WILLIAM CURLETT

Los Angeles County

Biographies

WILLIAM CURLETT

CURLETT, WILLIAM, Architect, Los Angeles and San Francisco, California, was born in County of Down, Ireland, March 3, 1846, the son of Daniel Curlett and Jane (Robinson) Curlett. He married Celia A. Eisen at Oakland, California, August 12, 1873, and to them there have been born two children, Aleck E. and Ethel A. Curlett.

Mr. Curlett, who has attained an eminent position among the architects of America, received his preliminary education in private and public schools of his native county up to the year 1862, and at that time, when about sixteen years of age, took up the study of architecture. He first became a student in the Art School at Manchester, England, and after two years there, returned to Belfast, Ireland, where he continued his studies in the Art School of Belfast. He remained there three years and for three years after leaving school, was employed in the offices of several different architects.

He left Belfast for the United States in August, 1871, and arrived at San Francisco, Cal., in September of the same year.

Almost immediately after his arrival, Mr. Curlett became associated with Augustus Laver, at that time one of the most celebrated architects of the Pacific Coast and the designer of the old city hall in San Francisco, which was destroyed in the disaster in 1906. Mr. Curlett was associated with Mr. Laver for some months and aided in the designing of numerous important buildings. Later he opened offices for himself but still retained friendly relations with Mr. Laver and was called in on several occasions by the City hall Commissioners to assist Mr. Laver on his design for the building.

From the beginning of his career in San Francisco, Mr. Curlett was regarded as one of the most talented members of his profession and his work, covering a period of more than thirty years, has included many beautiful residences, public buildings and office structures in different parts of the State. Among the notable office and bank buildings designed by him in San Francisco are the Phelan Building, Mutual Savings Bank Building, Shreve Building, Head Building, San Francisco Savings Union Building and various others. Another strikingly handsome bank building in the Northern part of California designed by Mr. Curlett is the California State Bank of Sacramento.

In addition to the structures named, Mr. Curlett also was chosen as architect for two library buildings, endowed respectively, by James D. Phelan, former Mayor of San Francisco, and A. B. McCrery. He also designed and erected many splendid San Francisco and vicinity homes, noted for their artistic conception. Some of these, numbered among the show places of the region, are the Flood home in Menlo Park, the Flood residence in California Street (done while Mr. Curlett was associated with Mr. Laver), and residences for Will H. Crocker, Judge Sanderson, Robert Sherwood, L. L. Baker, A. N. Drown and E. F. Preston.

In 1912, Mr. Curlett designed two of the most beautiful residences in California, one a half million dollar home for Mrs. M. Pauline Payne, the other a very elaborate residence for James D. Phelan at Los Gatos, which will be the most up-to-date structure of its kind on the Coast, containing as features a great swimming pool and an open air theater.

In the Southern part of California, especially Los Angeles, Mr. Curlett has many other handsome residences to his credit, these including the homes of Ex-Governor Markham, Colonel Dan Freeman, Mrs. Mark Sibley Severance and the late L. J. Rose.

Mr. Curlett, who maintains offices in San Francisco and Los Angeles, spending a few months of each year in both cities, has also designed and supervised the construction of a number of important public buildings in Southern California. Among these are the Los Angeles County Courthouse at Los Angeles, Insane Asylum at San Bernardino, and the Courthouse at Fresno, Cal. At the present time (1912-13) he is engaged in the erection at Los Angeles of an office building for the Hon. Frank P. Flint, former United States Senator from California, a modern hotel for C. W. Gates, a Los Angeles capitalist, and a building for the Merchants’ National Bank of Los Angeles, which will cost complete approximately one million dollars.

Among other buildings designed by Mr. Curlett in California are the Public Library at Marysville, the Insane Asylum at Stockton, and the Sisters’ School at Los Angeles, the latter one of the most complete educational institutions in the State.

Mr. Curlett served as President of the California Chapter of the American Institute of Architects and in 1910 attended the meeting of the American Institute of Architects and was instrumental in having this organization hold an annual meeting in San Francisco instead of Washington, D.C., the customary meeting place.

Mr. Curlett served during 1912 as President of the California State Board of Architects, and also is a member of the Advisory Board of Architects for the Panama-Pacific Exposition. He was elected Chairman of this board by his fellow members, but resigned later owing to pressure of private business. Mr. Curlett is a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects and a member of the Bohemian Club, of San Francisco.

Transcribed 5-21-08 Marilyn R. Pankey.

Source: Press Reference Library, Western Edition Notables of the West, Vol. I, Page 25, International News Service, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Boston, Atlanta. 1913.

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