John and Donald Parkinson were a father-and-son architectural firm operating in the

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 ...

area in the early 20th century. They designed and built many of the city's iconic buildings, including

Grand Central Market Grand may refer to: People with the name * Grand (surname) * Grand L. Bush (born 1955), American actor * Grand Mixer DXT, American turntablist * Grand Puba (born 1966), American rapper Places * Grand, Oklahoma * Grand, Vosges, village and comm ...

, the Memorial Coliseum and the

City Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...

John Parkinson

Early years

John Parkinson (12 December 1861 - 9 December 1935) was born in the small village of Scorton, in

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancas ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

in 1861. At the age of sixteen, he was apprenticed for six years to Jonas J. Bradshaw, an architect and engineer in nearby

Bolton Bolton (, locally ) is a large town in Greater Manchester in North West England, formerly a part of Lancashire. A former mill town, Bolton has been a production centre for textiles since Flemish weavers settled in the area in the 14th ...

, where he learned craftsmanship and practical construction. He attended night school at Bolton's Mechanics Institute to study architectural drafting and engineering. Upon completion of his apprenticeship at age 21, he immigrated to North America as an adventure; he built fences in

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749 ...

and learned stair building in

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origin ...

. He returned to England only to discover that the English construction trades demanded more time and service for advancement. He decided that his then capabilities would be more appropriate to the less-structured opportunities in America. Parkinson went to

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 ...

, settling in Napa where he again worked as a stair-builder, and he took on architectural commissions in his spare time, designing some of his first commercial projects including an annex to the original Bank of Napa building (1888, Demolished).

Seattle practice

Considering Napa a "dead town", Parkinson ventured north to

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region o ...

in February 1889, where he opened his first architectural practice after failing to secure a position as a draftsman. In March he entered a partnership with Cecil Evers, but this ended little more than a year later; Parkinson would leave Napa for good in September 1889 but would retain professional relationships with local mills to supply lumber and trim. Parkinson's early projects in Puget Sound included the Olympia Hotel, Olympia (1889; destroyed), the Calkins Hotel,

Mercer Island Mercer Island is a city in King County, Washington, United States, located on an island of the same name in the southern portion of Lake Washington. Mercer Island is in the Seattle metropolitan area, with Seattle to its west and Bellevue to it ...

(1889; destroyed), and several residences. After the

Great Seattle Fire The Great Seattle Fire was a fire that destroyed the entire central business district of Seattle, Washington on June 6, 1889. The conflagration lasted for less than a day, burning through the afternoon and into the night, and during the same sum ...

of 6 June 1889, he secured several important business blocks, the

Butler Block The Butler Block is an historic mixed use residential and commercial building located at 166 Linwood Street, in Uxbridge, Massachusetts. This brick and wood building was built c. 1845–55. Most of the building's walls are made of brick laid in ...

(1889–90; altered), and the Seattle National Bank Building, later called the Interurban Building (1890–92), an exemplary work of

Romanesque Revival architecture Romanesque Revival (or Neo-Romanesque) is a style of building employed beginning in the mid-19th century inspired by the 11th- and 12th-century Romanesque architecture. Unlike the historic Romanesque style, Romanesque Revival buildings tended to ...

. In 1891, Parkinson won the design competition for the B.F. Day School (1891–92; altered), located in the Fremont neighborhood of Seattle. Thereafter the Seattle School Board appointed Parkinson as the Seattle Schools Architect and Superintendent. Parkinson was responsible for all Seattle Schools projects over the next several years, including the Pacific School (1892–93; destroyed) and the Cascade School (1893–94; destroyed). He also designed the Seattle Seminary (1891–93)--the first building at

Seattle Pacific University Seattle Pacific University (SPU) is a private Christian university in Seattle, Washington. It was founded in 1891 in conjunction with the Oregon and Washington Conference of the Free Methodist Church as the Seattle Seminary. It became the Seat ...

(now known as Alexander Hall); and the Jesuit College and Church (1893–94; altered)--the first building at

Seattle University Seattle University (SeattleU) is a private Jesuit university in Seattle, Washington. Seattle University is the largest independent university in the Northwestern United States, with over 7,500 students enrolled in undergraduate and graduate pro ...

(now known as the Garrand Building). Parkinson frequently published renderings of his buildings in the professional architectural press. He was an early member of the Washington State Chapter 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 ...

(predecessor to today's AIA Seattle chapter). Parkinson invested in real estate and he was both architect and developer of the Seattle Athletic Club Building (1893–94; destroyed). His investments left him financially vulnerable when the

Panic of 1893 The Panic of 1893 was an economic depression in the United States that began in 1893 and ended in 1897. It deeply affected every sector of the economy, and produced political upheaval that led to the political realignment of 1896 and the pres ...

, the severe national depression, curtailed construction after June 1893. Parkinson's schools position was terminated by the Seattle School Board early in 1894. In 1893 and 1894, he entered several competitions, but failed to win any commissions.

Parkinson firm in Los Angeles

Faced with no projects, nor prospects for work in Seattle, John Parkinson moved to

in 1894 and opened his architecture office on Spring Street between Second and Third Streets. By 1896, Parkinson had designed the city's first Class "A" fireproof steel-frame structure: the

Homer Laughlin Building The Homer Laughlin Building, at 317 South Broadway in Downtown Los Angeles, is a landmark building best known for its ground floor tenant the Grand Central Market, the city's largest and oldest public market that sees 2 million visitors a year. ...

at Third Street and Broadway. His 1901

Susana Machado Bernard House and Barn Susana Machado Bernard House and Barn is an elaborate Art Nouveau Gothic Revival style mansion and carriage house located in the Pico Union section of Los Angeles, California. Built in 1901, the house was designed by architect John B. Parkinson ...

has been designated as a Historic Cultural Monument and listed in 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 ...

. His design for the 1904 Braly Block at Fourth Street and Spring became the first "

skyscraper A skyscraper is a tall continuously habitable building having multiple floors. Modern sources currently define skyscrapers as being at least or in height, though there is no universally accepted definition. Skyscrapers are very tall high-ri ...

" built in Los Angeles. It held the distinction of being the tallest structure in town until the completion of

in 1928. In 1905, Parkinson formed a partnership with G. Edwin Bergstrom which lasted for ten years. Parkinson and Bergstrom became the dominant architectural firm for major structures in Los Angeles. Bergstrom left to establish his own successful practice in 1915.

Parkinson & Parkinson

John Parkinson was joined in 1920 by his son, Donald B. Parkinson (1895—1945). Parkinson & Parkinson designed many of Los Angeles' finest buildings, which became some of the city's most enduring landmarks. Found on the impressive roster are: the Campus Master Plan and several noted buildings of the

University of Southern California , mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it" , religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist , established = , accreditation = WSCUC , type = Private research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $8.1 ...

(1919–3

the

Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (also known as the L.A. Coliseum) is a multi-purpose stadium in the Exposition Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. Conceived as a hallmark of civic pride, the Coliseum was commissioned in 1921 as a me ...

(1923 and 1930–31),

Los Angeles City Hall Los Angeles City Hall, completed in 1928, is the center of the government of the city of Los Angeles, California, and houses the mayor's office and the meeting chambers and offices of the Los Angeles City Council. It is located in the Civic Ce ...

(1928, with Albert C. Martin/structural and John C. Austin/working drawings),

Bullocks Wilshire Bullocks Wilshire, located at 3050 Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles, California, is a Art Deco building. The building opened in September 1929 as a luxury department store for owner John G. Bullock (owner of the more mainstream Bullock's in D ...

(1929) and

Union Station A union station (also known as a union terminal, a joint station in Europe, and a joint-use station in Japan) is a railway station at which the tracks and facilities are shared by two or more separate railway companies, allowing passengers to ...

(1939). John Parkinson completed an important early renovation of Pershing Square in downtown Los Angeles. Their work was also part of the architecture event in the art competition at the

1932 Summer Olympics The 1932 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the X Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1932) were an international multi-sport event held from July 30 to August 14, 1932 in Los Angeles, California, United States. The Games were held duri ...

Parkinson firm evolution

*1888–1889 John Parkinson, Architect (

Napa, California Napa is the largest city and county seat of Napa County and a principal city of Wine Country in Northern California. Located in the North Bay region of the Bay Area, the city had a population of 77,480 as of the end of 2021. Napa is a major t ...

and

, Washington) *1889–1890 John Parkinson and Cecil Evers, Architects (

, Washington) *1890–1894 John Parkinson, Architect (

, Washington) *1894–1895 Burton and Parkinson, Architects (

, California) *1895–1905 John Parkinson, Architect (Los Angeles, California) *1905–1915 John Parkinson and G. Edwin Bergstrom, Architects (Los Angeles, California) *1915–1920 John Parkinson, Architect (Los Angeles, California) *1920–1945 John Parkinson and Donald B. Parkinson, Architects (Los Angeles, California) *1945–1955 Parkinson, Powelson, Briney, Bernard & Woodford, Architects (Los Angeles, California) *1955–1984 Woodford & Bernard, Architects (Los Angeles, California) *1984–1990 Woodford, Parkinson, Wynn & Partners, Architects (Los Angeles and

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...

, California) *1990–1992 DWL Parkinson Architects (Los Angeles and San Diego, California) *1992–2008 Parkinson Field Associates (Los Angeles, California and

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

)

Selected works

* Seattle National Bank Building (Interurban Building), 102 Occidental Ave S,

Pioneer Square, Seattle Pioneer Square is a neighborhood in the southwest corner of Downtown Seattle, Washington, US. It was once the heart of the city: Seattle's founders settled there in 1852, following a brief six-month settlement at Alki Point on the far side of El ...

(Parkinson) * Alameda Square, the former terminal of the

Southern Pacific Railroad The Southern Pacific (or Espee from the railroad initials- SP) was an American Class I railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1996 and operated largely in the Western United States. The system was operated by various companies under the ...

in Downtown Los Angeles *

Hotel Alexandria The Hotel Alexandria is a historic building constructed as a luxury hotel at the beginning of the 20th century in what was then the heart of downtown Los Angeles. As the business center of the city moved gradually westward, the hotel decayed and g ...

, part of the

Spring Street Financial District Spring Street in Los Angeles is one of the oldest streets in the city. Along Spring Street in Downtown Los Angeles, from just north of Fourth Street to just south of Seventh Street is the NRHP-listed Spring Street Financial District, nicknamed W ...

, Los Angeles (John Parkinson) * A.G. Bartlett Building, 215 W 7th Street, part of the

, Los Angeles (Parkinson & Bergstrom) *

, 845 S. Lake St.,

(John Parkinson) *

Blackstone's Department Store Blackstones or Blackstone's may refer to: * The Blackstones, UK-based reggae vocal trio active since the mid-1970s * Blackstones F.C., non-league football club from Stamford, England * Blackstone's ''Commentaries'', Commentaries on the Laws of En ...

(later "The Famous", Broadway & 9th, Los Angeles (1917, John Parkinson) *Broadway Department Store (now the

Junipero Serra State Office Building The Broadway was a mid-level department store chain headquartered in Los Angeles, California. Founded in 1896 by English-born Arthur Letts Sr., and named after what was once the city's main shopping street, the Broadway became a dominant ret ...

, 4th & Broadway, Los Angeles (1915, Parkinson & Bergstrom) *

Continental Building The Continental Building, formerly Braly Block, is a 151 ft (46 m), 13-story high-rise residential building on Spring Street in the Historic Core of Los Angeles. The Continental Building is part of the Spring Street Financial District whi ...

, 408 South Spring Street, part of the

, Los Angeles (John Parkinson) *

Bullock's Bullock's was a chain of full-line department stores from 1907 through 1995, headquartered in Los Angeles, growing to operate across California, Arizona and Nevada. Bullock's also operated as many as seven more upscale Bullocks Wilshire special ...

Downtown flagship, 7th & Broadway, Los Angeles (1906-7, Parkinson & Bergstrom) *

Westwood (first store), 1000 Westwood Blvd., Los Angeles (Parkinson & Parkinson) * Bullock's Wilshire Building, 3050 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles (John Parkinson) * Burdick Block, NE corner 2nd & Spring, Los Angeles (John Parkinson, addition of top floors to original 1888 construction, 1900) * Caliente Railroad Depot, 100 Depot Ave., Caliente, NV (Parkinson & Parkinson) *Crocker Bank, 453 S. Spring Street, part of the

, Los Angeles (Parkinson & Bergstrom) * Engine House No. 18, 2616 S. Hobart Blvd., Los Angeles (John Parkinson) *

Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco The Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco (informally referred to as the San Francisco Fed) is the federal bank for the twelfth district in the United States. The twelfth district is made up of nine western states—Alaska, Arizona, California, ...

, 409 W. Olympic Blvd. Los Angeles (Parkinson & Parkinson) *Geronimo Hotel,

Tucson , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...

Arizona (John Parkinson) *

(orig. as

Coulter's Coulter's was a department store that originated in Downtown Los Angeles and later moved to the Miracle Mile shopping district in that same city. History Coulter's was founded by B. F. Coulter, a minister and entrepreneur from Kentucky, wh ...

department store, now Grand Central Market), 317 S. Broadway, Los Angeles (John B. Parkinson, 1896-8) * Jacoby Bros. department store, 331-3-5 S. Broadway, Los Angeles (John B. Parkinson, 1899-1900) * H. Jevne & Co. Building, southwest corner of 6th and Broadway, Los Angeles (1906-7, Parkinson & Bergstrom) *

, 3911 S. Figueroa St., Los Angeles (Parkinson & Parkinson) *

, 200 North Spring Street, Los Angeles, California (Albert C. Martin & John Parkinson) *

National Bank of Whittier Building National Bank of Whittier Building is a historic building in uptown Whittier, California. Built in 1923 by John and David Parkinson in the Beaux Arts Neoclassical architecture style, the building A building, or edifice, is an enclosed str ...

, 13002 E. Philadelphia St., Whittier, CA (Parkinson & Parkinson) * Pomona station (California) 100 West Commercial Street, Pomona, CA 91768 (1940) *

Saks Fifth Avenue, Beverly Hills The Saks Fifth Avenue store building is a department store located within the Golden Triangle business district of Beverly Hills, California. It has housed a Saks Fifth Avenue department store since its completion in 1938. It is the third-highest ...

, 9600 Wilshire Bd, Los Angeles (Parkinson & Parkinson) with Paul R. Williams. * Security Building, part of the

, Los Angeles *Rowan Building, 131 W. 5th Street, part of the

, Los Angeles (Parkinson & Bergstrom) * Security Trust and Savings, 6381-85 Hollywood Blvd.

Hollywood, CA Hollywood is a neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. Its name has come to be a shorthand reference for the U.S. film industry and the people associated with it. Many notable film studios, such as Columbia Pictures, ...

(Parkinson & Parkinson) *

Southern California Gas Company Complex The Southern California Gas Company Complex is a group of buildings on Flower Street in Downtown Los Angeles. The main building, completed in 1925, was designed in the Renaissance Revival style by John and Donald Parkinson. It was originally us ...

, 800, 810, 820 and 830 S. Flower St., Los Angeles (Parkinson & Parkinson) *

Sterling Plaza The Sterling Plaza (also known as the California Bank Building) is a historic building in Beverly Hills, California. Location The building is located at 9429–9441 on Wilshire Boulevard, in the City of Beverly Hills, California.Suzanne Tarbell ...

Beverly Hills, California Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. A notable and historic suburb of Greater Los Angeles, it is in a wealthy area immediately southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. ...

Title Guarantee and Trust Company Building The Title Guarantee and Trust Company Building is an Art Deco style highrise building on Pershing Square in Downtown Los Angeles. It was built in 1930 on the site of the California Club building. The building was designed by The Parkinsons, who a ...

, 401-411 W. 5th St.,

(Parkinson & Parkinson) *Title Insurance Building, 433 S. Spring Street, part of the

, Los Angeles (Parkinson & Parkinson) *

Union Station (Los Angeles) Los Angeles Union Station is the main railway station in Los Angeles, California, and the largest railroad passenger terminal in the Western United States. It opened in May 1939 as the Los Angeles Union Passenger Terminal, replacing La Grande S ...

, 800 N. Alameda St., Los Angeles (Parkinson & Parkinson) *

Union Station (Ogden, Utah) Union Station, also known as Ogden Union Station, is a train station in Ogden, Utah, at the west end of Historic 25th Street, just south of the Ogden Intermodal Transit Center. Formerly the junction of the Union Pacific and Central Pacific R ...

, 25th St. at Wall Ave.,

Ogden, UT Ogden is a city in and the county seat of Weber County, Utah, United States, approximately east of the Great Salt Lake and north of Salt Lake City. The population was 87,321 in 2020, according to the US Census Bureau, making it Utah's eight ...

(Parkinson & Parkinson) *Washington Building, 3rd and Spring, Los Angeles (Parkinson & Bergstrom) *

Zumberge Hall of Science Zumberge Hall of Science, commonly known as ZHS, is one of the original buildings of the University of Southern California's Campus of the University of Southern California, University Park Campus, completed in 1928. Science Hall Originally know ...

, 3651 Trousdale Parkway, University of Southern California campus, Los Angeles (Parkinson & Parkinson) http://www.planning.lacity.org/eir/USC/DEIR/files/IV.C.%20Cultural%20Resources.pdf

References

* Ochsner, Jeffrey Karl, "John Parkinson" in ''Shaping Seattle Architecture: A Historical Guide to the Architects'' (ed. Jeffrey Karl Ochsner),

University of Washington Press The University of Washington Press is an American academic publishing house. The organization is a division of the University of Washington, based in Seattle. Although the division functions autonomously, they have worked to assist the universi ...

, Seattle and London 1994, pages 28–32, 303, * Ochsner, Jeffrey Karl, and Andersen, Dennis Alan, ''Distant Corner: Seattle Architects and the Legacy of H. H. Richardson'',

, Seattle and London 2003, pages 49–52, 175-79, 225-28, 249-54, 283-85, 310-14, .

External links

An interview with ''Iconic Vision'' author Stephen Gee about John Parkinson's work
on ''Notebook on Cities and Culture'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Parkinson, John and Donald Business duos Defunct architecture firms based in California American neoclassical architects Art Deco architects Historicist architects American railway architects Spanish Colonial Revival architects Architects from Los Angeles English emigrants to the United States Architects from Seattle 20th-century American architects Architects from Lancashire Olympic competitors in art competitions