William H. Weeks 4

William Henry Weeks (aka W. H. Weeks) (January 18, 1864 - April 29, 1936) was a California architect who favored Greek Revival Neoclassical in many of the buildings he designed. Married in 1891, Weeks moved with his wife Maggie Haymaker (1891 - 1942) to Oakland, California sometime in the 1890’s. By 1906 Weeks had architectural offices in Watsonville, Salinas, and in 1905 he had a third office in San Francisco.

Already a busy architect, the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake dramatically increased demand for his building designs.

Many of Central and Northern California libraries and schools were designed by W. H. Weeks, including 22 of the Carnegie Libraries.

In 1911 Weeks moved to Palo Alto, then in 1922 Weeks built a new Spanish Revival home for his family in Piedmont, California. 5 Cost of construction was $20,000, which was quite expensive at the time. The house, located at 800 Highland Avenue, Piedmont, is a 3,428 sq. ft. home with 5 bedrooms and 4.5 bathrooms on a 8,125 sq. ft. lot. The Zillow listing states the home was built in 1928, not 1922, but Zillow has been known to sometimes incorrectly date houses. The last time the Weeks home sold was in September 2005 for $2.575 million. 6

When W. H. Weeks made his son Harold Weeks his business partner in 1924, the firm was renamed Weeks & Weeks, with yet another office opening in Oakland. In 1926 Weeks & Weeks opened a new branch in San Jose, and by 1928 was the largest architectural firm in California. 1

One of the Oakland buildings designed by W. H. Weeks was the Oakland Melrose Branch Carnegie Library, which included a “larger building with more amenities, such as the marble lined foyer, than was possible by the time the other three branches were constructed [by other architects].” 3

[Please add other William H. Weeks Oakland buildings to this list]

Over the course of his career, William H. Weeks designed more than 500 churches, courthouses, homes, hospitals, libraries, and schools in Central and Northern California.

William H. Weeks died from a heart attack at home in Piedmont, California and his funeral was held at the Chapel of the Chimes, followed by cremation at the Chapel’s crematory. 2 His ashes are in Pioneer Cemetery in Watsonville. Weeks left his firm to his son Harold Weeks, excluding all his other children, leaving them to be provided for by his wife Maggie (their mother).

 

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Additional Links

  1. W. H. Weeks Wikipedia 
  2. William H. Weeks: Architect Extraordinaire
  3. Oakland/Melrose, Alameda County: Melrose Branch Library Carnegie Libraries
  4. Watsonville Architect William H. Weeks ... History in San Luis Obispo County
  5. Weeks, William H., House, Piedmont, CA Pacific Coast Architecture Database (PCAD)
  6. 800 Highland Ave, Piedmont, CA 94611 Zillow

 

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