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Andrew Putnam Hill, Jr. Papers
1886-19737 boxes, 2.14 cubic feet
Andrew P. Hill, Jr.,
Object Type:
Papers
Creation Place:
California
Medium and Support:
Paper
Accession Number:
SA01.05
The bulk of the Andrew Putnam Hill, Jr. Papers chronicle the training and career of a professional educator and architect over the course of sixty years, from approximately 1910-1975. Included in the collection are professional and personal correspondence, photographs, academic documents, architectural renderings, newspaper clippings, biographical and family memoirs, and an oral interview of Andrew Putnam Hill, Jr. in 1972. The extent of the collection spans nearly 130 years, including notebooks created by his father, Andrew Putnam Hill, Sr., during the years 1909-1922, as well as family memoirs written in the 1970s by Birdella Hill Laughlin, Andrew Putnam Hill, Jr.’s daughter. The photographs in the collection cover approximately 110 years of California history, from 1860 to 1970. Architectural photographs include interior and exterior shots of houses designed by Andrew Putnam Hill, Jr., offering an excellent overview of residential architecture and interior design techniques of the early twentieth century. Additional photographs in the collection include images of Hill family members throughout the generations; Hill family gatherings in Big Basin Redwoods State Park; and carte de visite images of the San José Normal School’s graduating class of 1875, of which Andrew Putnam Hill Jr.’s mother, Florence Watkins Hill, was a member.
Commentary
Andrew Putnam Hill, Jr. was born June 4, 1886 in San José, California, the son of Andrew Putnam Hill and Florence Watkins Hill. Raised at 1350 Sherman Street in San Jose, California, he graduated from San José High School in 1906, received his teaching certificate from the San José State Normal School in 1920, and earned a Bachelor of Arts from Stanford University in June 1922. He married Ruth Mary McKenney on August 24, 1910. The couple had two children; however, only one child, Birdella, survived to adulthood.Dedicating much of his adult life to the educational school system, Andrew Putnam Hill, Jr.’s professional career spanned over fifty years. During this time, he served as Department Head of Manual Arts at San José High School (located on the grounds of the San José State Normal School) from 1911 to 1913; worked as the Director of Schoolhouse Planning for the California State School Department from 1927 to 1933; and was the District Superintendent of Santa Maria High School and Junior College from 1935 to 1942. His last major appointment was in 1943, when he accepted the position of Superintendent of Schools for the Stockton Unified School District, a job he held until his retirement from the profession in 1947.In addition to his adept leadership in the California educational system, Andrew Putnam Hill, Jr. was also a skilled architect, recognized for his ability to design residential and commercial structures particularly attuned to the needs of their future inhabitants. For example, residential homes were designed to be both aesthetically pleasing and functional – such as a home offering an abundance of windows and attractive outdoor landscaping, complemented by such features as spacious living quarters, bedroom areas which doubled as sleeping porches for hot summer evenings, an efficient and utilitarian kitchen layout, and detached garage areas.Throughout his life, Andrew Putnam Hill, Jr. was active in conservationist movements. His commitment to conserving the earth’s natural resources and open space could actually be considered a family trait. His father, Andrew Putnam Hill, Sr. – a noted photographer and artist – was also the co-founder and president of the Sempervirens Club of California, a conservationist organization noted for preserving the Ancient Coast Redwood trees located in what is now known as Big Basin Redwoods State Park.Andrew Putnam Hill, Jr. died August 2, 1973, in Stockton, California.
Keywords
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This object has the following keywords:
Architecture,
Hill, Andrew Putnam (1853-1922),
Hill, Andrew Putnam, Jr. (1886-1973),
Hill, Birdella,
Hill, Florence Watkins (1858-1936),
Hill, Frank Ernest (1888-1969),
Sempervirens Club
- Architecture
- Hill, Andrew Putnam (1853-1922)
- Hill, Andrew Putnam, Jr. (1886-1973)
- Hill, Birdella
- Hill, Florence Watkins (1858-1936)
- Hill, Frank Ernest (1888-1969)
- Sempervirens Club
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