- Willis Polk
Willis Jefferson Polk (
October 3 ,1867 -September 10 ,1924 ) was an Americanarchitect most well known for his work inSan Francisco ,California . He was born inJacksonville, Illinois and was related to United States PresidentJames Polk .Addison Mizner was one of his apprentices.Willis Polk's early career included work with
McKim, Mead & White , as well asBernard Maybeck cite book | last =McCoy | first =Esther | authorlink =Esther McCoy | title =Five California Architects | publisher =Reinhold Publishing Corporation | year =1960 | location =New York | pages =37-38 | id =ASIN B000I3Z52W] . Polk also worked withDaniel Burnham in Chicago, and then moved to San Francisco to establish and direct Burnham's San Francisco office. Before long, Polk started his own firm and spent many years designing highly regarded California commercial and residential architecture.Polk was a highly versatile architect, with particular skill in combining classical styles with environmental harmony. He was highly regarded for his elegant residential work, mainly in mansions and estates, in the Georgian Revival style for wealthy and prominent San Francisco residents.
After the
1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire he was a member of MayorEugene Schmitz 's Committee of Fifty leaders who undertook ambitious plans to rebuild a world-class city.Notable Polk buildings
*
Palace of Fine Arts (Polk was the Supervising Architect of the 1915 Exposition)
*Pacific Union Club
*Hallidie Building
*Sunol Water Temple
*Filoli Estate
*The reconstruction ofMission Dolores (1917) which was damaged in the 1906 earthquake
*The Carolands Chateau, following the plans of French home designerErnest Sanson
*Le Petit Trianon
* 86 Sea View, Piedmont CA (for James K. Moffitt)
* 22 Roble Road, Berkeley CA (for Duncan McDuffie)
* 2550 Webster Street, San Francisco CA (for William Bowers Bourn II, which made clinker brick famous)References
External links
* [http://www.verlang.com/sfbay0004ref_wp.html Chronological listing of 65 selected extant architectural works in the Bay Area by Willis Polk (1890-1932)]
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