Collection context
Summary
- Creators:
- McCarthy, Francis Joseph
- Extent:
- 10 Linear Feet: 4 cartons, 2 flat boxes, 3 tubes
- Language:
- English .
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of Item], Francis Joseph McCarthy Collection, Environmental Design Archives, University of California, Berkeley.
Background
- Scope and content:
-
The Francis Joseph McCarthy collection consists mainly of architectural drawings and specifications for numerous projects. The records are organized into two series: Office Records and Project Records. Office records are minimal, but include drawings created for Telesis and contracts for a variety of projects.
The projects range in extent from residential projects for private clients and planned communities, to religious institutions, businesses, and particularly library buildings. Some projects of distinction within the Bay Area include Stanford University's Library, St. Mark's Episcopal Church (Berkeley), and the public libraries for Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz, San Leandro, and Stockton. The collection also consists of drawings and designs for interior spaces for the Palace Hotel in San Francisco.
- Biographical / historical:
-
Francis Joseph McCarthy was born in 1910 in Sydney, Australia. He received his education in California, Nevada, and Arizona, and attended Stanford University from 1928-1929. He later studied briefly at the California School of Fine Arts, but the bulk of his professional training came from working in a number of architectural offices, including the firms of Charles Dean (Sacramento) and William Wilson Wurster (San Francisco). He opened his own practice in 1938 and earned his certificate as a registered architect in 1941. During World War II he was with the Rubber Redevelopment Corporation in Brazil.
His work encompassed numerous residential, municipal, and commercial commissions throughout California, including a hospital and health center for the County of Inyo, alterations to the Palace Hotel (San Francisco), and the Electronic Engineering Associates Building (San Carlos). In addition, McCarthy specialized in library buildings, designing the Stanford University Library, Santa Rosa Public Library, and the San Leandro and Inyo County Public Libraries, among others. His Downieville house for W. Coy Filmer built over a creek received some notable attention.
Also active in professional associations, McCarthy was named a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects in 1957. He served as Art Commissioner of the City of San Francisco from 1949-1951 and lectured in architecture at Stanford University in the late 1950s. McCarthy was also a founding member of Telesis, an organization formed in 1939 by design professionals of varying disciplines who were interested in invigorating city and regional planning in the Bay Area.
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
Collection is open for research.
- Terms of access:
-
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], Francis Joseph McCarthy Collection, Environmental Design Archives, University of California, Berkeley.
- Location of this collection:
-
230 Bauer Wurster Hall #1820Berkeley, CA 94720-1820, US
- Contact:
- (510) 642-5124