Did you know that the 11,000 sq ft historically designated Bertha B. Mitchell Residence, Spanish Revival mansion, at 2121 Sunset Blvd was built by the father/son team of Parkinson & Parkinson, responsible for many great Los Angeles landmarks? This must be a rare San Diego and residential commission by them! Here is the HRB List of Master Architects & Builders reference: John and Donald B. Parkinson 1861 – 1935 (John Parkinson) 1895 – 1945 (Donald B. Parkinson) Biography: John Parkinson was born in Lancashire, England on December 12, 1861. He worked in the building trades before immigrating to Winnipeg, Canada at the age of 20. He was in Canada for a very short time before moving back to England, practicing architecture for five years, then moving to the United States in 1882. Initially practicing architecture in Napa working on the Napa City Bank Building he then moved on to work in Seattle, Washington in 1890. During his four years here he was involved in designs for the Pacific Eppler Buildings and the Butler Hotel. He was the City Architect building more than twenty public school buildings. John relocated to Los Angeles in 1894, in the midst of an economic recession that swept the nation during the late nineteenth century. Shortly after establishing his own practice, he designed the city’s first fireproof, steel‐frame structure in 1897. By 1902, he had designed the city’s first high‐rise which, at 13 stories, held the distinction of being the tallest structure until the completion of City Hall in 1928. Parkinson entered into a partnership with architect G. Edwin Bergstrom in 1905, and for the next ten years their practice was regarded as the city’s architectural firm of choice. In 1920 – five years after Bergstrom had left to establish his own practice – John Parkinson was joined by his son, Donald. Between the years 1920 and 1945, the prolific firm of Parkinson and Parkinson was commissioned to design many of the city’s finest buildings, and effectively contributed to the distinctive character of downtown Los Angeles. John Parkinson died in 1935, while developing the plans for Los Angeles Union Station. The firm continued to operate under the supervision of the younger Parkinson, who assumed the role of principal architect in the years following his father’s death. Donald Parkinson died in 1945, at the age of 50.  There are numerous examples of buildings designed by the team of John and Donald Parkinson throughout Los Angeles, and many have been added to the city’s register of Historic‐Cultural Monuments. Among their most enduring landmarks include the iconic Los Angeles City Hall; Bullocks Wilshire; Los Angeles Union Station; and many original buildings at the University of Southern California. The Pacific Telephone and Telegraph Building (HRB # 654) is the only acknowledged example of their work in San Diego. Notable Works: HRB # 654 – Pacific Telephone and Telegraph Building (914 C Street) Braly‐Continental Building (Southern California’s first skyscraper), Los Angeles Bullocks Wilshire Department Store, Los Angeles Homer Laughlin Building (the city’s first fireproof structure), Los Angeles Los Angeles City Hall Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Los Angeles Union Station Original Campus of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles Pacific Coast Stock Exchange Building, Los Angeles Title Guarantee and Trust Building, Los Angeles
Posted on: Sat, 28 Jun 2014 22:42:03 +0000
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