-1987
Collector:
Environmental Design Archives
Extent:
10 manuscript boxes, 5 flat boxes, 2 flat file drawers.
Repository:
Environmental Design Archives. College of Environmental Design.
University of California, Berkeley.
Berkeley, California
Abstract: The Ernest and Esther Born Collection spans the years 1924-1985 and contains six series: Personal Papers, Professional papers,
Project Records, BART, Golden Gate International Exposition, and the UC Greek Theater Reconstruction. The collection is comprised
of two primary parts: Ernest Born's personal and professional papers and the records of his practice including design, exhibit,
and building projects; and the architectural photographs of Esther Born.
Physical location: For current information of the location of these materials, please consult the library's online catalog.
Languages:
Languages represented in the collection:
English
Access
Collection open for research.
Publication Rights
All requests for permission to publish, reproduce, or quote from materials in the collection should be discussed with the
Curator.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of Item], Ernest and Esther Born Collection, 2001-16, Environmental Design Archives. College of
Environmental Design. University of California, Berkeley. Berkeley, California.
Acquisition Information
The Environmental Design Archives acquired this collection in 2001.
Biographical Note
Ernest Born (1898-1992)
Ernest Born was born in San Francisco in 1898. Educated in San Francisco and Oakland schools, he graduated from UC Berkeley's
School of Architecture in 1922. Following graduation he traveled to Europe on a Fellowship returning to receive his master's
degree in Architecture from the University of California in 1923. From 1927 to 1928 he studied decorative painting and fresco
in Europe and in 1936 he traveled to Mexico to study modern architecture. Early in his career, Born worked with John Galen
Howard, John Reid Jr., and George Kelham. He received his license to practice architecture in New York in 1931, and in California
in 1937. In 1926 he married UCB Architecture School graduate Esther Baum ('26) with whom he traveled and shared an architectural
practice (1945-1973). Esther B. Born was a widely regarded architectural photographer. (See Biographical Note below.)
An accomplished artist as well as architect, Born's designs included exhibits, murals, and building design for the 1939-40
Golden Gate International Exposition in San Francisco, low rent housing for the San Francisco Housing Authority, residences,
warehouses, offices, plant designs, and showrooms. He performed site and master planning for the University of California
and consulted on product and book design projects. Later in his career, Born participated in the design of the Glen Park BART
station and drafted the signs for 33 BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) stations. Born also did editorial and design work for the
Architectural Record and
Architectural Forum magazines, as well as rendering designs for other firms, designing furniture, painting in oils and watercolor, and creating
illustrations and art prints.
Born was a member of the faculty at the UC Berkeley School of Architecture from 1951 to 1958, and from 1962 to 1974. A member
of the A.I.A., he was director of the San Francisco Art Association from 1947 to 1950, serving as its president in 1951. He
was also a member of the Art Commission of the City and County of San Francisco from 1947 to 1950. His works were published
in various professional architectural magazines from 1929 onward. Born created the illustrations and co-authored both of
The Plan of St. Gall and
The Barns of the Abbey of Beaulieu (UC Press) with Walter Horn. He died in 1992 in San Diego.
Esther Born (1902-1987)
Esther Baum, was a graduate of the UCB Architecture School (1926) where she studied under John Galen Howard. She married Ernest
Born in the same year she graduated. During the Great Depression she studied photography, which she practiced successfully
throughout her life. She became interested in the architecture of Mexico and drove south to experience the architecture for
herself. She returned 10 months later with photographs, drawings, and plans of the country's architecture and design. The
compilation of this work was first published in an issue of
Architectural Record in April 1937. The article was expanded into a book,
The New Architecture in Mexico published by Wm. Morrow & Co. (New York, 1937). This monograph has been credited with directing the attention of the world
to the rise of modern architecture in Mexico.
From 1938 through 1940, she photographed the Golden Gate International Exposition on Treasure Island in San Francisco. Her
subjects included the many different aspects of the Exposition: buildings, construction, fresco painting, opening events,
exhibit halls, exhibits, and the general environment.
Her photographs were published in several architectural journals throughout her career, and of note are her architectural
photographs highlighted in an article featuring Frank Lloyd Wright's "Honeycomb House" (
Architectural Record, July 1938).
From 1945 through 1973 she shared an architecture practice with Ernest Born. She continued to take many outstanding photographs
of architecture designed by him and others.
Scope and Content of Collection
The Ernest and Esther Born Collection contains six series: Personal Papers, Professional papers, Project Records, BART, Golden
Gate International Exposition, and the UC Greek Theater Reconstruction. The collection is comprised of two primary parts:
Ernest Born's personal and professional papers and the records of his practice including design, exhibit, and building projects;
and the architectural photographs of Esther Born.
The Personal Papers are comprised of personal drawings of mosque details and designs from Tunisia (1924) and travel slides
(1965-1971) from Europe.
The Professional Papers include negatives of Anderson Ranch, a project designed by a fellow architect, Carl F. Gromme. In
addition, this series includes a negative of a 1938 San Francisco residence designed by John Eken Dinwiddie.
The Project Records are mostly comprised of drawings and photographs, but also contain project specifications, proposals,
and correspondence. They include large-scale presentation renderings for developments on San Francisco's Alcatraz Island,
Fisherman's Wharf, and the Embarcadero Crescent, as well as drawings and photographs for other city improvements, including
San Francisco's United Nations Plaza Fountain. Born's commission to design numerous private residences and a public housing
facility, the North Beach Place Housing Project (1942-ca. 2002) are also a part of the Project Records, as are a number of
his design projects for plaques, exhibits, and publications.
The BART series consists of research for signage, files, construction photographs, and drawings for the Balboa, Glen Park,
and Lake Merritt stations. Researchers interested in subway and airport transportation and transport signage of all types
might find this series of interest.
The Golden Gate International Exposition was held on Treasure Island, San Francisco in 1939 and 1940. Ernest Born was the
collaborating architect and designer on many of the buildings and exhibits. The Golden Gate International Exposition series
contains many photographs by Esther Born of the design, construction, and opening events of the Exposition.
The UC Greek Theater Reconstruction files are quite extensive and include historical material about the theater and its performances;
correspondence with the Hearst Corporation and building contractors; and many photographs and drawings.
For interested researchers, there are separate item-level inventories made by the daughter of Ernest and Ester Born for certain
projects including Alcatraz Island, Davis Residence, Fisherman's Wharf, Golden Gate International Exposition, UC Greek Theater,
North Beach Place Housing Project, Pacific School of Religion, and the Quillen Residence. The inventories do not necessarily
represent the current arrangement.
Arrangement
The collection is organized into six series: Personal Papers, Professional papers, Project Records, BART, Golden Gate International
Exposition, and the UC Greek Theater Reconstruction.
Indexing Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
Subjects
San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (Calif.)
Greek Theatre (Berkeley, Calif.)
Golden Gate International Exposition, (1939-1940 :, San Francisco, Calif.)
Architecture--California.
Architects--California.
Public housing--California--San Francisco.
Genres and Forms of Material
Architectural drawings.
Architectural records.
Photographs.
Index Terms Related to this Collection
Born, Esther, 1902-1987.
Project Index
The Project Index list is arranged alphabetically by Project/Client Name and contains information, where available, about
the location, date, project type, creators, and formats for each project in the collection.
Project/Client Name (location, date, project type) Creator [role] Format [Ms=Manuscripts, Dr=Drawings, Ph=Photographs]
- Alcatraz Development [See San Francisco Dept of City Planning] ( San Francisco , CA ; 1969 ; commercial )
- Alliance Francaise, seal ( San Francisco , CA ; 1982 ; educational ) [Ph]
- BART, Balboa Park ( San Francisco , CA ; 1972-1979 ; transportation ) Photographer: Roger Sturtevant, Roy Flamm [Ms,
Ph]
- BART, Design and Research ( International ; 1965-1971 ; transportation ) [Ph]
- BART, Finished Project ( San Francisco , CA ; 1972-1974 ; transportation ) [Ms, Ph]
- BART, Glen Park ( San Francisco , CA ; 1972-1981 ; transportation ) Photographer: Roger Sturtevant, Roy Flamm, Bechtel
Corp., Ray Frayne [Ms, Dr, Ph]
- BART, Lake Merritt ( Oakland , CA ; 1969 ; transportation ) [Ph]
- BART, parking signs ( n.d. ; transportation ) [Dr, Ph]
- Born, Esther & Ernest Residence: Great Highway ( San Francisco , CA ; 1949, 1986 ; residential ) [Dr]
- Born, Esther & Ernest: Granada St. ( San Diego , CA ; 1986-1989 ; residential ) [Dr]
- California Redwood Association ( San Francisco , CA ; 1958-1959 ; commercial ) Photographer: Davis [Dr, Ph]
- Davis, H.F. ( San Carlos , CA ; 1950 ; residential ) Photographer: Esther Born [Dr, Ph]
- Embarcadero Crescent ( San Francisco , CA ; 1961 ; planning ) Collaborator: John S. Bolles ; Photographer: Aero Photographer [Dr,
Ph]
- Fisherman's Wharf ( San Francisco , CA ; 1961 ; planning ) Collaborator: John S. Bolles ; Photographer: Aero Photographer [Dr,
Ph]
- Ford, Robert D., improvements and garage ( Ross , CA ; 1956 ; residential ) [Dr]
- Golden Gate International Exposition ( San Francisco , CA ; 1938-1940 ; cultural ) Photographer: Esther Born, Roger
Sturtevant [Dr, Ph]
- Graniteville Memorial ( Graniteville , SC ; n.d. ; cultural ) [Dr]
- Gump's Department Store, Exhibit ( San Francisco , CA ; 1941 ; cultural ) [Ph]
- Herbert Hoover Memorial [see Stanford University] ( Palo Alto , CA ; 1977 ; educational ) [Ms, Dr, Ph]
- Horn, Dr. and Mrs. ( Richmond , CA ; 1941-1942 ; residential ) Collaborator: Serge Chermayeff [Dr]
- Horn, Dr. and Mrs. (Remodel) ( Richmond , CA ; 1950-1956 ; residential ) [Dr]
- Horn, Dr. and Mrs. (Remodel) ( Richmond , CA ; 1982-1994 ; residential ) Collaborator: Walter Brooks [Dr]
- Housing Authority of the City of San Francisco: North Beach Place Housing Project, CAL-1-11 [see North Beach Place Housing
Project] ( San Francisco , CA ; 1942-1950 ; residential-multi ) Collaborator: Henry Gutterson (architect), Thomas Church
(Landscape Architect) [Ms, Dr, Ph]
- Johnson, Joan: mural for hospital ( San Diego , CA ; 1992 ; medical ) [Dr]
- Justin Herman Plaza ( San Francisco , CA ; 1973 ; municipal ) [Dr]
- Lawton Kennedy Exhibition: San Francisco Art Commission Gallery ( San Francisco , CA ; 1972 ; cultural ) [Dr]
- Macy's Department Store, displays ( San Francisco , CA ; 1948 ; commercial ) Photographer: Roger Sturtevant [Ph]
- Mazour, Anatole G. ( Palo Alto , CA ; 1947 ; residential ) Collaborator: Thomas Church (Landscape Architect) [Dr]
- Merchants Exchange Building, improvements ( San Francisco , CA ; 1962 ; commercial ) [Ms]
- North Beach Place Housing Project ( San Francisco , CA ; 1942-1950 ; residential-multi ) Collaborator: Henry Gutterson
(architect), Thomas Church (Landscape Architect) [Ms, Dr, Ph]
- Olsen & Heffernan Warehouse ( San Francisco , CA ; 1949-1950 ; commercial ) [Dr]
- Pacific School of Religion ( Berkeley , CA ; n.d. ; educational ) [Ms, Ph]
- Ping Yuen Housing Complex: sculpture ( San Francisco , CA ; 1959 ; residential-multi ) [Dr]
- Pro-Helvetica, Exhibit ( San Francisco , CA ; 1980-1981 ; cultural ) Collaborator: Design Workshop [Dr]
- Quillen, I.J. ( Palo Alto , CA ; 1941 ; residential ) Photographer: Esther Born [Dr, Ph]
- Quillen, I.J., addition and pool ( Palo Alto , CA ; 1962 ; residential ) [Ms, Dr]
- Roberts, Bea & Tom: Mercado Dr. ( Del Mar , CA ; 1989 ; residential ) [Dr]
- San Francisco Dept of City Planning: Alcatraz Development ( San Francisco , CA ; 1969 ; commercial ) Collaborator: Charles
Trieschmann (developer) [Ms, Dr, Ph]
- San Francisco Fire Department, plaque, job # 3531 ( San Francisco , CA ; 1973 ; governmental ) [Ms, Dr]
- San Francisco Legion of Honor, plaque ( San Francisco , CA ; 1974 ; cultural ) [Dr, Ph]
- San Francisco Port Authority: Embarcadero Crescent, Fisherman's Wharf [see Emabarcadero Crescent] [see Fisherman's Wharf] ( San
Francisco , CA ; 1961 ; planning ) Collaborator: John S. Bolles ; Photographer: Aero Photographer [Dr]
- San Francisco Redevelopment Agency, Justin Herman Plaza plaque [see Justin Herman Plaza] ( San Francisco , CA ; 1973 ;
municipal ) [Ph]
- St. Gall Restoration, exhibit ( Berkeley , CA ; 1982 ; educational ) [Ms, Ph]
- Stanford University: Herbert Hoover Memorial [see Herbert Hoover Memorial] ( Palo Alto , CA ; 1977 ; educational ) [Ms,
Ph]
- UC (Univeristy of California), Berkeley: Greek Theater Reconstruction ( Berkeley , CA ; 1954-1963 ; educational ) Collaborator:
Lawrence Halprin (landscape arch), Walter Steilberg (engineer) ; Photographer: Pirkle Jones, SF Examiner [Ms, Dr]
- UC: Berkeley: Doe Library ( Berkeley , CA ; 1954 ; educational ) [Dr, Ph]
- UC Press 90th Anniversary Poster ( 1983 ) [Dr]
- United Nations Plaza Fountain ( San Francisco , CA ; 1974-1985 ; governmental ) Collaborator: Halprin, Lawrence (landscape
arch), Ciampi, Mario (architect), Walter Steilberg (engineer) [Ms, Dr, Ph]
- Yates, J. Perry: Castle Rock Ranch ( Napa , CA ; 1967 ; residential )
Series I.
PERSONAL PAPERS
1938-1971
Physical Description: 10 folders and one flat file.
Subseries Scope and Content Summary
This series consists of drawings of mosque details and designs from Tunisia in addition to travel slides of various locales
throughout Europe.
A.
Travel Slides
1965-1971
B.
Writings and Artwork
1924
Series II.
PROFESSIONAL PAPERS
1929-1989
Physical Description: 2 folders.
Subseries Scope and Content Summary
This series contains negatives of Carl F. Gromme's Anderson Ranch and a San Francisco residence designed by John Eken Dinwiddie.
A.
Reference Files
n.d.; 1938
Series III.
PROJECT RECORDS
1960-1985
Physical Description: Boxes 2-4, 8; and 23 flat files.
Subseries Scope and Content Summary
This series consists of photographs and drawings for numerous private residences; presentation renderings for improvements
to San Francisco's Alcatraz Island, Embarcadero, and Fisherman's Wharf; and drawings for the North Beach Place Housing Project.
The project files also include a number of design projects for plaques, exhibits, and publication
Arrangement
Arranged alphabetically by project/client name.
Series IV.
BAY AREA TRANSIT (BART)
1965-1981
Physical Description: Boxes 5-7 and one flat file.
Subseries Scope and Content Summary
This series includes research for BART signs, files, construction photographs, and drawings for the Balboa, Glen Park, and
Lake Merritt BART stations.
Series V.
GOLDEN GATE INTERNATIONAL EXPOSITION
1938-1940
Physical Description: Boxes 2-15.
Series Scope and Content Summary
This series is primarily photographic and contains many photographs by Esther Born.
Series VI.
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY GREEK CONSTRUCTION THEATER RECONSTRUCTION
1954-1963
Physical Description: Boxes 9-4; and 4 flat files.
Series Scope and Content Summary
This series includes limited information concerning performances at the Greek Theater from 1904 through 1957. In addition,
it contains correspondence with the Hearst Corporation, building contractors, and UC administrators. This series also contains
historical information about the theater's sculptural elements and their installation and numerous drawings concerning the
various stages of construction, in addition to photographs and text.
SERIES I.
PERSONAL PAPERS
1938-1971
A.
Travel Slides
1965-1971
Box 1, Folder 3
Cologne: Cathedral, Opera House, Museum
1965-1966
Box 1, Folder 5
Montreal: Bonaventure Hotel and General Views
1967
Box 1, Folder 6
Montreal: Villa Marie, Banks, General
1967
Box 1, Folder 7
Stockholm: Water Views and Mills Garden
1965
Box 1, Folder 8
Stockholm: Town Hall; London: Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Embankment
1965
Folder FF 1
Tunisian Mosque Details
1924
SERIES II.
PROFESSIONAL PAPERS
1929-1987
Box 1, Folder 11
Anderson Ranch designed by Carl F. Gromme (negatives)
n.d.
Box 1, Folder 12
H.W. Smith Residence designed by John Eken Dinwiddie (negative)
1938
SERIES III.
PROJECT RECORDS
1960-1981
SERIES IV.
BAY AREA RAPID TRANSIT (BART)
1960-1981
SERIES V.
GOLDEN GATE INTERNATIONAL EXPOSITION
1933-1940
SERIES VI.
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY GREEK THEATER RECONSTRUCTION
1954-1963
