Train & Williams
Train & Williams was an architecture partnership in Los Angeles, California. A major contributor to the Arts and Crafts movement, several of the firm's works are listed as Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments and/or in the National Register of Historic Places.
Partners
[edit]Robert Farquhar Train
[edit]Robert Farquhar Train | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | December 4, 1869 |
| Died | January 10, 1951 (aged 81) |
| Education | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign |
| Occupation | Architect |
| Practice | Howard & Train (1894-1901) Howard, Train & Williams (1901-1903) Train & Williams (1903-1926+) |
Robert Farquhar Train was born in 1869 in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England to John Farquhar Train, a commercial traveler, and Elizabeth (Hood) Train. John died in 1872 and Elizabeth in 1883. Robert had one older brother, and also grew up living with two aunts and one servant.[1][2]
Train immigrated to the United States in 1884, first living in Illinois and Nebraska, then in Denver and Colorado Springs, Colorado, where he worked as a draughtsman. He studied architectural engineering at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where he helped design the World's Columbian Exposition.[2]
Train moved to Los Angeles in 1894, where he started a partnership with G. A. Howard Jr.[2] Train became a naturalized citizen in 1895 and in 1897, he married Vera May Creeth.[1]
According to Los Angeles voter rolls, Train was six feet tall, had blue eyes and light-colored hair, and was a lifelong Republican.[1]
Robert Edmund Williams
[edit]Robert Edmund Williams | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | January 16, 1874 |
| Died | 1960 (aged 85–86) |
| Occupation | Architect |
| Practice | Howard, Train & Williams (1901-1903) Train & Williams (1903-1926+) |
Robert Edmund Williams was born in 1874 in Hespeler, Ontario, Canada to William Williams, a clergyman, and Mary Burman Williams. Robert moved to Los Angeles, California in 1895, one year after his brother and four years before his parents.[2]
Robert married Annie Pierce, year unknown, and by 1930 he was married to Jean K. Williams. Robert and Jean had one daughter, born in 1925.[2] Robert died in Tustin, Orange County, California in 1960.[3]
Partnership
[edit]In 1894, Train partnered with G. A. Howard Jr.[2] Williams joined in 1901 and Howard left two years later, resulting in the partnership Train & Williams. Train & Williams was located in the Rindge Building on Broadway in downtown Los Angeles. In 1910, Train & Williams opened a branch office in Taft, California.[4] The partnership is considered one of the major contributors to the Arts and Crafts movement.[5]
Selected works
[edit]
Train and Williams's most notable works were done during their partnership. These works include:
Los Angeles
[edit]Historic-Cultural Monuments
[edit]- Robert Edmund Williams House (1905),[2] LAHCM #411[6]
- Angels Flight redesign (1910), NRHP #00001168,[7] LAHCM #4[6]
- Holmes-Shannon House (1911), NRHP #08000202,[8] LAHCM #885[6]
- Judson Studios (1911), NRHP #99000370,[9] LAHCM #62[6]
- Lucy E. Wheeler/Martin E. Weil House (1917 additions),[10] LAHCM #991[6]
Other
[edit]- Conservative Life Insurance Company Office Building (with Howard) (1901-1902)[11]
- First Congregational Church (1902),[2] demolished early 1930s[12]
- Allen House (1902)[13]
- Los Angeles Furniture Company Building (1904)[2]
- Carlton Building (1907)[2]
- Pythian Castle Hall (1908)[2]
- University of Southern California's Administration Building and first general campus plan (1910)[2][14]
- Hyman Theatre (1910 or 1911), demolished by 1927[15][16]
- Woodley Theatre (1913),[2] demolished 1925[17]
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- Victor Clothing Company Building (1914), contributing property in the NRHP-listed Broadway Theater and Commercial District[18]
- Arroyo Seco Branch Library (1914)[2]
- Diamond Laundry Company Building (1917)[19]
- Plaza Methodist Church (1925-1926)[20]
- Los Angeles Stock Exchange[21]
Elsewhere in California
[edit]
- First National Bank of Long Beach (1906), NRHP #90001432[22]
- Kern County Hall of Records, Bakersfield (1908-1909)[4]
- J.W. Jamieson Hotel, Taft (1910)[4]
- Frank A. Forster House, San Juan Capistrano (1910), NRHP #86002405[23]
- Strand Theatre, Pasadena (1914)[4]
- Cawston Ostrich Farm Administration Building, Pasadena (1920)[2]
Train also designed Bell High School in Bell, California, in 1925.[1]
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 Michelson, Alan. "Robert Farquhar Train (Architect)". University of Washington Pacific Coast Architecture Database. Retrieved December 2, 2024.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 "Historic-Cultural Monument Application for the Shannon Holmes House" (PDF). City of Los Angeles. June 12, 2007.
- ↑ Michelson, Alan. "Robert Edmund Williams (Architect)". University of Washington Pacific Coast Architecture Database. Retrieved December 2, 2024.
- 1 2 3 4 Michelson, Alan. "Train and Williams, Architects (Partnership)". University of Washington Pacific Coast Architecture Database. Retrieved December 2, 2024.
- ↑ "Los Angeles Citywide Historic Context Statement - Architecture and Engineering - Arts and Crafts Movement" (PDF). City of Los Angeles. June 2016.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Historical Cultural Monuments List" (PDF). City of Los Angeles. Retrieved October 24, 2024.
- ↑ "California SP Angels Flight Railway". United States Department of the Interior - National Park Service. August 30, 2000.
- ↑ "Holmes-Shannon House". United States Department of the Interior - National Park Service. February 13, 2008.
- ↑ "Judson Studios". United States Department of the Interior - National Park Service. February 25, 1999.
- ↑ "Lucy E. Wheeler Residence". Los Angeles Conservancy. Retrieved December 2, 2024.
- 1 2 Michelson, Alan. "Howard, Train and Williams, Architects (Partnership)". University of Washington Pacific Coast Architecture Database. Retrieved December 2, 2024.
- ↑ "Image / First Congregational Church". University of California - Calisphere. Retrieved December 2, 2024.
- ↑ "Allen House". Pica+Sullivan Architects Ltd. Retrieved December 2, 2024.
- ↑ "Landscape Information". University of Southern California. Retrieved December 2, 2024.
- ↑ "Early Los Angeles Historical Buildings (1900 - 1925)". Water and Power Associates. p. 3. Retrieved March 29, 2026.
- ↑ "Exterior, Garrick Theatre". Los Angeles Public Library digital collections. Retrieved March 29, 2026.
- ↑ Vogel, Joe. "Mission Theatre". Cinema Treasures. Retrieved December 2, 2024.
- ↑ "Broadway Theater & Commercial District (Boundary Increase)". United States Department of the Interior - National Park Service. April 12, 2002.
- ↑ "Historic Resource - Diamond Laundry Company 747 E 8th St". City of Los Angeles. August 22, 2016.
- ↑ "Plaza Methodist Church". City of Los Angeles. Retrieved December 2, 2024.
- ↑ Theer, Ulrik (May 2008). "West Adams Matters - The Preservation Month Issue" (PDF). West Adams Heritage Association.
- ↑ "First National Bank of Long Beach". United States Department of the Interior - National Park Service. August 13, 1990.
- ↑ "Forster, Frank A., House". United States Department of the Interior - National Park Service. August 15, 1986.