Ernest J. Kump, Sr. Collection, 1914-1939

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Summary

Creators:
Kump, Ernest J. Sr., 1888-1939 and Kump, Ernest J., 1911-1999
Abstract:
The Ernest J. Kump, Sr. Collection spans the years 1914 to 1939, and includes drawings created by Kump and his firm documenting projects throughout his career. The collection is organized into two series, Personal Papers and Project Records, and contains drawings and specifications.
Extent:
44 Linear Feet: 13 flat file drawers, 5 tubes, 2 cartons, 1 document box
Language:
English .
Preferred citation:

[Identification of Item], Ernest J. Kump, Sr. Collection, (2005-19A), Environmental Design Archives, University of California, Berkeley.

Background

Scope and content:

The Ernest J. Kump, Sr. Collection documents the architect's career as a sole practitioner from 1914-1939. The collection is divided into two series: Professional Papers and Project Records.

Kump's Professional Papers are minimal, consisting of reference drawings collected from colleague Richard F. Felchlin. Kump's Project Records comprise the bulk of the collection and contain architectural drawings and specifications documenting his design work. Visalia Union High School and Tranquillity Union High School are well represented among his numerous educational projects. In addition to schools, Kump's records also contain several commercial, medical, residential, and recreational projects.

The Ernest J. Kump Sr. Collection was originally given to his son, Ernest Kump, Jr., and was stored with Kump Jr.'s professional archives in Palo Alto, CA. An office fire in 1964 caused significant damage to a portion of the records, in some cases making the drawings unidentifiable. Kump Sr.'s records remained with his son's papers until they were donated simultaneously to the Environmental Design Archives in 2005.

Biographical / historical:

Fresno architect Ernest J. Kump, Sr. was born March 29, 1888 in Brooklyn, New York. Raised in San Jose, California, he attended St. Joseph's College and as a young man began working as a carpenter in the Bay Area. He moved to Bakersfield in 1910 to apprentice with the architecture firms of Jefferson & Griffith and Bemus & Clark. There he married Mary Petsche and had two sons, Ernest, Jr. and Peter.

Kump became a licensed architect in 1912 and began practicing on his own. In 1914, he moved his office to Fresno where he specialized in school design. According to the September 1916 issue of The Architect and the Engineer of California, in which he was generously praised, Kump designed thirty-three schools in four years. Some of his most prominent works include Orosi Union High School (Orosi, CA), Caruthers Union High School (Caruthers, CA), Wasco Union High School (Wasco, CA), and Alta Grammar School (Fresno, CA). Kump was known as a major school architect into the early 1930s. Unfortunately, many of his educational projects are no longer standing.

Kump also designed more than thirty homes throughout California's Central Valley. Many of them still exist and can be found in areas of Fresno, Tulare, Visalia, and Porterville.

Ernest J. Kump, Sr. died tragically on November 12, 1939 at the age of 51.

Sources:

Powell, John Edward. "Ernest J. Kump, Sr. (1888-1939)." A Guide to Historic Architecture in Fresno, California. 1996. Accessed 27 Feb. 2013. http://historicfresno.org/bio/kumpsr.htm

Michelson, Alan. "Kump, Ernest." Pacific Coast Architecture Database (PCAD). Accessed 27 Feb. 2013. https://digital.lib.washington.edu/architect/architects/378/

Processing information:

Arrangement and description of this collection was funded by a grant from the National Historic Publication and Records Commission (NHPRC).

Arrangement:

This collection is organized into two series: Professional Papers and Project Records.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research. Many of the Environmental Design Archives collections are stored offsite and advance notice is required for use.

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], Ernest J. Kump, Sr. Collection, (2005-19A), Environmental Design Archives, University of California, Berkeley.

Location of this collection:
230 Bauer Wurster Hall #1820
Berkeley, CA 94720-1820, US
Contact:
(510) 642-5124
designarchives@berkeley.edu
Website