The Beginings
The post-war building
boom that transformed the San Fernando Valley from farmland to suburbs
brought an immediate need for architects. Published figures indicate that
more than three-quarters of the new subdivisions created in Los Angeles
between 1945 and the early 1950's were in the new bedroom communities
of the Valley.
At a dinner meeting on Friday, June 14,
1946, pioneer Valley architects met to found a new organization, The
Architects of the San Fernando Valley. The Group was affiliated with
the AIA, but included all licensed architects who wished to join. The
first president was J. Robert Harris, AIA of North Hollywood. By the following
year, there were 14 members, 11 of whom were AIA members. Two of these
were women, Lucille Bryant Raport, AIA and Olive Kingsley Chadeayne, AIA,
both of whom served as early presidents.
Henry F. Withey, president in 1947, was
the author of the Biographical Dictionary of American Architects (Deceased),
a work of national stature which has been reprinted frequently since its
first publication in 1956. Robert B. Stacy-Judd, president in 1950, gained
fame as an early popularizer of the Mayan style, and his books of Saouth
American travel adventures remain widely available.
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