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John and Donald Parkinson
American architectural firm From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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John and Donald Parkinson were a father-and-son architectural firm operating in the Los Angeles area in the early 20th century. They designed and built many of the city's iconic buildings, including Homer Laughlin Building, City Hall, the Memorial Coliseum, and Union Station.[1][2]
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John Parkinson
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Early years
John Parkinson (12 December 1861 - 9 December 1935) was born in the small village of Scorton, in Lancashire, England in 1861. At the age of sixteen, he was apprenticed for six years to Jonas J. Bradshaw, an architect and engineer in nearby Bolton, where he learned craftsmanship and practical construction. He attended night school at Bolton's Mechanics Institute to study architectural drafting and engineering. Upon completion of his apprenticeship at age 21, he immigrated to North America as an adventure; he built fences in Winnipeg and learned stair building in Minneapolis. He returned to England only to discover that the English construction trades demanded more time and service for advancement. He decided that his then capabilities would be more appropriate to the less-structured opportunities in America. Parkinson went to California, settling in Napa where he again worked as a stair-builder, and he took on architectural commissions in his spare time, designing some of his first commercial projects including an annex to the original Bank of Napa building (1888, Demolished).[3]
Seattle practice
Considering Napa a "dead town", Parkinson ventured north to Seattle in February 1889, where he opened his first architectural practice after failing to secure a position as a draftsman.[4] In March he entered a partnership with Cecil Evers, but this ended little more than a year later; Parkinson would leave Napa for good in September 1889 but would retain professional relationships with local mills to supply lumber and trim. Parkinson's early projects in Puget Sound included the Olympia Hotel, Olympia (1889; destroyed), the Calkins Hotel, Mercer Island (1889; destroyed), and several residences. After the Great Seattle Fire of 6 June 1889, he secured several important business blocks, the Butler Block (1889–90; altered), and the Seattle National Bank Building, later called the Interurban Building (1890–92), an exemplary work of Romanesque Revival architecture.
In 1891, Parkinson won the design competition for the B.F. Day School (1891–92; altered), located in the Fremont neighborhood of Seattle. Thereafter the Seattle School Board appointed Parkinson as the Seattle Schools Architect and Superintendent. Parkinson was responsible for all Seattle Schools projects over the next several years, including the Pacific School (1892–93; destroyed) and the Cascade School (1893–94; destroyed). He also designed the Seattle Seminary (1891–93)--the first building at Seattle Pacific University (now known as Alexander Hall); and the Jesuit College and Church (1893–94; altered)--the first building at Seattle University (now known as the Garrand Building).
Parkinson frequently published renderings of his buildings in the professional architectural press. He was an early member of the Washington State Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (predecessor to today's AIA Seattle chapter).
Parkinson invested in real estate and he was both architect and developer of the Seattle Athletic Club Building (1893–94; destroyed). His investments left him financially vulnerable when the Panic of 1893, the severe national depression, curtailed construction after June 1893. Parkinson's schools position was terminated by the Seattle School Board early in 1894. In 1893 and 1894, he entered several competitions, but failed to win any commissions.
Parkinson firm in Los Angeles
Faced with no projects, nor prospects for work in Seattle, John Parkinson moved to Los Angeles in 1894 and opened his architecture office on Spring Street between Second and Third Streets. By 1896, Parkinson had designed the city's first Class "A" fireproof steel-frame structure: the Homer Laughlin Building at Third Street and Broadway. His 1901 Susana Machado Bernard House and Barn has been designated as a Historic Cultural Monument and listed in the National Register of Historic Places. His design for the 1904 Braly Block at Fourth Street and Spring became the first "skyscraper" built in Los Angeles. It held the distinction of being the tallest structure in town until the completion of City Hall in 1928.
In 1905, Parkinson formed a partnership with G. Edwin Bergstrom which lasted for ten years. Parkinson and Bergstrom became the dominant architectural firm for major structures in Los Angeles. Bergstrom left to establish his own successful practice in 1915.
Parkinson & Parkinson
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John Parkinson was joined in 1920 by his son, Donald B. Parkinson (1895—1945).
Parkinson & Parkinson designed many of Los Angeles' finest buildings, which became some of the city's most enduring landmarks. Found on the roster are: the Campus Master Plan and several noted buildings of the University of Southern California (1919–39)[usurped], the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (1923 and 1930–31), Los Angeles City Hall (1928, with Albert C. Martin Sr./structural and John C. Austin/working drawings), Bullocks Wilshire (1929) and Union Station (1939). John Parkinson completed an important early renovation of Pershing Square in downtown Los Angeles. Their work was also part of the architecture event in the art competition at the 1932 Summer Olympics.[5][6]
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Parkinson firm evolution
- 1888–1889 John Parkinson, Architect (Napa, California and Seattle, Washington)
- 1889–1890 John Parkinson and Cecil Evers, Architects (Seattle, Washington)
- 1890–1894 John Parkinson, Architect (Seattle, Washington)
- 1894–1895 Burton and Parkinson, Architects (Los Angeles, California)
- 1895–1905 John Parkinson, Architect (Los Angeles, California)
- 1905–1915 John Parkinson and G. Edwin Bergstrom, Architects (Los Angeles, California)
- 1915–1920 John Parkinson, Architect (Los Angeles, California)
- 1920–1945 John Parkinson and Donald B. Parkinson, Architects (Los Angeles, California)
- 1945–1955 Parkinson, Powelson, Briney, Bernard & Woodford, Architects (Los Angeles, California)
- 1955–1984 Woodford & Bernard, Architects (Los Angeles, California)
- 1984–1990 Woodford, Parkinson, Wynn & Partners, Architects (Los Angeles and San Diego, California)
- 1990–1992 DWL Parkinson Architects (Los Angeles and San Diego, California)
- 1992–2008 Parkinson Field Associates (Los Angeles, California and Austin, Texas)
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Selected works
John Parkinson
Los Angeles
- Homer Laughlin Building (1896-1898), 317 S. Broadway[7]
- Jacoby Bros. department store (1899-1900), 331-335 S. Broadway[8]
- Hubert-Thom McAn Building (1900), 546 S. Broadway[9]
- O. T. Johnson Building (1902), 356 S. Broadway[9]
- Nelson Building (1902 addition), Broadway[10]
- Reeves Building (1903), 525 S. Broadway[9]
- Continental Building (1903), 408 S. Spring St.
- Engine House No. 18 (1904), 2616 S. Hobart Blvd.
- Hotel Alexandria (1906), Spring St.
- Blackstone's Department Store Building (1917), Broadway & 9th St.[11]
- Joannes Brothers Company building (1917), 800 Traction Ave.[12]
- Gennet Building (1922), 640 S. Hill St. (with Hubbard)[9]
- Southern Pacific Railroad terminal (1923)
- Los Angeles City Hall (1928), 200 N. Spring St. (with Albert C. Martin Sr.)
Elsewhere
- Seattle National Bank Building (1890-1891), 102 Occidental Ave. S, Seattle, WA
- Geronimo Hotel, Tucson, AZ
Parkinson and Bergstrom
Los Angeles
- Burdick Block (1900 addition), NE corner 2nd & Spring St.
- Susana Machado Bernard House and Barn (1901), 845 S. Lake St.
- Trustee Building (1905), 340 S. Broadway[9]
- Security Building (1906), Spring St.
- H. Jevne & Co. Building (1906-1907), SW corner of 6th and Broadway[13]
- Bullock's Building (1906-1907), 7th & Broadway[9]
- Yorkshire Hotel (1909), 710-14 S. Broadway[9]
- A.G. Bartlett Building (1911), 215 W 7th St.
- Rowan Building (1912), 131 W. 5th St.
- Washington Building (1912), 3rd and Spring St.
- Broadway Department Store (1913), 4th & Broadway[9]
- Metropolitan Building (1913), 315 W. Fifth St.[9]
- Crocker Bank (1914-1915), 453 S. Spring St.
Parkinson and Parkinson
Los Angeles
- Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco (1920), 409 W. Olympic Blvd.
- Security Trust and Savings (1921), 6381-6385 Hollywood Blvd.[14]
- Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (1923), 3911 S. Figueroa St.
- Hart '24 (1924), 7th and Hill St.[9]
- Southern California Gas Company Complex (1925), 800-830 S. Flower St.
- Hart '28 (1928), 7th and Hill St.[9]
- Security Trust (1928), 7051-7055 Hollywood Blvd.[14]
- Title Insurance Building (1928), 433 S. Spring St.
- Zumberge Hall of Science, University of Southern California (1928), 3651 Trousdale Parkway[15]
- Desmond's Westwood (1929), 1001 Westwood Blvd.[16]
- Bullock's Wilshire Building (1929), 3050 Wilshire Blvd.
- Title Guarantee and Trust Company Building (1930), 401-411 W. 5th St.
- California Bank Building (1930), 5620 Hollywood Blvd.[17]
- Bullock's Westwood (1932), 1000 Westwood Blvd.
- Mackey Building (1934), 634 S. Hill St.[9]
- Union Station (1939), 800 N. Alameda St.
Elsewhere
- Caliente Railroad Depot (1923), 100 Depot Ave., Caliente, NV
- National Bank of Whittier Building (1923), 13002 E. Philadelphia St., Whittier, CA
- Union Station (1924), 25th St. at Wall Ave., Ogden, UT
- Sterling Plaza (1929), Beverly Hills, CA
- 9600 Wilshire Boulevard (1938), Beverly Hills, CA (with Paul R. Williams)[18]
Donald Parkinson
- Pomona–Downtown station (1940), 100 W. Commercial St., Pomona[19]
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References
External links
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