Beverly Willis
Encyclopedia
Beverly Willis, FAIA, is an American architect
known for her design achievements, her development of new technology and her philanthropic efforts on behalf of architects, urban planning and public policy. Willis played a major role in the development of many creative and professional concepts important to American cities and American architecture. Her best known built work is the San Francisco Ballet
Building http://www.beverlywillis.com/index.lasso?-token.page=project_detail&id=0753 in San Francisco, California
. She is the founder of the Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation http://bwaf.org, a non-profit organization expanding knowledge of women's contributions to the built environment.
, daughter of Margaret Elizabeth Porter, a nurse, and Ralph William Willis, an oil industry entrepreneur and an agriculturalist. Brother Ralph Gerald Willis (1930–1999) served in the United States Army
and later retired to the Fiji
Islands.
During World War II
, at age 15, Willis learned to fly a single-engine propeller plane in order to qualify for the Women’s Air Service. Shortly thereafter, Willis’ mother, then divorced, moved to Portland, Oregon
, where Willis graduated from high school. Willis studied engineering at Oregon State University
from 1946-48. She graduated from the University of Hawaii
in 1954 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with honors.
, where she continued the mural and fresco work begun in college under the training of Jean Charlot
. In 1956, Willis pioneered a technique for sand cast mural panels, including a panel used in the Shell Bar at the Royal Hawaiian Hilton. The Shell Bar, which Willis also designed, became a backdrop in the television series Hawaiian Eye
.
. Beverly Willis Architects embraced the industrial design
axiom that good design "sells"." Retail stores were among the firm’s first clients. Widely published in retail trade magazines, Willis became known as one of America's leading store designers. Willis was among the first architects to take advantage of trade publications and direct mail pamphlets to solicit new clients.
As the firm grew to a staff of 35, its projects evolved. Willis became a pioneer in the historic preservation
and reuse movement in San Francisco in the 1960s.
In the early 1970s, Beverly Willis Architects was one of the first firms to develop computer software for planning and architectural use. CARLA, Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis, was written and applied in-house. Used in large-scale land use planning
projects, 100 acre (0.404686 km²) to 1000 acres (4 km²) in size, CARLA promoted environmental planning techniques that helped avoid property damage due to flash floods, mudslides and unstable soil, relying on a site’s natural terrain to guide building placement. In Honolulu, CARLA was used to plan, engineer and design Aliamanu Valley, a community that housed 11,500 people in 525 buildings.
on 9/11, the Architecture Research Institute founded R.Dot, Rebuild Downtown Our Town. R.Dot mobilized hundreds of designers, professionals and people from all walks of life to create a coordinated response that helped guide the rebuilding effort and established a planning framework for the city of New York.
in Washington, DC; creating the Architecture Research Institute, in New York City (1995); co-founding R.Dot, Rebuild Downtown Our Town (2001); and establishing the Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation(2002).
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
known for her design achievements, her development of new technology and her philanthropic efforts on behalf of architects, urban planning and public policy. Willis played a major role in the development of many creative and professional concepts important to American cities and American architecture. Her best known built work is the San Francisco Ballet
San Francisco Ballet
The San Francisco Ballet is a ballet company, founded in 1933 as the San Francisco Opera Ballet. The company is currently based in the War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco, under the direction of Helgi Tomasson. SFB is the first professional ballet company in the United States...
Building http://www.beverlywillis.com/index.lasso?-token.page=project_detail&id=0753 in San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
. She is the founder of the Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation http://bwaf.org, a non-profit organization expanding knowledge of women's contributions to the built environment.
Early life
Willis was born in Tulsa, OklahomaTulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 46th-largest city in the United States. With a population of 391,906 as of the 2010 census, it is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with 937,478 residents in the MSA and 988,454 in the CSA. Tulsa's...
, daughter of Margaret Elizabeth Porter, a nurse, and Ralph William Willis, an oil industry entrepreneur and an agriculturalist. Brother Ralph Gerald Willis (1930–1999) served in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
and later retired to the Fiji
Fiji
Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
Islands.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, at age 15, Willis learned to fly a single-engine propeller plane in order to qualify for the Women’s Air Service. Shortly thereafter, Willis’ mother, then divorced, moved to Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, where Willis graduated from high school. Willis studied engineering at Oregon State University
Oregon State University
Oregon State University is a coeducational, public research university located in Corvallis, Oregon, United States. The university offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees and a multitude of research opportunities. There are more than 200 academic degree programs offered through the...
from 1946-48. She graduated from the University of Hawaii
University of Hawaii
The University of Hawaii System, formally the University of Hawaii and popularly known as UH, is a public, co-educational college and university system that confers associate, bachelor, master, and doctoral degrees through three university campuses, seven community college campuses, an employment...
in 1954 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with honors.
Willis Atelier
Upon graduation from the University of Hawaii, Willis founded the Willis Atelier in WaikikiWaikiki
Waikiki is a neighborhood of Honolulu, in the City and County of Honolulu, on the south shore of the island of Oahu, in Hawaii. Waikiki Beach is the shoreline fronting Waikīkī....
, where she continued the mural and fresco work begun in college under the training of Jean Charlot
Jean Charlot
Louis Henri Jean Charlot was a French painter and illustrator, active in Mexico and the United States. Charlot was born in Paris. His father, Henri, owned an import-export business and was a Russian-born émigré, albeit one who supported the Bolshevik cause. His mother Anna was herself an artist...
. In 1956, Willis pioneered a technique for sand cast mural panels, including a panel used in the Shell Bar at the Royal Hawaiian Hilton. The Shell Bar, which Willis also designed, became a backdrop in the television series Hawaiian Eye
Hawaiian Eye
Hawaiian Eye is an American television series that ran from October 1959 to September 1963 on the American Broadcasting Company television network.-Premise:...
.
Beverly Willis Architects
In 1958, Willis opened Beverly Willis Architects, an architectural office in San Francisco, CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. Beverly Willis Architects embraced the industrial design
Industrial design
Industrial design is the use of a combination of applied art and applied science to improve the aesthetics, ergonomics, and usability of a product, but it may also be used to improve the product's marketability and production...
axiom that good design "sells"." Retail stores were among the firm’s first clients. Widely published in retail trade magazines, Willis became known as one of America's leading store designers. Willis was among the first architects to take advantage of trade publications and direct mail pamphlets to solicit new clients.
As the firm grew to a staff of 35, its projects evolved. Willis became a pioneer in the historic preservation
Historic preservation
Historic preservation is an endeavor that seeks to preserve, conserve and protect buildings, objects, landscapes or other artifacts of historical significance...
and reuse movement in San Francisco in the 1960s.
In the early 1970s, Beverly Willis Architects was one of the first firms to develop computer software for planning and architectural use. CARLA, Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis, was written and applied in-house. Used in large-scale land use planning
Land use planning
Land-use planning is the term used for a branch of public policy encompassing various disciplines which seek to order and regulate land use in an efficient and ethical way, thus preventing land-use conflicts. Governments use land-use planning to manage the development of land within their...
projects, 100 acre (0.404686 km²) to 1000 acres (4 km²) in size, CARLA promoted environmental planning techniques that helped avoid property damage due to flash floods, mudslides and unstable soil, relying on a site’s natural terrain to guide building placement. In Honolulu, CARLA was used to plan, engineer and design Aliamanu Valley, a community that housed 11,500 people in 525 buildings.
Significant Buildings
- Manhattan Village AcademyManhattan Village AcademyManhattan Village Academy is a small, public high school located in Chelsea, Manhattan, New York City. It consists of grades 9–12. The school is part of the New York City Department of Education...
, 400-student high school in loft space, 43 West 22nd Street, New York City (1996)http://www.beverlywillis.com/index.lasso?-token.page=project_detail&id=0807 - River Run Residence, Napa Valley, California (1983)http://www.beverlywillis.com/index.lasso?-token.page=project_detail&id=0810
- San Francisco Ballet Building, San Francisco Performing Arts Center, Civic Center, San Francisco, California (1982)http://www.beverlywillis.com/index.lasso?-token.page=project_detail&id=0753
- Yerba Buena Gardens, 24 acres (97,124.6 m²) mixed-use development of an art center, theater, offices, retail, hotel, gardens; co-master planner and conceptual designer (1980)http://www.beverlywillis.com/index.lasso?-token.page=project_detail&id=0752
- Aliamanu Valley Community, 525 buildings housing 11,500 people; Corps of Engineers, Honolulu, Hawaii (1979)http://www.beverlywillis.com/index.lasso?-token.page=project_detail&id=0660
- Pacific Point Condominium Apartments, Alpha Land Company, Pacifica, California (1975)http://www.beverlywillis.com/index.lasso?-token.page=project_detail&id=0628
- Vine Terrace Apartments, (now known as Nob Hill Court Condominiums), 930 Vine Street, San Francisco, California (1973)http://www.beverlywillis.com/index.lasso?-token.page=project_detail&id=0594
- Union Street Shops, 1980 Union Street, San Francisco, California (1965)http://www.beverlywillis.com/index.lasso?-token.page=project_detail&id=0318
- Margaret S. Hayward Playground Building, City of San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department, San Francisco, California (1965)http://www.beverlywillis.com/index.lasso?-token.page=project_detail&id=0716
- Robertson Residence, Yountville, California (1960)http://www.beverlywillis.com/index.lasso?-token.page=project_detail&id=0142
Awards
- American Planning AssociationAmerican Planning AssociationThe American Planning Association is a professional organization representing the field of city and regional planning in the United States. The APA was formed in 1978 when two separate professional planning organizations, the American Institute of Planners and the American Society of Planning...
’s New York Metro Chapter’s Lawrence Orton Award for Excellence in City and Regional Planning cited Rebuild Downtown Our Town, co-directed by Beverly Willis. (2003) - National Association of Home BuildersNational Association of Home BuildersThe National Association of Home Builders is one of the largest trade associations in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, DC, NAHB's mission is "to enhance the climate for housing and the building industry...
, Merit Award, River Run Residence, St. Helena, California. (1985) - California Council of the American Institute of Architects Merit Award, Margaret S. Hayward Playground Building, San Francisco, California. (1984)
- Gold Nugget Grand Award, Pacific Coast Builders Conference and Builders Magazine, for Best Recreational Facility, Margaret S. Hayward Playground Building, San Francisco, California. (1983)
- Gold Nugget Merit Award, Pacific Coast Builders Conference and Builders Magazine, for Best Recreational Facility, Margaret S. Hayward Playground Building, San Francisco, California. (1983)
- American Institute of ArchitectsAmerican Institute of ArchitectsThe American Institute of Architects 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 support the architecture profession and improve its public image...
(AIA) Award of Merit, 1976 Homes for Better Living Awards Program, Vine Terrace Apartments, San Francisco, California. (1976) - Award for Exceptional Distinction for Environmental Design for work on Union Street by the Governor of California. (1967)
- AIA Bay Area Award for Union Street Store Development at 1980 Union Street. (1967)
- Significant Achievement in Beautification Citation by Buildings Magazine for the Transamerica Title Building in Oakland, California. (1966)
- Merit Award in Office Renovation for the Campbell-Ewald Building, San Francisco, California by the American Institute of Building Design. (1965)
Honors
- Montgomery Fellowship, Dartmouth CollegeDartmouth CollegeDartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
(1992) - Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts, Mount Holyoke CollegeMount Holyoke CollegeMount Holyoke College is a liberal arts college for women in South Hadley, Massachusetts. It was the first member of the Seven Sisters colleges, and served as a model for some of the others...
(1982) - Fellowship American Institute of Architects (1980)
- U. S. Government Delegate to "Habitat," the 1976 United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (1976)
- Phoebe Hearst Gold Medal Award for Distinguished Service to San Francisco (1969)
Exhibitions
- Women in American Architecture 1988-1990: The Exceptional One. Exhibit organized by the American Institute of Architects and the American Architectural Foundation exhibited in Washington DC and Denver, Colorado, and Los Angeles.
- The Outdoor Chair. Cooper-Hewitt Museum, the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Design, New York. (1988)
- The Outdoor Chair. Contract Design Center, San Francisco. (1987)
- Yerba Buena Gardens. San Francisco Museum, San Francisco. (1984)
- Group Oil Paintings Exhibit. Honolulu Gallery of Art Museum, Honolulu, Hawaii. (1956)
- One-Person Exhibit: Watercolors. Maxwell Gallery, San Francisco. (1952)
Research
Beverly Willis founded the Architecture Research Institute, a "think/act tank", in 1995. The Architecture Research Institute develops and advocates urban policies to make large global cities more livable. After the collapse of the World Trade CenterWorld Trade Center
The original World Trade Center was a complex with seven buildings featuring landmark twin towers in Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. The complex opened on April 4, 1973, and was destroyed in 2001 during the September 11 attacks. The site is currently being rebuilt with five new...
on 9/11, the Architecture Research Institute founded R.Dot, Rebuild Downtown Our Town. R.Dot mobilized hundreds of designers, professionals and people from all walks of life to create a coordinated response that helped guide the rebuilding effort and established a planning framework for the city of New York.
Symposiums
- Grands Projets - Its Lessons and Legacies, a one day retrospective assessment of the history of the Grands Projets in France, co-sponsored with The Cultural Services of the French Embassy, and hosted by the Guggenheim Museum.
- Working Neighborhoods: Failed Policies and Fresh Directions, a one day assessment of new directions for development of working neighborhoods, co-hosted by the Association of Collegiate Schools or Architecture, and held in New York City and Oakland California.
Architecture Research Institute
- Towards a Sustainable City: Rebuilding Lower Manhattan, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford 2004.
- The R.Dot Project: Rebuilding Lower Manhattan, Fifth International Architecture Symposium, Pontresina, Switzerland, September 12–14, 2002.
- Towards a Sustainable City, International Women’s University Conference, Hanover, Germany, September 2000.
- Re-Examining the Courtyard Block: A Megacity Habitat for the New Working Family, Megacities 2000 Conference, Spring 2000, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
- Spatial Speculations. Embodied Utopias – Gender, Social Change, and the Built Environment Conference, 1999, University of Chicago Gender Center, sponsored by the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies.
- Megacities: Re-Examining the Sidewalk as Public Space. The Second International Symposium on Asia Pacific Architecture, Making of Public Spaces, University of Hawaii, East-West Center, Honolulu, Hawaii, April 1998.
R.Dot
- Neighborhoods and Housing Lower Manhattan- A Mixed income Community, New York, April 14, 2004.
- Arts and Culture: Revitalizing Lower Manhattan Through Arts and Culture, New York, January 23, 2003.
- Retail Strategies for Revitalizing Lower Manhattan, New York, January 16, 2003.
- Design Program for the World Trade Center and Lower Manhattan, New York, October 7, 2002.
- Managed Streets - Street Life is Crucial to the Revitalization of Lower Manhattan, New York, June 15, 2002.
- Rebuilding Lower Manhattan and the World Trade Center, New York, February 19, 2002.
Philanthropy
Beverly Willis’ philanthropic efforts include her work as a founding trustee of the National Building MuseumNational Building Museum
The National Builders Museum, in Washington, D.C., United States, is a museum of "architecture, design, engineering, construction, and urban planning"...
in Washington, DC; creating the Architecture Research Institute, in New York City (1995); co-founding R.Dot, Rebuild Downtown Our Town (2001); and establishing the Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation(2002).
External links
- Beverly Willis Online Archive
- Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation
- American Women of Architecture Timeline
- Beverly Willis at International Archive of Women in Architecture
- Beverly Willis Oral History at Regional Oral History Office UC Berkeley
- Beverly Willis Library at the National Building Museum
- Beverly Willis Architecture Project Images at ARTstor