Bernard Ralph Maybeck (February 7, 1862 – October 3, 1957) was an American architect in the Arts and Crafts Movement of the early 20th century. He was an instructor at

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant un ...

. Most of his major buildings were in the

San Francisco Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area G ...

Biography

Maybeck was born in New York City, the son of a German immigrant and studied at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris, France. He moved to

Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland and E ...

, in 1892. He taught engineering drawing and architectural design at

from 1894 to 1903, and acted as a mentor for a number of other important California architects, including Julia Morgan and William Wurster. In 1951, he was awarded the

Gold Medal A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture. Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have be ...

of the

American Institute of Architects The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to s ...

. Maybeck was equally comfortable producing works in the

American Craftsman American Craftsman is an American domestic architectural style, inspired by the Arts and Crafts movement, which included interior design, landscape design, applied arts, and decorative arts, beginning in the last years of the 19th century. Its ...

Mission Revival The Mission Revival style was part of an architectural movement, beginning in the late 19th century, for the revival and reinterpretation of American colonial styles. Mission Revival drew inspiration from the late 18th and early 19th century ...

Gothic revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

Arts and Crafts A handicraft, sometimes more precisely expressed as artisanal handicraft or handmade, is any of a wide variety of types of work where useful and decorative objects are made completely by one’s hand or by using only simple, non-automated re ...

, and Beaux-Arts styles, believing that each architectural problem required development of an entirely new solution. While working in the office of A. Page Brown in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17t ...

, Maybeck probably contributed to the Mission Style California Building at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago and the first Mission Style chair, designed for the San Francisco Swedenborgian Church. Many of Maybeck's buildings still stand in his long-time home city of Berkeley. The 1910 '' First Church of Christ, Scientist, Berkeley'' is designated a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places liste ...

and is considered one of Maybeck's finest works. A number of his works are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

. In 1914, Maybeck oversaw the building of the Maybeck Recital Hall in Berkeley, California. Maybeck also designed the domed

Palace of Fine Arts The Palace of Fine Arts is a monumental structure located in the Marina District of San Francisco, California, originally constructed for the 1915 Panama–Pacific International Exposition to exhibit works of art. Completely rebuilt from 1964 t ...

in San Francisco as part of the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition, and for the same fair he carried out his vision of the lumberman's lodge, "House of Hoo Hoo", made of little more than rough-barked tree trunks arranged in delicate harmony. The Palace of Fine Arts was seen as the embodiment of Maybeck's elaboration of how

Roman architecture Ancient Roman architecture adopted the external language of classical Greek architecture for the purposes of the ancient Romans, but was different from Greek buildings, becoming a new architectural style. The two styles are often considered on ...

could fit within a California context. Maybeck said that the popular success of the Palace was due to the absence of a roof connecting the rotunda to the art gallery building, along with the absence of windows in the gallery walls and the presence near the rotunda of trees, flowers and a

water feature In landscape architecture and garden design, a water feature is one or more items from a range of fountains, jeux d'eau, pools, ponds, rills, artificial waterfalls, and streams. Before the 18th century they were usually powered by gravity, tho ...

. One of Maybeck's most interesting office buildings is the home of the Family Service Agency of San Francisco, offices at 1010 Gough Street. This building, constructed in 1928, is on the city's Historic Building Register and still serves as Family Service headquarters. Some of his larger residential projects, most notably a few in the hills of Berkeley, California (see esp. La Loma Park), have been compared to the ultimate bungalows of the architects

Greene and Greene Greene and Greene was an architectural firm established by brothers Charles Sumner Greene (1868–1957) and Henry Mather Greene (January 23, 1870 – October 2, 1954), influential early 20th Century American architects. Active primarily in Cal ...

. In 1928, the

Harrison Memorial Library The Harrison Memorial Library is a historic building designed by architect Bernard Maybeck and built by Michael J. Murphy in 1928. It houses a public library for the city of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. The library provides books, materials an ...

was designed by California architect Maybeck in a Spanish Eclectic style and built by Michael J. Murphy. Maybeck had many ideas about town planning that he elaborated throughout his career. As a citizen of Berkeley from the 1890s, he was intimately involved in the

Hillside Club The Hillside Club is a neighborhood social club established in 1898 by residents of Berkeley, California's newly formed Northside neighborhood to protect the hills from unsightly grading and unsuitable buildings. It took its cue from the Arts ...

. His associations and work there helped evolve ideas about hillside communities. Maybeck developed a number of firm beliefs in how civilization and the land should relate to each other. Two overriding principles would be: 1) the primacy of the landscape - geology, flora and fauna were not to be subdued by architecture so much as enhanced by architecture 2) roads should pattern the existing grade and not be an imposition upon it. There were other principles he would elucidate, such as a shared public landscape, but these were key, and helped Berkeley evolve into a paradigm for hillside living that was organic and unique. Maybeck's visions for communities in the East Bay were also a conscientious counterpoint to across the bay where in San Francisco city planning was much more conventional, forced, and regimented into expansive grids of streets. Its grids, imposed in places on very steep grades, resulted in extremely steep streets, sidewalks and urban transitions, some almost comically so. Maybeck was not doctrinaire however. His views reflected his wide interests and experience. Maybeck would play with more formal Beaux Arts planning principles on less steep grades, as his Palace of Fine Arts and numerous proposals for the University of California, Berkeley campus, San Francisco, and the Loch Lin General Plan for Principia College in Missouri, would reflect. He also developed a comprehensive town plan for the company town of Brookings, Oregon, a clubhouse at the Bohemian Grove, and many of the buildings on the campus of

Principia College Principia College (Principia or Prin) is a private liberal arts college in Elsah, Illinois. It was founded in 1912 by Mary Kimball Morgan with the purpose of "serving the Cause of Christian Science." "Although the College is not affiliated with ...

in Elsah, Illinois. A lifetime fascination with drama and the theatre can be seen in much of Maybeck's work. In his spare time, he was known to create costumes, and also designed sets for the amateur productions at Berkeley's

. Bernard Maybeck died in 1957 and is buried in the Mountain View Cemetery in

Oakland, California Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third largest city overall in the ...

Works

Image:Palace of Fine Arts.jpg,

in San Francisco Image:First Church of Christ Scientist.jpg, First Church of Christ, Scientist (Berkeley, California), widely considered Maybeck's masterpiece.Maybeck And His Work
/ref>
/ref> Image:Lynwood Pacific Electric Railway Depot Bernard Maybeck.jpg, Lynwood Pacific Electric Railway Depot,

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

Image:BMCD-Front2008.png, Maybeck's automobile dealership on Van Ness currently houses British Motor Car Distributors. Notable works include: *

Charles Keeler Charles Augustus Keeler (October 7, 1871 – July 31, 1937) was an American author, poet, ornithologist and advocate for the arts, particularly architecture. Biography Early life Charles Keeler was born on October 7, 1871 in Milwaukee, Wiscon ...

House & Studio (house 1895, studio 1902) — Maybeck's first private client,

Berkeley Hills The Berkeley Hills are a range of the Pacific Coast Ranges that overlook the northeast side of the valley that encompasses San Francisco Bay. They were previously called the "Contra Costa Range/Hills" (from the original Spanish ''Sierra de l ...

, Highland Place, North Berkeley, California. * Swedenborgian Church (1895) — 3200 Washington Street at Lyon Street, Pacific Heights, San Francisco, California, NRHP-listed. * Wyntoon, with architect Julia Morgan (1898−1902) — private estate of

Phoebe Apperson Hearst Phoebe Elizabeth Apperson Hearst (December 3, 1842 – April 13, 1919) was an American philanthropist, feminist and suffragist. Hearst was the founder of the University of California Museum of Anthropology, now called the Phoebe A. Hearst Mu ...

−Hearst family, rural Siskiyou County, California. * Boke House (1902) — for George Henry Boke (1869–1929), at 23 Panoramic Way, Panoramic Hill Historic District,

. * Faculty Club (1902, later additions by Maybeck and John Galen Howard) —

campus, NRHP-listed. * Grove Clubhouse−Maybeck Lodge (1903–04) — Bohemian Grove, the

Bohemian Club The Bohemian Club is a private club with two locations: a city clubhouse in the Nob Hill district of San Francisco, California and the Bohemian Grove, a retreat north of the city in Sonoma County. Founded in 1872 from a regular meeting of journ ...

'campground' on the Russian River, Monte Rio, California. * Howard B. Gates House (1904) —

style, at 62 South Thirteenth Street,

San Jose, California San Jose, officially San José (; ; ), is a major city in the U.S. state of California that is the cultural, financial, and political center of Silicon Valley and largest city in Northern California by both population and area. With a 2020 popu ...

. * The Outdoor Art Club (1904) — 1 West Blithedale Avenue, Mill Valley, Marin County, California, NRHP-listed. *

(1906, rebuilt 1924) — Cedar Street, North Berkeley, a City of Berkeley Landmark. ::The original 1906 clubhouse was destroyed in the 1923 Berkeley Fire. Maybeck's brother-in-law, John White, designed the current clubhouse in 1924. * Goslinsky Residence (1909) — 3233 Pacific Avenue, San Francisco, California * Roos House (1909) — Tudor Revival and other styles, at 3500 Jackson Street at Locust, Pacific Heights, San Francisco, California, NRHP-listed & San Francisco Landmark. * First Church of Christ, Scientist (Berkeley, California) (1910) — 2619 Dwight Way, Berkeley, California, NRHP-listed * Rose Walk (1912) — public outdoor stairway and landscape, La Loma Park district, North Berkeley, California. * Chick House (1913) — for Guy Hyde Chick (1868–1930), in Chabot Canyon of the

, at 7133 Chabot Road, Oakland Hills district of

. * Kennedy-Nixon house (1914, rebuilt 1923) — 1537 Euclid Avenue, La Loma Park district, North Berkeley, Berkeley, California. ** Maybeck Recital Hall (1914, rebuilt 1923) — part of Kennedy-Nixon house complex, Euclid Avenue at Buena Vista Way, North Berkeley. *

(1915, rebuilt 1965) — Panama-Pacific Exposition building, 3301 Lyon Street, Marina District, San Francisco, California, NRHP-listed. *

Parsons Memorial Lodge The Parsons Memorial Lodge is a small building built in 1915 by the Sierra Club at the northern end of Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite National Park. It was one of the earliest structures built of stone in a national park. Memorial The lodge is ...

(1915) —

Sierra Club The Sierra Club is an environmental organization with chapters in all 50 United States, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico. The club was founded on May 28, 1892, in San Francisco, California, by Scottish-American preservationist John Muir, who b ...

lodge at Tuolumne Meadows,

Yosemite National Park Yosemite National Park ( ) is an American national park in California, surrounded on the southeast by Sierra National Forest and on the northwest by Stanislaus National Forest. The park is managed by the National Park Service and covers an ...

, California, NRHP-listed. * Lynwood

Pacific Electric Railway The Pacific Electric Railway Company, nicknamed the Red Cars, was a privately owned mass transit system in Southern California consisting of electrically powered streetcars, interurban cars, and buses and was the largest electric railway syst ...

Depot (1917) — Lynwood, South Los Angeles region, California. * Byington Ford House (1922) — Pebble Beach, California * Bernard Maybeck house and studio (1924) — architect's own residence and studio, Maybeck Twin Drive, La Loma Park district, North Berkeley, California. * Phoebe Hearst Gymnasium for Women, with architect Julia Morgan (1927) — Oxford Street, University of California, Berkeley campus, NRHP-listed. * Earle C. Anthony Packard Showroom (1927) — Beaux-Arts style, on Van Ness Avenue at Ellis Street, San Francisco, the present day British Motors dealership, San Francisco Landmark. *

Earle C. Anthony Earle C. Anthony (December 18, 1880—August 6, 1961) was an American businessman and philanthropist based in Los Angeles, California. He worked in broadcasting and automobiles and was also a songwriter, journalist and playwright. Early life ...

House (1927) — Medieval, Gothic, Spanish and Tudor Revival elements, at 3431-3441 Waverly Drive, Los Feliz district, Los Angeles, California. ::Later the Countess Bernardine Murphy Donohue estate (c.1950−c.1970) with gardens designed by

Florence Yoch & Lucile Council Florence Theresa Yoch (July 15, 1890 – January 31, 1972) and Lucile Council (November 17, 1898 – January 21, 1964) were influential California landscape designers, practicing in the first half of the 20th century in Southern California. Biograp ...

. Later the Convent of the

Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary The Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (IHM), founded as the Daughters of the Most Holy and Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is a Catholic religious teaching institute for women. The institute was founded in the Catalan city o ...

, and the Cardinal Timothy Manning House of Prayer for Priests complex (1975−2011). * Earle C. Anthony Packard Showroom (1928), remodel of 1911

design — on Olympic Boulevard and Hope Street, South Park district of

Downtown Los Angeles Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) contains the central business district of Los Angeles. In addition, it contains a diverse residential area of some 85,000 people, and covers . A 2013 study found that the district is home to over 500,000 jobs. It is a ...

, the present day Packard Lofts condos. * Associated Charities of San Francisco Building (1928) — 1010 Gough Street at Eddy, San Francisco, the present day Family Service Agency of San Francisco center, San Francisco Landmark. ;Historic districts with Maybeck designed works include: * Panoramic Hill Historic District — in the

, in Berkeley and

Oakland Hills, Oakland, California Oakland Hills is an informal term used to indicate the city neighborhoods lying within the eastern portion of Oakland, California. The northernmost neighborhoods were devastated by the Oakland firestorm of 1991. Geography The geologic feat ...

, NRHP-listed. ::Maybeck designed residences include the Boke House (1902) at 23 Panoramic Way *

Principia College Historic District The Principia College Historic District is a National Historic Landmark District encompassing the central portion of the campus of Principia College in Elsah, Illinois. The campus master plan, as well as eleven of its buildings, are important ...

— River Road, Elsah, Illinois, NRHP-listed. ::Maybeck designed the 'English village' campus master plan, and campus buildings including the Colonial Revival style Chapel (1931-34) at 1 Maybeck Place. * Professorville Historic District — roughly bounded by Embarcadero Road, Addison Avenue, and Emerson and Cowper Streets, in

Palo Alto, California Palo Alto (; Spanish for "tall stick") is a charter city in the northwestern corner of Santa Clara County, California, United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area, named after a coastal redwood tree known as El Palo Alto. The city was es ...

, NRHP-listed. ::Maybeck designed the "Sunbonnet House" (1899, restored 2004) for Emma Kellogg. * Tahoe Meadows Historic District (founded 1924) — first planned open space community in Lake Tahoe region, on US 50 between Ski Run Boulevard and Park Avenue,

South Lake Tahoe South Lake Tahoe is the most populous city in El Dorado County, California, United States, in the Sierra Nevada. The city's population was 21,330 at the 2020 census, down from 21,403 at the 2010 census. The city, along the southern edge of Lake ...

El Dorado County, California El Dorado County (), officially the County of El Dorado, is a List of counties in California, county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 191,185. The county seat is Place ...

, NRHP-listed.Tahoemeadows.org: Photo gallery
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References

External links

Maybeck Foundation—a non-profit preservation and education foundation

* *

Selected works

* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20060907050553/http://www.friendsoffirstchurch.org/allHTML/theBuilding.html Pictures of the First Church of Christ, Scientist in Berkeley
Pictures of Family Service Agency headquarters in San Francisco

FSA Building on list of SF Landmarks

Photograph of the interior of Maybeck Lodge
at the Bohemian Grove
Roy Flamm Photographs of Buildings Designed by Bernard Maybeck, ca. 1950-1955

The Bancroft Library The Bancroft Library in the center of the campus of the University of California, Berkeley, is the university's primary special-collections library. It was acquired from its founder, Hubert Howe Bancroft, in 1905, with the proviso that it retai ...

Archival holdings of the Environmental Design Archive of UC Berkeley
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maybeck, Bernard Architects from California Arts and Crafts architects Beaux Arts architects Spanish Revival architects Mediterranean Revival architects 1862 births 1957 deaths American people of German descent Burials at Mountain View Cemetery (Oakland, California) American alumni of the École des Beaux-Arts Artists from Berkeley, California Culture of Berkeley, California University of California, Berkeley faculty Architecture in the San Francisco Bay Area Recipients of the AIA Gold Medal