Descriptive Summary
Administrative Information
Acquisition Information
Biographical Note
Indexing Terms
Scope and Content
Arrangement of the Andrew Putnam Hill, Jr. Papers
Descriptive Summary
Title: Andrew Putnam Hill, Jr. Papers,
Date (inclusive): 1860-1986
Collection Number: 01.05
Creator:
Hill, Andrew Putnam, Jr.,
1886-1973
Extent:
Containers: 7 boxes
Volume: 2.14 cubic feet
Selected online items available
Repository:
Sourisseau Academy for State and
Local History,
San José State University
Abstract: The bulk of the Andrew Putnam Hill, Jr. Papers chronicles the
training and career of a professional educator and architect over the course of
sixty years, from approximately 1910-1975. The collection includes professional and
personal correspondence, photographs, academic documents, architectural renderings,
newspaper clippings, biographical and family memoirs, and an oral interview of
Andrew Putnam Hill, Jr. in 1972. The extent of the collection spans nearly 130
years, including materials and photographs created by Andrew Putnam Hill, Sr., as
well as family memoirs written in the 1970s by Birdella Hill Laughlin, Andrew Putnam
Hill, Jr.’s daughter.
Language:
English
Administrative Information
Access
Collection is open for research.
Publication Rights
Copyright has not been assigned to the Sourisseau Academy. Neither the original
photographs nor the digital images held by the Sourisseau Academy may be
reproduced, published, or used on the Internet without the expressed, written
permission of the Executive Secretary. Permission for publication is given on
behalf of the Sourisseau Academy as the owner of the physical items and is not
intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also
be obtained by the researcher. The credit line, "Courtesy of the Sourisseau Academy for State and Local History" must
accompany
any such use.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Andrew Putnam Hill, Jr. Papers, 01.05, [Box number]:
[Folder number], Sourisseau Academy for State and Local History, San José
State University, San José, California
Related Collections
Register of the Andrew Putnam Hill, Jr. Papers , 1885-1955. This
collection is located at the University of the Pacific. The finding aid for
this collection can be found on the
Online Archive of California website.
Acquisition Information
The Andrew Putnam Hill, Jr. Papers were donated to the Sourisseau Academy by Birdella
(Hill) Laughlin in 1986.
Biographical Note
Andrew Putnam Hill, Jr. was born June 4, 1886 in San José, California, the son
of Andrew Putnam Hill and Florence Watkins Hill. Raised at 1350 Sherman Street in
San Jose, California, he graduated from San José High School in 1906,
received his teaching certificate from the San José State Normal School in
1920, and earned a Bachelor of Arts from Stanford University in June 1922. He
married Ruth Mary McKenney on August 24, 1910. The couple had two children; however,
only one child, Birdella, survived to adulthood.
Dedicating much of his adult life to the educational school system, Andrew Putnam
Hill, Jr.’s professional career spanned over fifty years. During this time, he
served as Department Head of Manual Arts at San José High School (located on
the grounds of the San José State Normal School) from 1911 to 1913; worked as
the Director of Schoolhouse Planning for the California State School Department from
1927 to 1933; and was the District Superintendent of Santa Maria High School and
Junior College from 1935 to 1942. His last major appointment was in 1943, when he
accepted the position of Superintendent of Schools for the Stockton Unified School
District, a job he held until his retirement from the profession in 1947.
In addition to his adept leadership in the California educational system, Andrew
Putnam Hill, Jr. was also a skilled architect, recognized for his ability to design
residential and commercial structures particularly attuned to the needs of their
future inhabitants. For example, residential homes were designed to be both
aesthetically pleasing and functional – such as a home offering an abundance of
windows and attractive outdoor landscaping, complemented by such features as
spacious living quarters, bedroom areas which doubled as sleeping porches for hot
summer evenings, an efficient and utilitarian kitchen layout, and detached garage
areas.
Throughout his life, Andrew Putnam Hill, Jr. was active in conservationist movements.
His commitment to conserving the earth’s natural resources and open space could
actually be considered a family trait. His father, Andrew Putnam Hill, Sr. – a noted
photographer and artist – was also the co-founder and president of the Sempervirens
Club of California, a conservationist organization noted for preserving the Ancient
Coast Redwood trees located in what is now known as Big Basin Redwoods State
Park.
Andrew Putnam Hill, Jr. died August 2, 1973, in Stockton, California.
Indexing Terms
The following terms may be used to index this collection.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Architecture
Conservationists
Education – United States
Environmentalism
Hill, Andrew Putnam,
1853-1922
Hill, Andrew Putnam, Jr.,
1886-1973
Hill, Frank Ernest,
1888-1969
Hill, Florence Watkins,
1858-1936
Laughlin, Birdella Hill,
1911-2003
San José
(Calif.)
Scope and Content
The bulk of the Andrew Putnam Hill, Jr. Papers chronicle the training and career of
a professional educator and architect over the course of sixty years, from
approximately 1910-1975. Included in the collection are professional and personal
correspondence, photographs, academic documents, architectural renderings, newspaper
clippings, biographical and family memoirs, and an oral interview of Andrew Putnam
Hill, Jr. in 1972. The extent of the collection spans nearly 130 years, including
notebooks created by his father, Andrew Putnam Hill, Sr., during the years
1909-1922, as well as family memoirs written in the 1970s by Birdella Hill Laughlin,
Andrew Putnam Hill, Jr.’s daughter.
The photographs in the collection cover approximately 110 years of California
history, from 1860 to 1970. Architectural photographs include interior and exterior
shots of houses designed by Andrew Putnam Hill, Jr., offering an excellent overview
of residential architecture and interior design techniques of the early twentieth
century. Additional photographs in the collection include images of Hill family
members throughout the generations; Hill family gatherings in Big Basin Redwoods
State Park; and carte de visite images of the San José Normal School’s
graduating class of 1875, of which Andrew Putnam Hill Jr.’s mother, Florence Watkins
Hill, was a member.
Arrangement of the Andrew Putnam Hill, Jr. Papers
The papers are arranged into four series:
- I. Personal Papers
- II. Professional Papers
- III. Project Records
- III. Photographs