The William Raymond Yelland collection consists primarily of project records, arranged alphabetically by project. These include specifications, drawings, correspondence, notes, and a clipping. Drawings, which form the bulk of the collection, largely relate to residential work, although some commercial and apartment buildings, including Normandy Village, are also included. The collection also includes an attendance book and other materials from a technical drawing class that Yelland taught at night for adults through the Oakland Public Schools in 1933.

William Raymond Yelland was born in Saratoga, California in 1890. His father was a prune rancher, and the family lived on the prune ranch. His mother was a physician who received her degree from the University of California in 1886. Yelland trained at UC Berkeley, graduating with a B.S. in Architecture in 1913 when John Galen Howard was the program's director. He then spent a year at the University of Pennsylvania. During World War I, Yelland was stationed in France, and his time spent there influenced his architectural esthetic. He is believed to have worked in the offices of Bernard Maybeck and Walter Ratcliff after graduation. Licensed in California in 1916, Yelland joined the Oakland office of Miller and Warnecke in 1920. By 1924 he had set up an independent practice at 1404 Franklin Street in Oakland, where he remained for his career.

Publication Rights All requests for permission to publish, reproduce, or quote from materials in the collection should be discussed with the Director.

Access Collection is open for research.