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Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech
Special Collections and University Archives, University Libraries (0434)560 Drillfield Drive
Newman Library, Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, Virginia 24061
Business Number: 540-231-6308
specref@vt.edu
URL: http://spec.lib.vt.edu
Laura Katz Smith, Catherine G. OBrion, and other Special Collections Staff.
Administrative Information
Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use
The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials. Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form: http://bit.ly/scuareproduction . Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form: http://bit.ly/scuapublication . Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form.
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open to research.
Alternative Form
The Imagebase at Virginia Tech's Special Collections contains nearly 500 digital images of Willis' work, arranged by project, and a folio of Willis family photographs.
Visual resources for Willis' thirteen signature projects can be viewed in the IAWA Visual Archive .
Preferred Citation
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Beverly Willis Architectural Collection, Ms1992-019, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.
Scope and Contents
Beverly Willis donated samples of her designs to Virginia Tech in 1992. This gift was followed, in 2000, with a donation of the bulk of the records and designs from her architectural career. Additional small accessions arrived in 2004 and 2009.
Processing Information
The bulk of the drawings in the Willis Papers were arranged and described before they were donated, and information about the arrangement of the collection was compiled in a searchable database that is available at the repository. Project records stored in record cartons have been inventoried and are included in the database and finding aid.
The first accession, which was arranged and described by Laura Katz Smith in 1995, was combined with subsequent accessions in 2003. A finding aid describing the complete collection was created by Catherine G. OBrion in 2003, using descriptions of materials in the archives database that was donated with the bulk of the collection in 2000. The 2004 and 2009 additions were arranged and described by Sherrie Bowser in 2012. The project index arrangement was also included at this time.
Biographical Note
Beverly Willis, FAIA Architect, artist, and writer, was one of perhaps three women architects in the United States to own her own sizeable architecture firm between 1958 and 1990 and the only woman in San Francisco, California, to have her own practice there for 17 years. Her book, Invisible Images: The Silent Language of Architecture, published by the National Building Museum, describes her design philosophy.
She was the first woman appointed to the Building Research Advisory Board of the National Academy of Science, the first appointed to the Federal Construction Council, and its first woman chair. She was the first woman elected president of the American Institute of Architects, California Council; and the Golden Gate Chapter of Lambda Alpha Society.
Willis played a major role in the revitalization of San Francisco neighborhoods after World War II. She renovated commercial spaces in the Jackson Square area and Union Street, redesigned Glide Church, designed the San Francisco Ballet Building, and won an international competition to design the Yerba Buena Gardens development downtown.
Beverly Willis was born February 17, 1928, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to Ralph William Willis, founder of the National Tool Company, and Margaret Elizabeth Porter, a nurse. She had one sibling, Ralph Gerald Willis. Both Willis and her brother were placed in an orphanage when their parents divorced in 1934.
Taking advantage of the increased opportunities available to women with the advent of World War II, Willis learned welding, riveting, electrical wiring, carpentry, and how to fly an airplane--skills that reflected the fiercely independent qualities that emerged in her personality when she was in the institutional environment of the orphanage. After the war, she enrolled in an aeronautical engineering program at Oregon State University, but withdrew after two years to work at a lithographer's studio. She then studied at the San Francisco Art Institute until relocating to Hawaii. In 1954 she received a B.A. in Fine Art from the University of Hawaii.
After graduation, Willis received a series of design commissions that led to her interest in architecture. Fueled by the friendship and ideas of entrepreneur Henry Kaiser, Willis returned to San Francisco in 1960 to open a firm that designed furniture and interiors for offices, created mixed-media art for clients that included United Airlines, and re-worked supermarket displays. Despite her rural sensibility, Willis began to immerse herself in urban designs. She found that her interests ran parallel to those of San Francisco architects like William Wurster and Joseph Esherick.
Willis' first major architectural project was the conversion of three Victorian buildings into a retail complex on Union Street in San Francisco. Her design, which proved a financial success almost immediately, influenced the renovation of the rest of the street between present-day Gough and Pierce streets.
Meeting the experience and education requirements of the California State Architectural Licensing Board in 1966, Willis became a licensed architect and the only woman in San Francisco with her own firm, Beverly Willis and Associates. This firm assumed a partnership with would-be principal architect David Coldoff that year, a partnership that lasted until 1980. Despite the heavy demands of her practice, Willis also found time to serve on the U.S. Government delegation to the United Nations conference on Habitat, become a trustee and founder of the National Building Museum in 1976, and serve as the President of the California Chapter of the National Institute of Architects in 1979.
Willis' interest in the issues that affect planning, population density, and land-use economics with respect to large-scale development manifested itself in the creation of the computer program CARLA (Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis) in the 1970's. The software was developed by Willis with Eric Tiescholz and Jochen Eigen. With CARLA's completion and implementation, Willis and Associates became one of the first architectural firms to incorporate computers into the routine practices of design and land development.
Projects such as the prototype for the regional computer centers of the IRS and master-planning for a new town situated in Aliamanu Valley, Hawaii (1975), are good examples of her unique philosophy of design.
Throughout the 1970s, Willis' firm concentrated on large- scale housing and new-community planning and design. By espousing architecture of rural pragmatism and rooting it in ancient images and myths, Willis offered something new to the intellectual landscape of architectural design.
In 1997, the National Building Museum published Willis' book, Invisible Images: The Silent Language of Architecture, in which she describes her buildings and design philosophy. In 1980, she was elected to the American Institute of Architects College of Fellows. In 1984, Willis received an honorary doctorate in Fine Arts from Mount Holyoke College.
By the early 1980s, Willis' design focus shifted to urban structures like the Yerba Buena Gardens redevelopment project (1980) and the San Francisco Ballet Association Building (1984). Smaller, but no less important, projects include Nob Hill Court (1971), Pacific Point Condominiums (1972), the Greenwich Apartment (1978), the Margaret Hayward Playground Building (1978), the (unbuilt) Shown Winery (1986), and the Mr. and Mrs. Richard Goeglin Pool House and Sculpture (1988).
Willis relocated her office and residence to New York City in 1991. Willis founded in 1994 the Architectural Research Institute, Inc. (through which the Manhattan Village Academy was designed). In 2002, she founded the Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation , and she presently (2008) serves as the foundation's president. Her work and community leadership have been widely published (see bibliography). She is a founding trustee of the National Building Museum (1975-present). The Beverly Willis Library is located at the National Building Museum.
Source
Much of the information in the biography was culled from the biography written for Beverly Willis by Nicolai Ouroussoff and included in Invisible Images: The Silent Language of Architecture , published in 1997 by the National Building Museum, Washington, DC.
Scope and Contents
The Beverly Willis Architectural Collection span the years 1954 to 1999 and are comprised primarily of records documenting Willis' work as an architect in San Francisco between 1960 and 1990. The collection documents the application of computers to architectural design and land analysis, the development of CARLA (Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis) in the 1970s, the history of twentieth-century urban planning, particularly in San Francisco; and the contribution of women to twentieth-century American architecture. Willis, a noted artist, photographer, teacher, and writer, employed the full range of visual arts and design skills to influence and guide architectural projects of major significance.
The bulk of the collection is comprised of Willis and Associates project files from the period 1960 to 1990. Projects range from private residences and residential developments to institutions, such as the San Francisco Ballet Association Building; and urban development projects, most notably the Yerba Buena Gardens project in downtown San Francisco. Also included are records and design documents for Aliamanu Valley New Town, a military base in Hawaii that was the first major project designed with CARLA, computer software for architectural design created by Willis; and records documenting the development of CARLA.
Project files are comprised of presentation drawings, slope analysis drawings, site plans, maps, cut-and-fill analysis plans, sketches, conceptual design drawings, construction drawings, as well as correspondence, research files, contracts, environmental impact statements and studies, financial records, and feasibility studies. There are records for more than 150 projects. Drawings are large folio, pen-and- ink or watercolor on paper, linen, or mylar. Some are heightened with color.
Also included is a series documenting the development of CARLA, Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis, in the 1970s. Beverly Willis was interested in issues that affected planning, population density, and land-use economics in relation to large-scale development. Along with Eric Tiescholz and Jochen Eigen, she developed a program that enabled architects, with the use of computers, to develop site plans and design techniques in a fraction of the time required by the old methodology. Records documenting the development of CARLA include computer tapes, correspondence, flow charts, memos, and Jochen Eigen's notes on interfacing CARLA with a computer mapping program in 1974.
The collection also contains a series of Publications, Brochures, and Clippings, which includes biographical information on Willis, Miscellaneous Project Records, and a video of the Yerba Buena Gardents development.
Arrangement
The collection has been arranged into a Project Index. which is a way to organize the various formats of architectural records from the same project. The index is arranged by project number and contains information, where available, about the location, date, project type, architect, collaborators, and formats for each project in the collection.
A Summary of the Project Index. is listed below. Consult the Project Index. for location information.
Related Material
The guide to the Beverly Willis Architectural Collection by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 ( https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/ ).
Subjects and Indexing Terms
- Architects and community
- Architectural drawings (visual works)
- Architecture -- Computer-aided design
- City planning
- Housing -- United States
- International Archive of Women in Architecture (IAWA)
- San Francisco (Calif.)
- Willis and Associates
- Willis, Beverly, 1928-
- Women -- History
General note
Some of the information in the scope and content note was taken from an independent appraisal of the collection.
Other Finding Aid
A file-level inventory of letter- and legal-size project records is available at the repository.
Container List
The Professional Papers series consists of material relating to Willis' participation in professional life including a curriculum vitae and articles/books written by Willis.
- General,1998 and undated
- box-folder 54|1
Curriculum Vitae,1998
- box-folder 54|2
Postcards of Willis paintings,undated
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Exhibit Notices:1990, 2001
- oversize Map Case 18/Drawer 1
Poster: 'Risk Factor 16: Going out on a Limb," sponsored by the Art Directors and Artists Club of Sacramento, Sacramento Community Center,1990
- oversize Map Case 18/Drawer 1
Flyer and clipping: Red Barn Atelier, "Forever Artists,"April 28-May 15, 2001
- oversize Map Case 18/Drawer 1
- box-folder 54|1
- Writings,1974-1994
- box-folder 54|3
Articles,1970-1979
- box-folder 54|4
Articles,1980-1989
- box-folder 54|5 folder: 6
Articles1990-1999
- box-folder 54|7
Book: "Invisible Images, The Silent Lanuage of Architecture,"1997
- box-folder 54|8
Book Proposal, "The Quest for Home," Beverly Willis and Nicolai Ouroussoff, [biography of Willis]ca. 1996
- box-folder 54|3
The Office Records series consists of materials relating to the day-to-day operations of Willis and Associates including financial and administrative records, clippings, presentation materials, media creation, and publicity photographs.
- box 36 folder: 48
Administrative and Financial Records,1958-1989
- Clippings,1962-1999
- box-folder 55|1
1960-1969
- box-folder 55|2
1970-1979
- box-folder 55|3 folder: 7
1980-1989 (5 folders)
- box-folder 55|8 folder: 10
1990-1999 (3 folders)
- box-folder 55|11
Undated
- box-folder 55|12 folder: 14
Book one, (3 folders)1976-1988Scope and Content
These files contain the contents of two large binders containing publicity materials and newspaper and magazine clippings compiled by Willis.
- box-folder 55|15 folder: 16
Book Two (2 folders)Scope and Content
These files contain the contents of two large binders containing publicity materials and newspaper and magazine clippings compiled by Willis.
- box-folder 55|1
- Media,1975-1985
- box 2
Beverly Willis, Architect, [Format: VHS, Running Time: 5:30],c. 1985
- box 2
CARLA: Original Script [Format: DVD-R, Running Time: 33:24]
- box 2
CARLA: Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis, [Format BetaCam SP, Running Time 33:24],June 23, 1975
- box 2
Invisible Images, The Silent Language of Architecture, project 0815 [Format: VHS]
- box 2
Yerba Buena Gardens, [Format: VHS, Running Time: 14:00],c. 1985
- box 2
Yerba Buena Gardens: A Design Concept [Format: DVD-R, Running Time: 16:15]
- box 2
Yerba Buena Gardens: A Design Concept, Project 0752, [Format: 16mm Film, Running Time: 16:15],1980
- box 2
- Public Relations,1975, 1988, and undated
-
Presentation material
- box 53
Environmental Impact (2 folders),1976
- box 53
-
Promotional material,
- box-folder 55|17
General
- box-folder 55|18
Architecture for the Arts brochure1971-1988
- box-folder 55|19 folder: 21
Eight Projects' presentation with project description and slide show also includes autobiographical essay 'Remembrances of the Past' (3 folders),1988
- box-folder 55|24
Professional Qualification brochure
- box-folder 55|22 folder: 23
Professional Profile and Firm Portfolio (2 folders)
- box 53
Firm Portfolio,1971-1981
- box-folder 55|17
-
- box-folder 55|25
Worksheet - 'Questions to ask about a place'
- box 1 folder: 35, 46, 49
Miscellaneous Project Records,1976-1986Scope and Content
This series is comprised of financial records, memos, job notes, letters of transmittal, correspondence, and other financial records. An inventory of file folders for these boxes is available here . Not arranged by project number or format.
- Presentation Materials,undated
- oversize Map Case 18/Drawer 1/Folder 3
Photographs (mounted) of various unlabeled projects
- oversize Map Case 18/Drawer 1/Folder 3
-
Project Files,map case box: 18 folder: 20, 23 box 1 folder: 35, 46, 49 1958-1998Scope and Contents note
Project Files span the period 1958 to 1998 and document projects ranging from private residences and residential developments to institutions, such as the San Francisco Ballet Association Building; and urban development projects, most notably the Yerba Buena Gardens project in downtown San Francisco. Also included are records and design documents for Aliamanu Valley New Town, a military base in Hawaii that was the first major project designed with CARLA, computer software for architectural design created by Willis, and sketches of unbuilt structures designed for writer Alex Haley.
The series is comprised of presentation drawings, slope analysis drawings, site plans, maps, cut-and-fill analysis plans, sketches, conceptual design drawings, construction drawings, as well as correspondence, research files, contracts, environmental impact statements and studies, financial records, and feasibility studies. There are records for more than 150 projects. Drawings are large folio, pen-and-ink or watercolor on paper, linen, or mylar. Some are heightened with color.
Arrangement noteA Summary of the Project Index. is listed below. Consult the Project Index. for location information.
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Project 0101: Warehouse Offices, Honolulu, Hawaii,1958Scope and Contents note
Drawing of entry into office suites in a concrete tilt-up building.
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Project 0131: Bank of Marin, Marin County, California,1963
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Project 0132: Corning Shopping Center,1959
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Project 0183: United Vintners Inc. Asti No. 1, Asti, California,1961Scope and Contents note
Master plan for grounds around entry, guard enclosure and fencing.
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Project 0228: Union Street Stores No. 2, San Francisco, California,1963Scope and Contents note
Design for an addition in rear of a commercial retail building in San Francisco.
-
Project 0229: Duc Elliot Builders, Foster City, California,1963Scope and Contents note
Design of apartment building. Unbuilt.
-
Project 0245: Campbell-Ewald No. 2, San Francisco, California,1964Scope and Contents note
Design, construction drawings and supervision for renovation of 560 Pacific Street office building in San Francisco. Converted from Barbary Coast whore house lodging.
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Project 0268: Volcano Schoolhouse, Volcano, California,1964Scope and Contents note
Design, construction drawings and supervision for renovation and restoration of an 1855 one-room school house into a 3-bedroom residence in Volcano, California.
Extended Description: A "ghost town" three hours from San Francisco, Volcano, California, was once home to 10,000 miners that worked the original mother-lode of the gold rush. When Willis first saw the deteriorating buildings in the early sixties, the town's one hundred residents survived on weekend tourist trade.
Built in 1855, a one-room schoolhouse with boarded up bell tower and crumbling foundations was redesigned by Willis as her personal weekend retreat. Gutting the interior, Willis created a two-story living area in one half of the space, and stacked a master bedroom suite over a small kitchen and two bedrooms in the other half. The boys and girls restrooms were converted to half baths, and the original wood flooring was sanded and stained.
The exterior was fully restored, including bell tower and stone foundations. A deck and swimming pool were added to the outdoor "playground," a modern contrast to the original merry-go-round and chin-up bars.
-
Project 0320: Adlaw Partnership, Oakland, California,1966Scope and Contents note
The project included the design and creation of construction drawings and providing supervision for office building facade and lobby renovation.
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Project 0336: Office Building Lobby Renovation, San Francisco, California,1966Scope and Contents note
Design, construction drawings and supervision for office building lobby renovation.
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Project 0377: Bayview Community Center A-1, San Francisco, California,1966Scope and Contents note
Conceptual design for renovation.
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Project 0378: Union Street Beautification, San Francisco, California,1966Scope and Contents note
Conceptual design for beautification of Union Street, including parking and street lighting and signage.
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Project 0383: Herrmann's Cost Plus Headquarters, San Francisco, California,1967Scope and Contents note
Interior design.
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Project 0387: San Mateo County Medical Society No. 2, San Mateo, California,1967Scope and Contents note
Design for new building that was not built because funds could not be raised.
-
Project 0421: Jackson Square, San Francisco, California,1967Scope and Contents note
Initial site plan analysis of Jackson Square building types within the proposed historical district.
-
Project 0424: Cooperage New Site Investigation,1967Scope and Contents note
Consulting for Cooperage new site investigation.
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Project 0480: Julius Castle Restaurant, San Francisco, California,1969Scope and Contents note
Interior Design for Julius Castle Restaurant.
-
Project 0507: Stanford University, Santa Rose, California,1969Scope and Contents note
Created customized floor plans and made design modifications suitable for classrooms.
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Project 0537: Alex Haley Residence, Yosemite, California,1970Scope and Contents note
Conceptual design and model. Unbuilt. (land sale corrupt)
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Speedspace Sales,1971Scope and Contents note
Contracts and Proposals.
-
Project 0563: Austin Estates,1971Scope and Contents note
Project required the architect to customize floor plans, make design modifications to standard mobile modular house and site multiple residences for Speedspace.
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Project 0570: Diamond Heights Townhouses,1971Scope and Contents note
Design, construction drawings and supervision for Diamond Heights Townhouses. Project filled a full block-area with common open space and children's play yards in the middle of the block.
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Project 0577: Pacific Point, Pacifica, California,1971Scope and Contents note
Site study.
-
Project 0594: Vine Terrace Apartments (also Nob Hill Court), San Francisco, California,1971Scope and Contents note
Design, construction drawings and supervision for a 48 unit apartment building.
Extended Description: Sited in downtown San Francisco, a major issue in the design of this 48 unit apartment complex was the need to create a quiet retreat sheltered from the noisy interference and potential dangers of urban life. An image of medieval cities with their protective walls was evoked in Willis' mind. At Nob Hill Court, the medieval wall becomes inhabitable space with a fortress-like facade. The building turns away from the threatening presence of the street to focus on a peaceful open air courtyard interior to the site. A two-story entry lobby with sweeping circular stair is carved from the parking garage that forms the base of the building and the private court.
Willis transforms the issue of security into a sense of permanency by maximizing the plan and volume of the primary living space of each unit. Large windows flood the interior spaces with light; door and ceiling moldings provide rich details that offer a textural contrast with the plaster walls. Fireplaces, a traditional symbol of home, contribute to the ambiance of warmth and serenity.
The facade of the building, reminiscent of a stone outcropping, is softened by the use of wood shingles. The mullioned patterns of the wood windows further reduce the scale, offering a degree of detail found in single-family homes.
-
Project 0599: Halsted's Funeral Home, San Francisco, California,1971Scope and Contents note
Design, construction drawings and supervision for minor renovation to Halsted's Funeral Home.
-
Project 0610: Union City/Regency Apartments, Union City, California,1973Scope and Contents note
Master planning for multi-family housing.
-
Project 0613: Paradise Cay, Marin County, California,1972Scope and Contents note
Master planning for a multi-family housing development.
-
Project 0623: Hayward Townhouses, San Marin, California,1972Scope and Contents note
Design, construction drawings and supervision for multi-family residences.
-
Project 0628: Pacific Point Condominiums,1972Scope and Contents note
Specifications and Details.
-
Project 0635: Crestview Falcon,1973
-
Project 0643: Hayward No. 2,1973
-
Project 0654: 12 Oaks Village,1974Scope and Contents note
Master planning and conceptual design for condominiums; unbuilt.
-
Project 0657: Mesa Hill No. 2, El Paso, Texas,1974Scope and Contents note
Master planning for multi-family housing; unbuilt. CARLA project.
-
Project 0660: Aliamanu Valley New Town, Honolulu, Hawaii,1975Scope and Contents note
Master planning for a multi-family housing development.
-
Project 0661: City of Freemont Courthouse,1975Scope and Contents note
Project papers: special processing, EIR.
-
Project 0663: Green Point Terrace Apartments,1975
-
Project 0664: Golden Gate Hospital,1975
-
Project 0667: Navoto,1975
-
Project 0669: School for Deaf Children (Special School EIR),1975-1976Scope and Contents note
Project papers; includes project information, reports, conceptual design, and loose drawings.
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Project 0670: Green Valley,1976Scope and Contents note
Contract file and expenses.
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Project 0671: Felson Townhouses, Fremont/High St. and Chapel Way,1976Scope and Contents note
Master planning for multi-family housing; unbuilt.
-
Project 0672: Harbor Bay,1976
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Project 0673: Pasadena City Hall,1976
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Project 0674: University Village Stores, Palo Alto, California,1976Scope and Contents note
Provided design, construction drawings and supervision for retail store front.
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Project 0675: Monterey/Poma Hicks, Monterey, California,1976
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Project 0676: IRS Computer Center Building Prototype,1976-1979Scope and Contents note
Design and construction drawings for the Internal Revenue Service. Expandable prototypical computer center building to be adapted and built on nine campuses. Unbuilt.
Extended Description: Designed by Willis in 1976 for the General Services Administration and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the project entailed the development of a prototypical computing center planned for construction on 9 regional complexes scattered throughout the United States. A totally flexible building, the hexagonal shape adapted easily to differing sites, the angular sides meshing with building configurations like a pinion and a wheel.
Capable of accommodating 1 to 4 levels, Willis' design incorporated energy conservation techniques, task and user-friendly lighting and work stations, and flexible distribution systems researched and developed as a portion of the design scope. The open-air courtyard at the center of the building increased the amount of natural light and air available to the occupants and provided a natural compliment to the technologically-driven building.
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Project 0677: Analysis of Computer Applications,1976Scope and Contents note
Planning of computer applications within office of construction.
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Project 0678: Farm House, Boise Cascade, San Ramon, California,1976Scope and Contents note
Master planning for farm house.
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Project 0679: Center Investment Site Investigation, Boise Cascade, San Ramon, California,1976Scope and Contents note
Master planning.
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Project 0681: 545 Mission Street, San Francisco, California,1976Scope and Contents note
Design, construction drawings and supervision for office building renovation to include architectural offices on 4th floor of 5 story building.
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Project 0682: Castro Street, San Francisco, California,1976Scope and Contents note
General Correspondence.
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Project 0683: Bush Street, San Francisco, California,1977
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Project 0684: Mormon Church Site,1977
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Project 0685: T Corners,1977Scope and Contents note
Master planning of multi-family housing and retail locations.
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Project 0686: Wolpert Ridge (Ponderosa Homes), Hayward, California,1977Scope and Contents note
Master planning for multi-family housing development.
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Project 0687: Neary Residence, Oregon,1977Scope and Contents note
Design.
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Project 0688: Galvin Residence,1977
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Project 0689: Menlo College Environmental Impact Report,1977Scope and Contents note
General Correspondence.
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Project 0690: Exxon Site, Richmond, CaliforniaScope and Contents note
Master planning.
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Project 0691: Silvarado Ranch, Almaden, California,1977Scope and Contents note
Master planning for a subdivision.
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Project 0692: Granite,1977
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Project 0693: Vasco Property/Hayward,1977
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Project 0694: 7th and D Streets, Scotts Valley, California,1977Scope and Contents note
Renovation of a government office building.
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Project 0695: Far Eastern Traders, San Francisco, California,1977
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Project 0696: Veterans Home,1977Scope and Contents note
Project Papers. Includes interior design requirements, product information, planning criteria for medical facilities, reports, job notes, and contracts.
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Project 0697: VA Computer Facility,1977Scope and Contents note
Implementation Plan for VA OAC Computer Application.
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Project 0698: Fremont Site Study, Fremont, California,1977Scope and Contents note
Environmental impact report for multi-family housing development.
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Project 0699: Valley Project,1977
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Project 0701: Singleton Property,1977Scope and Contents note
Project Papers.
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Project 0702: Cole Reed, Fremont, California,1977Scope and Contents note
Incoming correspondence, outgoing correspondence, memos, letters of transmittal, and job notes
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Project 0703: Oak Meadow, Los Gatos, California,1977Scope and Contents note
Master planning for multi-family housing development.
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Project 0704: Spinnaker Point
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Project 0705: Mission Palo Alto, San Mateo, California,1977
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Project 0706: Evans Products, Portland,1977
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Project 0707: Haight and Fillmore,1977Scope and Contents note
Unidentified project papers for a code analysis and feasibility study
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Project 0708: Haight and Fillmore Apartments, San Francisco, California,1977Scope and Contents note
Design; includes project papers for the Lippert/Haight St. Bar.
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Project 0709: Palos Verdes Property,1979
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Project 0710: T.K. Hall,1977Scope and Contents note
Unidentified project papers
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Project 0711: Inglenook Winery Wine Tasting Interior, United Vintners, Rutherford, California,1978Scope and Contents note
Design for the interior of wine tasting and retail rooms, and displays.
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Project 0712: Seamodal Transport Co.,1978
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Project 0713: San Francisco Airport Energy Study,1978Scope and Contents note
Bound volume, "Energy Conservation Design Criteria," and project papers, which include incoming and outgoing correspondence, general correspondence, meeting minutes, process planning, Q-1, step sheets, letter of transmittal, weekly action list, and contract information
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Project 0714: Kordestani,1978Scope and Contents note
General correspondence and project papers
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Project 0715: Lone Mountain College, San Francisco, California,1978Scope and Contents note
Consulting.
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Project 0716: Margaret Heyward Playground Building, San Francisco, California,1978Scope and Contents note
Project scope included design, construction drawings and supervision for a free standing building for small children. Building part of a large park with many different facilities.
Extended Description: The Children's recreational Center at the Margaret Hayward Playground Park was designed and executed in 1982. Located in a modest-income neighborhood in San Francisco, California, the layer facade -- reminiscent of the segmented shell of an armadillo -- unfolds from the corner of the constrained site toward the outdoor play equipment.
Willis designed the layers to act as theatrical backdrops, in an effort to encourage the children's imaginary performances and to allow for scalar shifts that accommodate both child and adult. A series of wide steps linking the playground and building entry create an impromptu thrust stage and child-sized seating area.
Approximately 1,200 square feet of internal area accommodates the main recreational playroom, administrative offices and various support services.
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Project 0717: Lowe, Pacifica, California,1978Scope and Contents note
Two folders of general correspondence, a folder of project information, and a folder of unidentified materials
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Project 0718: University California San Francisco,1978
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Project 0719: Soong Project,1978
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Project 0720: Ritchie & Ritchie,1978
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Project 0721: Haway-Haight Street,1978Scope and Contents note
General Correspondence
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Project 0722: Alameda Creek, San Francisco, California,1978Scope and Contents note
Design.
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Project 0723: Seamodal Warehouse Building, San Francisco, California,1978
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Project 0724: Fremont/Cole Reed Company,1978Scope and Contents note
General Correspondence.
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Project 0726: Ponderosa Homes,1978
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Project 0727: Master Planning, Vacaville,1978Scope and Contents note
Master planning.
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Project 0728: Thompson Associates,1978
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Project 0729: University of California San Francisco Nursing Building,1978Scope and Contents note
Project papers, including general correspondence, reference materials, a working drawing, details, a comparative feasibility study, and a conceptual estimate
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Project 0732: Pollard and Ralston Consulting, Hawaii,1979Scope and Contents note
Consulting.
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Project 0733: 2nd and Mission Street, San Francisco, California,1979Scope and Contents note
Project papers for an interior renovation.
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Project 0734: Myers Residence,1979Scope and Contents note
Project Papers.
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Project 0735: Pine Rock Apartments, Little Rock, Arkansas,1979Scope and Contents note
Provided design, construction drawings and supervision for renovation of 48 condominiums.
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Project 0736: Burnett Terrace Condominiums,1979
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Project 0737: Stevenson Project,1979
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Project 0738: McKinney Code Analysis,1979Scope and Contents note
Project Papers.
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Project 0739: Zeimar Office, Burlingame, California,1979Scope and Contents note
Consulting for a mixed-use development.
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Project 0741: Green Valley,1982
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Project 0743: Metcalf & Eddy,1980Scope and Contents note
Energy report and analysis and miscellaneous project papers that include pamphlets, books, and computer printouts
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Project 0744: Hodder Residence,1980
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Project 0745: Green Valley, Las Vegas, Nevada,1980Scope and Contents note
Master plan for a new town of 100,000 people.
Extended Description: By 1986, Green Valley -- an 8,400 acre planned community in the Nevada desert that would eventually house 100,000 residents -- had undergone sufficient development to support a small town- like commercial center. A 75 acre site adjacent to the Green Valley parkway was proposed for the Center. Willis executed a conceptual master plan for the site to accommodate phased development as future growth occurred. To provide a sense of community, Willis' plan proposed a full complement of retail, commercial, multi-family residential, entertainment, and recreational facilities.
Given the physical discomfort entailed by the hot, arid climate, Willis incorporated environmental design strategies to minimize the unpleasant effects. Pedestrian arcades, towers with wind-catchers, moisturizing sprays, and landscaped "greenwalls" all served to reduce the effective daily temperature. As a focal point, Willis created a village green that fronted a four-plex cinema, an ice skating rink, and a variety of cafes and restaurants, providing a casual spill-over space for leisure activities.
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Project 0748: San Francisco Wastewater Solids Study,1982
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Project 0749: Fassler,1980Scope and Contents note
EIR, Project Papers.
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Project 0751: Jesse St. Sub Station, San Francisco, California1980Scope and Contents note
Study plan to determine feasibility to locate the Developer's Project Office in the existing Jesse Street Sub-station space, which was a former utility building.
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Project 0752: Yerba Buena Gardens, San Francisco, California,1980-1981Scope and Contents note
Created a master plan and conducted conceptual design for 24 acres in downtown San Francisco. Project part of a redevelopment project called Yerba Buena - joint venture of Beverly Willis Architects and Zeidler- Roberts Partnership, Toronto, Canada.
Extended Description: Covering 24 acres--four city blocks--in downtown San Francisco, the Yerba Buena site was seen as a bridge that could extend the economic success of the financial and Union Street districts into the surrounding urban neighborhood ravaged by poorly conceived urban renewal projects. In 1980, the master plan put forth by the team of Beverly Willis Architects, Olympia & York, Ltd., the Marriott Corporation, and Zeidler-Roberts Partnership, Ltd. won an international competition for the site's development.
Consisting of 1,250,000 square feet of office space, a 1,500-room hotel, 250,000 square feet of retail, 350 apartments, and an exhibition and performance art complex, the master plan created transitions in scale, use, texture, access that seamlessly rewove the urban fabric into an integrated whole. Ground level components were reduced in size creating a comfortable pedestrian street-scape that negated the presence of the 'super block' towers. A series of open spaces, sited for maximum sunlight and minimal wind, further reduced the scale and offered a variety of outdoor environments.
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Project 0753: San Francisco Ballet Building,1981Scope and Contents note
Project entailed building design, construction drawings and construction supervision for a new 4 story, 96 foot-high building in San Francisco's Civic Center.
Extended Description: In the design of the building for the San Francisco Ballet Association, Willis was preoccupied with how the design could reflect the total fabric of a dancer's life. Located in the city's Civic Center, the site for the modest project of some 65,000 feet was surrounded by such monumentally-scaled buildings as the Opera House, Symphony Hall, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and City Hall.
To be compatible with the Civic Center's Neoclassical context, Willis used a tripartite horizontal ordering system derived from Renaissance principles on the facade. Breaking with classical tradition of symmetry, the entry was located on the corner, the curvilinear wall suggesting physical movement and offering a unique identity for the growing ballet company.
As the dancers were required to spend six hours per day in the facility, the desire for natural light and outdoor air is reflected in the interior. In the large airy spaces visually accessible to the outdoors, Willis developed a mirror system to provide unbroken images of lifts and jumps, as well as a fluorescent lighting system free of the stroboscopic wavering that causes dizziness during practice. The building includes rehearsal, instructional, and administrative spaces along with food service, locker rooms, and lounges.
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Project 0754: Yerba Buena Center Flowchart,1981
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Project 0755: Anderson Residence, San Francisco, California,1981
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Project 0757: Capitol Center,1983Scope and Contents note
Project papers; include photographs, reference and planning materials, correspondence, transmittals, and project study
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Project 0758: Anderson Residence, Midland, Texas,1981Scope and Contents note
Three books
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Project 0759: San Francisco Home Health Service Damp Proofing,1982
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Project 0760: San Francisco Home Health Service Life Safe Systems,1982
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Project 0761: Adult Day Care Center, San Francisco Home Health and Hospice Center,1982Scope and Contents note
Provided design and construction drawings
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Project 0762:1982
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Project 0764: San Francisco Home Health Service Elevator Replacement,1983
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Project 0765: Catalyst Financial Corporation, San Francisco, California,1983Scope and Contents note
Feasibility study
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Project 0766: Kohlenberg Residence, San Francisco, California,1983Scope and Contents note
Consulting.
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Project 0767: Capital Center,1981Scope and Contents note
Miscellaneous project papers; include contracts, consultant records, and invoices.
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Project 0769: Equestrian Center, MountHolyoke College, South Haley, Massachusetts,1983Scope and Contents note
Master planning for equestrian center, including center design. Unbuilt (couldn't raise funds).
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Project 0770: Brannan Street Renovation, San Francisco, California,1983Scope and Contents note
Project to convert existing warehouse into an office building. Design and construction.
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Project 0771: Post and Gough Building, San Francisco, California,1983Scope and Contents note
Design and construction drawing for converting a 1930s warehouse with neo-classical facade and building on top of it an additional seven floors of parking and office space. Unbuilt.
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Project 0772: Abbey Rents' Retail Building,1983Scope and Contents note
Renovation, design, and construction drawings for the Abbey Rents' building conversion into retail shops.
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Project 0773: Dixon Residence, St. Helena, California,1984Scope and Contents note
Consulting.
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Project 0774: Equestrian Condominiums, Washoe City, Nevada,1984Scope and Contents note
Conceptual design of residential condominiums around an equestrian center. Unbuilt.
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Project 0775: Sacramento Street Wine and Spirits,1984Scope and Contents note
Miscellaneous project papers; include contracts, consultant records, and invoices.
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Project 0776: New Front Street,1984Scope and Contents note
Two books
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Project 0778: Ventures IX, Fillmore Street, San Francisco, California,1984Scope and Contents note
Provided design and construction drawings for renovation and addition in order to create a mid-rise office building.
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Project 0779: Brannan Street Study, San Francisco, California,1984Scope and Contents note
Project entailed executing feasibility study for addition to existing building.
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Project 0781: Markborough Properties, San Francisco, California,1984Scope and Contents note
Project entailed conducting massing studies to reconfigure an existing design for a new office tower. Unbuilt.
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Project 0782: Laurel Heights Remodel,Scope and Contents note
Project papers, including contacts, consultants, and invoices
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Project 0783: Bulletin Building, Mission Street, San Francisco, California,1985Scope and Contents note
Feasibility study for retail uses.
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Project 0784: Third and Mission Street, San Francisco, California,1985Scope and Contents note
Conceptual massing project. Unbuilt.
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Project 0785: Alice Arts Center, Oakland, California,1985Scope and Contents note
Renovation design and construction drawings for converting an existing building into an arts center.
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Project 0786: 812 Mission Street, San Francisco, CaliforniaScope and Contents note
Lobby, corridors and elevator renovation design and construction drawings.
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Project 0787: Yerba Buena CenterScope and Contents note
Project included pen and ink mapping drawings of hotel site.
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Project 0790: Shown and Sons Winery,1986Scope and Contents note
Design, construction drawing, and other project papers for a new, free standing, winery and storage caves utilizing passive energy.
Extended Description: Behind the form of the winery, the aging sheds and the terrace lie images of the traditions common to wine-making throughout the centuries. Willis transforms these historical images into crisp contemporary form through the use of geometry and the incorporation of natural materials that respond to the agrarian
In the main building of the winery, the facade of vertical grain redwoods are fitted together like the staves of an oak cask, held rigidly in place by two large steel bands encircling the building under a tern metal roof. The golden mean proportion that governs the scale and relationships of the design encompasses a cylindrical cupola at the winery roof. The warm air of the California day is drawn upward, escaping through the cupola's perimeter vents.
To maintain the constant temperature required in the aging process, Willis designed the areas as "caves", determining through computer analysis the appropriate thermal mass for passive cooling. Supported by a timed intake fan rather than air conditioning, strict temperature criteria are met with reduced energy consumption.
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Project 0791
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Project 0792: Lorraine Legg Lobby
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Project 0794: Pool House Entertainment Center, Yountville, California,1987Scope and Contents note
Design, construction drawings and supervision of entertainment center and pool house project.
Extended Description: In designing a pool house to be located on an old campsite of the Wappa Indians, Willis responded to the owners' desire to preserve a rumored burial mound by reinventing a bit of history. Nomadic gatherers and hunters, the Wappa tribe had left little evidence of their cultural traditions or imagery. Through the use of universal mythical images -- such as the sun, eagle and sky boat -- Willis recreated the spiritual journey of the ancient tribe in stucco bias relief on the pool-house facade and through the design of a memorial sun marker.
Located beside an existing swimming pool, the pool house was designed to accommodate casual pool-side entertaining as well as the functional necessities of showering and dressing, Willis used the golden section to generate all parts of the building form, modulating the two squares of the floor plan with a trace of the roof to derive three distinct spaces. In the vaulted center section, sliding doors are pocketed into the walls, dissolving the boundaries between pool and house.
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Project 0795: Pat Ellison,ca. 1987
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Project 0796: Schneider Residence, St. Helena, California,1987Scope and Contents note
Design and construction drawings for renovation of a two-story house.
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Project 0797: 545 Mission Tower,1979
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Project 0798: Pam Hunter's Office,1987
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Project 0800: Bay Club at Yerba Buena Gardens,1987Scope and Contents note
Conceptual design for free standing building to be used as a fitness center. Unbuilt.
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Project 0801: World Wildlife Safari Park,1988Scope and Contents note
Project papers, including correspondence, research and notes, programs, contract, and invoices
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Project 0802: Anne Radice Apartment, Washington, D.C.,1987Scope and Contents note
Designed, developed construction drawings and supervised construction for interior design of apartment.
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Project 0803: San Francisco Opera,Scope and Contents note
Project papers, including fee negotiations and expenses, feasibility studies, contract, and invoices
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Project 0804: Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Rock Residence, San Francisco, California,1989Scope and Contents note
Consulting on interior refurbishing.
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Project 0805: Berkshire Festival Theatre,1989
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Project 0806: Rutberg Fine Arts Gallery,1990Scope and Contents note
Item labeled "Book 2"
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Project 0807: Manhattan Village Academy High School, New York, New York,1994-1998Scope and Contents note
Design Architect created innovative small school plan and introduced the Locus clustering concept.
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Project 0810: River Run, St. Helena, California,1983Scope and Contents note
Extended Description: The focus of the River Run property consisted of two small knolls nestled side-by-side overlooking the flat valley land and the Napa River. Entered by way of a nineteenth century stone bridge, a working vineyard of Chardonnay grapes surrounds the knolls, the first of which houses the remodeled estate gate house. In the field between the knolls were two barns, one of which Willis remodeled as a stable with full tack room and grooming area.
The farmhouse, imbued with the image of a Palladian villa, monumentally commands the second knoll along with a renovated guest house and pool. The grand semicircular staircase and the symmetrical facade contrast with the asymmetrical elements of the natural landscaping. The form of the portico recalls the colonnades of early Tuscany, their redwood material exuding a warmth not found in the stone and masonry of their historic counterparts.
The interior of the house is comprised of four "living centers" -- the public reception and entertainment area, the food preparation and relaxation area, the more private library and study area, and the fully private sleeping and bath areas. Sharing fireplace with the master bedroom, the master bath has a view of the pool that links the guest and main houses.
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Project 0811: Willis Residence, New York, New York,1991Scope and Contents note
Renovation and restoration of a 5-story 1856 brownstone with cellar [townhouse], of approximately 3,500 square feet for a living-working space for Beverly Willis. (The house was remodeled ca. 1955 and the original detailing and many walls were removed at this time.) Budget, $350,000.
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Project 0812: Bridges to Brooklyn High School, New York, New York,1994Scope and Contents note
Project to renovate and convert warehouse into school.
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Project 0813: Greenwich Apartment,1978
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Project 0814: Rosita Wall Table,1992Scope and Contents note
Design and construction of wall table.
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Project 0817: Promotional Book, Willis and Associates,ca. 1980Scope and Contents note
Miscellaneous brochures.
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This series spans the period 1972-1978 and documents the development of CARLA, Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis, by Beverly Willis, Eric Tiescholz, and Jochen Eigen. The system enabled architects to use computers to develop site plan design techniques more efficiently. It contains computer paper drive tapes of software program versions, a computer-punched paper drive of CARLA original film, flowcharts, videotapes, rough material for CARLA videotape, articles about computer-assisted analysis and mapping systems, computer manuals, and memos. Also included are Jochen Eigen's 1974 notes on interfacing CARLA with a computer mapping program.