Wikipedia

Davis & Davis

Davis & Davis was an architecture firm in Los Angeles, California made up of brothers F. Pierpont and Walter S. Davis.

Davis siblings. Davis & Davis are Pierpont Davis, standing in the center of the photograph, and Walter S. Davis, seated with a brother to his right and his sister to his left

Partners

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Francis Pierpont Davis

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Francis Pierpont Davis
Born(1884-12-27)December 27, 1884
Baltimore, Maryland
DiedJuly 5, 1953(1953-07-05) (aged 68)
Los Angeles, California
EducationBaltimore City College
Maryland Institute of Design, Engineering, and Mathematics
OccupationArchitect
PracticeDavis & Davis (1916-1942+)
Medal record
Men's sailing
Representing the   United States
Olympic Games
  1932 Los Angeles 8 metre class

Francis Pierpont Davis, who went by Pierpont Davis, was born in 1884 in Baltimore, Maryland to Frank Earlougher Davis, an architect, and Annie Legate Swindell. He was the eldest of three brothers, William, Walter, and Henry, and one sister, Dorothy. The family also had one servant.[1]

Pierpont attended Baltimore City College for one year and the Maryland Institute of Design, Engineering, and Mathematics for three.[2] In 1907, he moved to Los Angeles and in 1909, he married Gertrude Alberta Churchill in Santa Monica, California. They had two kids together, and also lived with a nurse and a cook.[1] Pierpont also served in World War I.[3]

From 1924 to 1925, Pierpont and Gertrude traveled across Europe and North Africa, with destinations that included the British Isles, France, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt, and Algeria.[1] Pierpont also served on the 1932 Olympics international jury and competed in eight-meter class sailing, where he won gold as the oldest member of brother-in-law Owen Churchill's boat, the Angelita. Pierpont sailed his own ship, the Santa Maria, in tryouts and placed second to Churchill's first.[2][4]

Pierpont was a member of the Allied Architects of Los Angeles[5] and he also worked as Assistant to the Chief Architect on the Pentagon Project in Washington, D.C. in 1941. He also served as president of the Los Angeles City Art Commission.[1]

Pierpont stool 5 foot 11.5 inches tall, had brown eyes and black hair, and had a scar over his left eye. He died in Los Angeles in 1953.[1]

Walter Swindell Davis

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Walter Swindell Davis
Born(1887-11-07)November 7, 1887
Baltimore, Maryland
DiedSeptember 19, 1973(1973-09-19) (aged 85)
Los Angeles County California
EducationMassachusetts Institute of Technology, BS 1910, MS 1911
OccupationArchitect
PracticeDavis & Davis (1916-1942+)

Walter Swindell Davis was born in 1887 in Baltimore, Maryland to Frank Earlougher Davis, an architect, and Annie Legate Swindell. He was the middle child of three brothers, Emmitt, Pierpont, and Henry, and one sister, Dorothy. The family also had one servant.[1][6]

Walter attended Massachusetts Institute of Technology for both his bachelor's and master's degrees, the formor of which he obtained in 1910 and the latter in 1911.[2] By 1916, he had moved to Los Angeles,[1] and he also served in World War I.[3]

Walter died in 1973. His last known residence was in Long Beach, California.[6]

Partnership

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Pierpont and Walter partnered in Los Angeles in 1916. They had an office in the Exchange Building in 1918 and one on 6th Street from at least 1937 to 1942.[1][6]

Employees/associates of theirs include Olive Chadeayne, George Julius Lind, and Henry Franklin Withey.[7]

Henry Franklin Withey

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Henry Franklin Withey
Born(1880-02-04)February 4, 1880
Lynn, Massachusetts
DiedOctober 17, 1969(1969-10-17) (aged 89)
OccupationArchitect

Henry Franklin Withey was born in 1880 in Lynn, Massachusetts to John F. Withey, a printer, farmer, and laborer, and Martha Peckham Withey. Henry was the eldest of one brother and two sisters.[8]

Henry and his family moved to Los Angeles sometime between 1900 and 1910. By 1920, Henry was married to Elsie Rathburn, an immigrant who came to the United States in 1884 and was naturalized in 1900. Elsie worked as an assistant in Henry's office and the two wrote the Biographical Dictionary of American Architects together.[8]

Professionally, Henry's association with Davises began around 1911, when he and Pierpont won first place in a competition to build Santa Ana High School. Henry and the Davises shared offices from around 1918 to 1922, and while they worked on many projects together during their association, Henry was never officially a partner. Henry was also the vice president of the Los Angeles Architectural Club in 1915.[3][8]

Henry was 5 feet 10.5 inches tall and had blue eyes and brown hair. He died in 1969.[8]

Selected works

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La Venta Inn

Davis and Davis

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St. John’s Cathedral
 
El Greco Apartments

With Withey

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Swelldom Building

Pierpont Davis

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With Withey

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As part of the Allied Architects of Los Angeles

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Walter S. Davis

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Michelson, Alan. "Francis Pierpont Davis (Architect)". University of Washington Pacific Coast Architecture Database. Retrieved December 3, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Person or Group - F. Pierpont Davis & Walter S. Davis". City of Los Angeles. Retrieved December 3, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form - St. John's Episcopal Church". United States Department of the Interior - National Park Service. April 6, 2000.
  4. ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Pierpont Davis". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on December 18, 2012.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form - El Greco Apartments". United States Department of the Interior - National Park Service. September 19, 1988.
  6. ^ a b c Michelson, Alan. "Walter Swindell Davis (Architect)". University of Washington Pacific Coast Architecture Database. Retrieved December 3, 2024.
  7. ^ a b Michelson, Alan. "Davis and Davis, Architects (Partnership)". University of Washington Pacific Coast Architecture Database. Retrieved December 3, 2024.
  8. ^ a b c d Michelson, Alan. "Henry Franklin Withey (Architect)". University of Washington Pacific Coast Architecture Database. Retrieved December 3, 2024.
  9. ^ "Historic Resource - 2027 N Serrano Ave". City of Los Angeles. November 1, 2015.
  10. ^ "Historic Resource - H. M. Easton & Morris Mumper Residence 2021 N Serrano Ave". City of Los Angeles. November 1, 2015.
  11. ^ Low, JC (January 1930). "Community Association Control in Unincorporated Territory" (PDF). The Architect and Engineer – via usmodernist.org.
  12. ^ Kelley, Daryl (February 23, 1989). "La Venta Inn Nominated as Historic Site by County". Los Angeles Times.
  13. ^ a b c d e "Historical Cultural Monuments List" (PDF). City of Los Angeles. Retrieved October 24, 2024.
  14. ^ "Historic Resource - Conant House - 2810 N Beachwood Dr". City of Los Angeles. September 7, 2011.
  15. ^ "St. John's Episcopal Church". United States Department of the Interior - National Park Service. May 5, 2000.
  16. ^ "El Greco Apartments". United States Department of the Interior - National Park Service. September 19, 1988.
  17. ^ "Historic Resource - Huntington Palisades Spec House 15045 W Altata Dr". City of Los Angeles. July 9, 2013.
  18. ^ "Historic District - UCLA Sorority Row Historic District". City of Los Angeles. December 8, 2014.
  19. ^ Michelson, Alan. "Davis, Davis and Withey, Associated Architects (Association)". University of Washington Pacific Coast Architecture Database. Retrieved December 3, 2024.
  20. ^ Sitton, Tom (2008). "GC 1323 - Historic Sites Surveys" (PDF). Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.
  21. ^ "National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form - California SP Broadway Theater and Commercial District". United States Department of the Interior - National Park Service. May 9, 1979.
  22. ^ Giovannini, Joseph (January 31, 2005). "Sleeping Beauty". Architectural Digest.
  23. ^ "Pierson Residence". City of Los Angeles. November 13, 1996.
  24. ^ "Pentagon Office Building Complex". United States Department of the Interior - National Park Service. July 27, 1989.
  25. ^ a b Michelson, Alan. "Withey and Davis, Associated Architects (Association)". University of Washington Pacific Coast Architecture Database. Retrieved December 3, 2024.
  26. ^ O'Connor, Pauline (April 11, 2013). "Walter Davis-Designed "Hearst Castle" of Rancho Palos Verdes". Curbed Los Angeles.
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