Descriptive Summary
Administrative Information
Biographical Note
Scope and Contents Note
Indexing Terms
Related Collections
Descriptive Summary
Title: Bernard
Maybeck
Collection,
Date (inclusive): 1897-1956 (bulk 1902-1939)
Collection number: 1956-1
Creator:
Maybeck
, Bernard R., 1862-1957
Extent:
32.5 boxes, 5 flat boxes, 1 card file box, 1 volume scrapbook, 34 flat file drawers, 157 tubes, 8 large framed drawings, a
table, a carved panel, and a plaster ornament
Repository:
Environmental Design Archives
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, California
Abstract: Contains records relating to all aspects of architect Bernard
Maybeck's
life. The contents include personal papers, correspondence, office files, project files, drawings, and photographs. The records
describe the unique vision of
Maybeck's
designs, including his use of unusual materials and color schemes. The collection is useful for researching Bay Regional
style, the use of industrial materials in architecture, the use of cement and other earthquake and fire resistant materials,
and the planning of campuses or town spaces.
Language:
English.
Administrative Information
Access
Collection is 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], Bernard
Maybeck
Collection, (1956-1), Environmental Design Archives University of California, Berkeley.
Acquisition Information
The collection was acquired in 1956.
Microfilm
Microfilm duplicating selected materials from the collection is available at the following repositories:
-
Contributing Institution: The Bancroft Library:
Identifier/Call Number: BANC FILM 2586
-
Contributing Institution: Environmental Design Library:
Identifier/Call Number: MICROFILM 78410
Biographical Note
Bernard
Maybeck
(1862-1957)
Bernard Ralph
Maybeck
was born February 7, 1862 in New York City. At the age of nineteen,
Maybeck
moved to Paris to apprentice in a furniture-maker's shop, following in the footsteps of his father, but instead became intrigued
by the architectural profession. He enrolled in the prestigious Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris and studied in the atelier of
Monsieur Jules-Louis André. After finishing his coursework,
Maybeck
returned to New York City and worked for Carrère & Hastings. Impatient with the firm,
Maybeck
moved west to seek his fortune In Kansas City, he met Mark White, an engineer, who introduced
Maybeck
to his sister, Annie.
Maybeck
continued on to San Francisco where he found work as a draftsman in various architectural offices, including one with his
Ecole classmate, A Page Brown. He briefly returned to Kansas City to marry Annie White in 1890, and the couple moved to Oakland.
After 1890,
Maybeck
held many short-term drafting jobs. Steady employment came when he was appointed an instructor of descriptive geometry at
the University of California, Berkeley, in 1894. He also held informal architectural courses at his house where he taught
students such as Julia Morgan, John Bakewell, and Arthur Brown Jr.
From 1896 to 1899
Maybeck
orchestrated the two-stage Phoebe Hearst International Competition for the Plan of the University of California
Maybeck
designed the Phoebe Hearst Reception Hall, which held the final rounds of the competition, and was later moved to the University
grounds. In 1899 he founded the Department of Architecture at the University of California.
While at the University,
Maybeck
began to receive commissions for modest homes in the Berkeley hills.
Maybeck
often designed small dwellings for friends and neighbors. In 1902 he opened an architectural office in San Francisco with
his brother-in-law, Mark White. Annie White
Maybeck
played an integral role in their practice as secretary, office manager and liaison between
Maybeck
and the office.
Maybeck's
buildings were eclectic, sometimes combining elements of Mediterranean buildings, Swiss chalets, Arts and Crafts, and Gothic
styles. These styles and combinations are evident in residences for Charles Keeler, Leon Roos, Guy Chick, S. H. Erlanger,
and Earle Anthony.
Maybeck
also designed several club houses, including the Faculty Club at the University of California, the Hillside Club, and the
Bohemian Grove Club House.
Maybeck
designed several buildings for the Panama Pacific International Exposition of 1915, the Palace of Fine Arts, the Lumbermen's
Building and House of Hoo Hoo, and the livestock pavilion. The Palace of Fine Arts, one of his most famous works, was also
a favorite building at the fair.
In the 1920's
Maybeck
designed the Phoebe Hearst Memorial Complex at the University of California, Berkeley. The complex was to include an auditorium,
a museum, and a gymnasium. Julia Morgan worked with
Maybeck
to complete the designs of the complex, and supervised the construction of the Women's Gymnasium, the only portion of the
complex completed.
The American Institute of Architects recognized
Maybeck's
work when they awarded him the prestigious Gold Medal in 1951.
Maybeck
continued to help others design and build residences in the Berkeley area until his death in 1957.
Note
Sources:
-
Cardwell, Kenneth H.
Bernard
Maybeck
: Artisan, Architect, Artist.
Salt Lake City:
Peregrine Smith, Inc,
1977.
-
Woodbridge, Sally B.
Bernard
Maybeck
: Visionary Architect.
New York
Abbeville Press Publishers,
1999.
-
Reinhardt, Richard.
Bernard
Maybeck
,
American Heritage Magazine (Aug/Sept 1981), 36-47.
-
Burt, Cecily.
Bernard
Maybeck
Crafted Romantic Buildings for the East Bay
The Oakland Tribune, (May 18, 1999).
Scope and Contents Note
The Bernard
Maybeck
collection spans the years 1897-1956 (bulk 1902-1939) The collection contains records relating to all aspects of his life.
The contents include personal papers, correspondence, office files, project files, drawings, and photographs. The records
describe the unique vision of
Maybeck's
designs, including his use of unusual materials and color schemes. The collection is useful for researching Bay Regional
style, the use of industrial materials in architecture, the use of cement and other earthquake and fire resistant materials,
and the planning of campuses or town spaces. The collection does not contain any records from his work as an instructor for
the University of California or his involvement with the establishment of the Department of Architecture. The collection is
divided into nine series: Personal Papers, Professional Papers, Office Records, Project Records, University of California,
Expositions, Principia College, Art and Artifacts, and Additional Donations.
The Personal Papers contain autobiographical information, correspondence, student work, creative writings by
Maybeck
, photographs, medical records, and Kerna
Maybeck's
(
Maybeck's
daughter) scrapbook. The second series, Professional Papers, includes correspondence, writings and speeches by
Maybeck
, files on associations and committees, awards, and printed materials on
Maybeck
and his projects. The Additional Donations series also includes radio interviews from KPFA. The Office Records are comprised
of administrative materials (such as employee time cards), correspondence from Annie
Maybeck
, Mark White and other architects, financial records and an array of product literature.
The Project Records contain files, photographs and drawings of
Maybeck's
numerous residential, commercial, recreational, and religious projects in the San Francisco Bay Area and California. Residences
include those for Earle C Anthony, Guy Hyde Chick, S. H. Erlanger, Issac Flagg, Alma Kennedy, A. C. Lawson, Charles Keeler,
and Leon Roos. Commercial, recreational, and religious projects include Packard dealerships for Earle C. Anthony, the Hillside
Club, and the First Church of Christ Scientist, Berkeley. See the Additional Donations series for additional project records.
The fifth series consists of projects for the University of California. The series includes materials on the Phoebe Hearst
Competition for the Plan of the University, Hearst Hall, the Faculty Club, the Bath House and the Phoebe Hearst Memorial Complex.
The Additional Donations series also includes other photographs of Hearst Hall, built by
Maybeck
for the Competition and later used by the University as a Women's gym and recreation center.
Series six consists of work on Expositions: the Panama Pacific International Exposition of 1915 and the Golden Gate International
Exposition of 1939. Buildings for the Panama Pacific International Exposition include the Palace of Fine Arts, the Lumbermen's
Building and House of Hoo Hoo and the Livestock Pavilion. The Golden Gate International Exposition materials include planning
and preliminary drawings of the Music Pavilion/Temple of Youth, Pacific House and the Redwood Empire Building. The Additional
Donations series also contains a plaster architectural ornament from the Palace of Fine Arts.
Series seven documents the Principia College project, a college for the Church of Christ, Scientist. The series includes correspondence,
financial records, individual building project records, drawings, photographs, product literature, vendor contracts, and research
on campus design. The project correspondence includes voluminous correspondence between
Maybeck
, his office, and Frederic Morgan, President of the Principia College. This series also contains a small amount of correspondence
and reports from Julia Morgan regarding the Principia College project. Other notable records include those for the Chapel,
the Men's and Women's Dormitory Complexes, and the planning of the college in two separate locations. The Additional Donations
series also contains construction log books and progress photographs of the project.
The Art and Artifacts series contains a table designed by
Maybeck
, and a piece of Bubblestone, an experimental building material favored by
Maybeck
. In the Additional Donations series there is a large carved panel.
The Additional Donations series contains a large number of records. The previous or subsequent donations were given to the
archives by various donors between the years 1953 and 2000. Each donation is a subseries, generally containing the records
of one project.
Indexing Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
Architects--California
Architecture--California
Air-entrained concrete
Arts and crafts movement--California
Architecture, Domestic--California--San Francisco Bay Area
Palace of Fine Arts (San Francisco, Calif)
First Church of Christ Scientist (Berkeley, Calif)
Principia College of Liberal Arts, Elsah, Ill
Phoebe Hearst Architectural Plan for the University of California
Hearst Gymnasium (Berkeley, Calif)
Golden Gate International Exposition (1939-1940:San Francisco, Calif)
Panama-Pacific International Exposition (1915:San Francisco, Calif)
Anthony, Earle C
Hearst, Phoebe Apperson, 1842-1919
White, Mark H, 1875?-
Maybeck
, Annie White, 1867?-1956
Morgan, Julia, 1872-1957
Hussey, Edward Bright
Guide to the Project Index:
The Project Index is a way to organize the various formats of architectural records from the same project. Each horizontal
row holds information about a project and the location of the project records.
- Client Name/Project Name:
- The first column lists the Client or Project name. The client name is always listed first. If the project has a name, this
may be listed with a see reference to the client. This is the most likely way that researchers will wish to find a project.
- Collaborator/Role:
- Often architects worked with other architects, engineers, or landscape architects. The name of the collaborator is listed,
Last name, and first initial. The role of the collaborator follows in the same column in parenthesis.
e.g.
Maybeck
, B. (architect) =
Maybeck
as a collaborating architect
- Date:
- The date of the project. May be a single year, a range of years, or a circa date.
- Physical Location of Materials:
-
Manuscript Records, Drawings, Detail Drawings, Photographs
- The next set of fields are used to designate the physical location of any materials related to the project. Materials may
include records, files, correspondence, and papers, drawings, detail drawings, or photographs.
- The location of the materials is formatted to have the box number, then folder number.
e.g. Box # | Folder # - one box, one folder: 5 | 2
- Folders in consecutive order, but the same box will be hyphenated. e.g. additional folders - same box, consecutive: 5 | 6-9
- Folders not in consecutive order, but in the same box will be separated by a comma.
e.g. additional folders - same box, not consecutive: 5 | 6, 11
- Materials that reside in more than one box are separated in the cell with a comma.
e.g. additional folders - different box: 4 | 3, 5 | 2
- If the material is not a box, but actually a
Tube, a
T will be entered before the tube number, or if the oversize folder is in a
Flat
File,
FF before the folder number.
- Location and State:
- The geographical location of the project.
- Project Type:
- The general term for the category of building.
e.g. a commercial building or a residence.
- Microfilm:
- This column will appear if the collection has been microfilmed. The column tracks the amount of material microfilmed for each
project: all, selected or none.
Related Collections
Title:
Maybeck
, Bernard R, architectural drawings, 1939-1940
(BANC MSS 79/87 c) The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.
Maybeck
Family Papers,
(BANC MSS C-B 782) The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.
Title: Photographs from the
Maybeck
family papers
(BANC 1960.020-PIC) The Bancroft Library Pictorial Collection, University of California, Berkeley.
Title: Panama-Pacific International Exposition architectural drawings:
Maybeck
, Bernard R.
(BANC MSS 91/99 c) The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.
Title: Architectural drawings for the First Church of Christ Scientist in Berkeley, California,
(BANC MSS 78/93 c) The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.
Title: Drawings for Rose Walk: Berkeley
(BANC MSS 72/75 c) The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.
Title: Architectural Drawings of University of California Buildings,
(CU-402) University Archives, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.
Title: First Church of Christ, Scientist : working drawings
(NA737 .M435 F5 1909a Non-circulating) The Environmental Design Library, University of California, Berkeley.
Title: Phoebe Apperson Hearst papers,
(BANC MSS 72/204 c) The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.