Homer Delawie Papers, 1945-2007 (MSS 727)

Restrictions: Original mediaa formats are restricted. Viewing/listening copies may be available to researchers.

Extent: 7.5 Linear feet (8 archives boxes and 25 oversize folders)

Papers of San Diego architect Homer Delawie. The papers document Delawie's career as an architect, with information on both completed and unrealized projects. While files exist for many projects, the collection contains very few actual architectural plans. The collection does include correspondence, photographs, newspaper clippings, and ephemera.

Homer Delawie was born in Santa Barbara, California in 1927. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy at age 17, shortly before the end of World War II. Following his time in the military, Delawie joined the U.S. Forest Service in Los Padres National Forest. He left forestry work to study architecture at California Polytechnic State University, in Luis Obispo. Delawie graduated in 1951, later becoming the school's first licensed architect.

In 1954, while visiting San Diego, Delawie met architect Lloyd Ruocco. The two architects began working together, forming a partnership in 1958. Delawie struck out on his own in 1961, running his own firm until 1966, when he partnered with Al Macy. Two years later, they were joined by John Henderson. That firm split and, at the time of Delawie's retirement in 1997, the firm had become Delawie, Wilkes, Rodrigues, Barker, and Bretton Associates.

Delawie and his firm designed numerous modern residences throughout San Diego, as well as exhibit space for SeaWorld and the San Diego Zoo, Thurgood Marshall College residence halls on the UCSD campus, and the Coronodo Ferry Landing. Along with his architectural practice, Delawie participated in civic planning and development issues. He served on the City of San Diego Planning Commission, the Housing Appeals Advisory Board, and the Historic Resources Board. Delawie was a founding member of Save Our Heritage Organisation, helping to save the Sherman-Gilbert House. He received lifetime achievement awards from the California Council of the American Institute of Architects in 1997 and Save Our Heritage Organisation 2002.

Homer Delawie died in 2009, at age 81.

The Homer Delawie Papers document Delawie's career as an architect in San Diego. While the collection mainly consists of photographs and clippings that illustrate various architectural projects, it also contains a small amount of correspondence, drafts of a book featuring Delawie's work, and ephemera related to his life and career. Arranged in five series: 1) BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS, 2) CORRESPONDENCE, 3) PROJECT FILES, 4) PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES, and 5) SUBJECT FILES.

Container List

BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS

Scope and Content of Series

Series 1) BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS. Arranged in two subseries: A) General and B) Datebooks.

A) General: Contains certificates and awards, magazine and newspaper clippings about Delawie and his work, photographs of Delawie, and material related to his career as an architect.

B) Datebooks: Delawie's personal datebooks from 1960 through 1984. The books contain information related to both Delawie's personal and professional life.

General

Box 1 Folder 1
Architect license, 1951-2007

Awards & certificates

Box 1 Folder 2 Oversize FB-510-02
Miscellaneous
Box 1 Folder 3
San Diego Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, Award of Excellence - Received for Delawie Residence #1, 1960
Box 1 Folder 4
Fellowship in the American Institute of Architects, 1972
Box 1 Folder 5
California Polytechnic State University Class Reunion of 1951, 50th reunion, 2001
Box 1 Folder 6 Oversize FB-510-03
Clippings about Homer Delawie, 1950-2007
Box 1 Folder 7
Diploma from California State Polytechnic College, 1951
Box 1 Folder 8
Interview transcript, April 1, 2007
Box 1 Folder 9
Ledger book, 1956-1957
Box 1 Folder 10
Photographs of Homer Delawie
Box 1 Folder 11
Miscellaneous biographical material, including posthumous material

Datebooks

Box 1 Folder 12-13
1960-1963
Box 2 Folder 1-9
1964-1976
Box 3 Folder 1-7
1977-1983
Box 4 Folder 1
1984

CORRESPONDENCE

Scope and Content of Series

Series 2) CORRESPONDENCE: A small series of letters, generally professional in nature. The series is arranged chronologically with correspondence from George Hasslein and photographer Douglas Simmonds filed seperately.

Box 4 Folder 2-3
General correspondence, 1945-1978, 1995-2006
Box 4 Folder 4
Hasslein, George, 1979-2001
Box 4 Folder 5
Simmonds, Douglas, 1960-1961

PROJECT FILES

Scope and Content of Series

Series 3) PROJECT FILES: Comprises the bulk of the collection. These files mainly contain newspaper clippings and magazine tearsheets, as well as photographs, many taken by photographer Douglas Simmonds. In some cases, files contain additional information such as proposals for unrealized projects, historical designation reports, and ephemera related to the sale of homes designed by Delawie. The series contains only a small number of architectural drawings. These oversize drawings are identified as plans and listed, by project, in the PROJECT FILES folder list. The series also includes one reel of microfilm that contains drawings for several residential, educational, and commerical projects, ranging in date from 1959-1971. The microfilm does not include drawings for any of Delawie's own homes.

The series is arranged alphabetically by project, with unidentified projects located at the end of the project list. Also, one folder related to Delawie's furniture design is located at the end of the series.

Firm information & ephemera

Box 4 Folder 6
Delawie and Macy / Delawie, Macy and Henderson
Box 4 Folder 7
Delawie/Bretton/Wilkes Associates, AIA
Box 4 Folder 8
Delawie Wilkes Rodrigues Barker & Bretton Associates
Box 4 Folder 9
Project lists
Box 4 Folder 10
Andrusson Residence (1967)
Box 4 Folder 11
Aquarium Gulf Marina, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia - Joint proposal, 1981
Oversize MC-014-01
Azalea PRD, 2758 & 2768 Azalea Drive - Designed 1987
Box 4 Folder 13
City College Beautification
Box 4 Folder 14 Oversize FB-510-04
Casady Residence (1966)
Box 4 Folder 15
Coronodo Library (1974)
Box 4 Folder 16
Crist/LaPoint Residence, addition (1969)

Delawie Architectural Office Building, Presidio Drive (1962)

Box 4 Folder 17
Miscellaneous file
Oversize MC-014-02
Floor plans for remodel, 1991

Delawie Residence #1, 1773 Torrance Street (1958)

Box 4 Folder 19 Oversize FB-510-06
Miscellaneous file
Oversize MC-014-03
Plans for an addition

Plans are water damaged, making some of the information illegible.

Box 4 Folder 21
Application for historical designation, 2007
Box 4 Folder 22
Delawie Residence #2, 1833 Neale Street (1964)

Delawie Residence #3, 2749 Azalea Drive (1973)

Box 5 Folder 1-2 Oversize FB-510-07
Miscellaneous files
Oversize MC-014-04
Plan for patio revision
Box 5 Folder 4
Feller Residence (1960)
Box 5 Folder 5
Fredman Residence (1988)
Oversize MC-014-05
Gilmore Residence - Plans on trace
Box 5 Folder 7
Goldzband Residence (1964)
Box 5 Folder 8
Hurley Residence, Borrego Springs (1965)
Box 5 Folder 9
James R. Mills Building / MTS Headquarters
Oversize MC-014-06
Jungman Residence - Plans on trace
Box 5 Folder 11
Kratz Residence (1964)
Box 5 Folder 12
La Jolla Shores Residence
Box 5 Folder 13
Lanthorn Residence (1963)
Box 5 Folder 14
Linklater/Swarts Production House (ca. 1964)
Box 5 Folder 15
Marine Corps Air-Ground Combat Center Housing, Twentynine Palms - Concept design descriptive statement, 1979
Box 5 Folder 16 Oversize FB-510-08
The Mexico Pacific Shop (1964)
Box 5 Folder 17
M.L. Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center
Box 5 Folder 18
Nichols Residence (1961)
Box 5 Folder 19
North Island Barracks (1967)
Box 5 Folder 20
Park Garden Apartments (1959)
Box 5 Folder 21
Plaza de Balboa, Balboa Park (1972)
Box 5 Folder 22
Porter Office Building addition
Box 5 Folder 23
Porter Residence, remodel (1964)
Box 5 Folder 24 Oversize FB-510-10
Porter Triplex, Mission Beach (1962)
Box 5 Folder 25 Oversize FB-510-11
Randolph Residence (1961)
Box 5 Folder 26
San Diego Zoo, Clark Children's Theatre (1959)
Box 5 Folder 27
San Diego Zoo, Elephant & Giraffe Enclosures
Box 5 Folder 28
SeaWorld, Penguin Exhibit & Shark Exhibits, San Diego & Florida
Box 5 Folder 29 Oversize FB-510-12
Senterfit Residence (1960)
Box 5 Folder 30
Straza Electronics Building, El Cajon (1960)
Box 5 Folder 31 Oversize FB-510-13
Tel Aviv Zoological Gardens (ca. 1973)
Box 6 Folder 1
Temple Beth Israel - Proposal, 1993
Box 6 Folder 2
Thompson Medical Library (ca. 1968)

University of California, San Diego Thurgood Marshall College Residence Halls (1988)

Box 6 Folder 3
Miscellaneous file
Box 6 Folder 4
California Council of the American Institute of Architects (CCAIA) Design Awards entry proposal, 1988
Box 6 Folder 5
University of California, San Diego Perlman Ambulatory Care Center
Box 6 Folder 6
Westphal/Chapman Residence (1962)
Oversize MC-014-07
Wolonik Residence addition - Plans on trace

World Trade Center Memorial Competition

Box 6 Folder 8
Proposal, 2003
Oversize MC-014-08
Site Plan, 2003

Miscellaneous & unidentified projects

Box 6 Folder 10 Oversize FB-510-14
Photographs & clippings
Oversize MC-014-09
Project plans
Box 6 Folder 12
Project plans on microfilm
Box 7 Folder 1
Delawie Collection Storage Cubes

PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES

Scope and Content of Series

Series 4) PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES: Materials from Delawie's activities outside of, but often still related to, his architectural practice. The series is arranged in two subseries: A) Committees & Lectures and B) Writings.

A) Committees & Lectures: Reflects Delawie's service on many city and professional committees, including the City of San Diego Planning Committee and the San Diego Historic Site Board. While the collection contains minimal information about that work, it does contain a small amount of correspondence, meeting minutes, and committee reports. Two folders contain student responses to lectures given by Delawie at the California Polytechnic State University. The subseries is sorted by committee or event, then arranged chronologically.

B) Writings: Material related to the publication of a book about Delawie's work, Homer Delawie, FAIA, as well as a 2005 calendar with images of Delawie's many residential projects.

Committees & Lectures

Box 7 Folder 2
City of San Diego Planning Committee - Appointment, 1972-1982
Box 7 Folder 3-4
California Polytechnic State University lectures - Student responses, 1980 & 1983
Box 7 Folder 5
University of California, San Diego Board of Overseers, Education Committee, 1992-1998
Box 7 Folder 6
San Diego Historic Site Board, 1995-2003
Box 7 Folder 7
City of San Diego Historical Resources Board, 2000-2003
Box 7 Folder 8 Oversize FB-510-15
Save Our Heritage Organisation, Modernism Committee, 2003-2006

Writing

Homer Delawie, FAIA (ca. 2002)

Box 7 Folder 9-10
Drafts with edits
Box 7 Folder 11 Oversize FB-510-16
Page proofs with edits
Box 7 Folder 12
Galley copy
Box 7 Folder 13
Correspondence
Box 7 Folder 14
Modernist Houses by Homer Delawie, FAIA, 1958-1973 - 2005 calendar

SUBJECT FILES

Scope and Content of Series

Series 5: SUBJECT FILES: Information collected by Delawie on professional colleagues and architectural interests. Files for Rob Roy Bittman Jr. and Lloyd Ruocco include information regarding their advancement to Fellow of the American Insittute of Architects. Also included in the Lloyd Ruocco files is a videocassette showing the construction of Ruocco's Design Center on 5th Avenue. The footage, clearly reformatted from an original film not in this collection, was filmed ca. 1949. The series also contains slides of San Diego. The majority are images of the city's downtown, most likely from Delawie's time on the Planning Committee.

Box 8 Folder 1
Bittman, Rob Roy, Jr
Box 8 Folder 2
Hasslein, George
Box 8 Folder 3 Oversize FB-510-17
Modern architecture

Ruocco, Lloyd

Box 8 Folder 4
Miscellaneous
Box 8 Folder 5
Videocassette (VHS) showing the construction of The Design Center, 3611 5th Avenue, ca. 1949
Box 8 Folder 6
San Diego images - Slides
Box 8 Folder 7
Watts' Towers