Julia Morgan: Architect

California’s First

Female Architect

And All Around

Badass

1872-1957

Courtesy of Chapel of the Chimes

Background● Born: San Francisco, CA 1872

● 1894: One of first women to graduate from UC Berkeley with a

degree in civil engineering

● Mentor: Bernard Maybeck, First Bay Tradition

● Schooling: Ecole des Beaux-Arts 1902

○ Accepted 3rd time

● 1904: certified by California & opened her own office in SF

○ First woman in US to be a certified architect with a full-time

independent practice.

● Incredibly productive, 750 structures during years of active practice

18/year

● Morgan was among that handful of architects in the Bay Area who

introduced the concept of environmentally sensitive architecture or

“green design”.

Courtesy of Julia

Morgan Project,

juliamorganproject.

org

UC Berkeley Hearst Greek Theatre● Part of master plan for Berkeley Campus with John Galen Howard

○ Hearst Greek Theater (1903) patterned after the great outdoor

amphitheater at Epidaurus in Ancient Greece

○ One of the most well-used and well-loved facilities by students at the

university

○ No serious structural damage from 1906 earthquake

Courtesy of UC Berkeley

The Heritage: 1925

● In Marina district of SF,

on landfill, Tudor Revival-

style facade.

● Looks like unreinforced

masonry building

● Building actually

constructed of reinforced

concrete with a brick

facing, conceived to

withstand a major

earthquake.

● One of few pre-1933

multistory buildings that

escaped any significant

damage during the Loma

Prieta earthquake in

1989.

Courtesy of theheritagesf.org

Most Famous Work: Hearst Castle1919-1947

Courtesy of Julia Morgan: Architect of Beauty[2] p. 106 Photograph by Irvin WillatCourtesy of Wikipedia Commons “King of Hearts”

Neptune Pool Courtesy of Wikipedia Commons :Josve05a

Hearst Castle: Neptune Pool

Hearst wanted

Morgan to build

"'something that

would be more

comfortable' than

the platform tents

which he previously

used at the ranch".

Gothic Study: courtesy of hearstcastle.org

Hearst Castle: Gothic Study

She worked

closely with

Hearst to

integrate his art

collection into

the structures

and grounds.

Roman Pool courtesy of Wikipedia Commons :Josve05a

Hearst Castle: Roman Pool● Daunting challenges

○ Terrain

○ No water supply

○ No roads

○ Pier not big

enough for supply

ships

○ No budget from

Mr. Hearst

○ 500 mile weekly

round-trip from SF

to San Simeon

No job too big or too small

● Maybeck “taught Miss M. that

there was never a job too large or

too small”.

● From headstones to Hearst

Castle.

Courtesy of Wikipedia Commons “Durova”

Courtesy of oaklandwiki.org

The Simple Home: Principles

1. Utilized undisguised natural materials from the local

environment, Maybeck said “an open use of natural materials,

honestly stated”

2. Combine historic motifs and traditional craftsmanship with

modern building materials and construction methods

3. Careful integration with their surroundings both through use of

site-sensitive designs and natural materials and by “bringing the

outdoors indoors”

4. Each building a unique design unto itself, an original work of art

that fulfilled the specific needs of the client and the community.

What Made Her Tick

● She did one interview and after they assumed she was the

decorator she never did one again.

● Disliking publicity she said “let my buildings speak for

themselves”.

● She designed buildings for her clients, considered what they

wanted and let them know if it was possible

● Her interior spaces are warm, intimate, and “thoroughly

liveable”.

● Interiors show her talent “for creating public spaces that both

inspire visitors with their beauty and invite them to stay.”

● She really loved her work.

Architecture = firmness + commodity + delight

Marcus Vitruvius Pollio

Courtesy of Mark Pellegrini