John Upton Clowdsley (1889-1971)

Name

Clowdsley, John Upton

Personal Information

Birth/Death:    b. 1889 – d. 08/04/1971
Occupation:    American architect
Location (state):    CA

This record has not been verified for accuracy.

AIA Affiliation

Member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) 1946-decease

Biographical Sources

American Architects Directories:
Biographical listing in 1956 American Architects Directory
Repeat of 1956 biographical listing in 1962 American Architects Directory
Address listed in 1970 American Architects Directory

Biographical Information:
Contributed by the Environmental Design Archives, University of California, Berkeley:
John Upton Clowdsley was born in 1889 to prominent San Joaquin County residents, William Forsythe and Virginia Olive Clowdsley. He had two siblings, a brother, Forsythe Charles [Tod] Clowdsley, a former district attorney and state assemblyman (d.1840), and a sister, Olive Virginia Clowdsley.
Clowdsley pursued architectural training at the University of California, Berkeley, from 1914 through 1917, but he did not receive a degree. Apparently his service in the United States Army, 1917-1919, ended his formal training as an architect. He received his license in 1920, however a Stockton City and San Joaquin County Directory of 1917 lists Clowdsley's profession as architect. Remaining in Stockton throughout his career, he established several partnerships and executed the majority of his work in San Joaquin County. He was a long-time member of the Central Valley Chapter of the AIA (1946-1971).
From 1920-1923, Clowdsley was junior partner in Losekann & Clowdsley (Stockton). He practiced independently between the years 1924-1944. In 1945 he practiced for one year under the firm Clowdsley, Ernst, Johnson & Mayo (Stockton). He partnered in Clowdsley & Ernst (Stockton) for the year 1947-1948. Upon the dissolution of his partnership with Ernst, Clowdsley worked with Jack Freeman Whipple during the years 1949-1964 as Clowdsley & Whipple (Stockton). He retired in 1965 and continued to work on occasion with his son's (John Clowdsley, Jr.) San Francisco architectural firm, Page, Clowdsley & Baleix.
Clowdsley designed many residential structures in Stockton and San Joaquin County during the decades spanning 1920-1950. In 1922, Losekann & Clowdsley associated with Davis, Heller & Pierce and Peter L. Sala to design the Stockton City Hall. He also contributed work to buildings on the Stockton campus of the University of the Pacific. His designs include: Weber Hall, (presently Eberhardt School of Business) 1924; Omega Phi Alpha (first fraternity house on campus; later Delta Upsilon); Rhizomia (later Sigma Alpha Epsilon); Archania; Grace Covell Hall, 1957-1958; and additions to Epsilon Lambda Sigma (1959) and Delta Delta Delta (1959). Between 1961-1963 he participated in planning UOP's cluster colleges.
Clowdsley died on August 4, 1971, at 82 years of age.
Sources: American Institute of Architects Membership Directory
[Obituary, William Forsythe Clowdsley] Stockton Daily Independent, November 19, 1917, 4.
[Obituary, Virginia Olive Clowdsley] Stockton Record, September 22, 1948, 1.
Stockton, California City Directory (1947-48), Stockton City Directory (1970), and Stockton City and San Joaquim County Directory (1917), Stockton-San Joaquin County Public Library
University Archives, University of the Pacific, Stockton, California

Related Records

Father of John Upton Clowdsley, Jr.
Partner of Jack F. Whipple

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: 2000-7. Extent: 1 box, 1 flat box, 68 oversize folders, and 1 tube. The John Upton Clowdsley Collection spans the years 1914-1962, and consists of drawings, photographs, and project cost estimate files. The records are primarily for residences in Stockton and San Joaquin County but his student work and drawings for the Stockton City Hall are also part of the collection. As a representation of architecture in the Central Valley, the collection enhances the strong northern California presence at the Environmental Design Archives. Furthermore, Clowdsley's residential work from the 1920-1950s provides insight into the contemporary style of and taste in residential architecture.
      The collection is organized into three series: Personal Records, Office Records, and Project Records. The project records are the largest and the most valuable series in the collection as they represent more than 65 of Clowdsley's projects by drawings and photographs. The personal papers are limited and consist of Clowdsley's student work from the University of California, Berkeley. The office records are also limited. They include cost estimates index cards for approximately 160 of Clowdsley's projects.
Link to online finding aid: http://www.oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/kt6f59p6x5

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