Stafford Jory (1889-1968)

Name

Jory, Stafford

Personal Information

Birth/Death:    b. 1889 – d. 1968
Occupation:    American architect and educator
Location (state):    CA

This record has not been verified for accuracy.

AIA Affiliation

Not a member of the American Institute of Architects.

Biographical Sources

Biographical information:
Contributed by the Environmental Design Archives, University of California, Berkeley:
Stafford Jory was born in Stockton on August 24, 1889 to parents of English background. He moved to Berkeley in 1907, graduated high school, and entered UC Berkeley, where he became one of John Galen Howard's first students. After receiving his B.S. in 1912, he continued under Howard's tutelage, earning a Masters in 1913 and the discontinued Graduate in Architecture degree in 1914. In these early years he often worked creating beautiful color renderings for Howard. These degrees earned Jory a professor's position at Berkeley; however, World War I interrupted this development, and he ended up teaching artillery school in Virginia until the end of the war. His brother Arthur Jory also attended the Berkeley Architecture Program and they worked on a number of projects together.
After the war, he married Grace Weeks, a former classmate in architecture, and returned to his teaching position at Berkeley where he would teach until his retirement in 1956. During these years, he was also a practicing architect. He was responsible for a number of residences in the Berkeley area, including the Alpha Delta Phi Fraternity House, Alpha Omicron Pi Sorority House, and the house of his friend Farnham Griffiths. His professional relationship with Howard continued throughout his career as they collaborated on many university buildings, including Wheeler Hall, Hilgard Hall, parts of Doe Library, Edwards Track Stadium, and the School of Law built in 1950.
In addition to architecture, Jory was also active in Floriculture, where he found international recognition for his work in the hybridization of geraniums and the iris. His "William Mohr Crossing" led to the revolutionary development of the tall bearded garden iris. His other love was the photography of landscapes, gardens, and architecture. He was a member of the American Iris Society, the Aril Societe Internationale, and the Photographic Club of America. Jory passed away in 1968.
Sources: Goodman, M.A., Jeans, R. W., & Perry, W. C. "Stafford Lelean Jory." Photocopy - No other information, p. 52.

Related Records

Archival Holdings

Environmental Design Archives, University of California, Berkeley

Collection Number: 1005-12. Extent: 3 flat file drawers. The Stafford Jory Collection contains three flat files of project files and drawings, most of which are private residences in the Bay Area. Project records also include his institutional work around UC Berkeley and his decades-long association with Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland, which was originally designed by Frederick Law Olmstead. Unfortunately, due to the manner in which they were received, it is impossible to know how much Jory contributed to certain project records, as these records only credit the firm or lead architect, e.g. J. G. Howard. In addition to the project records, there is the Personal Papers series, which collects his student work from UC Berkeley. For further information contact the Environmental Design Archives http://www.ced.berkeley.edu/cedarchives/

Publications