Alfred C. Williams (1906-2006)

Name

Williams, Alfred C. (Alfred Charles)

Personal Information

Birth/Death:    b. 06/25/1906- d. 01/22/2006
Occupation:    American architect
Location (state):    CA

This record has not been verified for accuracy.

AIA Affiliation

Member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) 1943-1949

Biographical Sources

Biographical information:
Contributed by the Environmental Design Archives, University of California, Berkeley:
Alfred Charles Williams was born on June 25, 1906 in San Francisco, California, shortly after the 1906 earthquake destroyed his parents' home. He attended Mission High School in San Francisco, where he ran track and was editor of the student paper. He then earned a BA in 1928 and an MA in 1932 from the University of California, Berkeley School of Architecture. He worked as a draftsman for Archie T. Newsom of Oakland, CA; Gehron & Ross of New York; Frank H. Holden of New York; and William Wilson Wurster of San Francisco, CA. He also spent six months traveling through Europe.
Williams worked in Oregon in 1933 and returned to California in 1934. During World War II, Williams was employed as a project planner by the Federal Public Housing Authority. He designed some commercial and industrial structures, including department stores, but focused on designing modern houses. He developed a series of designs for modern living using contemporary materials (concrete masonry and interlocking block).
In 1949 Williams resigned from the AIA and ceased his formal practice of architecture. In 1956 – 1957, Williams was a student at the Quaker study center Woodbrooke College in England, studying international politics and philosophy. He devoted the rest of his life to advocating for world peace and international law, though he designed a few structures in later years. He died January 22, 2006 at the age of 99.
Sources: AIA/SF Records (2001-7), Membership Files, Williams, Alfred C.
Obituary provided by family.
Williams, Alfred C. (2006-10), Autobiography, May 1962, Box 1 Folder 1.

Related Records

Archival Holdings

The American Institute of Architects Archives
      Membership file may contain membership application, related correspondence. Contact the AIA Archives at archives@aia.org for further information.

Environmental Design Archives, University of California, Berkeley

Collection Number: 2006-10. Extent: 2 boxes, 8 flat files, 3 flat boxes, 1 tube.
This collection, which spans the years 1926-1991 (bulk 1926-1948), consists of publications, drawings, photographs, and a smattering of correspondence relating to the architectural career of Alfred C. Williams. It includes a fair sampling of his student work, his travel sketchbooks, and project records relating to his work in private practice in the San Francisco Bay Area. The collection contains no records of his work outside the architectural field. The collection is organized in three series: personal papers, professional papers, and project records.
The personal papers consist primarily of his student drawings and his sketchbooks from his travels through Europe. Noteworthy in both of these is his emerging interest in modern architecture, demonstrated by two student drawings of modern buildings based on the classical orders and by his sketches of modern buildings in Europe. Motifs from his European sketches can be found in his later residential designs.
The professional papers include a small amount of correspondence but consist primarily of an assortment of his published articles and designs. Noteworthy among these is his 1944 article "In Support of Post-War Planning—Now," which includes designs and photographs of a number of his modern residences. Also of note is a 1991 letter by Williams to the resident of 661 Caldwell Road in Oakland, CA, whose home burned in the 1991 Oakland hills fire. This Oakland residence was designed by Williams in 1941 as his own home and office, and photographs and a plan of this residence was featured in Williams' article "In Support of Post-War Planning—Now." As an attachment to the letter, Williams provided copies of the original floor plan drawings for the rebuilding of the home.
Williams's publications include:
"A Sketching Trip to Morocco and North Africa." The Architect and Engineer. July 1932.
"The Book of Low Cost Houses." N.D. 74.
"Department Store Architecture." The Architect and Engineer. November 1933. 25-32.
"House in Berkeley, California." Architectural Forum. November 1942. 73-75.
"House in Oakland, California." Architectural Forum. April 1939.
"In Support of Post-War Planning—Now." Architect and Engineer. Vol. 158. No. 1. 7.1944. 14-36.
"Model Kitchens as Submitted in the Frigidaire Competition." N.D. 36.
"Random Sketches in Spain and Italy." The Architect and Engineer. June 1932. 37-42.
"Rome and a Town in Spain." The Architect and Engineer. February 1934. 18-19.
"What About the Modern House?" The Architect and Engineer. Vol. 109. No. 2. May 1932. 13-17.
"50 Small Homes." August 1937. 30.
The project series includes drawings for his own home, the homes of several other clients, a few commercial and industrial designs, several entries in architectural competitions, and numerous residential designs. Of note is Williams's interest in small, modern homes. In 1948 he produced a pamphlet, with corresponding plans and elevations, for Twenty Designs for Modern Living in Concrete Masonry Homes. His intent was to sell sets of plans for the residences in the pamphlet. There is also a collection of designs entitled "A Portfolio of Small Houses." Several of his residential projects are featured in his publications in the professional papers series. The project series includes a number of photographs of completed houses. Williams's later interest in peace and international law is reflected by a 1974 design for a U.N. Plaza Fountain in San Francisco.
For further information contact the Environmental Design Archives http://www.ced.berkeley.edu/cedarchives/

Publications