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WILLIAM Sterling Hebbard came to San Diego near the end of the
1880 boom decade to design the power plant for the San Diego Cable Company. With
the contract for the powerhouse, he became the designated architect for a
company run by John Fisher, D.D. Dare and J.W. Collins. He arrived here with
many new ideas instilled within him from his college experience at Cornell
University and his apprenticeships with noted architects in Chicago and Los
Angeles. He stayed in San Diego through periods of prosperity and depression and
left a legacy not only to this city but California as well.
Hebbard's early use of sky lighting, abundant windows to admit
natural light from the exterior, and sophisticated ventilation systems
influenced many other San Diego architects. With his power plant he incorporated
mission style elements in his work. He made use of the Shingle Style of
architecture in San Diego when most architects were still designing Victorian
buildings. He employed stucco, adobe, arched windows and entries, pergolas,
columns, wainscoting and beamed ceilings in his buildings between 1890 and 1917.
He was the only San Diego architect appointed to the original State
Architectural Board by Governor Gage in 1901. A dedicated leader in his field,
Hebbard gave much of his time to civic, cultural and professional organizations
in the city which he called home for twenty-seven years.
Born in Milford, Michigan on April 16, 1863, Hebbard entered
a family that traced its roots back to Governor Bradford and the Puritans of
Massachusetts.1 He spent his early years in Michigan, then attended prep
school in Rochester, New York. After graduation, he traveled through Europe
taking note of its architectural opulence.2 He then attended Cornell University,
graduating from its School of Architecture in 1887.3 His professors, Charles
Babcock and Charles Osborne left indelible impressions on Hebbard's curious
mind. Babcock, the last surviving member of the architectural organization which preceded the A.I.A., specialized in
vaulting and ecclesiastical architecture, and had collaborated with Richard
Upjohn in New York on a number of churches before coming to Cornell.4 Charles
Osborne, a man of a different coat, had studied under Calvert Vaux, noted
landscape architect who had worked with Frederick Law Olmstead. He proved
innovative in his approach to all aspects of architecture.5
Under these men, Hebbard studied the basic architectural
curriculum at Cornell which included courses in Egyptian, Greek, Roman,
Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance and Modern architecture. Lectures on arches,
building materials and construction, acoustics, ventilation, strength of
materials and the mechanics of trusses fulfilled additional requirements for the
B.S. degree. He received high marks in his coursework which immersed him into
all facets and types of architecture known up until that time.6
Upon college graduation, Hebbard left New York for employment
as a draftsman with the famed firm of Burnham and Root in Chicago.7 He worked at
the Rookery, built by Burnham and Root, which exemplified the creativity of this
office. The building exhibited a totally American approach to architecture and
incorporated metal and masonry in its construction and the use of abundant
skylights which covered a two-story lobby. It featured Root's innovative
approach to architecture and lent further credence to his reputation as a man
"too original in his own artistic conceptions to form a style based on that of
any other architect." Hebbard absorbed Root's ideas and ideology and pursued his
search for the American architectural essence. Root influenced Hebbard greatly
with his varied eclectic building designs and his early focus on the Shingle
Style of architecture. Hebbard learned from Burnham and Root the basic elements
of the Chicago Style of architecture, exemplified best in the firm's Monadnock Building which featured the use of abundant bay windows and sixteen stories of
masonry bearing walls with innovative facade designs.8
Filled with Chicago's ideas, Hebbard left that city for Los
Angeles in 1888 where he worked as a draftsman for Curlett, Eisen and
Cuthbertson.9 He contributed to the Los Angeles County Courthouse, the major
project of this firm during that time, which incorporated modern English Gothic
and Richardsonian Romanesque features. A slate roof covered the structure which
was built of marble, granite, brownstone and sandstone.10 Work with this firm
proved sporadic, so William Cuthbertson often journeyed to the decaying missions
in the area to sketch them and develop a sense of early California architecture.11 Hebbard internalized Cuthbertson's feelings about the importance
of the mission style of architecture in this state. He would use the style in
his architecture in San Diego in later years.
Probably through a connection with Frank Van Vleck, a former
professor of engineering at Cornell, who built the cable road in Los Angeles and
engineered the cable road in San Diego, Hebbard received employment as a bona
fide architect to build the powerhouse for this system. Amidst much fanfare,
the project was completed on June 7, 1890. Hebbard's power plant
featured a structure built of brick with a pagoda-style hip roof, many arched
windows and an arched entry, reflective of the mission' style of architecture.12
With the completion of the powerhouse, Hebbard moved his
residence to San Diego and set up his office in Suite 20 of the Kuhn Building on
Fourth Street.13 He rapidly prepared drawings for other structures connected
with the cable railway. He designed the Pavilion located at the end of the cable
road on the bluffs overlooking Mission Valley. Made of frame with shingles, it
featured porches surrounding the entire structure which provided magnificent
views of the old mission and beaches. The slightly upturned roof gave it an
Oriental air, so that persons compared it to a Japanese tea house in later
years.14
Also in connection with the Cable Railway Company, Hebbard
built a three-story frame hotel on Fourth and Redwood for company employees.15
For the president of the company, D.D. Dare, Hebbard built, on Fifth and
Juniper, a magnificent three-story Sespe brownstone mansion of
Richardsonian Romanesque style, the only residence in Southern California up to that time made
of this rich clouded brownstone. Fresco work consisting of 18-inch borders and
centerpieces in each room was employed with wainscoting from different wood
types in most of the sixteen rooms. Stained glass windows added richness to the parlor, library, dining
room and stair-case landing. Towers made up a large part of the third story of
this $40,000 structure completed in 1890 and hailed as "one of the most costly
in Southern California."16
Hebbard's early work in San Diego reflected the architectural
upheaval experienced by many U.S. architects searching for the American
essence. Times rapidly changed and so did architectural styles. No longer could
a single format or style for commercial or residential structures be
established. Hebbard had been influenced by imaginative men like Charles Osborne
at Cornell, John Root in Chicago and William Cuthbertson in Los Angeles. He knew
every architectural style, but saw the coming trend: that no one could persevere
for long using only one design. Eclecticism or just downright innovative forms
could keep an architect employed. His power plant reflected an early mission
style feeling because of its simple design and arched windows and entry. His
Pavilion was Shingle Style with a Japanese touch, and the Dare mansion was heavy
Richardsonian Romanesque. He would continue to modify these basic architectural
styles, adding touches of his own as he progressed in his work in San Diego. He
used available California materials and kept in mind the heritage of the land
where he worked.
Hebbard's work with the Cable Railway Company caught the
attention of other prominent San Diegans interested in erecting residences in
1890. His buildings were concentrated in the Florence Heights and University
Heights areas, near the cable road. He used Shingle Style architecture, circular
porches, arched entries into rooms and three cornered bay windows in his
designs. Wainscoting and fresco detail figured prominently in his homes.17
On March 19, 1891, Hebbard became an associate with the Reid
Brothers in the First National Bank Building. In May of the same year, Hebbard
became the successor to the Reid Brothers' business when they left to establish
an architectural firm in San Francisco. With the inheritance of this firm,
Hebbard superintended the completion of the Keating residence in San Diego, the
K.H. Wade residence in Coronado and the erection of the Fisher Opera House on
Fifth Street in San Diego.18
Managing to design a few of his own structures, Hebbard spent
most of 1891 completing Reid Brothers projects. He drew plans for the William
Burch residence on Eighth and Ash which featured his first use of two building
materials on the exterior of a structure. He used brick on the basement and
finished the building above with wood. He remodeled the Florence Hotel with the
addition of a third story, the remodeling of the front porch, and the
installation of an elevator and various interior changes. He also pro-vided
extensive alterations to the L.S. McLure residence at 3204 H Street which
involved the addition of a second story and interior changes. He rendered
alterations to the Marston Store on Fifth and E, which included the addition of
a store room and the installation of a plate glass front.19
Work for Hebbard was slow in 1892, but in 1893, in the midst of a worldwide economic depression, he managed to design enough
buildings to be able to afford to marry. On September 9th of that year, he took
Jessie Miller, the eldest daughter of E.H. Miller, former San Diego County
Assessor and Recorder, as his bride in a quiet ceremony in Los Angeles.20
In addition to numerous residences constructed in Florence
Heights during 1893, Hebbard also designed the Ramona Town Hall which
incorporated the use of two different building materials in its exterior, brick
and adobe.21 He drew plans for his first church, the English Lutheran Church on
Second Street between A and Ash. This edifice, which resembled a Greek cross in
shape, also used two different building materials in its exterior construction,
brick up to the stained glass windows, then framed with shingled gables
throughout. He ornamented the tower above the arched entry with stone and brick
trimmings. This ecclesiastical building incorporating ideas from his mentors,
Charles Babcock, the vaulting expert at Cornell, and John Root, who experimented
with the Shingle Style in his church work, was heralded as the "most
artistically designed church building in this city."22
Business improved in 1894. In fact, Hebbard hired an
assistant, George A. Graves, from La Mesa, to help him with his heavy work load.23 A total of ten residences and cottages were designed for prominent San
Diegans during this year, including the Jesse Grant residence on Sixth Avenue by
the Park. Built in colonial design with multi-paned windows and siding on the
exterior, the residence found use as a summer home for Mr. Grant, the son of
U.S. Grant, the late president.24 Hebbard also supervised the remodeling of the Captain C.T.
Hinde home in Coronado. He basically covered the original structure, designed by
the Reid Brothers in 1887, with a new facade which changed the entire look of
this building.25
Two businesses designed by Hebbard during this same year,
included the F.F. Wright Block on Fifth Street and the Clemons Warehouse on
lower Fifth, both constructed of brick.26 This architect also drew plans for the
Cabrillo pavilion of frame and canvas, erected on the plaza to temporarily house
various shows planned for this annual celebration.27 Hebbard submitted in early
1894 a mission-style architectural design for the California Mid-winter
International Fair to be held that same year in San Francisco. Architects
throughout the state sent drawings for what was expected to be a sequel to the
World's Fair held in Chicago in 1893.28
Hebbard built his second church in 1894, the Christ Episcopal
Church in Coronado. Constructed of hand-hewn granite, with stone work done by
the San Diego firm of Simpson and Pirie on D Street, this magnificent
Romanesque-style structure still stands today and shows no time-worn scars."29
In 1896, in the midst of a slow work year, Hebbard created
his first mission-style religious edifice. He built the Unitarian Church on
Sixth between B and C Streets which bore a strong resemblance to the old
missions of California. He covered the outer church walls with paint which
enhanced their appearance. The notable features of the building included the
absence of any windows in the auditorium and the plan of ventilation.
Light during the day passed through eight skylights, an idea similar to Burnham
and Root's usage of skylights in the Rookery in Chicago. At night, three
chandeliers holding gas jets illuminated the interior. Gas jets were also used
as footlights on the platform when entertainment was presented in the building.
Fresh air filtered through a wire screen running around the building near the
ground. The ten inch opening admitted air between the center and inner walls to
a height of about six feet at which point it entered the room by a crown mold
with an inside inclined surface. The air escaped from the room through an
aperture nine inches wide at the ridgepole of the roof. Admitted through ninety
square feet of space, air escaped through 140 square feet of space. This mode of
ventilation completely offset the effects of drafts.30
Sometime during this architecturally inauspicious year,
Hebbard invited Irving Gill to join his firm, with offices established in the
Grant Block on Fifth Street.31 Hebbard introduced Gill to many architectural
styles and elements, including the mission style, the streamlined Shingle Style,
the use of arches, the focus on abundant lighting including the use of skylights
and multi-paned windows, new modes of building ventilation, the incorporation of
two different building materials on the exterior facades of structures, tiled
porch entries and roofs, sturdy Chicago-style commercial building designs and
much more. Touches reminiscent of old England, classical Rome and Greece often
crept into this firm's work, touches introduced by Hebbard because of his travel
in Europe and his coursework at Cornell. The partner-ship not only built
commercial buildings, but numerous residences, cottages, churches and other
structures from 1896 until 1907 when it dissolved.
In 1897, the firm designed the McKenzie, Flint and Winsky
Building on Fifth and K, better known today as the Old Spaghetti Factory.32 The
biggest project of that year involved the plans for Graham Babcock's new bath
house, Los Banos at D and California. Highlighted as a San Diego prototype of
the early mission revival style of architecture in California, it incorporated
a red tiled roof, two Spanish-style towers above the main entrance with
balconies of ornamental Spanish design with square pavilions at each corner. A
decorated archway marked the entrance in the center of the main swimming area
which was illuminated entirely by skylights. Components of this building such as
the skylights and mission style exterior resembled Heb-bard's earlier Unitarian
Church.33
Based on ideas from Chicago, 1898 proved to be an effective
year for the use of the craftsman Shingle Style of architecture, especially in
residences in Coronado. General Churchill's home, constructed originally near
the Hotel del Coronado, but later moved, exhibited the Shingle Style in two and
one half stories. Lots of windows and a prominent front bay window provided for
abundant natural lighting with wainscoting used throughout the interior. The
Mary Pratt-Lorini residence on Ynez Place, the Cossitt residence on Flora Avenue
and the Frank von Tesmar home on Star Park, all in Coronado, resembled the Churchill home in design. The
incorporation of wainscoting, abundant windows and the Shingle Style had been
used by Hebbard in other residences. The Ernest White House at 136 Redwood in
San Diego, constructed the same year, emphasized similar features.34
The biggest contract offered this firm during 1898 was for
the design of the State Normal School on Park and Normal Streets in San Diego.
Budgeted for a cost of $100,000, it promised to exceed any other building owned
by the state in exterior beauty and interior design. The ideas for this
building, borrowed from Burnham and Atwood's Chicago World's Fair Art Building,
reflected modifications to that structure based on San Diego's climate and
surroundings and the requirements of the Normal School's Board of Directors.
The plans, heavily influenced by Hebbard because of his study
of Roman and Greek architecture and his tenure with Burnham and Root, featured a
noble edifice severely classic in design. Because of Hebbard's past
concentration on abundant natural lighting and ventilation in his buildings,
the school was placed on the lot facing south so as to obtain maximum natural
lighting from the sun.35
An important civic and architectural contribution of Hebbard
involved his work in 1900 with Charles Lummis and the restoration of the Mission
San Diego de Alcalá. Lummis in 1895 had organized the Landmarks Club for the
purpose of preserving Southern California missions in San Fernando, San Juan
Bautista and San Diego. The choice of an architect for this job required that
the person be familiar with the mission style of architecture. Hebbard had used
this style in earlier buildings and was contracted by the Landmarks Club to
repair the mission. He did the job with no remuneration. His work involved
strengthening the walls by removing disintegrated pieces of adobe along the
bottom and sides and filling the weak portions of the walls with new material
and plaster. He protected the gable by covering it with cement. The low
remaining walls were preserved with a short tile pent roof placed on top.36
From 1898 until the dissolution of the Hebbard and Gill
partnership, various residence designs exhibited half-timbering on the upper
stories with a distinct English cottage effect. As Hebbard had done before, two
distinct types of building materials covered the exteriors of these structures
and a concentration on the abundance of multi-paned windows was featured.
Extensive woodwork covered the interiors. The Stephens-Terry home at 711 A in
Coronado, the Waldo Waterman cottage on Hawthorne in San Diego, and the
Richards-Dupee mansion on Ocean in Coronado all exhibit this type of
ar-chitecture.37
Three distinctively different churches were planned by this
firm during the early part of the nineteenth century. The El Cajon Presbyterian
Church, erected in 1903, exhibited a simple Shingle Style structure with a shake
shingle roof. It incorporated many windows for abundant interior lighting, the
use of arches in the plain plastered interior, and except for the presence of a
short bell tower, resembled a simple residence in shape and appearance.38
The Church of Christ Scientist at Third and Ash in San Diego,
built in 1906, showed a totally innovative approach to the ecclesiastical
architecture. Featuring a hint of old England with a heavy influence of Spanish
mission revival style, the structure emphasized low sweeping gables and clinker
brick paneled sides between the red brick buttresses of the outside walls. Glass
paneled doors opened into a half-timbered auditorium with the over-crossing of
braces and beams securely drawn together by iron bolts. All the woodwork was
flush with golden brown plastered walls.39
The third church, the First Methodist at Ninth and C, also
erected in 1906, displayed a style vastly different from anything this firm had
done or would do again. It embodied a modern approach to the Gothic style of
architecture featuring buttressed walls with a foundation constructed of Santee
granite up to the window sills, cherry red brick above the window sills, with
rich stained glass windows prominent throughout. The central portion of the
church rose two stories in height with lighting enhanced by a large skylight
overhead, Oregon pine woodwork adorned the interior with walls tinted in bronze
and golden russet tones. As there were no chandeliers, light either entered
through the clear windows on the south and west, the skylights, or through
electric lights concealed along the balcony or the rims of beams underneath.40
Starting in 1902, Hebbard and Gill erected the first of many
modest cottages in the Florence Heights and University Heights areas. The
Johnson Puterbaugh cottage at 2970 Quince Street was a prototype of these one to
one and one-half storied buildings which exhibited exteriors covered with
shingles and featuring lots of multi-paned windows to admit abundant light to
all rooms. The projecting eaves sheltered carved beams underneath.41
Also early in the twentieth century, this firm began
utilizing arches and solid stucco finish in the exteriors of their homes. They
reflected the quiet simplicity of the California mission style. Buildings
constructed in 1905 and 1906 emphasized simple two-story structures with wing
projections, many multi paned windows and arched entries. Pergolas, terraces,
roof gardens, sleeping porches and lots of plants were frequent additions. The
firm's work seemed to bring nature into their dwellings. Thin wall construction
was apparent in many of their buildings. In addition, these structures featured
low-pitched roofs and interiors that contained slab doors, flush detailing,
brass door and window hinges, and heavy columns to support porches, terraces and
entries.
The Katherine Teats, Alice Lee and Mary Cossitt houses on
Seventh Street near Upas stylized open planning, multi-projecting wings, arched
alcoves and entries. The Lee and Treats cottages, connected by long pergolas,
included slab doors, flush detailing and brass door and window hinges as
integral parts of their interiors. Will Hebbard's own home built in 1905 at
Third and Olive featured a stucco exterior with a heavy timber cornice, an open
terrace supported by heavy cement columns, a brick tiled roof and a
conservatory. An arched entry led into the living room of his home.42
Commercial and apartment buildings reflected these new
innovations as well as added others. The Crane Brothers Hotel, built in 1907 on
Fifth Avenue between B and C Streets displayed a three-story structure with the
first floor devoted to a restaurant and kitchen which concentrated on
sanitation. Both the floor and wainscoting, constructed of cement, allowed the
interior to be flushed with a hose, thus removing all danger of infectious
vermin. The kitchen contained steam tables and up-to-date appliances with
lighting and ventilation accomplished by means of a skylight in a central court.
A large inner court ran down to the second story, reminiscent of the Rookery in
Chicago where Hebbard first worked as a draftsman. A palm garden on the floor
space in the court over the restaurant brought nature and greenery into the
building design. The exterior of the building, constructed of cream pressed
brick, displayed quoins and arches of dark buff bricks.43
The Edwin Wells Apartment House on Eleventh, also constructed
in 1907, exhibited a two-story building with five large, airy rooms on each
floor. Three-inch walls enclosed the modern, sanitary dwelling built for
strength and compactness. Flush with the plaster, the interior finish eliminated
the interstices that attract insects.44
During 1906, Frank Mead joined the firm of Hebbard and Gill.
Harry Vaughn gained employment as a draftsman that same year. In June of 1907,
after eleven successful years together, the partnership of W.S. Hebbard and I.J.
Gill dissolved, with Gill and Mead leaving the practice and setting up offices
in other rooms of the Grant Block, and Hebbard, with draftsman Vaughn retaining
the offices of the firm.45
Hebbard practiced architecture independently in the Grant
Block from 1907 until 1917. Harry Vaughn remained as Hebbard's draftsman until
1916 when he left to work for Carleton M. Winslow, Sr.46
Hebbard employed many of the ideas previously used in his
building designs such as multi-paned and tiered windows, exterior finishes which
featured two different building substances, pergolas, porches and terraces,
stucco, half-timbering, wainscoting and beamed ceilings, wide eaves, heavy
timbered cornices, curved roof beams and brackets, and a concentration on
bringing nature into his work. His building styles varied and sometimes bordered
on the eclectic. He did not carry a single style of architecture into all of his
creations. His architecture changed with the times, the purpose and his clients.
He was always open to new ideas and innovations in his work.
St. Paul's Rectory built in 1908 at Fourth and Nutmeg,
featured two stories with an attic constructed of brick up to the bottom of the
first story windows, then stucco with half-timbering up through the second
story. The wide front porch, made of brick, was covered with a rounded wooden
overhang. Hebbard planned for sunny exposures through multi-paned windows in
the living and sleeping rooms. The downstairs rooms contained beam ceilings and
wainscoting. Other additions included a fireplace set in an inglenook, a
built-in buffet in the dining room, a private porch off the rector's study with a special entry and a second story
balcony opening from one of five bedrooms providing an outdoor sleeping room if
desired.47
The Charles Fox residence, built in 1908 at 3100 Brant
Street, also exhibited two stories and an attic and basement. The exterior was
covered entirely with cement stucco. The interior rooms displayed paneling with
stained pine and hardwood floors. The house incorporated many windows with small
panes at the top evolving into large single glass sections which covered two
thirds of the window. The broad roof featured wide eaves, a heavy wooden cornice
and carved projecting wood beams. Two heavy cement columns supported the roof
over the wide terrace leading into the main entry. An abundance of plants
surrounded the exterior of the residence enhancing its beauty. A spacious
conservatory added a feeling of warmth to the first level.48
The H.B. Hakes home at 611 A in Coronado had similar
characteristics to the Fox residence and St. Paul's rectory. It was constructed
of clinker brick up to the level of the first floor window sills; then stucco
and modified Tudor half-timbering for the upper portion of the structure. The
interior beam ceilings and wainscoting were created from redwood, as were the
staircases, which included a hidden stairway leading to the basement. The main
entrance, reached through a broad terrace constructed of cement, was covered
with a pergola. The terrace ran the entire width of the east side of the house
from which an excellent view of the bay and mountains was obtained. The windows
and beamed roof were similar to those of the Fox home.
The Harry Gregg residence on Front and Thorn displayed an
innovative approach to architecture, resembling some of the earlier Hebbard and
Gill experimental stucco forms. It had a flat roof and plastered exterior. The
en-trance extended through a pergola-covered terrace. The two-story structure
had single-storied wings on either side. The living room comprised the central
portion of the house and opened to a rear court through French windows. The
west upper wing contained a roof garden. Notable features of this residence
included beam ceilings within the home, a buffet in the dining room, and the
kitchen, created as a "model of convenience," contained buffet cupboards and a
stove hood to carry off all fumes of cooking.50
The E.J. Swayne residence on Second and Nutmeg exhibited a
conglomerate of architectural forms. The building, constructed in 1911, had a
colonial air, featuring the use of brick up to the second story with stucco
continuing up to the roof. Green tinted half-timbering covered gables and dormer
windows. Unique details included a sleeping porch, a second floor piazza, and
brass hinged multi-paned windows of heavy plate glass with screens of Stork
patent variety which slipped up and down, balanced by weights and removable from
sight when windows were closed. Lots of closet space included cedar wood-work
and ceiling ventilators. The interior wainscoting utilized Hanford cedar. The
living room exhibited the first onyx mantel and fireplace in a San Diego
residence. The library fireplace, equipped with a patented stove, heated an upstairs bedroom as well as the library. The house was
planned with a hot air system of heating with the furnace in the basement.51
In 1913, Hebbard designed two elegant Mediterranean-style
residences for Mrs. H.L. Sefton and her son, J.W. Sefton, in Point Loma.
Arranged on a fifteen-acre tract, the structures featured massive buildings made
of stucco with tiled roofs. Both residences contained many multi-paned windows,
wide expansive gardens, balconies at upstairs windows, porches, and in Mrs.
Sefton's residence, an overhang above her entry terrace supported by simple
stucco columns.52
The Baker-Fitch residence on Ocean Boulevard in Coronado
presented another notable creation of this architect. Constructed in 1915, this
home resembled a stunning English country cottage. A corridor connected the
six-teen rooms of the main residence with an auxiliary structure. The principal
dwelling also featured two stories, an attic and a basement. The first story was
of brick and the second was covered with brown shingles. Green shingles capped
the gabled roof. Each upstairs guest room had a balcony. All rooms featured
telephone connections and every main room faced the ocean. Seven furnaces were
installed in the basement to heat the building.53
In addition to mansions, Hebbard also created
moderately-priced homes and cottages. The F.H. Blankenburg residence built in
1908 on Eighth near Pennsylvania featured a modest one-and-one-half storied
house made of frame with exterior broad eaves. Wide carved brackets and several
wide windows complemented the design. Stained pine wainscoting covered the
interior.54
Several small Ocean Beach Park cottages were planned by
Hebbard in 1909 such as the George L. Birney, J.B. McKie, M. Hall, and C.W. Fox
cottages. All incorporated single stories, the exterior use of stucco, and had
abundant multi-paned windows to admit maximum light.55
Hebbard designed the A.T. Crane flat building in 1911 on the
west side of Fifth near Upas. Built of stucco with a wide overhanging roof
supported by heavy timbered brackets, the structure displayed a cornice also of
heavy timber material. The building consisted of two five-room flats, one on
each of the two floors. Each had a separate entrance from a recessed porch with
concrete floors and steps. Tile fireplaces graced the living rooms, and the
dining rooms featured wainscoting with plate rails and buffets. Each unit had a
sleeping porch with a reversible wall bed constructed in such a way that it
could be used either in the chamber or on the porch.56
Constructed in 1913, the only remaining hotel of Hebbard's
design in San Diego, the Maryland Hotel, on F, Sixth and Seventh Streets,
emphasized a six-storied structure called "one of the most modernly equipped in
San Diego." It was the only hotel in San Diego to have connecting baths with all
295 rooms, telephones and clothes closets. Its exterior construction of steel
and brick was finished with Tracy Tapestry brick set in wide recessed joints
with trimming of ornamental stone. Each floor contained a number of individual
balconies. The building, heated with steam throughout, was cleaned by a built-in vacuum system.57
Hebbard's churches during this time period reflected Spanish
Renaissance design. In 1910, he designed two religious structures, the Logan
Heights Congregational Church on Sampson and Kearney, and the new Unitarian
Church on Sixth and Beech.
The Congregational Church featured a Spanish Renaissance
style mixed with the simplicity of the Mission Revival style embodying stucco
and rough plaster on its exterior. A wide cement walk led to the main entrance.
The building, two stories in height, contained a basement in the rear. The
en-trance, comprised of a broad stairway through three archways, led into an
open vestibule.58
The Unitarian Church, a prime example of Spanish Renaissance
architecture, was two stories in height with a square tower on the southwest
corner. Cement stucco on metal lath covered the exterior. A red tiled roof
covered the church, and the main entrance featured an arched opening into a
court with a fountain. Large sliding doors moved easily between the auditorium
and Sunday school so the two rooms could be joined for a combined seating
capacity of 1000.59
In 1912, Hebbard and Carleton M. Winslow, Sr., designed the
All Saints Episcopal Church on Sixth and Pennsylvania. The church displayed an
exterior also of Mission Revival and Spanish Renaissance design. The original
chapel, moved to the southeast corner of the grounds, gained connection to the
new structure by an arcade enclosing a garden with a churchyard cross in the
middle. The nave or auditorium seated up to 500. The position of the pulpit,
high on the north wall of the nave, separate from the choir, imitated the
mission church pulpit arrangement.60
Hebbard and Winslow collaborated again in 1916 to design the
University Club headquarters on Seventh between A and Ash. The four-storied
structure, Spanish Renaissance in style, had a plain stucco exterior, relieved
on the first floor by Spanish rejas or grilles, and on the second floor by a
wide balcony upheld by cement pillars. The interior featured plain plaster walls
and arched room entries.61
Commercial buildings designed by Hebbard often embodied
neo-classical styles. Built of reinforced concrete in 1910, the Union Title and
Trust Company on Second between C and D Streets, incorporated two Doric columns
on either side of the front entrance. The two-storied ornate building exhibited
a marble tiled first floor.62
Hebbard also planned the Southern Title Building on Third
Street next to the Union Building in 1913. Built also of reinforced concrete,
this six-storied structure was not as ornate as the Union Title building. It
displayed two plain columns at the entry level and five columns on the sixth
story with a balcony behind. Marble covered the first floor as it did in the
Union Title structure.63
In addition to contributing an enormous number of buildings
to San Diego and outlying areas, Hebbard also devoted an incalculable amount of
time and energy to the improvement of his profession and the city and state
where he lived and worked during this time.
Professional organization involvement consumed much of his
time from the turn of the twentieth century up until 1918. Hebbard was appointed
one of the ten founding members of the California State Board of Architecture
by Governor Gage on May 28, 1901. The only representative from San Diego, his
license number A9 indicated that he was the ninth person to be certified as a
bona fide architect in California. The Board of Architectural Examiners, created
in 1903, of which Hebbard was an integral part from that year until 1919, was
divided into northern and southern districts. These areas ad-ministered laws
governing the practice of architecture in California and by examination granted
licenses to practice the profession in the state. Elected vice-president of the
Board in 1916, Hebbard assumed the presidency in 1918.64
Very active with State Board activities and meetings, Hebbard
in 1906 traveled to San Francisco f or a State Board meeting to discuss and
investigate San Francisco buildings after the earthquake and fire to determine
what class of structure best withstood these cataclysmic conditions.
When he returned home after assessing the damages, he issued the following
statement to the press, "One result of the San Francisco disaster is the
demonstration that steel frame buildings, when properly constructed will stand
both earth-quakes and fire. This does not mean that all the steel frame
buildings in San Francisco withstood the recent fire." He continued by
explaining that "in most cases they were surrounded by a furnace of burning wood
frame buildings, but that most of them were unaffected by the earthquake and
would have escaped the fire if that kind of construction had been general over
the city."65
Hebbard lamented the horrible devastation of San Francisco.
He described the wreckage of city hall and debated whether its disintegration
occurred from faulty construction or because of its location on the fault line.
He examined the cracked terra cotta facing and stone work on the Fairmount
Hotel on Nob Hill built by the Reid Brothers, but stated the building held firm
throughout the disaster because of the steel frame.
Hebbard continued, "Buildings of reinforced concrete have the
advantage over those of other forms of construction in case of earthquake and
fire. Besides being one solid and almost indestructible mass, the concrete is
elastic and does not crack."
This architect felt that San Francisco would benefit by the
recent terrible experience and would rebuild more carefully. The State Board
meeting during this year issued the first report after city inspection. The
members, concerned that a great influx of amateur architects would invade this
city from other states to capitalize on the situation, wanted to force all
incoming architects to take and pass the California licensing exam if they
wanted to practice architecture in this state.66
In 1907, Hebbard attended the annual session of the Northern
and Southern District branches of the State Board also held in San Francisco.
Hebbard, the only San Diego representative, met with such notable architects as
Frederick Roehrig, Octavius Morgan, Sumner Hunt, William Curlett, Albert Pissis,
Merritt Reid, James Reid and Bernard Maybeck. Heb-bard and Hunt were the two
trustees for the Southern District.67
Hebbard in 1910, attended a joint meeting of the State Board
of Architecture and the California chapter of the American Institute of
Architects in Pasadena. The members were entertained with an auto ride through
the orange groves. Hebbard spoke at this meeting on the "Panama-California
Exposition."68
In addition to work with the State Board of Architecture,
Hebbard actively participated in the A.I.A. of Southern California as a charter
member, president and fellow.69
Will Hebbard, one of the founding members of the San Diego
Architectural Association in 1910, became president of this group at its first
meeting and remained in that capacity until 1913. This organization sought to
promote "good fellowship, artistic, scientific and practical
efficiency of the profession and kindred arts." When Hebbard left the
presidency, J.B. Lymon, the incoming top officer, praised his involvement with
the group. He emphasized that "It is owing to the efforts of Mr. Hebbard
that the organization had been placed on a firm foundation. It is now hoped that
during the coming years the association will widen its scope to become a potent
factor in the up building of this city." The association had grown to twenty-five
certified members by 1913.70
Hebbard felt a commitment to the city which he called home
for twenty-eight years. He was an early member of the Chamber of Commerce,
joining it before the turn of the twentieth century.71 He also served on the
Civil Ser-vice Commission from 1915-1916.72
Will Hebbard gave much of his time to social organizations
that emphasized association with college graduates. In 1898, he was one of the
founding members of the Pan-Hellenic Society of San Diego, comprised of
twenty-one members of various Greek college fraternities. Hebbard represented
Alpha Delta Phi fraternity. At the group's first banquet on April 13, 1898, at
the Brewster Hotel, Hebbard, along with other San Diego notables such as Jesse
R. Grant, E.E. Nutt, Dr. Fred Baker, G.H. Hazzard and Harry Morse "spent a
delightful evening with reminiscences and songs."73 In addition to the
Pan-Hellenic Society, Hebbard maintained a lifelong membership in the Cornell
University Club of Southern California.74
In 1907, Hebbard along with Edgar A. Luce and Frank von
Tesmar, reorganized the floundering University Club of San Diego. They changed
it to an organization to which all male college alumni were eligibile. In 1909,
the University Club was formally incorporated as a bona fide organization with
Hebbard, Luce, E.L. Hardy, Julius Wangenheim and D.D. Whedon writing the rules
and by-laws. In 1911, Hebbard assumed the presidency of this organization.75
That same year, Hebbard formed a committee which included
Ernest White, R.C. Allen, Theodore Barnes and others to discuss ideas for the
design and erection of permanent club quarters to replace the rented mansion
they had occupied since 1909. Their ideas culminated in the building in 1916 of
the Spanish Renaissance style clubhouse on Seventh Avenue.76
Hebbard's mastery of his profession, not only through the
construction of buildings, but his contributions to the art of architecture as a
whole, led him into the United States Army as a consultant for military
shipbuilding and design in 1918.77
Hebbard supervised military vessel construction in Vancouver,
Washington, as Assistant Superintending Engineer of the Army Transport Service.
Records state that Hebbard served also in Chateau Thierry, France; Seattle,
Washington; Governors Island, New York and Charleston, West Virginia. February
10, 1922 was the architect's date of discharge.78
After leaving the military, Hebbard resided in Los Angeles and practiced architecture independently in the Hellman Building at 124
Fourth Street in that city until 1930.79 He designed professionál buildings in
downtown Los Angeles, the Leland School in San Pedro, the Figueroa Theatre in
Los Angeles and numerous residences in Hollywood.80
In 1930, Hebbard had slowed down with his architectural work
and civic and professional involvements. He was sixty-seven years of age, and
his health and eyesight were Failing. Seeking rest and recuperation as well as
the company of his daughter, Mrs. Dorothy Carstarphen, Hebbard journeyed in
August of that year to Coronado. The healthful San Diego climate apparently came
too late for a man with advanced health problems. Hebbard succumbed to a cardiac
arrest at Tent City on Coronado Beach on August 24, 1930.81
Will Hebbard left a legacy, not only to San Diego but to the
State of California and the U.S. Government as well. His constant desire to
improve his knowledge was reflected not only in his buildings but in his
professional and civic contributions. He studied every facet of architecture
known in the 1880s, then continued his education with apprenticeships under
innovative architects in Chicago and Los Angeles. Hebbard adapted to his
California homeland and constantly sought to improve his work and shape it into
more modern architectural forms.
He employed the Mission Revival style of architecture in San
Diego long before other architects used this style borrowed from the old
Franciscan missions. He was a mastermind at creating efficient lighting and
ventilation systems in his buildings. He employed beautiful woods in his
building interiors through the usage of wainscoting and beam ceiling work. He
constantly modernized his work, producing buildings that of ten seemed created
before their time. He was one of the founding members of the California State
Board of Architecture which sought to improve the practice of architecture
within the state and encourage only the best trained architects to work in that
field. He gave tirelessly of his art and time to improve his environment. He
worked until his life gave out, but his monuments and ideas still linger.
NOTES
1. Hebbard's birth information is provided in Men of California (Los Angeles: Western Press Reporter, 1926), page 214, and in
his Deceased Alumni Records from Cornell University, file #41/2/877.
2. See Men of California, page214, and
the American Art Annual, Vol. XXI, (Washington: The American Federation of
Arts, 1924), page 221.
3. See Deceased Alumni Records. Cornell University created
its School of Architecture in 1870 following M.I.T. which established the
first architectural school in the United States in 1868. See William D. Hunt,
Jr., Encyclopedia of American Architecture, (New York: McGraw Hill Book
Co., 1980), page 156, for further details about American architectural
schools. Hebbard was a member of Alpha Delta Phi fraternity and was coxswain
of the freshman crew.
4. Charles Babcock (1829-1913) was the last surviving
member of the 13 architects who founded the first architectural organization
in the United States, the forerunner of the A.I.A. He was born in Ballston
Spa, New York, and was educated at Union College in Schenectady, New York,
graduating in 1847 with an A.B. degree. He began his study of architecture in
New York in 1853, as a student in the office of the noted ecclesiastical
architect, Richard Upjohn, and remained five years, marrying Upjohn's
daughter and later becoming a partner in the firm of Richard Upjohn and
Company. In that association, he collaborated on the plans of a number of
churches, notably Christ Church at Ballston Spa, New York, St. James Church at
Greenwood, New York, and the rectory of St. Paul's Church at Troy. In 1858,
Babcock retired from the practice of architecture and became an Episcopal
minister. In 1871, he went to Cornell as Dean and Director of the College of
Architecture, as well as Professor of Architecture, and remained in that
position until 1897, when he became Professor Emeritus. He designed the Sage
Chapel on the Cornell Campus in 1874. See Henry F. and Elsie R. Withey,
Biographical Dictionary of American Architects (Deceased), (Los Angeles:
New Age Publishing Co., 1956), pages 27-28; and Kermit Parsons, The Cornell
Campus, A History of Its Planning and Development, (Ithaca: Cornell
University Press, 1968), pages 60-61. Babcock wrote a number of books on
architecture and vaulting including A Series Upon Elementary Architecture, (New York, 1877), and Vaulting, (New York, 1884), and several
articles on vaulting.
5. Charles Francis Osborne joined the Cornell architectural
faculty in 1881. He was a former student of Calvert Vaux, well-known architect
and landscape designer. See Parsons, The Cornell Campus..., page 138. He
planned Morse Hall on the campus in 1888 which was a massive red brick
structure, schoolhouse-like, hip-roofed with dentils extending under the
eaves, and his innovative Dairy Building was completed on the Cornell campus
in 1893. It was made of stone with delicately arched windows, a tile roof,
with dentils extending under the eaves, and a columned, gabled porch which was
said to look like the "Grand Entry" of William H. Miller's McGraw-
Fiske
mansion. See Parsons, The Cornell Campus..., pages 149 and 179.
6. The Registrar's Records, Cornell University, file
#36/1/630 lists Hebbard's coursework as well as his marks.
7. Hebbard's employment with Burnham and Root of Chicago is
mentioned in Withey, Dictionary of American Architects..., page 275;
the American Art Annual, page 221; and Men of California, page
214.
Daniel Hudson Burnham (1846-1912) studied architecture with
William LeBaron Jenney in 1868. In 1869, he entered the office of John Val
Osdel and Gustave Laudreau. In 1872, he entered the firm of Carter, Drake and
Wight whose head designer, Peter Wight, broadened his scope of architecture.
He met Root in this office.
John Wellborn Root (1850-1891) attended Oxford College-,
City College of New York. As a student he entered the office of James Renwick.
He later went to work for Peter Wight in 1871, after the Chicago great fire.
In 1873, Burnham and Root formed a partner-ship. Burnham was the office
manager and client relations man complementing Root who was the sensitive and
imaginative designer. They ultimately established their offices in the
Rookery, a building they designed in 1885. Root was compared to Sullivan
because of his innovative designs and had looked forward to the World's Fair
in Chicago in 1893, but his untimely death in 1891 halted further expression
of his designs. For further information about Burnham and Root, see Hunt,
Encyclopedia of American Architecture, pages 63-66; Withey,
Biographical Dictionary..., pages 97 and 525; and Frederick Koeper,
American Architecture, Vol. 2, 1860-1876, Cambridge: M.I.T. Press, 1983),
page 139.
8. More vivid descriptions of the Rookery, Monadnock
Building and Root's usage of the Shingle Style of architecture are contained in
Koeper, American Architecture..., pages 246-249, and Marcus Whiffen,
American Architecture Since 1780, (Cambridge; M.I.T. Press, 1981),
pages 139 and 188.
9. Hebbard's employment as a draftsman with this firm is
mentioned in American Art Annual, page 221, and the Los Angeles
City and County Directory, 1888-1890.
William Curlett (1845-1914) was born in Ireland, studied
art and architecture for two years in Manchester, England, spent three years
in art school in Belfast. In 1871, he worked for Augustus Laver in San
Francisco. He married Celia A. Eisen in 1873. He built residences for L.J.
Rose, Ex-Governor Markham, Col. Dan Freeman, Mrs. Mark S. Severance in Los
Angeles. He was one of the ten original members, as was Hebbard, of the State
Board of Architecture, serving as its president in 1912. He was a fellow of
the American Institute of Architects. For further information see A History
of California, (Los Angeles: Historic Record Co., 1915), page 363.
Theodore Eisen (1852-1924) was born in Cincinnati, Ohio,
came west as a young child and settled in San Francisco. He learned
architecture through the offices of leading architects of his day. The Orphan
Asylum a( Boyle Heights in Los Angeles was considered his most important work.
See Withey, Biographical Dictionary..., pages 194-195, for further
details.
William Cuthbertson (1850-1925) was a native of England and
came to San Francisco under the administrations of Mayor Phelan and Mayor
Schmitz. He maintained a San Francisco residence throughout his working life
and was active in San Francisco architecture after the 1906 earthquake and
fire. See Withey, Biographical Dictionary..., page 156.
The firm of Curlett, Eisen and Cuthbertson was formed in Los Angeles in the
Downey Block in 1887 and lasted until 1890.
10. The firm worked on the Los Angeles County Courthouse
during the years 1887-1890. The Los Angeles Times of May 13, 1887, page
8, mentioned this firm as being located in both Los Angeles and San Francisco.
The courthouse was built on Fort and New High Streets and was of an English
Gothic, Richardsonian Romanesque conglomerate style. There was a tower over
the entrance on Fort Street whose top was 176 feet from the ground. A circular
tower rising to the cornices at the top adorned the center of the New High
Street front. The cost was $210,990. According to Withey, Biographical
Dictionary..., page 156, the firm of Curlett, Eisen and Cuthbertson
constructed a number of buildings in San Francisco, as well as a three-story
brick hotel at Ventura.
11. Cuthbertson was an early proponent of the use of
mission style architecture. In 1891, Cuthbertson submitted a plan for the
California Building for the World's Fair to be held in Chicago in 1893. His
design was a replica of one of California's missions. See Karen Weitz,
California's Mission Revival, (Los Angeles: Hennessey & Ingalls, Inc.,
1984), pages 25-38.
12. The idea of a cable road for San Diego was originated
in May 1889 by George D. Copeland. He had been operating an electric car line
up Fourth Street and out to University Avenue. It was his plan to use the
electric road franchise for a cable line and with that object in view he
solicited subscriptions for stock. He was mildly successful. He soon received
a proposition for the purchase of his franchise from D.D. Dare, John C.
Fisher, and J.W. Collins. They went to work and got a good subsidy of land and
money from people who lived along Sixth out to University Heights. Eastern
investors subscribed to stock in this company. Active operations did not
begin, however, until Frank Van Vleck arrived in August 1889. Van Vleck, a
graduate of Stevens Institute of Technology was a professor of mechanical
engineering at Cornell University. He was the chief engineer for the Los
Angeles Cable Road completed in 1887 and it was his success there that
attracted the attention of San Diegans. See the San Diego Union, June
8, 1890, pages 1-2, for further details. Perhaps Hebbard's work in Los
Angeles and his attendance at Cornell linked these two men to the cable road
in San Diego. An in-depth report of the cable railway system with photographs
was included in Richard V. Dodge, "San Diego's Grip Cars," Dispatcher, Issue 39, May 1962, pages 1-16.
13. William S. Hebbard is listed in the 1890 Los Angeles
City and County Directory as residing in Pasadena. He states, however, in
a newspaper interview in the San Diego Union, February 23, 1913, page
6, that the Cable Railway Power House was his first work in San Diego which
brought him here. It was begun in 1889. Hebbard is mentioned as the Cable
Company's architect and hailed as "one of the brainy young men of the
institution of which San Diego is now so proud," in the San Diego Union, June 12, 1890, page 8. Hebbard's office in the Kuhn Building is mentioned
in the San Diego Union, January 1, 1891, page 9.
14. The Pavilion was to be a "large and striking building
and will have strong attractions for (he pleasure seeker" as cited in the
San Diego Union, June 12, 1890, page 8. The Pavilion was predicted as the
popular place of resort on Admission Day, 1890. The 10 cent fee for
refreshments would go for the opera house curtain. Mayor Douglas Gunn presided
over festivities. See the San Diego Union, September 9, 1890, page 5,
for further details.
15. This hotel was to accommodate employees connected with
the powerhouse and cable line. Mrs. Fannie Hinke was the proprietor. See the
San Diego Union, July 6, 1890, page 8; the San Diego Union, January 1, 1891, page 9; and the San Diego City and County Directory, 1892-1893, for further details.
16. The material for this residence came from the Sespe
quarries in Ventura County. The same stone had been used in the construction
of the Bryson-Bonsbrake block in Los Angeles as well as several other business buildings, but in
no residence in Los Angeles or San Diego. The color of the stone was rich
clouded brown with a little of the reddish tinge common to a great deal of
building stone in this part of the country. The main or outside walls ere
backed up with brick and the inside walls were frame work. A three foot
retaining wall was located in front from the sidewalk up. The stained glass
windows were considered exceptional. A window in the parlor represented "The
Awakening of Spring" with cupids hovering around a young girl. The staircase
landing showed Othello relating his adventures before Desdemona. The upper
sashes of the library featured the heads of Shakespeare, Beethoven and Rubens.
A stable was also built of the same type of stone. See the San Diego Union, July 11, 1890, page 8; the San Diego Union, November 5,1890, page
5; and also the San Diego Union, January 1, 1891, page 9, for further
details.
17. Hebbard incorporated a circular porch in the J.T. Hill
residence on University Heights. He rebuilt a house for Mrs. Milton Santee on
Eleventh and B which featured a circular porch. Shingle exterior work plus
three-cornered bays and arched entries were incorporated in the C.L. Barber
residence on Fifth. Wainscoting was employed in the C.L.. Barber residence on
Fifth. Wainscoting and ceiling fresco work were used in Mrs. Milton Santee's
residence. See the San Diego Union, November 15, 1890, page 5, for
further details.
18. Hebbard's involvement with the Reid Brothers is
mentioned in the San Diego Union, April 7, 1891, page 6; the San
Diego Union, May 3, 1891, page 6; and the San Diego Union, May 5,
1891, page 8. Hebbard's assumption of Reid Brothers projects is discussed in
the San Diego Union, January 1, 1892, page 1.
19. The San Diego Union, January 1, 1892, page 12
lists Hebbard's work for the previous year.
20. See the San Diego Union, September 11, 1893,
page 5. His residence was listed at 1827 Third in the San Diego City and
County Directory, 1893, page 94. Hebbard was 5'5Vz" tall, had gray
eyes and balding dark brown hair and moustache when he married. He and Jessie
had two children, Dorothy, born July 7, 1894, and William Sterling, Jr., born
November 27, 1896.
21. In addition to the Ramona Town Hall, Hebbard also
designed the J.W. Jackson residence on Eighth and Ash, the Captain Pringle
residence on Upas and the Park, the W.P. Uhlinger residence in Florence
Heights, the George L. Fischer cottage on Fourth between Beech and Cedar, the
H.E. Doolittle residence at 1741 Front, as well as the J.H. Marshall
Mausoleum at Mt. Hope mentioned in the San Diego Union, May 21, 1893,
page 3.
22. See the San Diego Union, May 21,1893, page 3;
the San Diego Union, July 21, 1893, page 5; and the San Diego Union, August 5, 1893, page 5, for further details of the church including
descriptions of the themes of the stained glass windows which cost over $1,000
and were from the Pacific Decorative Company of San Francisco of which Col.
Chadbourne was president and P.J. Milton of San Diego was vice-president.
23. See the San Diego Union, November 26, 1894, page 8.
24. See the San Diego Union, April 29, 1894, page 5.
25. The San Diego Union, July 1, 1894, page 8,
mentions that W.S. Hebbard commenced extensive additions and alterations to
the Hinde residence. The San Diego Union, August 4, 1894, page 8, said
that carpenter Charles Houts had commenced work on the Hinde residence on C
Avenue, with teams busy hauling sea sand for use around the foundation. The
Hinde residence is mentioned with Hebbard as the architect in the San Diego
Union, September 3, 1894, page 2. The San Diego Union, January 1,
1896, page 14 states that "construction on the Hinde house began in August
1894 and was finished in June 1895." The Reid Brothers of San Francisco were
the architects who designed the original house in 1887 with plans suggested by
Mrs. Hinde.
26. The F.F. Wright and Company structure, erected on Fifth
near F, was mentioned in the San Diego Union, July 1, 1894, page 8, and
the San Diego Union, September 3, 1894, page 2. The Clemons Warehouse
which is the Cobb Company today, cost $3,750 to build. See the San Diego
Union, April 1, 1894, page 5, and the San Diego Union, September 3,
1894, page 2, for further details.
27. See the San Diego Union, July 29, 1894, page 5.
Additional information regarding the Cabrillo Celebrations which started in
1892, is contained in an article by Sally Thornton, "San Diego's First
Cabrillo Celebration, 1892," The Journal of San Diego History, Summer
1984, pages 167-180.
28. Impetus for a California Mission Revival came with the
planning of the California Mid-winter International Exposition in 1894.
Drawings were submitted with designs emphasizing Spanish, Moorish and Mission
motifs. See Karen Weitz, California's Mission Revival, pages 51-52.
29. Details on the construction of the Episcopal Church are
included in the San Diego Union, July 1, 1894, page 8; the San Diego
Union, July 29, 1894, page 5; and the San Diego Union, January 1,
1895, page 5.
30. A vivid description of the lighting in this church
which Hebbard based on ideas learned from his experience with Burnham and Root
is included in a lengthy article about this edifice in the San Diego Union, October 25, 1896, page 5.
31. This architectural business was listed in the San
Diego City and County Directory, 1897. Hebbard's Deceased Alumni Records
from Cornell University mention the partnership beginning in 1896.
Irving Gill (1870-1936) was the son of a contractor, born
in Syracuse, New York. He apprenticed under E.G. Hall and J. Lyman Silsbee. He
worked with Louis Sullivan in Chicago until 1893, where he was a draftsman on
the Transportation Building for the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago. See
Adolf Placzek, Macmillan Encydopedia of Architects, Vol. 2, (New York:
The Free Press, 1982), pages 205-205. Gill came to San Diego because of ill
health, then joined in partnership with Joseph Falkenham, a designer of Queen
Anne Victorian residences. See Bruce Kamerling, "Irving Gill: The Artist as
Architect," Journal of San Diego History, Vol. XXV, Spring 1979, pages
151-170. Gill had an innocence of classicism, because Sullivan preached
disrespect for Rome and the Renaissance. He turned faces of young men away
from Europe. In addition, Louis Gill stated that his uncle, Irving, did not
know one style from another. See manuscript at San Diego Public Library
entitled, "Irving Gill," L.A. County Museum of Art Center in La Jolla, 1958.
It seems the record of this partnership has never been
fully explored. Most historians have given Gill credit for buildings and
innovations that Hebbard created. Katherine Carlin, a member of the Coronado
Historical Association, in defense of Will Hebbard in reference to a Richard
Daniels article on January 16, 1977, in the San Diego Union, on homes
and buildings in Coronado, stated that "Will Hebbard's name was omitted as
Irving Gill's senior partner." She stated that Hebbard's late daughter, a
Coronado resident and friend of hers, Mrs. Dorothy Carstarphen, said, "I
can't help feeling a bit provoked and sad when I see all the glory
being given to Irving Gill when it was my father who took Gill into the
partnership when a young man, trained him and taught him many things. The
buildings designed during that partnership period were the work of Hebbard and
Gill, yet Hebbard seems to have been forgotten." See Katherine E. Carlin,
"Architect Gill's Partnership Saluted," in the San Diego Union, January
20, 1977. In addition, Samuel Hamill, a San Diego architect, stated, "the
record has been faulty in regards to Gill as an outstanding architect.
Hebbard, Gill's partner, was a man of terrific distinction and had the guiding
hand in regards to architecture created during the Hebbard and Gill
partnership." See the manuscript by Bob Wright and Waunita Wills, "Interview
with Samuel W. Hamill at 4467 Ampudia Street in San Diego,"
August 24, 1974, on file at the San Diego Historical Society.
32. The first mention of the proposed McKenzie, Flint and
Winsky building at 5th and K was in the San Diego Union, December
14,1894, page 5. However, construction on the actual building which was to
occupy the site did not begin until 1897. See the San Diego Union, July
18, 1897, page 5. The Union article did not mention the architects.
However, John Henderson in his A.I.A. Cuide to San Diego, 1977, gives
Hebbard and Gill the credit for this structure.
33. For further details of Los Banos, see the San Diego
Union, May 9, 1897, page 9. Los Banos was highlighted as "representative
of San Diego's schools of modern architecture," in Karen Weitz,
California's Mission Revival, pages 70-71.
34. Information on the Churchill home is contained in the
San Diego Union, September 14, 1898, page 8. See the Coronado
Historical Tour Guide, 1976, for further information about the
Pratt-Lorini, Cossitt, and von Tesmar residences. The Ernest and Ileen White
residence in San Diego was discussed in a paper presented to the San Diego
Historical Sites Board, October 1982 by Dr. Ray Brandes.
35. See the San Diego Union, January 1, 1899, page
2, and January 1, 1900, page 16, for further details. A controversy also
exists as to which architect actually designed this building. The blueprints
list the firm name of W.S. Hebbard and I.J. Gill. However, Hebbard's obituary
in Henry and Elsie Withey, Biographical Dictionary..., page 275,
states that Hebbard "independently planned a number of schools of which the
State Nor-mal group in San Diego was an outstanding example built between 1896
and 1907." In Men of California, page 214, Hebbard, was credited with
the design of the State Normal School. In addition, The Western Architect, Vol. 18, No. 10, October 1912, featured a picture of the State Normal
School with W.S. Hebbard listed below the name of the school as the architect.
The American Art Annual, 1924, page221, lists the State Normal School as
the work of Hebbard. It would seem reasonable that Hebbard would have designed
the school considering his college background in classical architecture and
also the fact that he had worked for Burnham and Root in Chicago; the World's
Fair building there, now the Museum of Science and Industry, bore a strong
resemblance to the State Normal School.
36. In 1900, the Landmarks Club of California had
contributed $500 toward the work of preserving the Mission San Diego de
Alcal'a. The work was done by W.S. Hebbard, according to George White
Marston, A Family Chronicle, compiled by Mary Gilman Marston, Vol. II,
(The Ward Ritchie Press), page 70. Hebbard, in consultation with architect
Arthur B. Benton of Los Angeles, was considered to have "well expended" the
monetary contributions. The mission re0storation was to last until funds were
available for complete restoration. The donated money only covered the
materials and not the work in preserving what remained of the mission. No
compensation was paid architects, engineers, or club officials. With reference
to the San Diego Mission, Charles Lummis wrote, "Unless it is protected it
will not last 10 years, and in five years there won't be enough for tourists
to see." See Dudley Gordon, Charles F. Lummis: Crusader in Corduroy, (Los Angeles: Cultural Assets Press, 1972), pages 226-227. This mission
restoration movement led by Lummis fostered a resurgence in interest
throughout the stale in mission style architecture which lasted up until 1910,
when Spanish Renaissance and Spanish Colonial influence crept into California
designs.
37. References to these structures are contained in the
San Diego Gills, Hillcrest and Uptown, published by S.O.H.O., 1975, pages
4-5, and the Coronado Historical Guide, 1976.
38. See the San Diego Union, December 1, 1902, page
5. Hebbard and Gill were given the contract for this church to replace one
that had burned. The seating capacity was set at 200 and when Sunday school doors were opened, 100 more people could be accommodated. The cost was $3,500. See the San Diego Union, November 7, 1902, page 5. Pictures of this church are on file at the El
Cajon Historical Society.
39. A vivid description and picture of this building are
featured in the San Diego Union, January 1, 1906, page 20.
40. See the San Diego Union. January 1, 1906, page 20.
41. The Johnson Puterbaugh residence is listed in
Footbridges to Fortune, published by S.0,H, 0,, l982, page 3, in
Kamerling, "Irving Gill...," Another cottage of this type is located
and Third
and Ivy. W.S. Hebbard is listed as the architect for this building erected in
1903. It is remodeled. See the San Diego Union, February 23, 1903, page
5. Other similar cottages appear in the Florence Heights and University
Heights areas.
42. More details of Hebbard's home are included in the
San Diego Union, January 1, 1906, page 17.
43. See the San Diego Union, November 14, 1906, page
7, for additional information about the Crane Brothers Hotel.
44. See the San Diego Union, August 28, 1906, page 9, for further
details.
45. See the San Diego Union, June 16,1907, page 5
for details of the termination of this partnership.
46. Harry Kenneth Vaughn worked as a draftsman for William
S. Hebbard from 1907 to 1916. Inl916, he was employed by Charleton Winslow, Sr.,
in San Diego. Froml917un-til 1921, Vaughn worked with Winslow in Los Angeles as
a draftsman. He became a certified architect in 1922 and opened various
private architectural offices in Los Angeles until 1927. From that time until
his retirement, he was an employee with the State. He died in San Diego on
April 21, 1962. He was a member of the American Institute of Architects. See
the San Diego City and County Directories, 1907-1917. See the Los
Angeles City Directories, 1917-1927. For his obituary, see the San
Diego Union, April 22, 1962, page 24.
47. St. Paul's Rectory cost $6,000 to build. See the San
Diego Union, February 3, 1908, page 3, for further details.
48. The Charles Fox residence cost $6,000 to build. The
first floor contained a large reception hall, living room, spacious
conservatory, dining room and kitchen. The second floor contained five
bedrooms and baths. The attic was to be used as a billiard room. See the
San Diego Union, March 1, 1908, page 22.
49. The Hakes residence cost $10,000 to build. See the
San Diego Union, December 13,1908, page 17, for further details. A
description of this residence is contained in the Coronado Historical Tour
Guide, 1976.
50. The Harry Gregg residence was a seven room structure
with oak floors. The upper portion of this structure contained a billiard
room. See the San Diego Union, March 7,1909, page 17.
51. This residence cost $14,000 to build. Swayne supervised
the construction of his home. See the San Diego Union, January 1, 1911,
page 12.
52. Pictures of these residences with plans of the estates
are included in The Architectural Review, Vol. 38, October 1915. Each
residence cost $30,000 to build on a 15 acre tract. See the San Diego
Union, April 27, 1913, page 15.
53. Baker was a classmate of Hebbard's at Cornell
University. He was a Minneapolis and Chicago capitalist. His home cost $50,000
to build and was situated on a 300 x 220 foot lot. It had 16 rooms and an
auxiliary structure which provided quarters for the servants and a garage.
Baker had built a high brick and concrete wall varying the height from 5
1/2 to 8 feet to insure an ocean view and protect the property
from high tides and storms. See the San Diego Union, April 25, 1915,
page 9, and Bunnie MacKenzie, "Baker-Finch House," Bridge and Bay, Winter 1980, pages 20-21.
54. This house only cost $3,200 to build. It had its back
to a canyon which today overlooks Highway 163. See the San Diego Union, June 28, 1908, page 17.
55. See the San Diego Union, April 22, 1909, page
14, and the San Diego Union, April 25, 1909, page 16.
56. This structure cost $6,000 to build and adjoined the
Crane Apartments. See the San Diego Union, December 10, 1911, page 6.
57. The Maryland Hotel was originally the Sefton Hotel
built by Joseph Sefton. The construction of this building required the
wreckage of the old post office and several frame buildings. Hebbard got the
contract for the job but other architects such as F.S. Allen of Pasadena and
Irving Gill of San Diego submitted plans. See the San Diego Union, December 3, 1912, page 11. Further details of the Sefton Hotel are contained
in the San Diego Union, August 10, 1913, page 100.
58. The Congregational Church cost $10,000. See the San
Diego Union, May 29, 1910, page 11.
59. The Unitarian Church cost $10,000. See the San Diego Union, August
28, 1910, page 28.
60. Hebbard was the senior architect involved with this
project. See the San Diego Union, February 11, 1912, page 25. Winslow
came to California to design buildings for the Panama-California Exposition.
His first building was the Administration Building, on the drawing board in
1911, but not constructed until 1912. Hebbard's use of Mission Revival and
Spanish Renaissance styles in many of his buildings probably influenced
Winslow's fair designs of which the Indian Arts Building, now the House of
Charm is a prime example. It strongly resembled the All Saints Episcopal
Church and featured a bold, simple Franciscan style with unmatched bell walls
instead of towers at the entrance with a long arbor covered by pergolas and
uplifted with columns. See Bruce Kamerling, "The Architecture of San Diego's
Balboa Park," Apollo, Vol. CXV, No. 244, June 1982.
61. This building was projected to cost between $25,000 and
$30,000. Hebbard again was the senior architect on this project. See the
San Diego Union, January 1, 1916, page 8.
62. This commercial fireproof building cost $40,000 to
construct. See the San Diego Union, June 19, 1910, page 17.
63. This building cost $100,000 in its entirety. It was
rumored to have "the only complete loose leaf system of records in the city."
A.P. Johnson was the president of the Southern Title Guaranty Company. Records
were said to have dated from 1849. See the San Diego Union, January 1,
1913, page 13.
64. Cornell's Deceased Alumni Records reflect this
appointment for the Southern District of California as well as mention his
reappointment by Governor Pardee on November 26, 1906. Additional information
about Hebbard's appointment is included in a letter from Linda Montoya,
Project Assistant for the Board of Architectural Examiners, 1021 O Street,
Sacramento, California, dated March 7, 1984.
65. Hebbard left San Diego for San Francisco on April 29,
1906, to evaluate structural damage as mentioned in the San Diego Union, April 29, 1906, page 5.
66. Hebbard like most of those who visited San Francisco
after the earthquake and fire stated that the devastation was beyond the power
of description. Hebbard, in addition to evaluating the damage to the Fairmount
Hotel, analyzed the city hall which was very badly wrecked. He was not sure
whether this damage came from faulty construction or because it happened to be
in the line of the fault. He cited damages in the big post office building and
stated the magnificent interior was in a shambles. He said the building was little affected by the fire. He observed that on one side
of the post office block, the street had sunk several feet below the curb.
Hebbard viewed the St. Francis Hotel, claimed it was more fortunate than most
structures, and praised its management for showing the California spirit.
While the debris was being cleared away, a sign was erected stating that the
hotel would be ready for occupancy on May 1. See the San Diego Union, May 4, 1906, page 7.
67. At this annual meeting the board held its biennial
election and re-elected the retiring members as follows: Southern District:
John P. Krempel, president; Frederick Roehrig, secretary and treasurer; with
Octavius Morgan, Sumner Hunt and William S. Hebbard, additional officers. See
Architect and Engineer of California, April 1907, page 87. Also, see
Architect and Engineer, May 1908, page 75.
68. In addition to Hebbard's speech, William Curlett of San
Francisco, with whom Hebbard had worked in 1888 and 1889, and who was
currently the president of the Northern District, spoke on "The State Board of
Architecture." See the San Diego Union, April 12, 1910, page 5.
69. See Men of California, page 214, and Deceased Alumni Records from
Cornell University.
70. The architects of San Diego met to create a permanent
organization and plans were discussed for a probable affiliation with the
A.I.A. as a chapter of the national organization. The first meeting was held
in the offices of Irving Gill. At this meeting, the following officers were
elected: W.S. Hebbard, president; SAGO. Kennedy, vice-president; Irving Gill,
secretary; Charles Quayle, treasurer. The members who were present at this
meeting in addition to the above-mentioned were: Edward Quayle, Henry Lord
Gay, Robert Halley, ]r., Del Harris, G.A. Hanssen, John Stannard, Emmor
Weaver, and R. Requa. See the Southwest Contractor and Manufacturer, September 3, 1910, page 26. Further information about this organization is
included in the San Diego Union, January 1, 1913, page 3, the San
Diego Union, December 25, 1913, page 13, and the Southwest Contractor
and Manufacturer, Vol. 8, No. 23, April 13, 1912, page 8.
71. See the San Diego Union, January 1, 1900, page 10.
72. See Men of California, page 214.
73. See the San Diego Union, August 14, 1898, page 2.
74. See Deceased Alumni Records from Cornell University.
75. Hebbard, Luce and von Tesmar were appointed in 1907 to
secure the names of those who wished to join a club which combined male
members of the old University Club with a group of persons in the San Diego
area who belonged to college fraternities with a view toward the formation of
an inter-fraternity organization which was later broadened to that of a club
to which all college alumni should be eligible. See University Club of San
Diego, Membership Roster, 1980-81, Universal Directory Publicity
Corporation. The other University Club officers for 1911 included: Dr. H.P.
Newman, vice-president; J.M. Ward, secretary; E.L. Hardy, treasurer. Other
members of the club included: R.C. Allen, Arthur Marston, L.C. Sherwood, Rev.
W.B. Thorp, Julius Wangenheim, Ernest E. White, Austin Fletcher and Capt. A.T.
Balentine. See University Club of San Diego, Fourth and A, 1911, page
3.
76. Information about the various University Club houses is
found in "University Club: 7th and A: Milestone for Future," written in the
San Diego Union, August 8,1976, page B-l, and in the San Diego Union, January 1, 1916, page 8.
77. Hebbard's military service is mentioned in Deceased
Alumni Records from Cornell and in Men of California, page 214.
78. See Deceased Alumni Records.
79. See the Los Angeles City and County Directories, 1922-1930.
80. Hebbard designed an eight-story professional building
for doctors and dentists on the corner of Sixth and St. Paul Streets in Los
Angeles. A vivid description of this structure plus a drawing and floor plan
is included in Southwest Builder and Contractor, October 5, 1923, page
39. The Board of Education of Los Angeles appointed Hebbard to design the
Leland Avenue School for a cost of $84,000. See the Southwest Builder and
Contractor, July 4, 1924, page 50. The Figueroa Theatre on Santa Barbara
and Figueroa Streets cost $334,000 to build. There were 1584 seats in the
theatre which opened Friday, November 13, 1925. See the Southwest Builder
and Contractor, December 11, 1925, pages 43-44. Men of California, page 214, mentions other Los Angeles buildings.
81. This information was provided by Katherine Carlin of
Coronado, a close friend of Hebbard's daughter, Dorothy Carstarphen, in a
telephone interview on October 20, 1983. Other information relating to
Hebbard's death was contained in the San Diego Union, August 25, 1930,
page 6, and the Los Angeles Times, August 27, 1930, page 3. Hebbard was
survived by his widow, Jessie, in Los Angeles, his son, Sterling, in Beverly
Hills, and his daughter, Dorothy of Charleston, South Carolina. Johnson-Saum
Mortuary on Fourth and Ash in San Diego conducted his funeral services on
August 25, at 3:30 p.m.
LIST OF HEBBARD DESIGNS
PHOTOGRAPHS are all courtesy the San Diego Historical Society's Title
Insurance and Trust Collection.
