{"links":{"self":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog.json?f%5Bcollection%5D%5B%5D=Beverly+Willis+Architectural+Collection\u0026f%5Blevel%5D%5B%5D=Subseries\u0026page=12","prev":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog.json?f%5Bcollection%5D%5B%5D=Beverly+Willis+Architectural+Collection\u0026f%5Blevel%5D%5B%5D=Subseries\u0026page=11","next":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog.json?f%5Bcollection%5D%5B%5D=Beverly+Willis+Architectural+Collection\u0026f%5Blevel%5D%5B%5D=Subseries\u0026page=13","last":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog.json?f%5Bcollection%5D%5B%5D=Beverly+Willis+Architectural+Collection\u0026f%5Blevel%5D%5B%5D=Subseries\u0026page=18"},"meta":{"pages":{"current_page":12,"next_page":13,"prev_page":11,"total_pages":18,"limit_value":10,"offset_value":110,"total_count":175,"first_page?":false,"last_page?":false}},"data":[{"id":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03_c105","type":"Subseries","attributes":{"title":"Project 0741: Green Valley","breadcrumbs":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03_c105#breadcrumbs","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":{"ref_ssi":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03_c105","ref_ssm":["viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03_c105"],"id":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03_c105","ead_ssi":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898","_root_":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898","_nest_parent_":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03","parent_ssi":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03","parent_ssim":["viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898","viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03","viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03"],"parent_ids_ssim":["viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898","viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03","viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03"],"parent_unittitles_ssm":["Beverly Willis Architectural Collection","Project Records","Project Files"],"parent_unittitles_tesim":["Beverly Willis Architectural Collection","Project Records","Project Files"],"text":["Beverly Willis Architectural Collection","Project Records","Project Files","Project 0741: Green Valley"],"title_filing_ssi":"Project 0741: Green Valley","title_ssm":["Project 0741: Green Valley"],"title_tesim":["Project 0741: Green Valley"],"unitdate_other_ssim":["1982"],"normalized_date_ssm":["1982"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Project 0741: Green Valley"],"component_level_isim":[3],"repository_ssim":["Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University"],"collection_ssim":["Beverly Willis Architectural Collection"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"child_component_count_isi":0,"level_ssm":["Subseries"],"level_ssim":["Subseries"],"sort_isi":152,"parent_access_restrict_tesm":["Collection is open to research."],"parent_access_terms_tesm":["The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials. Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form: http://bit.ly/scuareproduction. Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form: http://bit.ly/scuapublication. Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form."],"date_range_isim":[1982],"_nest_path_":"/components#2/components#2/components#104","timestamp":"2026-04-30T23:45:27.234Z","collection":{"numFound":1,"start":0,"numFoundExact":true,"docs":[{"id":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898","ead_ssi":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898","_root_":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898","_nest_parent_":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898","ead_source_url_ssi":"data/oai/VT/repositories_2_resources_1898.xml","title_filing_ssi":"Willis, Beverly Architectural Collection","title_ssm":["Beverly Willis Architectural Collection"],"title_tesim":["Beverly Willis Architectural Collection"],"unitdate_ssm":["1954-1999"],"unitdate_inclusive_ssm":["1954-1999"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"unitid_ssm":["Ms.1992.019"],"text":["Ms.1992.019","Beverly Willis Architectural Collection","San Francisco (Calif.)","Architects and community","Housing -- United States","City planning","Architecture -- Computer-aided design","Women -- History","International Archive of Women in Architecture (IAWA)","Architectural drawings (visual works)","Collection is open to research.","Some of this collection has been digitized and is available online.","The collection has been arranged into a  Project Index.  which is a way to organize the various formats of architectural records from the same project. The index is arranged by project number and contains information, where available, about the location, date, project type, architect, collaborators, and formats for each project in the collection.","A Summary of the  Project Index.   is listed below.  Consult the  Project Index.   for location information.  ","Beverly Willis, FAIA Architect, artist, and writer, was one of perhaps three women architects in the United States to own her own sizeable architecture firm between 1958 and 1990 and the only woman in San Francisco, California, to have her own practice there for 17 years. Her book,  Invisible Images: The Silent Language of Architecture,  published by the National Building Museum, describes her design philosophy.","She was the first woman appointed to the Building Research Advisory Board of the National Academy of Science, the first appointed to the Federal Construction Council, and its first woman chair. She was the first woman elected president of the American Institute of Architects, California Council; and the Golden Gate Chapter of Lambda Alpha Society.","Willis played a major role in the revitalization of San Francisco neighborhoods after World War II. She renovated commercial spaces in the Jackson Square area and Union Street, redesigned Glide Church, designed the San Francisco Ballet Building, and won an international competition to design the Yerba Buena Gardens development downtown.","Beverly Willis was born February 17, 1928, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to Ralph William Willis, founder of the National Tool Company, and Margaret Elizabeth Porter, a nurse. She had one sibling, Ralph Gerald Willis. Both Willis and her brother were placed in an orphanage when their parents divorced in 1934.","Taking advantage of the increased opportunities available to women with the advent of World War II, Willis learned welding, riveting, electrical wiring, carpentry, and how to fly an airplane--skills that reflected the fiercely independent qualities that emerged in her personality when she was in the institutional environment of the orphanage. After the war, she enrolled in an aeronautical engineering program at Oregon State University, but withdrew after two years to work at a lithographer's studio. She then studied at the San Francisco Art Institute until relocating to Hawaii. In 1954 she received a B.A. in Fine Art from the University of Hawaii.","After graduation, Willis received a series of design commissions that led to her interest in architecture. Fueled by the friendship and ideas of entrepreneur Henry Kaiser, Willis returned to San Francisco in 1960 to open a firm that designed furniture and interiors for offices, created mixed-media art for clients that included United Airlines, and re-worked supermarket displays. Despite her rural sensibility, Willis began to immerse herself in urban designs. She found that her interests ran parallel to those of San Francisco architects like William Wurster and Joseph Esherick.","Willis' first major architectural project was the conversion of three Victorian buildings into a retail complex on Union Street in San Francisco. Her design, which proved a financial success almost immediately, influenced the renovation of the rest of the street between present-day Gough and Pierce streets.","Meeting the experience and education requirements of the California State Architectural Licensing Board in 1966, Willis became a licensed architect and the only woman in San Francisco with her own firm, Beverly Willis and Associates. This firm assumed a partnership with would-be principal architect David Coldoff that year, a partnership that lasted until 1980. Despite the heavy demands of her practice, Willis also found time to serve on the U.S. Government delegation to the United Nations conference on Habitat, become a trustee and founder of the National Building Museum in 1976, and serve as the President of the California Chapter of the National Institute of Architects in 1979.","Willis' interest in the issues that affect planning, population density, and land-use economics with respect to large-scale development manifested itself in the creation of the computer program CARLA (Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis) in the 1970's. The software was developed by Willis with Eric Tiescholz and Jochen Eigen. With CARLA's completion and implementation, Willis and Associates became one of the first architectural firms to incorporate computers into the routine practices of design and land development.","Projects such as the prototype for the regional computer centers of the IRS and master-planning for a new town situated in Aliamanu Valley, Hawaii (1975), are good examples of her unique philosophy of design.","Throughout the 1970s, Willis' firm concentrated on large- scale housing and new-community planning and design. By espousing architecture of rural pragmatism and rooting it in ancient images and myths, Willis offered something new to the intellectual landscape of architectural design.","In 1997, the National Building Museum published Willis' book,  Invisible Images: The Silent Language of Architecture,  in which she describes her buildings and design philosophy. In 1980, she was elected to the American Institute of Architects College of Fellows. In 1984, Willis received an honorary doctorate in Fine Arts from Mount Holyoke College.","By the early 1980s, Willis' design focus shifted to urban structures like the Yerba Buena Gardens redevelopment project (1980) and the San Francisco Ballet Association Building (1984). Smaller, but no less important, projects include Nob Hill Court (1971), Pacific Point Condominiums (1972), the Greenwich Apartment (1978), the Margaret Hayward Playground Building (1978), the (unbuilt) Shown Winery (1986), and the Mr. and Mrs. Richard Goeglin Pool House and Sculpture (1988).","Willis relocated her office and residence to New York City in 1991. Willis founded in 1994 the  Architectural Research Institute, Inc.  (through which the Manhattan Village Academy was designed). In 2002, she founded the  Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation , and she presently (2008) serves as the foundation's president. Her work and community leadership have been widely published (see bibliography). She is a founding trustee of the National Building Museum (1975-present). The Beverly Willis Library is located at the National Building Museum.","Much of the information in the biography was culled from the biography written for Beverly Willis by Nicolai Ouroussoff and included in  Invisible Images: The Silent Language of Architecture , published in 1997 by the National Building Museum, Washington, DC.","Some of the information in the scope and content note was taken from an independent appraisal of the collection.","The bulk of the drawings in the Willis Papers were arranged and described before they were donated, and information about the arrangement of the collection was compiled in a searchable database that is available at the repository. Project records stored in record cartons have been inventoried and are included in the database and finding aid.","The first accession, which was arranged and described by Laura Katz Smith in 1995, was combined with subsequent accessions in 2003. A finding aid describing the complete collection was created by Catherine G. OBrion in 2003, using descriptions of materials in the archives database that was donated with the bulk of the collection in 2000.\nThe 2004 and 2009 additions were arranged and described by Sherrie Bowser in 2012. The project index arrangement was also included at this time.  ","The guide to the Beverly Willis Architectural Collection by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 ( https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/ ).","The Beverly Willis Architectural Collection span the years 1954 to 1999 and are comprised primarily of records documenting Willis' work as an architect in San Francisco between 1960 and 1990. The collection documents the application of computers to architectural design and land analysis, the development of CARLA (Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis) in the 1970s, the history of twentieth-century urban planning, particularly in San Francisco; and the contribution of women to twentieth-century American architecture. Willis, a noted artist, photographer, teacher, and writer, employed the full range of visual arts and design skills to influence and guide architectural projects of major significance.","The bulk of the collection is comprised of Willis and Associates project files from the period 1960 to 1990. Projects range from private residences and residential developments to institutions, such as the San Francisco Ballet Association Building; and urban development projects, most notably the Yerba Buena Gardens project in downtown San Francisco. Also included are records and design documents for Aliamanu Valley New Town, a military base in Hawaii that was the first major project designed with CARLA, computer software for architectural design created by Willis; and records documenting the development of CARLA.","Project files are comprised of presentation drawings, slope analysis drawings, site plans, maps, cut-and-fill analysis plans, sketches, conceptual design drawings, construction drawings, as well as correspondence, research files, contracts, environmental impact statements and studies, financial records, and feasibility studies. There are records for more than 150 projects. Drawings are large folio, pen-and- ink or watercolor on paper, linen, or mylar. Some are heightened with color.","Also included is a series documenting the development of CARLA, Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis, in the 1970s. Beverly Willis was interested in issues that affected planning, population density, and land-use economics in relation to large-scale development. Along with Eric Tiescholz and Jochen Eigen, she developed a program that enabled architects, with the use of computers, to develop site plans and design techniques in a fraction of the time required by the old methodology. Records documenting the development of CARLA include computer tapes, correspondence, flow charts, memos, and Jochen Eigen's notes on interfacing CARLA with a computer mapping program in 1974.","The collection also contains a series of Publications, Brochures, and Clippings, which includes biographical information on Willis, Miscellaneous Project Records, and a video of the Yerba Buena Gardents development.","The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials. Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form:  http://bit.ly/scuareproduction . Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form:  http://bit.ly/scuapublication . Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form.","Please note:  Boxes 1-51 are located in off-site storage and requires 2-3 days notice for retrieval. Please contact Special Collections for more information.","Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech","Willis and Associates","Willis, Beverly, 1928-","The materials in the collection are in English."],"unitid_tesim":["Ms.1992.019"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Beverly Willis Architectural Collection"],"collection_title_tesim":["Beverly Willis Architectural Collection"],"collection_ssim":["Beverly Willis Architectural Collection"],"repository_ssm":["Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University"],"repository_ssim":["Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University"],"geogname_ssm":["San Francisco (Calif.)"],"geogname_ssim":["San Francisco (Calif.)"],"creator_ssm":["Willis, Beverly, 1928-"],"creator_ssim":["Willis, Beverly, 1928-"],"creator_persname_ssim":["Willis, Beverly, 1928-"],"creators_ssim":["Willis, Beverly, 1928-"],"places_ssim":["San Francisco (Calif.)"],"access_terms_ssm":["The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials. Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form:  http://bit.ly/scuareproduction . Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form:  http://bit.ly/scuapublication . Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form."],"acqinfo_ssim":["Beverly Willis donated samples of her designs to Virginia Tech in 1992. This gift was followed, in 2000, with a donation of the bulk of the records and designs from her architectural career.  Additional small accessions arrived in 2004 and 2009."],"access_subjects_ssim":["Architects and community","Housing -- United States","City planning","Architecture -- Computer-aided design","Women -- History","International Archive of Women in Architecture (IAWA)","Architectural drawings (visual works)"],"access_subjects_ssm":["Architects and community","Housing -- United States","City planning","Architecture -- Computer-aided design","Women -- History","International Archive of Women in Architecture (IAWA)","Architectural drawings (visual works)"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"extent_ssm":["100 Linear Feet"],"extent_tesim":["100 Linear Feet"],"genreform_ssim":["Architectural drawings (visual works)"],"date_range_isim":[1954,1955,1956,1957,1958,1959,1960,1961,1962,1963,1964,1965,1966,1967,1968,1969,1970,1971,1972,1973,1974,1975,1976,1977,1978,1979,1980,1981,1982,1983,1984,1985,1986,1987,1988,1989,1990,1991,1992,1993,1994,1995,1996,1997,1998,1999],"accessrestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eCollection is open to research.\u003c/p\u003e"],"accessrestrict_heading_ssm":["Conditions Governing Access"],"accessrestrict_tesim":["Collection is open to research."],"altformavail_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003e\u003ca target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://digitalsc.lib.vt.edu/collections/show/225\"\u003eSome of this collection has been digitized and is available online.\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e"],"altformavail_heading_ssm":["Existence and Location of Copies"],"altformavail_tesim":["Some of this collection has been digitized and is available online."],"arrangement_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe collection has been arranged into a \u003cextref actuate=\"onRequest\" href=\"http://spec.lib.vt.edu/assets/documents/iawa/Ms1992-019pi.xls\" show=\"new\" title=\"Project Index\"\u003eProject Index.\u003c/extref\u003e which is a way to organize the various formats of architectural records from the same project. The index is arranged by project number and contains information, where available, about the location, date, project type, architect, collaborators, and formats for each project in the collection.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eA Summary of the \u003cextref actuate=\"onRequest\" href=\"http://spec.lib.vt.edu/assets/documents/iawa/Ms1992-019pi.xls\" show=\"new\" title=\"Project Index\"\u003eProject Index.\u003c/extref\u003e  is listed below.  Consult the \u003cextref actuate=\"onRequest\" href=\"http://spec.lib.vt.edu/assets/documents/iawa/Ms1992-019pi.xls\" show=\"new\" title=\"Project Index\"\u003eProject Index.\u003c/extref\u003e  for location information.  \u003c/p\u003e"],"arrangement_heading_ssm":["Arrangement"],"arrangement_tesim":["The collection has been arranged into a  Project Index.  which is a way to organize the various formats of architectural records from the same project. The index is arranged by project number and contains information, where available, about the location, date, project type, architect, collaborators, and formats for each project in the collection.","A Summary of the  Project Index.   is listed below.  Consult the  Project Index.   for location information.  "],"bioghist_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eBeverly Willis, FAIA Architect, artist, and writer, was one of perhaps three women architects in the United States to own her own sizeable architecture firm between 1958 and 1990 and the only woman in San Francisco, California, to have her own practice there for 17 years. Her book, \u003ctitle render=\"italic\"\u003eInvisible Images: The Silent Language of Architecture,\u003c/title\u003e published by the National Building Museum, describes her design philosophy.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eShe was the first woman appointed to the Building Research Advisory Board of the National Academy of Science, the first appointed to the Federal Construction Council, and its first woman chair. She was the first woman elected president of the American Institute of Architects, California Council; and the Golden Gate Chapter of Lambda Alpha Society.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eWillis played a major role in the revitalization of San Francisco neighborhoods after World War II. She renovated commercial spaces in the Jackson Square area and Union Street, redesigned Glide Church, designed the San Francisco Ballet Building, and won an international competition to design the Yerba Buena Gardens development downtown.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eBeverly Willis was born February 17, 1928, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to Ralph William Willis, founder of the National Tool Company, and Margaret Elizabeth Porter, a nurse. She had one sibling, Ralph Gerald Willis. Both Willis and her brother were placed in an orphanage when their parents divorced in 1934.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eTaking advantage of the increased opportunities available to women with the advent of World War II, Willis learned welding, riveting, electrical wiring, carpentry, and how to fly an airplane--skills that reflected the fiercely independent qualities that emerged in her personality when she was in the institutional environment of the orphanage. After the war, she enrolled in an aeronautical engineering program at Oregon State University, but withdrew after two years to work at a lithographer's studio. She then studied at the San Francisco Art Institute until relocating to Hawaii. In 1954 she received a B.A. in Fine Art from the University of Hawaii.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eAfter graduation, Willis received a series of design commissions that led to her interest in architecture. Fueled by the friendship and ideas of entrepreneur Henry Kaiser, Willis returned to San Francisco in 1960 to open a firm that designed furniture and interiors for offices, created mixed-media art for clients that included United Airlines, and re-worked supermarket displays. Despite her rural sensibility, Willis began to immerse herself in urban designs. She found that her interests ran parallel to those of San Francisco architects like William Wurster and Joseph Esherick.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eWillis' first major architectural project was the conversion of three Victorian buildings into a retail complex on Union Street in San Francisco. Her design, which proved a financial success almost immediately, influenced the renovation of the rest of the street between present-day Gough and Pierce streets.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eMeeting the experience and education requirements of the California State Architectural Licensing Board in 1966, Willis became a licensed architect and the only woman in San Francisco with her own firm, Beverly Willis and Associates. This firm assumed a partnership with would-be principal architect David Coldoff that year, a partnership that lasted until 1980. Despite the heavy demands of her practice, Willis also found time to serve on the U.S. Government delegation to the United Nations conference on Habitat, become a trustee and founder of the National Building Museum in 1976, and serve as the President of the California Chapter of the National Institute of Architects in 1979.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eWillis' interest in the issues that affect planning, population density, and land-use economics with respect to large-scale development manifested itself in the creation of the computer program CARLA (Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis) in the 1970's. The software was developed by Willis with Eric Tiescholz and Jochen Eigen. With CARLA's completion and implementation, Willis and Associates became one of the first architectural firms to incorporate computers into the routine practices of design and land development.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eProjects such as the prototype for the regional computer centers of the IRS and master-planning for a new town situated in Aliamanu Valley, Hawaii (1975), are good examples of her unique philosophy of design.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eThroughout the 1970s, Willis' firm concentrated on large- scale housing and new-community planning and design. By espousing architecture of rural pragmatism and rooting it in ancient images and myths, Willis offered something new to the intellectual landscape of architectural design.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eIn 1997, the National Building Museum published Willis' book, \u003ctitle render=\"italic\"\u003eInvisible Images: The Silent Language of Architecture,\u003c/title\u003e in which she describes her buildings and design philosophy. In 1980, she was elected to the American Institute of Architects College of Fellows. In 1984, Willis received an honorary doctorate in Fine Arts from Mount Holyoke College.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eBy the early 1980s, Willis' design focus shifted to urban structures like the Yerba Buena Gardens redevelopment project (1980) and the San Francisco Ballet Association Building (1984). Smaller, but no less important, projects include Nob Hill Court (1971), Pacific Point Condominiums (1972), the Greenwich Apartment (1978), the Margaret Hayward Playground Building (1978), the (unbuilt) Shown Winery (1986), and the Mr. and Mrs. Richard Goeglin Pool House and Sculpture (1988).\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eWillis relocated her office and residence to New York City in 1991. Willis founded in 1994 the \u003cextref href=\"http://www.architect.org\" title=\"Architectural Research Institute, Inc.\"\u003eArchitectural Research Institute, Inc.\u003c/extref\u003e (through which the Manhattan Village Academy was designed). In 2002, she founded the \u003cextref href=\"http://www.bwaf.org/\" title=\"Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation\"\u003eBeverly Willis Architecture Foundation\u003c/extref\u003e, and she presently (2008) serves as the foundation's president. Her work and community leadership have been widely published (see bibliography). She is a founding trustee of the National Building Museum (1975-present). The Beverly Willis Library is located at the National Building Museum.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eMuch of the information in the biography was culled from the biography written for Beverly Willis by Nicolai Ouroussoff and included in \u003ctitle render=\"italic\"\u003eInvisible Images: The Silent Language of Architecture\u003c/title\u003e, published in 1997 by the National Building Museum, Washington, DC.\u003c/p\u003e"],"bioghist_heading_ssm":["Biographical Note","Source"],"bioghist_tesim":["Beverly Willis, FAIA Architect, artist, and writer, was one of perhaps three women architects in the United States to own her own sizeable architecture firm between 1958 and 1990 and the only woman in San Francisco, California, to have her own practice there for 17 years. Her book,  Invisible Images: The Silent Language of Architecture,  published by the National Building Museum, describes her design philosophy.","She was the first woman appointed to the Building Research Advisory Board of the National Academy of Science, the first appointed to the Federal Construction Council, and its first woman chair. She was the first woman elected president of the American Institute of Architects, California Council; and the Golden Gate Chapter of Lambda Alpha Society.","Willis played a major role in the revitalization of San Francisco neighborhoods after World War II. She renovated commercial spaces in the Jackson Square area and Union Street, redesigned Glide Church, designed the San Francisco Ballet Building, and won an international competition to design the Yerba Buena Gardens development downtown.","Beverly Willis was born February 17, 1928, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to Ralph William Willis, founder of the National Tool Company, and Margaret Elizabeth Porter, a nurse. She had one sibling, Ralph Gerald Willis. Both Willis and her brother were placed in an orphanage when their parents divorced in 1934.","Taking advantage of the increased opportunities available to women with the advent of World War II, Willis learned welding, riveting, electrical wiring, carpentry, and how to fly an airplane--skills that reflected the fiercely independent qualities that emerged in her personality when she was in the institutional environment of the orphanage. After the war, she enrolled in an aeronautical engineering program at Oregon State University, but withdrew after two years to work at a lithographer's studio. She then studied at the San Francisco Art Institute until relocating to Hawaii. In 1954 she received a B.A. in Fine Art from the University of Hawaii.","After graduation, Willis received a series of design commissions that led to her interest in architecture. Fueled by the friendship and ideas of entrepreneur Henry Kaiser, Willis returned to San Francisco in 1960 to open a firm that designed furniture and interiors for offices, created mixed-media art for clients that included United Airlines, and re-worked supermarket displays. Despite her rural sensibility, Willis began to immerse herself in urban designs. She found that her interests ran parallel to those of San Francisco architects like William Wurster and Joseph Esherick.","Willis' first major architectural project was the conversion of three Victorian buildings into a retail complex on Union Street in San Francisco. Her design, which proved a financial success almost immediately, influenced the renovation of the rest of the street between present-day Gough and Pierce streets.","Meeting the experience and education requirements of the California State Architectural Licensing Board in 1966, Willis became a licensed architect and the only woman in San Francisco with her own firm, Beverly Willis and Associates. This firm assumed a partnership with would-be principal architect David Coldoff that year, a partnership that lasted until 1980. Despite the heavy demands of her practice, Willis also found time to serve on the U.S. Government delegation to the United Nations conference on Habitat, become a trustee and founder of the National Building Museum in 1976, and serve as the President of the California Chapter of the National Institute of Architects in 1979.","Willis' interest in the issues that affect planning, population density, and land-use economics with respect to large-scale development manifested itself in the creation of the computer program CARLA (Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis) in the 1970's. The software was developed by Willis with Eric Tiescholz and Jochen Eigen. With CARLA's completion and implementation, Willis and Associates became one of the first architectural firms to incorporate computers into the routine practices of design and land development.","Projects such as the prototype for the regional computer centers of the IRS and master-planning for a new town situated in Aliamanu Valley, Hawaii (1975), are good examples of her unique philosophy of design.","Throughout the 1970s, Willis' firm concentrated on large- scale housing and new-community planning and design. By espousing architecture of rural pragmatism and rooting it in ancient images and myths, Willis offered something new to the intellectual landscape of architectural design.","In 1997, the National Building Museum published Willis' book,  Invisible Images: The Silent Language of Architecture,  in which she describes her buildings and design philosophy. In 1980, she was elected to the American Institute of Architects College of Fellows. In 1984, Willis received an honorary doctorate in Fine Arts from Mount Holyoke College.","By the early 1980s, Willis' design focus shifted to urban structures like the Yerba Buena Gardens redevelopment project (1980) and the San Francisco Ballet Association Building (1984). Smaller, but no less important, projects include Nob Hill Court (1971), Pacific Point Condominiums (1972), the Greenwich Apartment (1978), the Margaret Hayward Playground Building (1978), the (unbuilt) Shown Winery (1986), and the Mr. and Mrs. Richard Goeglin Pool House and Sculpture (1988).","Willis relocated her office and residence to New York City in 1991. Willis founded in 1994 the  Architectural Research Institute, Inc.  (through which the Manhattan Village Academy was designed). In 2002, she founded the  Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation , and she presently (2008) serves as the foundation's president. Her work and community leadership have been widely published (see bibliography). She is a founding trustee of the National Building Museum (1975-present). The Beverly Willis Library is located at the National Building Museum.","Much of the information in the biography was culled from the biography written for Beverly Willis by Nicolai Ouroussoff and included in  Invisible Images: The Silent Language of Architecture , published in 1997 by the National Building Museum, Washington, DC."],"odd_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eSome of the information in the scope and content note was taken from an independent appraisal of the collection.\u003c/p\u003e"],"odd_heading_ssm":["General note"],"odd_tesim":["Some of the information in the scope and content note was taken from an independent appraisal of the collection."],"otherfindaid_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eA file-level \u003cextref href=\"http://spec.lib.vt.edu/iawa/inventories/Willis/Willis.html\" title=\"inventory\"\u003einventory\u003c/extref\u003e of letter- and legal-size project records is available at the repository.\u003c/p\u003e"],"otherfindaid_heading_ssm":["Other Finding Aid"],"otherfindaid_tesim":["A file-level  inventory  of letter- and legal-size project records is available at the repository."],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eResearchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Beverly Willis Architectural Collection, Ms1992-019, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.\u003c/p\u003e"],"prefercite_tesim":["Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Beverly Willis Architectural Collection, Ms1992-019, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va."],"processinfo_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe bulk of the drawings in the Willis Papers were arranged and described before they were donated, and information about the arrangement of the collection was compiled in a searchable database that is available at the repository. Project records stored in record cartons have been inventoried and are included in the database and finding aid.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe first accession, which was arranged and described by Laura Katz Smith in 1995, was combined with subsequent accessions in 2003. A finding aid describing the complete collection was created by Catherine G. OBrion in 2003, using descriptions of materials in the archives database that was donated with the bulk of the collection in 2000.\nThe 2004 and 2009 additions were arranged and described by Sherrie Bowser in 2012. The project index arrangement was also included at this time.  \u003c/p\u003e"],"processinfo_heading_ssm":["Processing Information"],"processinfo_tesim":["The bulk of the drawings in the Willis Papers were arranged and described before they were donated, and information about the arrangement of the collection was compiled in a searchable database that is available at the repository. Project records stored in record cartons have been inventoried and are included in the database and finding aid.","The first accession, which was arranged and described by Laura Katz Smith in 1995, was combined with subsequent accessions in 2003. A finding aid describing the complete collection was created by Catherine G. OBrion in 2003, using descriptions of materials in the archives database that was donated with the bulk of the collection in 2000.\nThe 2004 and 2009 additions were arranged and described by Sherrie Bowser in 2012. The project index arrangement was also included at this time.  "],"relatedmaterial_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe guide to the Beverly Willis Architectural Collection by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 (\u003ca href=\"https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/\"\u003ehttps://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/\u003c/a\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e"],"relatedmaterial_heading_ssm":["Rights Statement for Archival Description"],"relatedmaterial_tesim":["The guide to the Beverly Willis Architectural Collection by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 ( https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/ )."],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe Beverly Willis Architectural Collection span the years 1954 to 1999 and are comprised primarily of records documenting Willis' work as an architect in San Francisco between 1960 and 1990. The collection documents the application of computers to architectural design and land analysis, the development of CARLA (Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis) in the 1970s, the history of twentieth-century urban planning, particularly in San Francisco; and the contribution of women to twentieth-century American architecture. Willis, a noted artist, photographer, teacher, and writer, employed the full range of visual arts and design skills to influence and guide architectural projects of major significance.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eThe bulk of the collection is comprised of Willis and Associates project files from the period 1960 to 1990. Projects range from private residences and residential developments to institutions, such as the San Francisco Ballet Association Building; and urban development projects, most notably the Yerba Buena Gardens project in downtown San Francisco. Also included are records and design documents for Aliamanu Valley New Town, a military base in Hawaii that was the first major project designed with CARLA, computer software for architectural design created by Willis; and records documenting the development of CARLA.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eProject files are comprised of presentation drawings, slope analysis drawings, site plans, maps, cut-and-fill analysis plans, sketches, conceptual design drawings, construction drawings, as well as correspondence, research files, contracts, environmental impact statements and studies, financial records, and feasibility studies. There are records for more than 150 projects. Drawings are large folio, pen-and- ink or watercolor on paper, linen, or mylar. Some are heightened with color.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eAlso included is a series documenting the development of CARLA, Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis, in the 1970s. Beverly Willis was interested in issues that affected planning, population density, and land-use economics in relation to large-scale development. Along with Eric Tiescholz and Jochen Eigen, she developed a program that enabled architects, with the use of computers, to develop site plans and design techniques in a fraction of the time required by the old methodology. Records documenting the development of CARLA include computer tapes, correspondence, flow charts, memos, and Jochen Eigen's notes on interfacing CARLA with a computer mapping program in 1974.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eThe collection also contains a series of Publications, Brochures, and Clippings, which includes biographical information on Willis, Miscellaneous Project Records, and a video of the Yerba Buena Gardents development.\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Contents"],"scopecontent_tesim":["The Beverly Willis Architectural Collection span the years 1954 to 1999 and are comprised primarily of records documenting Willis' work as an architect in San Francisco between 1960 and 1990. The collection documents the application of computers to architectural design and land analysis, the development of CARLA (Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis) in the 1970s, the history of twentieth-century urban planning, particularly in San Francisco; and the contribution of women to twentieth-century American architecture. Willis, a noted artist, photographer, teacher, and writer, employed the full range of visual arts and design skills to influence and guide architectural projects of major significance.","The bulk of the collection is comprised of Willis and Associates project files from the period 1960 to 1990. Projects range from private residences and residential developments to institutions, such as the San Francisco Ballet Association Building; and urban development projects, most notably the Yerba Buena Gardens project in downtown San Francisco. Also included are records and design documents for Aliamanu Valley New Town, a military base in Hawaii that was the first major project designed with CARLA, computer software for architectural design created by Willis; and records documenting the development of CARLA.","Project files are comprised of presentation drawings, slope analysis drawings, site plans, maps, cut-and-fill analysis plans, sketches, conceptual design drawings, construction drawings, as well as correspondence, research files, contracts, environmental impact statements and studies, financial records, and feasibility studies. There are records for more than 150 projects. Drawings are large folio, pen-and- ink or watercolor on paper, linen, or mylar. Some are heightened with color.","Also included is a series documenting the development of CARLA, Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis, in the 1970s. Beverly Willis was interested in issues that affected planning, population density, and land-use economics in relation to large-scale development. Along with Eric Tiescholz and Jochen Eigen, she developed a program that enabled architects, with the use of computers, to develop site plans and design techniques in a fraction of the time required by the old methodology. Records documenting the development of CARLA include computer tapes, correspondence, flow charts, memos, and Jochen Eigen's notes on interfacing CARLA with a computer mapping program in 1974.","The collection also contains a series of Publications, Brochures, and Clippings, which includes biographical information on Willis, Miscellaneous Project Records, and a video of the Yerba Buena Gardents development."],"userestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials. Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form: \u003ca href=\"http://bit.ly/scuareproduction\"\u003ehttp://bit.ly/scuareproduction\u003c/a\u003e. Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form: \u003ca href=\"http://bit.ly/scuapublication\"\u003ehttp://bit.ly/scuapublication\u003c/a\u003e. Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form.\u003c/p\u003e"],"userestrict_heading_ssm":["Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use"],"userestrict_tesim":["The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials. Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form:  http://bit.ly/scuareproduction . Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form:  http://bit.ly/scuapublication . Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form."],"physloc_html_tesm":["\u003cphysloc id=\"aspace_174a3dc5cc0f306ff98b4fcaecbf2059\"\u003e\u003cemph render=\"bold\"\u003ePlease note:\u003c/emph\u003e Boxes 1-51 are located in off-site storage and requires 2-3 days notice for retrieval. Please contact Special Collections for more information.\u003c/physloc\u003e"],"physloc_tesim":["Please note:  Boxes 1-51 are located in off-site storage and requires 2-3 days notice for retrieval. Please contact Special Collections for more information."],"names_coll_ssim":["Willis and Associates","Willis, Beverly, 1928-"],"names_ssim":["Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech","Willis and Associates","Willis, Beverly, 1928-"],"corpname_ssim":["Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech","Willis and Associates"],"persname_ssim":["Willis, Beverly, 1928-"],"language_ssim":["The materials in the collection are in English."],"descrules_ssm":["Describing Archives: A Content Standard"],"total_component_count_is":212,"online_item_count_is":0,"component_level_isim":[0],"sort_isi":0,"timestamp":"2026-04-30T23:45:27.234Z"}]}},"label":"Breadcrumbs"}}},"links":{"self":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03_c105"}},{"id":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03_c106","type":"Subseries","attributes":{"title":"Project 0743: Metcalf \u0026 Eddy","abstract_or_scope":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03_c106#abstract_or_scope","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":"\u003cp\u003eEnergy report and analysis and miscellaneous project papers that include pamphlets, books, and computer printouts\u003c/p\u003e","label":"Abstract Or Scope"}},"breadcrumbs":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03_c106#breadcrumbs","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":{"ref_ssi":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03_c106","ref_ssm":["viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03_c106"],"id":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03_c106","ead_ssi":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898","_root_":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898","_nest_parent_":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03","parent_ssi":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03","parent_ssim":["viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898","viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03","viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03"],"parent_ids_ssim":["viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898","viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03","viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03"],"parent_unittitles_ssm":["Beverly Willis Architectural Collection","Project Records","Project Files"],"parent_unittitles_tesim":["Beverly Willis Architectural Collection","Project Records","Project Files"],"text":["Beverly Willis Architectural Collection","Project Records","Project Files","Project 0743: Metcalf \u0026 Eddy","Energy report and analysis and miscellaneous project papers that include pamphlets, books, and computer printouts"],"title_filing_ssi":"Project 0743: Metcalf \u0026 Eddy","title_ssm":["Project 0743: Metcalf \u0026 Eddy"],"title_tesim":["Project 0743: Metcalf \u0026 Eddy"],"unitdate_other_ssim":["1980"],"normalized_date_ssm":["1980"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Project 0743: Metcalf \u0026 Eddy"],"component_level_isim":[3],"repository_ssim":["Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University"],"collection_ssim":["Beverly Willis Architectural Collection"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"child_component_count_isi":0,"level_ssm":["Subseries"],"level_ssim":["Subseries"],"sort_isi":153,"parent_access_restrict_tesm":["Collection is open to research."],"parent_access_terms_tesm":["The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials. Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form: http://bit.ly/scuareproduction. Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form: http://bit.ly/scuapublication. Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form."],"date_range_isim":[1980],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eEnergy report and analysis and miscellaneous project papers that include pamphlets, books, and computer printouts\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Contents note"],"scopecontent_tesim":["Energy report and analysis and miscellaneous project papers that include pamphlets, books, and computer printouts"],"_nest_path_":"/components#2/components#2/components#105","timestamp":"2026-04-30T23:45:27.234Z","collection":{"numFound":1,"start":0,"numFoundExact":true,"docs":[{"id":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898","ead_ssi":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898","_root_":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898","_nest_parent_":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898","ead_source_url_ssi":"data/oai/VT/repositories_2_resources_1898.xml","title_filing_ssi":"Willis, Beverly Architectural Collection","title_ssm":["Beverly Willis Architectural Collection"],"title_tesim":["Beverly Willis Architectural Collection"],"unitdate_ssm":["1954-1999"],"unitdate_inclusive_ssm":["1954-1999"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"unitid_ssm":["Ms.1992.019"],"text":["Ms.1992.019","Beverly Willis Architectural Collection","San Francisco (Calif.)","Architects and community","Housing -- United States","City planning","Architecture -- Computer-aided design","Women -- History","International Archive of Women in Architecture (IAWA)","Architectural drawings (visual works)","Collection is open to research.","Some of this collection has been digitized and is available online.","The collection has been arranged into a  Project Index.  which is a way to organize the various formats of architectural records from the same project. The index is arranged by project number and contains information, where available, about the location, date, project type, architect, collaborators, and formats for each project in the collection.","A Summary of the  Project Index.   is listed below.  Consult the  Project Index.   for location information.  ","Beverly Willis, FAIA Architect, artist, and writer, was one of perhaps three women architects in the United States to own her own sizeable architecture firm between 1958 and 1990 and the only woman in San Francisco, California, to have her own practice there for 17 years. Her book,  Invisible Images: The Silent Language of Architecture,  published by the National Building Museum, describes her design philosophy.","She was the first woman appointed to the Building Research Advisory Board of the National Academy of Science, the first appointed to the Federal Construction Council, and its first woman chair. She was the first woman elected president of the American Institute of Architects, California Council; and the Golden Gate Chapter of Lambda Alpha Society.","Willis played a major role in the revitalization of San Francisco neighborhoods after World War II. She renovated commercial spaces in the Jackson Square area and Union Street, redesigned Glide Church, designed the San Francisco Ballet Building, and won an international competition to design the Yerba Buena Gardens development downtown.","Beverly Willis was born February 17, 1928, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to Ralph William Willis, founder of the National Tool Company, and Margaret Elizabeth Porter, a nurse. She had one sibling, Ralph Gerald Willis. Both Willis and her brother were placed in an orphanage when their parents divorced in 1934.","Taking advantage of the increased opportunities available to women with the advent of World War II, Willis learned welding, riveting, electrical wiring, carpentry, and how to fly an airplane--skills that reflected the fiercely independent qualities that emerged in her personality when she was in the institutional environment of the orphanage. After the war, she enrolled in an aeronautical engineering program at Oregon State University, but withdrew after two years to work at a lithographer's studio. She then studied at the San Francisco Art Institute until relocating to Hawaii. In 1954 she received a B.A. in Fine Art from the University of Hawaii.","After graduation, Willis received a series of design commissions that led to her interest in architecture. Fueled by the friendship and ideas of entrepreneur Henry Kaiser, Willis returned to San Francisco in 1960 to open a firm that designed furniture and interiors for offices, created mixed-media art for clients that included United Airlines, and re-worked supermarket displays. Despite her rural sensibility, Willis began to immerse herself in urban designs. She found that her interests ran parallel to those of San Francisco architects like William Wurster and Joseph Esherick.","Willis' first major architectural project was the conversion of three Victorian buildings into a retail complex on Union Street in San Francisco. Her design, which proved a financial success almost immediately, influenced the renovation of the rest of the street between present-day Gough and Pierce streets.","Meeting the experience and education requirements of the California State Architectural Licensing Board in 1966, Willis became a licensed architect and the only woman in San Francisco with her own firm, Beverly Willis and Associates. This firm assumed a partnership with would-be principal architect David Coldoff that year, a partnership that lasted until 1980. Despite the heavy demands of her practice, Willis also found time to serve on the U.S. Government delegation to the United Nations conference on Habitat, become a trustee and founder of the National Building Museum in 1976, and serve as the President of the California Chapter of the National Institute of Architects in 1979.","Willis' interest in the issues that affect planning, population density, and land-use economics with respect to large-scale development manifested itself in the creation of the computer program CARLA (Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis) in the 1970's. The software was developed by Willis with Eric Tiescholz and Jochen Eigen. With CARLA's completion and implementation, Willis and Associates became one of the first architectural firms to incorporate computers into the routine practices of design and land development.","Projects such as the prototype for the regional computer centers of the IRS and master-planning for a new town situated in Aliamanu Valley, Hawaii (1975), are good examples of her unique philosophy of design.","Throughout the 1970s, Willis' firm concentrated on large- scale housing and new-community planning and design. By espousing architecture of rural pragmatism and rooting it in ancient images and myths, Willis offered something new to the intellectual landscape of architectural design.","In 1997, the National Building Museum published Willis' book,  Invisible Images: The Silent Language of Architecture,  in which she describes her buildings and design philosophy. In 1980, she was elected to the American Institute of Architects College of Fellows. In 1984, Willis received an honorary doctorate in Fine Arts from Mount Holyoke College.","By the early 1980s, Willis' design focus shifted to urban structures like the Yerba Buena Gardens redevelopment project (1980) and the San Francisco Ballet Association Building (1984). Smaller, but no less important, projects include Nob Hill Court (1971), Pacific Point Condominiums (1972), the Greenwich Apartment (1978), the Margaret Hayward Playground Building (1978), the (unbuilt) Shown Winery (1986), and the Mr. and Mrs. Richard Goeglin Pool House and Sculpture (1988).","Willis relocated her office and residence to New York City in 1991. Willis founded in 1994 the  Architectural Research Institute, Inc.  (through which the Manhattan Village Academy was designed). In 2002, she founded the  Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation , and she presently (2008) serves as the foundation's president. Her work and community leadership have been widely published (see bibliography). She is a founding trustee of the National Building Museum (1975-present). The Beverly Willis Library is located at the National Building Museum.","Much of the information in the biography was culled from the biography written for Beverly Willis by Nicolai Ouroussoff and included in  Invisible Images: The Silent Language of Architecture , published in 1997 by the National Building Museum, Washington, DC.","Some of the information in the scope and content note was taken from an independent appraisal of the collection.","The bulk of the drawings in the Willis Papers were arranged and described before they were donated, and information about the arrangement of the collection was compiled in a searchable database that is available at the repository. Project records stored in record cartons have been inventoried and are included in the database and finding aid.","The first accession, which was arranged and described by Laura Katz Smith in 1995, was combined with subsequent accessions in 2003. A finding aid describing the complete collection was created by Catherine G. OBrion in 2003, using descriptions of materials in the archives database that was donated with the bulk of the collection in 2000.\nThe 2004 and 2009 additions were arranged and described by Sherrie Bowser in 2012. The project index arrangement was also included at this time.  ","The guide to the Beverly Willis Architectural Collection by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 ( https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/ ).","The Beverly Willis Architectural Collection span the years 1954 to 1999 and are comprised primarily of records documenting Willis' work as an architect in San Francisco between 1960 and 1990. The collection documents the application of computers to architectural design and land analysis, the development of CARLA (Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis) in the 1970s, the history of twentieth-century urban planning, particularly in San Francisco; and the contribution of women to twentieth-century American architecture. Willis, a noted artist, photographer, teacher, and writer, employed the full range of visual arts and design skills to influence and guide architectural projects of major significance.","The bulk of the collection is comprised of Willis and Associates project files from the period 1960 to 1990. Projects range from private residences and residential developments to institutions, such as the San Francisco Ballet Association Building; and urban development projects, most notably the Yerba Buena Gardens project in downtown San Francisco. Also included are records and design documents for Aliamanu Valley New Town, a military base in Hawaii that was the first major project designed with CARLA, computer software for architectural design created by Willis; and records documenting the development of CARLA.","Project files are comprised of presentation drawings, slope analysis drawings, site plans, maps, cut-and-fill analysis plans, sketches, conceptual design drawings, construction drawings, as well as correspondence, research files, contracts, environmental impact statements and studies, financial records, and feasibility studies. There are records for more than 150 projects. Drawings are large folio, pen-and- ink or watercolor on paper, linen, or mylar. Some are heightened with color.","Also included is a series documenting the development of CARLA, Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis, in the 1970s. Beverly Willis was interested in issues that affected planning, population density, and land-use economics in relation to large-scale development. Along with Eric Tiescholz and Jochen Eigen, she developed a program that enabled architects, with the use of computers, to develop site plans and design techniques in a fraction of the time required by the old methodology. Records documenting the development of CARLA include computer tapes, correspondence, flow charts, memos, and Jochen Eigen's notes on interfacing CARLA with a computer mapping program in 1974.","The collection also contains a series of Publications, Brochures, and Clippings, which includes biographical information on Willis, Miscellaneous Project Records, and a video of the Yerba Buena Gardents development.","The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials. Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form:  http://bit.ly/scuareproduction . Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form:  http://bit.ly/scuapublication . Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form.","Please note:  Boxes 1-51 are located in off-site storage and requires 2-3 days notice for retrieval. Please contact Special Collections for more information.","Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech","Willis and Associates","Willis, Beverly, 1928-","The materials in the collection are in English."],"unitid_tesim":["Ms.1992.019"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Beverly Willis Architectural Collection"],"collection_title_tesim":["Beverly Willis Architectural Collection"],"collection_ssim":["Beverly Willis Architectural Collection"],"repository_ssm":["Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University"],"repository_ssim":["Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University"],"geogname_ssm":["San Francisco (Calif.)"],"geogname_ssim":["San Francisco (Calif.)"],"creator_ssm":["Willis, Beverly, 1928-"],"creator_ssim":["Willis, Beverly, 1928-"],"creator_persname_ssim":["Willis, Beverly, 1928-"],"creators_ssim":["Willis, Beverly, 1928-"],"places_ssim":["San Francisco (Calif.)"],"access_terms_ssm":["The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials. Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form:  http://bit.ly/scuareproduction . Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form:  http://bit.ly/scuapublication . Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form."],"acqinfo_ssim":["Beverly Willis donated samples of her designs to Virginia Tech in 1992. This gift was followed, in 2000, with a donation of the bulk of the records and designs from her architectural career.  Additional small accessions arrived in 2004 and 2009."],"access_subjects_ssim":["Architects and community","Housing -- United States","City planning","Architecture -- Computer-aided design","Women -- History","International Archive of Women in Architecture (IAWA)","Architectural drawings (visual works)"],"access_subjects_ssm":["Architects and community","Housing -- United States","City planning","Architecture -- Computer-aided design","Women -- History","International Archive of Women in Architecture (IAWA)","Architectural drawings (visual works)"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"extent_ssm":["100 Linear Feet"],"extent_tesim":["100 Linear Feet"],"genreform_ssim":["Architectural drawings (visual works)"],"date_range_isim":[1954,1955,1956,1957,1958,1959,1960,1961,1962,1963,1964,1965,1966,1967,1968,1969,1970,1971,1972,1973,1974,1975,1976,1977,1978,1979,1980,1981,1982,1983,1984,1985,1986,1987,1988,1989,1990,1991,1992,1993,1994,1995,1996,1997,1998,1999],"accessrestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eCollection is open to research.\u003c/p\u003e"],"accessrestrict_heading_ssm":["Conditions Governing Access"],"accessrestrict_tesim":["Collection is open to research."],"altformavail_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003e\u003ca target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://digitalsc.lib.vt.edu/collections/show/225\"\u003eSome of this collection has been digitized and is available online.\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e"],"altformavail_heading_ssm":["Existence and Location of Copies"],"altformavail_tesim":["Some of this collection has been digitized and is available online."],"arrangement_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe collection has been arranged into a \u003cextref actuate=\"onRequest\" href=\"http://spec.lib.vt.edu/assets/documents/iawa/Ms1992-019pi.xls\" show=\"new\" title=\"Project Index\"\u003eProject Index.\u003c/extref\u003e which is a way to organize the various formats of architectural records from the same project. The index is arranged by project number and contains information, where available, about the location, date, project type, architect, collaborators, and formats for each project in the collection.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eA Summary of the \u003cextref actuate=\"onRequest\" href=\"http://spec.lib.vt.edu/assets/documents/iawa/Ms1992-019pi.xls\" show=\"new\" title=\"Project Index\"\u003eProject Index.\u003c/extref\u003e  is listed below.  Consult the \u003cextref actuate=\"onRequest\" href=\"http://spec.lib.vt.edu/assets/documents/iawa/Ms1992-019pi.xls\" show=\"new\" title=\"Project Index\"\u003eProject Index.\u003c/extref\u003e  for location information.  \u003c/p\u003e"],"arrangement_heading_ssm":["Arrangement"],"arrangement_tesim":["The collection has been arranged into a  Project Index.  which is a way to organize the various formats of architectural records from the same project. The index is arranged by project number and contains information, where available, about the location, date, project type, architect, collaborators, and formats for each project in the collection.","A Summary of the  Project Index.   is listed below.  Consult the  Project Index.   for location information.  "],"bioghist_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eBeverly Willis, FAIA Architect, artist, and writer, was one of perhaps three women architects in the United States to own her own sizeable architecture firm between 1958 and 1990 and the only woman in San Francisco, California, to have her own practice there for 17 years. Her book, \u003ctitle render=\"italic\"\u003eInvisible Images: The Silent Language of Architecture,\u003c/title\u003e published by the National Building Museum, describes her design philosophy.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eShe was the first woman appointed to the Building Research Advisory Board of the National Academy of Science, the first appointed to the Federal Construction Council, and its first woman chair. She was the first woman elected president of the American Institute of Architects, California Council; and the Golden Gate Chapter of Lambda Alpha Society.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eWillis played a major role in the revitalization of San Francisco neighborhoods after World War II. She renovated commercial spaces in the Jackson Square area and Union Street, redesigned Glide Church, designed the San Francisco Ballet Building, and won an international competition to design the Yerba Buena Gardens development downtown.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eBeverly Willis was born February 17, 1928, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to Ralph William Willis, founder of the National Tool Company, and Margaret Elizabeth Porter, a nurse. She had one sibling, Ralph Gerald Willis. Both Willis and her brother were placed in an orphanage when their parents divorced in 1934.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eTaking advantage of the increased opportunities available to women with the advent of World War II, Willis learned welding, riveting, electrical wiring, carpentry, and how to fly an airplane--skills that reflected the fiercely independent qualities that emerged in her personality when she was in the institutional environment of the orphanage. After the war, she enrolled in an aeronautical engineering program at Oregon State University, but withdrew after two years to work at a lithographer's studio. She then studied at the San Francisco Art Institute until relocating to Hawaii. In 1954 she received a B.A. in Fine Art from the University of Hawaii.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eAfter graduation, Willis received a series of design commissions that led to her interest in architecture. Fueled by the friendship and ideas of entrepreneur Henry Kaiser, Willis returned to San Francisco in 1960 to open a firm that designed furniture and interiors for offices, created mixed-media art for clients that included United Airlines, and re-worked supermarket displays. Despite her rural sensibility, Willis began to immerse herself in urban designs. She found that her interests ran parallel to those of San Francisco architects like William Wurster and Joseph Esherick.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eWillis' first major architectural project was the conversion of three Victorian buildings into a retail complex on Union Street in San Francisco. Her design, which proved a financial success almost immediately, influenced the renovation of the rest of the street between present-day Gough and Pierce streets.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eMeeting the experience and education requirements of the California State Architectural Licensing Board in 1966, Willis became a licensed architect and the only woman in San Francisco with her own firm, Beverly Willis and Associates. This firm assumed a partnership with would-be principal architect David Coldoff that year, a partnership that lasted until 1980. Despite the heavy demands of her practice, Willis also found time to serve on the U.S. Government delegation to the United Nations conference on Habitat, become a trustee and founder of the National Building Museum in 1976, and serve as the President of the California Chapter of the National Institute of Architects in 1979.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eWillis' interest in the issues that affect planning, population density, and land-use economics with respect to large-scale development manifested itself in the creation of the computer program CARLA (Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis) in the 1970's. The software was developed by Willis with Eric Tiescholz and Jochen Eigen. With CARLA's completion and implementation, Willis and Associates became one of the first architectural firms to incorporate computers into the routine practices of design and land development.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eProjects such as the prototype for the regional computer centers of the IRS and master-planning for a new town situated in Aliamanu Valley, Hawaii (1975), are good examples of her unique philosophy of design.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eThroughout the 1970s, Willis' firm concentrated on large- scale housing and new-community planning and design. By espousing architecture of rural pragmatism and rooting it in ancient images and myths, Willis offered something new to the intellectual landscape of architectural design.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eIn 1997, the National Building Museum published Willis' book, \u003ctitle render=\"italic\"\u003eInvisible Images: The Silent Language of Architecture,\u003c/title\u003e in which she describes her buildings and design philosophy. In 1980, she was elected to the American Institute of Architects College of Fellows. In 1984, Willis received an honorary doctorate in Fine Arts from Mount Holyoke College.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eBy the early 1980s, Willis' design focus shifted to urban structures like the Yerba Buena Gardens redevelopment project (1980) and the San Francisco Ballet Association Building (1984). Smaller, but no less important, projects include Nob Hill Court (1971), Pacific Point Condominiums (1972), the Greenwich Apartment (1978), the Margaret Hayward Playground Building (1978), the (unbuilt) Shown Winery (1986), and the Mr. and Mrs. Richard Goeglin Pool House and Sculpture (1988).\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eWillis relocated her office and residence to New York City in 1991. Willis founded in 1994 the \u003cextref href=\"http://www.architect.org\" title=\"Architectural Research Institute, Inc.\"\u003eArchitectural Research Institute, Inc.\u003c/extref\u003e (through which the Manhattan Village Academy was designed). In 2002, she founded the \u003cextref href=\"http://www.bwaf.org/\" title=\"Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation\"\u003eBeverly Willis Architecture Foundation\u003c/extref\u003e, and she presently (2008) serves as the foundation's president. Her work and community leadership have been widely published (see bibliography). She is a founding trustee of the National Building Museum (1975-present). The Beverly Willis Library is located at the National Building Museum.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eMuch of the information in the biography was culled from the biography written for Beverly Willis by Nicolai Ouroussoff and included in \u003ctitle render=\"italic\"\u003eInvisible Images: The Silent Language of Architecture\u003c/title\u003e, published in 1997 by the National Building Museum, Washington, DC.\u003c/p\u003e"],"bioghist_heading_ssm":["Biographical Note","Source"],"bioghist_tesim":["Beverly Willis, FAIA Architect, artist, and writer, was one of perhaps three women architects in the United States to own her own sizeable architecture firm between 1958 and 1990 and the only woman in San Francisco, California, to have her own practice there for 17 years. Her book,  Invisible Images: The Silent Language of Architecture,  published by the National Building Museum, describes her design philosophy.","She was the first woman appointed to the Building Research Advisory Board of the National Academy of Science, the first appointed to the Federal Construction Council, and its first woman chair. She was the first woman elected president of the American Institute of Architects, California Council; and the Golden Gate Chapter of Lambda Alpha Society.","Willis played a major role in the revitalization of San Francisco neighborhoods after World War II. She renovated commercial spaces in the Jackson Square area and Union Street, redesigned Glide Church, designed the San Francisco Ballet Building, and won an international competition to design the Yerba Buena Gardens development downtown.","Beverly Willis was born February 17, 1928, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to Ralph William Willis, founder of the National Tool Company, and Margaret Elizabeth Porter, a nurse. She had one sibling, Ralph Gerald Willis. Both Willis and her brother were placed in an orphanage when their parents divorced in 1934.","Taking advantage of the increased opportunities available to women with the advent of World War II, Willis learned welding, riveting, electrical wiring, carpentry, and how to fly an airplane--skills that reflected the fiercely independent qualities that emerged in her personality when she was in the institutional environment of the orphanage. After the war, she enrolled in an aeronautical engineering program at Oregon State University, but withdrew after two years to work at a lithographer's studio. She then studied at the San Francisco Art Institute until relocating to Hawaii. In 1954 she received a B.A. in Fine Art from the University of Hawaii.","After graduation, Willis received a series of design commissions that led to her interest in architecture. Fueled by the friendship and ideas of entrepreneur Henry Kaiser, Willis returned to San Francisco in 1960 to open a firm that designed furniture and interiors for offices, created mixed-media art for clients that included United Airlines, and re-worked supermarket displays. Despite her rural sensibility, Willis began to immerse herself in urban designs. She found that her interests ran parallel to those of San Francisco architects like William Wurster and Joseph Esherick.","Willis' first major architectural project was the conversion of three Victorian buildings into a retail complex on Union Street in San Francisco. Her design, which proved a financial success almost immediately, influenced the renovation of the rest of the street between present-day Gough and Pierce streets.","Meeting the experience and education requirements of the California State Architectural Licensing Board in 1966, Willis became a licensed architect and the only woman in San Francisco with her own firm, Beverly Willis and Associates. This firm assumed a partnership with would-be principal architect David Coldoff that year, a partnership that lasted until 1980. Despite the heavy demands of her practice, Willis also found time to serve on the U.S. Government delegation to the United Nations conference on Habitat, become a trustee and founder of the National Building Museum in 1976, and serve as the President of the California Chapter of the National Institute of Architects in 1979.","Willis' interest in the issues that affect planning, population density, and land-use economics with respect to large-scale development manifested itself in the creation of the computer program CARLA (Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis) in the 1970's. The software was developed by Willis with Eric Tiescholz and Jochen Eigen. With CARLA's completion and implementation, Willis and Associates became one of the first architectural firms to incorporate computers into the routine practices of design and land development.","Projects such as the prototype for the regional computer centers of the IRS and master-planning for a new town situated in Aliamanu Valley, Hawaii (1975), are good examples of her unique philosophy of design.","Throughout the 1970s, Willis' firm concentrated on large- scale housing and new-community planning and design. By espousing architecture of rural pragmatism and rooting it in ancient images and myths, Willis offered something new to the intellectual landscape of architectural design.","In 1997, the National Building Museum published Willis' book,  Invisible Images: The Silent Language of Architecture,  in which she describes her buildings and design philosophy. In 1980, she was elected to the American Institute of Architects College of Fellows. In 1984, Willis received an honorary doctorate in Fine Arts from Mount Holyoke College.","By the early 1980s, Willis' design focus shifted to urban structures like the Yerba Buena Gardens redevelopment project (1980) and the San Francisco Ballet Association Building (1984). Smaller, but no less important, projects include Nob Hill Court (1971), Pacific Point Condominiums (1972), the Greenwich Apartment (1978), the Margaret Hayward Playground Building (1978), the (unbuilt) Shown Winery (1986), and the Mr. and Mrs. Richard Goeglin Pool House and Sculpture (1988).","Willis relocated her office and residence to New York City in 1991. Willis founded in 1994 the  Architectural Research Institute, Inc.  (through which the Manhattan Village Academy was designed). In 2002, she founded the  Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation , and she presently (2008) serves as the foundation's president. Her work and community leadership have been widely published (see bibliography). She is a founding trustee of the National Building Museum (1975-present). The Beverly Willis Library is located at the National Building Museum.","Much of the information in the biography was culled from the biography written for Beverly Willis by Nicolai Ouroussoff and included in  Invisible Images: The Silent Language of Architecture , published in 1997 by the National Building Museum, Washington, DC."],"odd_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eSome of the information in the scope and content note was taken from an independent appraisal of the collection.\u003c/p\u003e"],"odd_heading_ssm":["General note"],"odd_tesim":["Some of the information in the scope and content note was taken from an independent appraisal of the collection."],"otherfindaid_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eA file-level \u003cextref href=\"http://spec.lib.vt.edu/iawa/inventories/Willis/Willis.html\" title=\"inventory\"\u003einventory\u003c/extref\u003e of letter- and legal-size project records is available at the repository.\u003c/p\u003e"],"otherfindaid_heading_ssm":["Other Finding Aid"],"otherfindaid_tesim":["A file-level  inventory  of letter- and legal-size project records is available at the repository."],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eResearchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Beverly Willis Architectural Collection, Ms1992-019, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.\u003c/p\u003e"],"prefercite_tesim":["Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Beverly Willis Architectural Collection, Ms1992-019, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va."],"processinfo_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe bulk of the drawings in the Willis Papers were arranged and described before they were donated, and information about the arrangement of the collection was compiled in a searchable database that is available at the repository. Project records stored in record cartons have been inventoried and are included in the database and finding aid.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe first accession, which was arranged and described by Laura Katz Smith in 1995, was combined with subsequent accessions in 2003. A finding aid describing the complete collection was created by Catherine G. OBrion in 2003, using descriptions of materials in the archives database that was donated with the bulk of the collection in 2000.\nThe 2004 and 2009 additions were arranged and described by Sherrie Bowser in 2012. The project index arrangement was also included at this time.  \u003c/p\u003e"],"processinfo_heading_ssm":["Processing Information"],"processinfo_tesim":["The bulk of the drawings in the Willis Papers were arranged and described before they were donated, and information about the arrangement of the collection was compiled in a searchable database that is available at the repository. Project records stored in record cartons have been inventoried and are included in the database and finding aid.","The first accession, which was arranged and described by Laura Katz Smith in 1995, was combined with subsequent accessions in 2003. A finding aid describing the complete collection was created by Catherine G. OBrion in 2003, using descriptions of materials in the archives database that was donated with the bulk of the collection in 2000.\nThe 2004 and 2009 additions were arranged and described by Sherrie Bowser in 2012. The project index arrangement was also included at this time.  "],"relatedmaterial_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe guide to the Beverly Willis Architectural Collection by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 (\u003ca href=\"https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/\"\u003ehttps://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/\u003c/a\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e"],"relatedmaterial_heading_ssm":["Rights Statement for Archival Description"],"relatedmaterial_tesim":["The guide to the Beverly Willis Architectural Collection by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 ( https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/ )."],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe Beverly Willis Architectural Collection span the years 1954 to 1999 and are comprised primarily of records documenting Willis' work as an architect in San Francisco between 1960 and 1990. The collection documents the application of computers to architectural design and land analysis, the development of CARLA (Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis) in the 1970s, the history of twentieth-century urban planning, particularly in San Francisco; and the contribution of women to twentieth-century American architecture. Willis, a noted artist, photographer, teacher, and writer, employed the full range of visual arts and design skills to influence and guide architectural projects of major significance.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eThe bulk of the collection is comprised of Willis and Associates project files from the period 1960 to 1990. Projects range from private residences and residential developments to institutions, such as the San Francisco Ballet Association Building; and urban development projects, most notably the Yerba Buena Gardens project in downtown San Francisco. Also included are records and design documents for Aliamanu Valley New Town, a military base in Hawaii that was the first major project designed with CARLA, computer software for architectural design created by Willis; and records documenting the development of CARLA.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eProject files are comprised of presentation drawings, slope analysis drawings, site plans, maps, cut-and-fill analysis plans, sketches, conceptual design drawings, construction drawings, as well as correspondence, research files, contracts, environmental impact statements and studies, financial records, and feasibility studies. There are records for more than 150 projects. Drawings are large folio, pen-and- ink or watercolor on paper, linen, or mylar. Some are heightened with color.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eAlso included is a series documenting the development of CARLA, Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis, in the 1970s. Beverly Willis was interested in issues that affected planning, population density, and land-use economics in relation to large-scale development. Along with Eric Tiescholz and Jochen Eigen, she developed a program that enabled architects, with the use of computers, to develop site plans and design techniques in a fraction of the time required by the old methodology. Records documenting the development of CARLA include computer tapes, correspondence, flow charts, memos, and Jochen Eigen's notes on interfacing CARLA with a computer mapping program in 1974.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eThe collection also contains a series of Publications, Brochures, and Clippings, which includes biographical information on Willis, Miscellaneous Project Records, and a video of the Yerba Buena Gardents development.\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Contents"],"scopecontent_tesim":["The Beverly Willis Architectural Collection span the years 1954 to 1999 and are comprised primarily of records documenting Willis' work as an architect in San Francisco between 1960 and 1990. The collection documents the application of computers to architectural design and land analysis, the development of CARLA (Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis) in the 1970s, the history of twentieth-century urban planning, particularly in San Francisco; and the contribution of women to twentieth-century American architecture. Willis, a noted artist, photographer, teacher, and writer, employed the full range of visual arts and design skills to influence and guide architectural projects of major significance.","The bulk of the collection is comprised of Willis and Associates project files from the period 1960 to 1990. Projects range from private residences and residential developments to institutions, such as the San Francisco Ballet Association Building; and urban development projects, most notably the Yerba Buena Gardens project in downtown San Francisco. Also included are records and design documents for Aliamanu Valley New Town, a military base in Hawaii that was the first major project designed with CARLA, computer software for architectural design created by Willis; and records documenting the development of CARLA.","Project files are comprised of presentation drawings, slope analysis drawings, site plans, maps, cut-and-fill analysis plans, sketches, conceptual design drawings, construction drawings, as well as correspondence, research files, contracts, environmental impact statements and studies, financial records, and feasibility studies. There are records for more than 150 projects. Drawings are large folio, pen-and- ink or watercolor on paper, linen, or mylar. Some are heightened with color.","Also included is a series documenting the development of CARLA, Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis, in the 1970s. Beverly Willis was interested in issues that affected planning, population density, and land-use economics in relation to large-scale development. Along with Eric Tiescholz and Jochen Eigen, she developed a program that enabled architects, with the use of computers, to develop site plans and design techniques in a fraction of the time required by the old methodology. Records documenting the development of CARLA include computer tapes, correspondence, flow charts, memos, and Jochen Eigen's notes on interfacing CARLA with a computer mapping program in 1974.","The collection also contains a series of Publications, Brochures, and Clippings, which includes biographical information on Willis, Miscellaneous Project Records, and a video of the Yerba Buena Gardents development."],"userestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials. Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form: \u003ca href=\"http://bit.ly/scuareproduction\"\u003ehttp://bit.ly/scuareproduction\u003c/a\u003e. Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form: \u003ca href=\"http://bit.ly/scuapublication\"\u003ehttp://bit.ly/scuapublication\u003c/a\u003e. Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form.\u003c/p\u003e"],"userestrict_heading_ssm":["Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use"],"userestrict_tesim":["The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials. Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form:  http://bit.ly/scuareproduction . Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form:  http://bit.ly/scuapublication . Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form."],"physloc_html_tesm":["\u003cphysloc id=\"aspace_174a3dc5cc0f306ff98b4fcaecbf2059\"\u003e\u003cemph render=\"bold\"\u003ePlease note:\u003c/emph\u003e Boxes 1-51 are located in off-site storage and requires 2-3 days notice for retrieval. Please contact Special Collections for more information.\u003c/physloc\u003e"],"physloc_tesim":["Please note:  Boxes 1-51 are located in off-site storage and requires 2-3 days notice for retrieval. Please contact Special Collections for more information."],"names_coll_ssim":["Willis and Associates","Willis, Beverly, 1928-"],"names_ssim":["Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech","Willis and Associates","Willis, Beverly, 1928-"],"corpname_ssim":["Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech","Willis and Associates"],"persname_ssim":["Willis, Beverly, 1928-"],"language_ssim":["The materials in the collection are in English."],"descrules_ssm":["Describing Archives: A Content Standard"],"total_component_count_is":212,"online_item_count_is":0,"component_level_isim":[0],"sort_isi":0,"timestamp":"2026-04-30T23:45:27.234Z"}]}},"label":"Breadcrumbs"}}},"links":{"self":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03_c106"}},{"id":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03_c107","type":"Subseries","attributes":{"title":"Project 0744: Hodder Residence","breadcrumbs":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03_c107#breadcrumbs","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":{"ref_ssi":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03_c107","ref_ssm":["viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03_c107"],"id":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03_c107","ead_ssi":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898","_root_":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898","_nest_parent_":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03","parent_ssi":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03","parent_ssim":["viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898","viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03","viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03"],"parent_ids_ssim":["viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898","viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03","viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03"],"parent_unittitles_ssm":["Beverly Willis Architectural Collection","Project Records","Project Files"],"parent_unittitles_tesim":["Beverly Willis Architectural Collection","Project Records","Project Files"],"text":["Beverly Willis Architectural Collection","Project Records","Project Files","Project 0744: Hodder Residence"],"title_filing_ssi":"Project 0744: Hodder Residence","title_ssm":["Project 0744: Hodder Residence"],"title_tesim":["Project 0744: Hodder Residence"],"unitdate_other_ssim":["1980"],"normalized_date_ssm":["1980"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Project 0744: Hodder Residence"],"component_level_isim":[3],"repository_ssim":["Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University"],"collection_ssim":["Beverly Willis Architectural Collection"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"child_component_count_isi":0,"level_ssm":["Subseries"],"level_ssim":["Subseries"],"sort_isi":154,"parent_access_restrict_tesm":["Collection is open to research."],"parent_access_terms_tesm":["The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials. Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form: http://bit.ly/scuareproduction. Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form: http://bit.ly/scuapublication. Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form."],"date_range_isim":[1980],"_nest_path_":"/components#2/components#2/components#106","timestamp":"2026-04-30T23:45:27.234Z","collection":{"numFound":1,"start":0,"numFoundExact":true,"docs":[{"id":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898","ead_ssi":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898","_root_":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898","_nest_parent_":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898","ead_source_url_ssi":"data/oai/VT/repositories_2_resources_1898.xml","title_filing_ssi":"Willis, Beverly Architectural Collection","title_ssm":["Beverly Willis Architectural Collection"],"title_tesim":["Beverly Willis Architectural Collection"],"unitdate_ssm":["1954-1999"],"unitdate_inclusive_ssm":["1954-1999"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"unitid_ssm":["Ms.1992.019"],"text":["Ms.1992.019","Beverly Willis Architectural Collection","San Francisco (Calif.)","Architects and community","Housing -- United States","City planning","Architecture -- Computer-aided design","Women -- History","International Archive of Women in Architecture (IAWA)","Architectural drawings (visual works)","Collection is open to research.","Some of this collection has been digitized and is available online.","The collection has been arranged into a  Project Index.  which is a way to organize the various formats of architectural records from the same project. The index is arranged by project number and contains information, where available, about the location, date, project type, architect, collaborators, and formats for each project in the collection.","A Summary of the  Project Index.   is listed below.  Consult the  Project Index.   for location information.  ","Beverly Willis, FAIA Architect, artist, and writer, was one of perhaps three women architects in the United States to own her own sizeable architecture firm between 1958 and 1990 and the only woman in San Francisco, California, to have her own practice there for 17 years. Her book,  Invisible Images: The Silent Language of Architecture,  published by the National Building Museum, describes her design philosophy.","She was the first woman appointed to the Building Research Advisory Board of the National Academy of Science, the first appointed to the Federal Construction Council, and its first woman chair. She was the first woman elected president of the American Institute of Architects, California Council; and the Golden Gate Chapter of Lambda Alpha Society.","Willis played a major role in the revitalization of San Francisco neighborhoods after World War II. She renovated commercial spaces in the Jackson Square area and Union Street, redesigned Glide Church, designed the San Francisco Ballet Building, and won an international competition to design the Yerba Buena Gardens development downtown.","Beverly Willis was born February 17, 1928, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to Ralph William Willis, founder of the National Tool Company, and Margaret Elizabeth Porter, a nurse. She had one sibling, Ralph Gerald Willis. Both Willis and her brother were placed in an orphanage when their parents divorced in 1934.","Taking advantage of the increased opportunities available to women with the advent of World War II, Willis learned welding, riveting, electrical wiring, carpentry, and how to fly an airplane--skills that reflected the fiercely independent qualities that emerged in her personality when she was in the institutional environment of the orphanage. After the war, she enrolled in an aeronautical engineering program at Oregon State University, but withdrew after two years to work at a lithographer's studio. She then studied at the San Francisco Art Institute until relocating to Hawaii. In 1954 she received a B.A. in Fine Art from the University of Hawaii.","After graduation, Willis received a series of design commissions that led to her interest in architecture. Fueled by the friendship and ideas of entrepreneur Henry Kaiser, Willis returned to San Francisco in 1960 to open a firm that designed furniture and interiors for offices, created mixed-media art for clients that included United Airlines, and re-worked supermarket displays. Despite her rural sensibility, Willis began to immerse herself in urban designs. She found that her interests ran parallel to those of San Francisco architects like William Wurster and Joseph Esherick.","Willis' first major architectural project was the conversion of three Victorian buildings into a retail complex on Union Street in San Francisco. Her design, which proved a financial success almost immediately, influenced the renovation of the rest of the street between present-day Gough and Pierce streets.","Meeting the experience and education requirements of the California State Architectural Licensing Board in 1966, Willis became a licensed architect and the only woman in San Francisco with her own firm, Beverly Willis and Associates. This firm assumed a partnership with would-be principal architect David Coldoff that year, a partnership that lasted until 1980. Despite the heavy demands of her practice, Willis also found time to serve on the U.S. Government delegation to the United Nations conference on Habitat, become a trustee and founder of the National Building Museum in 1976, and serve as the President of the California Chapter of the National Institute of Architects in 1979.","Willis' interest in the issues that affect planning, population density, and land-use economics with respect to large-scale development manifested itself in the creation of the computer program CARLA (Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis) in the 1970's. The software was developed by Willis with Eric Tiescholz and Jochen Eigen. With CARLA's completion and implementation, Willis and Associates became one of the first architectural firms to incorporate computers into the routine practices of design and land development.","Projects such as the prototype for the regional computer centers of the IRS and master-planning for a new town situated in Aliamanu Valley, Hawaii (1975), are good examples of her unique philosophy of design.","Throughout the 1970s, Willis' firm concentrated on large- scale housing and new-community planning and design. By espousing architecture of rural pragmatism and rooting it in ancient images and myths, Willis offered something new to the intellectual landscape of architectural design.","In 1997, the National Building Museum published Willis' book,  Invisible Images: The Silent Language of Architecture,  in which she describes her buildings and design philosophy. In 1980, she was elected to the American Institute of Architects College of Fellows. In 1984, Willis received an honorary doctorate in Fine Arts from Mount Holyoke College.","By the early 1980s, Willis' design focus shifted to urban structures like the Yerba Buena Gardens redevelopment project (1980) and the San Francisco Ballet Association Building (1984). Smaller, but no less important, projects include Nob Hill Court (1971), Pacific Point Condominiums (1972), the Greenwich Apartment (1978), the Margaret Hayward Playground Building (1978), the (unbuilt) Shown Winery (1986), and the Mr. and Mrs. Richard Goeglin Pool House and Sculpture (1988).","Willis relocated her office and residence to New York City in 1991. Willis founded in 1994 the  Architectural Research Institute, Inc.  (through which the Manhattan Village Academy was designed). In 2002, she founded the  Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation , and she presently (2008) serves as the foundation's president. Her work and community leadership have been widely published (see bibliography). She is a founding trustee of the National Building Museum (1975-present). The Beverly Willis Library is located at the National Building Museum.","Much of the information in the biography was culled from the biography written for Beverly Willis by Nicolai Ouroussoff and included in  Invisible Images: The Silent Language of Architecture , published in 1997 by the National Building Museum, Washington, DC.","Some of the information in the scope and content note was taken from an independent appraisal of the collection.","The bulk of the drawings in the Willis Papers were arranged and described before they were donated, and information about the arrangement of the collection was compiled in a searchable database that is available at the repository. Project records stored in record cartons have been inventoried and are included in the database and finding aid.","The first accession, which was arranged and described by Laura Katz Smith in 1995, was combined with subsequent accessions in 2003. A finding aid describing the complete collection was created by Catherine G. OBrion in 2003, using descriptions of materials in the archives database that was donated with the bulk of the collection in 2000.\nThe 2004 and 2009 additions were arranged and described by Sherrie Bowser in 2012. The project index arrangement was also included at this time.  ","The guide to the Beverly Willis Architectural Collection by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 ( https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/ ).","The Beverly Willis Architectural Collection span the years 1954 to 1999 and are comprised primarily of records documenting Willis' work as an architect in San Francisco between 1960 and 1990. The collection documents the application of computers to architectural design and land analysis, the development of CARLA (Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis) in the 1970s, the history of twentieth-century urban planning, particularly in San Francisco; and the contribution of women to twentieth-century American architecture. Willis, a noted artist, photographer, teacher, and writer, employed the full range of visual arts and design skills to influence and guide architectural projects of major significance.","The bulk of the collection is comprised of Willis and Associates project files from the period 1960 to 1990. Projects range from private residences and residential developments to institutions, such as the San Francisco Ballet Association Building; and urban development projects, most notably the Yerba Buena Gardens project in downtown San Francisco. Also included are records and design documents for Aliamanu Valley New Town, a military base in Hawaii that was the first major project designed with CARLA, computer software for architectural design created by Willis; and records documenting the development of CARLA.","Project files are comprised of presentation drawings, slope analysis drawings, site plans, maps, cut-and-fill analysis plans, sketches, conceptual design drawings, construction drawings, as well as correspondence, research files, contracts, environmental impact statements and studies, financial records, and feasibility studies. There are records for more than 150 projects. Drawings are large folio, pen-and- ink or watercolor on paper, linen, or mylar. Some are heightened with color.","Also included is a series documenting the development of CARLA, Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis, in the 1970s. Beverly Willis was interested in issues that affected planning, population density, and land-use economics in relation to large-scale development. Along with Eric Tiescholz and Jochen Eigen, she developed a program that enabled architects, with the use of computers, to develop site plans and design techniques in a fraction of the time required by the old methodology. Records documenting the development of CARLA include computer tapes, correspondence, flow charts, memos, and Jochen Eigen's notes on interfacing CARLA with a computer mapping program in 1974.","The collection also contains a series of Publications, Brochures, and Clippings, which includes biographical information on Willis, Miscellaneous Project Records, and a video of the Yerba Buena Gardents development.","The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials. Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form:  http://bit.ly/scuareproduction . Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form:  http://bit.ly/scuapublication . Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form.","Please note:  Boxes 1-51 are located in off-site storage and requires 2-3 days notice for retrieval. Please contact Special Collections for more information.","Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech","Willis and Associates","Willis, Beverly, 1928-","The materials in the collection are in English."],"unitid_tesim":["Ms.1992.019"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Beverly Willis Architectural Collection"],"collection_title_tesim":["Beverly Willis Architectural Collection"],"collection_ssim":["Beverly Willis Architectural Collection"],"repository_ssm":["Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University"],"repository_ssim":["Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University"],"geogname_ssm":["San Francisco (Calif.)"],"geogname_ssim":["San Francisco (Calif.)"],"creator_ssm":["Willis, Beverly, 1928-"],"creator_ssim":["Willis, Beverly, 1928-"],"creator_persname_ssim":["Willis, Beverly, 1928-"],"creators_ssim":["Willis, Beverly, 1928-"],"places_ssim":["San Francisco (Calif.)"],"access_terms_ssm":["The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials. Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form:  http://bit.ly/scuareproduction . Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form:  http://bit.ly/scuapublication . Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form."],"acqinfo_ssim":["Beverly Willis donated samples of her designs to Virginia Tech in 1992. This gift was followed, in 2000, with a donation of the bulk of the records and designs from her architectural career.  Additional small accessions arrived in 2004 and 2009."],"access_subjects_ssim":["Architects and community","Housing -- United States","City planning","Architecture -- Computer-aided design","Women -- History","International Archive of Women in Architecture (IAWA)","Architectural drawings (visual works)"],"access_subjects_ssm":["Architects and community","Housing -- United States","City planning","Architecture -- Computer-aided design","Women -- History","International Archive of Women in Architecture (IAWA)","Architectural drawings (visual works)"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"extent_ssm":["100 Linear Feet"],"extent_tesim":["100 Linear Feet"],"genreform_ssim":["Architectural drawings (visual works)"],"date_range_isim":[1954,1955,1956,1957,1958,1959,1960,1961,1962,1963,1964,1965,1966,1967,1968,1969,1970,1971,1972,1973,1974,1975,1976,1977,1978,1979,1980,1981,1982,1983,1984,1985,1986,1987,1988,1989,1990,1991,1992,1993,1994,1995,1996,1997,1998,1999],"accessrestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eCollection is open to research.\u003c/p\u003e"],"accessrestrict_heading_ssm":["Conditions Governing Access"],"accessrestrict_tesim":["Collection is open to research."],"altformavail_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003e\u003ca target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://digitalsc.lib.vt.edu/collections/show/225\"\u003eSome of this collection has been digitized and is available online.\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e"],"altformavail_heading_ssm":["Existence and Location of Copies"],"altformavail_tesim":["Some of this collection has been digitized and is available online."],"arrangement_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe collection has been arranged into a \u003cextref actuate=\"onRequest\" href=\"http://spec.lib.vt.edu/assets/documents/iawa/Ms1992-019pi.xls\" show=\"new\" title=\"Project Index\"\u003eProject Index.\u003c/extref\u003e which is a way to organize the various formats of architectural records from the same project. The index is arranged by project number and contains information, where available, about the location, date, project type, architect, collaborators, and formats for each project in the collection.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eA Summary of the \u003cextref actuate=\"onRequest\" href=\"http://spec.lib.vt.edu/assets/documents/iawa/Ms1992-019pi.xls\" show=\"new\" title=\"Project Index\"\u003eProject Index.\u003c/extref\u003e  is listed below.  Consult the \u003cextref actuate=\"onRequest\" href=\"http://spec.lib.vt.edu/assets/documents/iawa/Ms1992-019pi.xls\" show=\"new\" title=\"Project Index\"\u003eProject Index.\u003c/extref\u003e  for location information.  \u003c/p\u003e"],"arrangement_heading_ssm":["Arrangement"],"arrangement_tesim":["The collection has been arranged into a  Project Index.  which is a way to organize the various formats of architectural records from the same project. The index is arranged by project number and contains information, where available, about the location, date, project type, architect, collaborators, and formats for each project in the collection.","A Summary of the  Project Index.   is listed below.  Consult the  Project Index.   for location information.  "],"bioghist_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eBeverly Willis, FAIA Architect, artist, and writer, was one of perhaps three women architects in the United States to own her own sizeable architecture firm between 1958 and 1990 and the only woman in San Francisco, California, to have her own practice there for 17 years. Her book, \u003ctitle render=\"italic\"\u003eInvisible Images: The Silent Language of Architecture,\u003c/title\u003e published by the National Building Museum, describes her design philosophy.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eShe was the first woman appointed to the Building Research Advisory Board of the National Academy of Science, the first appointed to the Federal Construction Council, and its first woman chair. She was the first woman elected president of the American Institute of Architects, California Council; and the Golden Gate Chapter of Lambda Alpha Society.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eWillis played a major role in the revitalization of San Francisco neighborhoods after World War II. She renovated commercial spaces in the Jackson Square area and Union Street, redesigned Glide Church, designed the San Francisco Ballet Building, and won an international competition to design the Yerba Buena Gardens development downtown.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eBeverly Willis was born February 17, 1928, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to Ralph William Willis, founder of the National Tool Company, and Margaret Elizabeth Porter, a nurse. She had one sibling, Ralph Gerald Willis. Both Willis and her brother were placed in an orphanage when their parents divorced in 1934.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eTaking advantage of the increased opportunities available to women with the advent of World War II, Willis learned welding, riveting, electrical wiring, carpentry, and how to fly an airplane--skills that reflected the fiercely independent qualities that emerged in her personality when she was in the institutional environment of the orphanage. After the war, she enrolled in an aeronautical engineering program at Oregon State University, but withdrew after two years to work at a lithographer's studio. She then studied at the San Francisco Art Institute until relocating to Hawaii. In 1954 she received a B.A. in Fine Art from the University of Hawaii.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eAfter graduation, Willis received a series of design commissions that led to her interest in architecture. Fueled by the friendship and ideas of entrepreneur Henry Kaiser, Willis returned to San Francisco in 1960 to open a firm that designed furniture and interiors for offices, created mixed-media art for clients that included United Airlines, and re-worked supermarket displays. Despite her rural sensibility, Willis began to immerse herself in urban designs. She found that her interests ran parallel to those of San Francisco architects like William Wurster and Joseph Esherick.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eWillis' first major architectural project was the conversion of three Victorian buildings into a retail complex on Union Street in San Francisco. Her design, which proved a financial success almost immediately, influenced the renovation of the rest of the street between present-day Gough and Pierce streets.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eMeeting the experience and education requirements of the California State Architectural Licensing Board in 1966, Willis became a licensed architect and the only woman in San Francisco with her own firm, Beverly Willis and Associates. This firm assumed a partnership with would-be principal architect David Coldoff that year, a partnership that lasted until 1980. Despite the heavy demands of her practice, Willis also found time to serve on the U.S. Government delegation to the United Nations conference on Habitat, become a trustee and founder of the National Building Museum in 1976, and serve as the President of the California Chapter of the National Institute of Architects in 1979.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eWillis' interest in the issues that affect planning, population density, and land-use economics with respect to large-scale development manifested itself in the creation of the computer program CARLA (Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis) in the 1970's. The software was developed by Willis with Eric Tiescholz and Jochen Eigen. With CARLA's completion and implementation, Willis and Associates became one of the first architectural firms to incorporate computers into the routine practices of design and land development.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eProjects such as the prototype for the regional computer centers of the IRS and master-planning for a new town situated in Aliamanu Valley, Hawaii (1975), are good examples of her unique philosophy of design.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eThroughout the 1970s, Willis' firm concentrated on large- scale housing and new-community planning and design. By espousing architecture of rural pragmatism and rooting it in ancient images and myths, Willis offered something new to the intellectual landscape of architectural design.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eIn 1997, the National Building Museum published Willis' book, \u003ctitle render=\"italic\"\u003eInvisible Images: The Silent Language of Architecture,\u003c/title\u003e in which she describes her buildings and design philosophy. In 1980, she was elected to the American Institute of Architects College of Fellows. In 1984, Willis received an honorary doctorate in Fine Arts from Mount Holyoke College.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eBy the early 1980s, Willis' design focus shifted to urban structures like the Yerba Buena Gardens redevelopment project (1980) and the San Francisco Ballet Association Building (1984). Smaller, but no less important, projects include Nob Hill Court (1971), Pacific Point Condominiums (1972), the Greenwich Apartment (1978), the Margaret Hayward Playground Building (1978), the (unbuilt) Shown Winery (1986), and the Mr. and Mrs. Richard Goeglin Pool House and Sculpture (1988).\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eWillis relocated her office and residence to New York City in 1991. Willis founded in 1994 the \u003cextref href=\"http://www.architect.org\" title=\"Architectural Research Institute, Inc.\"\u003eArchitectural Research Institute, Inc.\u003c/extref\u003e (through which the Manhattan Village Academy was designed). In 2002, she founded the \u003cextref href=\"http://www.bwaf.org/\" title=\"Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation\"\u003eBeverly Willis Architecture Foundation\u003c/extref\u003e, and she presently (2008) serves as the foundation's president. Her work and community leadership have been widely published (see bibliography). She is a founding trustee of the National Building Museum (1975-present). The Beverly Willis Library is located at the National Building Museum.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eMuch of the information in the biography was culled from the biography written for Beverly Willis by Nicolai Ouroussoff and included in \u003ctitle render=\"italic\"\u003eInvisible Images: The Silent Language of Architecture\u003c/title\u003e, published in 1997 by the National Building Museum, Washington, DC.\u003c/p\u003e"],"bioghist_heading_ssm":["Biographical Note","Source"],"bioghist_tesim":["Beverly Willis, FAIA Architect, artist, and writer, was one of perhaps three women architects in the United States to own her own sizeable architecture firm between 1958 and 1990 and the only woman in San Francisco, California, to have her own practice there for 17 years. Her book,  Invisible Images: The Silent Language of Architecture,  published by the National Building Museum, describes her design philosophy.","She was the first woman appointed to the Building Research Advisory Board of the National Academy of Science, the first appointed to the Federal Construction Council, and its first woman chair. She was the first woman elected president of the American Institute of Architects, California Council; and the Golden Gate Chapter of Lambda Alpha Society.","Willis played a major role in the revitalization of San Francisco neighborhoods after World War II. She renovated commercial spaces in the Jackson Square area and Union Street, redesigned Glide Church, designed the San Francisco Ballet Building, and won an international competition to design the Yerba Buena Gardens development downtown.","Beverly Willis was born February 17, 1928, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to Ralph William Willis, founder of the National Tool Company, and Margaret Elizabeth Porter, a nurse. She had one sibling, Ralph Gerald Willis. Both Willis and her brother were placed in an orphanage when their parents divorced in 1934.","Taking advantage of the increased opportunities available to women with the advent of World War II, Willis learned welding, riveting, electrical wiring, carpentry, and how to fly an airplane--skills that reflected the fiercely independent qualities that emerged in her personality when she was in the institutional environment of the orphanage. After the war, she enrolled in an aeronautical engineering program at Oregon State University, but withdrew after two years to work at a lithographer's studio. She then studied at the San Francisco Art Institute until relocating to Hawaii. In 1954 she received a B.A. in Fine Art from the University of Hawaii.","After graduation, Willis received a series of design commissions that led to her interest in architecture. Fueled by the friendship and ideas of entrepreneur Henry Kaiser, Willis returned to San Francisco in 1960 to open a firm that designed furniture and interiors for offices, created mixed-media art for clients that included United Airlines, and re-worked supermarket displays. Despite her rural sensibility, Willis began to immerse herself in urban designs. She found that her interests ran parallel to those of San Francisco architects like William Wurster and Joseph Esherick.","Willis' first major architectural project was the conversion of three Victorian buildings into a retail complex on Union Street in San Francisco. Her design, which proved a financial success almost immediately, influenced the renovation of the rest of the street between present-day Gough and Pierce streets.","Meeting the experience and education requirements of the California State Architectural Licensing Board in 1966, Willis became a licensed architect and the only woman in San Francisco with her own firm, Beverly Willis and Associates. This firm assumed a partnership with would-be principal architect David Coldoff that year, a partnership that lasted until 1980. Despite the heavy demands of her practice, Willis also found time to serve on the U.S. Government delegation to the United Nations conference on Habitat, become a trustee and founder of the National Building Museum in 1976, and serve as the President of the California Chapter of the National Institute of Architects in 1979.","Willis' interest in the issues that affect planning, population density, and land-use economics with respect to large-scale development manifested itself in the creation of the computer program CARLA (Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis) in the 1970's. The software was developed by Willis with Eric Tiescholz and Jochen Eigen. With CARLA's completion and implementation, Willis and Associates became one of the first architectural firms to incorporate computers into the routine practices of design and land development.","Projects such as the prototype for the regional computer centers of the IRS and master-planning for a new town situated in Aliamanu Valley, Hawaii (1975), are good examples of her unique philosophy of design.","Throughout the 1970s, Willis' firm concentrated on large- scale housing and new-community planning and design. By espousing architecture of rural pragmatism and rooting it in ancient images and myths, Willis offered something new to the intellectual landscape of architectural design.","In 1997, the National Building Museum published Willis' book,  Invisible Images: The Silent Language of Architecture,  in which she describes her buildings and design philosophy. In 1980, she was elected to the American Institute of Architects College of Fellows. In 1984, Willis received an honorary doctorate in Fine Arts from Mount Holyoke College.","By the early 1980s, Willis' design focus shifted to urban structures like the Yerba Buena Gardens redevelopment project (1980) and the San Francisco Ballet Association Building (1984). Smaller, but no less important, projects include Nob Hill Court (1971), Pacific Point Condominiums (1972), the Greenwich Apartment (1978), the Margaret Hayward Playground Building (1978), the (unbuilt) Shown Winery (1986), and the Mr. and Mrs. Richard Goeglin Pool House and Sculpture (1988).","Willis relocated her office and residence to New York City in 1991. Willis founded in 1994 the  Architectural Research Institute, Inc.  (through which the Manhattan Village Academy was designed). In 2002, she founded the  Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation , and she presently (2008) serves as the foundation's president. Her work and community leadership have been widely published (see bibliography). She is a founding trustee of the National Building Museum (1975-present). The Beverly Willis Library is located at the National Building Museum.","Much of the information in the biography was culled from the biography written for Beverly Willis by Nicolai Ouroussoff and included in  Invisible Images: The Silent Language of Architecture , published in 1997 by the National Building Museum, Washington, DC."],"odd_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eSome of the information in the scope and content note was taken from an independent appraisal of the collection.\u003c/p\u003e"],"odd_heading_ssm":["General note"],"odd_tesim":["Some of the information in the scope and content note was taken from an independent appraisal of the collection."],"otherfindaid_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eA file-level \u003cextref href=\"http://spec.lib.vt.edu/iawa/inventories/Willis/Willis.html\" title=\"inventory\"\u003einventory\u003c/extref\u003e of letter- and legal-size project records is available at the repository.\u003c/p\u003e"],"otherfindaid_heading_ssm":["Other Finding Aid"],"otherfindaid_tesim":["A file-level  inventory  of letter- and legal-size project records is available at the repository."],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eResearchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Beverly Willis Architectural Collection, Ms1992-019, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.\u003c/p\u003e"],"prefercite_tesim":["Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Beverly Willis Architectural Collection, Ms1992-019, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va."],"processinfo_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe bulk of the drawings in the Willis Papers were arranged and described before they were donated, and information about the arrangement of the collection was compiled in a searchable database that is available at the repository. Project records stored in record cartons have been inventoried and are included in the database and finding aid.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe first accession, which was arranged and described by Laura Katz Smith in 1995, was combined with subsequent accessions in 2003. A finding aid describing the complete collection was created by Catherine G. OBrion in 2003, using descriptions of materials in the archives database that was donated with the bulk of the collection in 2000.\nThe 2004 and 2009 additions were arranged and described by Sherrie Bowser in 2012. The project index arrangement was also included at this time.  \u003c/p\u003e"],"processinfo_heading_ssm":["Processing Information"],"processinfo_tesim":["The bulk of the drawings in the Willis Papers were arranged and described before they were donated, and information about the arrangement of the collection was compiled in a searchable database that is available at the repository. Project records stored in record cartons have been inventoried and are included in the database and finding aid.","The first accession, which was arranged and described by Laura Katz Smith in 1995, was combined with subsequent accessions in 2003. A finding aid describing the complete collection was created by Catherine G. OBrion in 2003, using descriptions of materials in the archives database that was donated with the bulk of the collection in 2000.\nThe 2004 and 2009 additions were arranged and described by Sherrie Bowser in 2012. The project index arrangement was also included at this time.  "],"relatedmaterial_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe guide to the Beverly Willis Architectural Collection by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 (\u003ca href=\"https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/\"\u003ehttps://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/\u003c/a\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e"],"relatedmaterial_heading_ssm":["Rights Statement for Archival Description"],"relatedmaterial_tesim":["The guide to the Beverly Willis Architectural Collection by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 ( https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/ )."],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe Beverly Willis Architectural Collection span the years 1954 to 1999 and are comprised primarily of records documenting Willis' work as an architect in San Francisco between 1960 and 1990. The collection documents the application of computers to architectural design and land analysis, the development of CARLA (Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis) in the 1970s, the history of twentieth-century urban planning, particularly in San Francisco; and the contribution of women to twentieth-century American architecture. Willis, a noted artist, photographer, teacher, and writer, employed the full range of visual arts and design skills to influence and guide architectural projects of major significance.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eThe bulk of the collection is comprised of Willis and Associates project files from the period 1960 to 1990. Projects range from private residences and residential developments to institutions, such as the San Francisco Ballet Association Building; and urban development projects, most notably the Yerba Buena Gardens project in downtown San Francisco. Also included are records and design documents for Aliamanu Valley New Town, a military base in Hawaii that was the first major project designed with CARLA, computer software for architectural design created by Willis; and records documenting the development of CARLA.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eProject files are comprised of presentation drawings, slope analysis drawings, site plans, maps, cut-and-fill analysis plans, sketches, conceptual design drawings, construction drawings, as well as correspondence, research files, contracts, environmental impact statements and studies, financial records, and feasibility studies. There are records for more than 150 projects. Drawings are large folio, pen-and- ink or watercolor on paper, linen, or mylar. Some are heightened with color.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eAlso included is a series documenting the development of CARLA, Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis, in the 1970s. Beverly Willis was interested in issues that affected planning, population density, and land-use economics in relation to large-scale development. Along with Eric Tiescholz and Jochen Eigen, she developed a program that enabled architects, with the use of computers, to develop site plans and design techniques in a fraction of the time required by the old methodology. Records documenting the development of CARLA include computer tapes, correspondence, flow charts, memos, and Jochen Eigen's notes on interfacing CARLA with a computer mapping program in 1974.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eThe collection also contains a series of Publications, Brochures, and Clippings, which includes biographical information on Willis, Miscellaneous Project Records, and a video of the Yerba Buena Gardents development.\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Contents"],"scopecontent_tesim":["The Beverly Willis Architectural Collection span the years 1954 to 1999 and are comprised primarily of records documenting Willis' work as an architect in San Francisco between 1960 and 1990. The collection documents the application of computers to architectural design and land analysis, the development of CARLA (Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis) in the 1970s, the history of twentieth-century urban planning, particularly in San Francisco; and the contribution of women to twentieth-century American architecture. Willis, a noted artist, photographer, teacher, and writer, employed the full range of visual arts and design skills to influence and guide architectural projects of major significance.","The bulk of the collection is comprised of Willis and Associates project files from the period 1960 to 1990. Projects range from private residences and residential developments to institutions, such as the San Francisco Ballet Association Building; and urban development projects, most notably the Yerba Buena Gardens project in downtown San Francisco. Also included are records and design documents for Aliamanu Valley New Town, a military base in Hawaii that was the first major project designed with CARLA, computer software for architectural design created by Willis; and records documenting the development of CARLA.","Project files are comprised of presentation drawings, slope analysis drawings, site plans, maps, cut-and-fill analysis plans, sketches, conceptual design drawings, construction drawings, as well as correspondence, research files, contracts, environmental impact statements and studies, financial records, and feasibility studies. There are records for more than 150 projects. Drawings are large folio, pen-and- ink or watercolor on paper, linen, or mylar. Some are heightened with color.","Also included is a series documenting the development of CARLA, Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis, in the 1970s. Beverly Willis was interested in issues that affected planning, population density, and land-use economics in relation to large-scale development. Along with Eric Tiescholz and Jochen Eigen, she developed a program that enabled architects, with the use of computers, to develop site plans and design techniques in a fraction of the time required by the old methodology. Records documenting the development of CARLA include computer tapes, correspondence, flow charts, memos, and Jochen Eigen's notes on interfacing CARLA with a computer mapping program in 1974.","The collection also contains a series of Publications, Brochures, and Clippings, which includes biographical information on Willis, Miscellaneous Project Records, and a video of the Yerba Buena Gardents development."],"userestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials. Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form: \u003ca href=\"http://bit.ly/scuareproduction\"\u003ehttp://bit.ly/scuareproduction\u003c/a\u003e. Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form: \u003ca href=\"http://bit.ly/scuapublication\"\u003ehttp://bit.ly/scuapublication\u003c/a\u003e. Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form.\u003c/p\u003e"],"userestrict_heading_ssm":["Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use"],"userestrict_tesim":["The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials. Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form:  http://bit.ly/scuareproduction . Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form:  http://bit.ly/scuapublication . Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form."],"physloc_html_tesm":["\u003cphysloc id=\"aspace_174a3dc5cc0f306ff98b4fcaecbf2059\"\u003e\u003cemph render=\"bold\"\u003ePlease note:\u003c/emph\u003e Boxes 1-51 are located in off-site storage and requires 2-3 days notice for retrieval. Please contact Special Collections for more information.\u003c/physloc\u003e"],"physloc_tesim":["Please note:  Boxes 1-51 are located in off-site storage and requires 2-3 days notice for retrieval. Please contact Special Collections for more information."],"names_coll_ssim":["Willis and Associates","Willis, Beverly, 1928-"],"names_ssim":["Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech","Willis and Associates","Willis, Beverly, 1928-"],"corpname_ssim":["Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech","Willis and Associates"],"persname_ssim":["Willis, Beverly, 1928-"],"language_ssim":["The materials in the collection are in English."],"descrules_ssm":["Describing Archives: A Content Standard"],"total_component_count_is":212,"online_item_count_is":0,"component_level_isim":[0],"sort_isi":0,"timestamp":"2026-04-30T23:45:27.234Z"}]}},"label":"Breadcrumbs"}}},"links":{"self":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03_c107"}},{"id":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03_c108","type":"Subseries","attributes":{"title":"Project 0745: Green Valley, Las Vegas, Nevada","abstract_or_scope":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03_c108#abstract_or_scope","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":"\u003cp\u003eMaster plan for a new town of 100,000 people.\u003c/p\u003e","label":"Abstract Or Scope"}},"breadcrumbs":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03_c108#breadcrumbs","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":{"ref_ssi":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03_c108","ref_ssm":["viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03_c108"],"id":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03_c108","ead_ssi":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898","_root_":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898","_nest_parent_":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03","parent_ssi":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03","parent_ssim":["viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898","viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03","viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03"],"parent_ids_ssim":["viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898","viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03","viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03"],"parent_unittitles_ssm":["Beverly Willis Architectural Collection","Project Records","Project Files"],"parent_unittitles_tesim":["Beverly Willis Architectural Collection","Project Records","Project Files"],"text":["Beverly Willis Architectural Collection","Project Records","Project Files","Project 0745: Green Valley, Las Vegas, Nevada","Master plan for a new town of 100,000 people.","Extended Description: By 1986, Green Valley -- an 8,400 acre planned community in the Nevada desert that would eventually house 100,000 residents -- had undergone sufficient development to support a small town- like commercial center. A 75 acre site adjacent to the Green Valley parkway was proposed for the Center. Willis executed a conceptual master plan for the site to accommodate phased development as future growth occurred. To provide a sense of community, Willis' plan proposed a full complement of retail, commercial, multi-family residential, entertainment, and recreational facilities.","Given the physical discomfort entailed by the hot, arid climate, Willis incorporated environmental design strategies to minimize the unpleasant effects. Pedestrian arcades, towers with wind-catchers, moisturizing sprays, and landscaped \"greenwalls\" all served to reduce the effective daily temperature. As a focal point, Willis created a village green that fronted a four-plex cinema, an ice skating rink, and a variety of cafes and restaurants, providing a casual spill-over space for leisure activities."],"title_filing_ssi":"Project 0745: Green Valley, Las Vegas, Nevada","title_ssm":["Project 0745: Green Valley, Las Vegas, Nevada"],"title_tesim":["Project 0745: Green Valley, Las Vegas, Nevada"],"unitdate_other_ssim":["1980"],"normalized_date_ssm":["1980"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Project 0745: Green Valley, Las Vegas, Nevada"],"component_level_isim":[3],"repository_ssim":["Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University"],"collection_ssim":["Beverly Willis Architectural Collection"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"child_component_count_isi":0,"level_ssm":["Subseries"],"level_ssim":["Subseries"],"sort_isi":155,"parent_access_restrict_tesm":["Collection is open to research."],"parent_access_terms_tesm":["The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials. Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form: http://bit.ly/scuareproduction. Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form: http://bit.ly/scuapublication. Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form."],"date_range_isim":[1980],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eMaster plan for a new town of 100,000 people.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eExtended Description: By 1986, Green Valley -- an 8,400 acre planned community in the Nevada desert that would eventually house 100,000 residents -- had undergone sufficient development to support a small town- like commercial center. A 75 acre site adjacent to the Green Valley parkway was proposed for the Center. Willis executed a conceptual master plan for the site to accommodate phased development as future growth occurred. To provide a sense of community, Willis' plan proposed a full complement of retail, commercial, multi-family residential, entertainment, and recreational facilities.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eGiven the physical discomfort entailed by the hot, arid climate, Willis incorporated environmental design strategies to minimize the unpleasant effects. Pedestrian arcades, towers with wind-catchers, moisturizing sprays, and landscaped \"greenwalls\" all served to reduce the effective daily temperature. As a focal point, Willis created a village green that fronted a four-plex cinema, an ice skating rink, and a variety of cafes and restaurants, providing a casual spill-over space for leisure activities.\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Contents note"],"scopecontent_tesim":["Master plan for a new town of 100,000 people.","Extended Description: By 1986, Green Valley -- an 8,400 acre planned community in the Nevada desert that would eventually house 100,000 residents -- had undergone sufficient development to support a small town- like commercial center. A 75 acre site adjacent to the Green Valley parkway was proposed for the Center. Willis executed a conceptual master plan for the site to accommodate phased development as future growth occurred. To provide a sense of community, Willis' plan proposed a full complement of retail, commercial, multi-family residential, entertainment, and recreational facilities.","Given the physical discomfort entailed by the hot, arid climate, Willis incorporated environmental design strategies to minimize the unpleasant effects. Pedestrian arcades, towers with wind-catchers, moisturizing sprays, and landscaped \"greenwalls\" all served to reduce the effective daily temperature. As a focal point, Willis created a village green that fronted a four-plex cinema, an ice skating rink, and a variety of cafes and restaurants, providing a casual spill-over space for leisure activities."],"_nest_path_":"/components#2/components#2/components#107","timestamp":"2026-04-30T23:45:27.234Z","collection":{"numFound":1,"start":0,"numFoundExact":true,"docs":[{"id":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898","ead_ssi":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898","_root_":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898","_nest_parent_":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898","ead_source_url_ssi":"data/oai/VT/repositories_2_resources_1898.xml","title_filing_ssi":"Willis, Beverly Architectural Collection","title_ssm":["Beverly Willis Architectural Collection"],"title_tesim":["Beverly Willis Architectural Collection"],"unitdate_ssm":["1954-1999"],"unitdate_inclusive_ssm":["1954-1999"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"unitid_ssm":["Ms.1992.019"],"text":["Ms.1992.019","Beverly Willis Architectural Collection","San Francisco (Calif.)","Architects and community","Housing -- United States","City planning","Architecture -- Computer-aided design","Women -- History","International Archive of Women in Architecture (IAWA)","Architectural drawings (visual works)","Collection is open to research.","Some of this collection has been digitized and is available online.","The collection has been arranged into a  Project Index.  which is a way to organize the various formats of architectural records from the same project. The index is arranged by project number and contains information, where available, about the location, date, project type, architect, collaborators, and formats for each project in the collection.","A Summary of the  Project Index.   is listed below.  Consult the  Project Index.   for location information.  ","Beverly Willis, FAIA Architect, artist, and writer, was one of perhaps three women architects in the United States to own her own sizeable architecture firm between 1958 and 1990 and the only woman in San Francisco, California, to have her own practice there for 17 years. Her book,  Invisible Images: The Silent Language of Architecture,  published by the National Building Museum, describes her design philosophy.","She was the first woman appointed to the Building Research Advisory Board of the National Academy of Science, the first appointed to the Federal Construction Council, and its first woman chair. She was the first woman elected president of the American Institute of Architects, California Council; and the Golden Gate Chapter of Lambda Alpha Society.","Willis played a major role in the revitalization of San Francisco neighborhoods after World War II. She renovated commercial spaces in the Jackson Square area and Union Street, redesigned Glide Church, designed the San Francisco Ballet Building, and won an international competition to design the Yerba Buena Gardens development downtown.","Beverly Willis was born February 17, 1928, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to Ralph William Willis, founder of the National Tool Company, and Margaret Elizabeth Porter, a nurse. She had one sibling, Ralph Gerald Willis. Both Willis and her brother were placed in an orphanage when their parents divorced in 1934.","Taking advantage of the increased opportunities available to women with the advent of World War II, Willis learned welding, riveting, electrical wiring, carpentry, and how to fly an airplane--skills that reflected the fiercely independent qualities that emerged in her personality when she was in the institutional environment of the orphanage. After the war, she enrolled in an aeronautical engineering program at Oregon State University, but withdrew after two years to work at a lithographer's studio. She then studied at the San Francisco Art Institute until relocating to Hawaii. In 1954 she received a B.A. in Fine Art from the University of Hawaii.","After graduation, Willis received a series of design commissions that led to her interest in architecture. Fueled by the friendship and ideas of entrepreneur Henry Kaiser, Willis returned to San Francisco in 1960 to open a firm that designed furniture and interiors for offices, created mixed-media art for clients that included United Airlines, and re-worked supermarket displays. Despite her rural sensibility, Willis began to immerse herself in urban designs. She found that her interests ran parallel to those of San Francisco architects like William Wurster and Joseph Esherick.","Willis' first major architectural project was the conversion of three Victorian buildings into a retail complex on Union Street in San Francisco. Her design, which proved a financial success almost immediately, influenced the renovation of the rest of the street between present-day Gough and Pierce streets.","Meeting the experience and education requirements of the California State Architectural Licensing Board in 1966, Willis became a licensed architect and the only woman in San Francisco with her own firm, Beverly Willis and Associates. This firm assumed a partnership with would-be principal architect David Coldoff that year, a partnership that lasted until 1980. Despite the heavy demands of her practice, Willis also found time to serve on the U.S. Government delegation to the United Nations conference on Habitat, become a trustee and founder of the National Building Museum in 1976, and serve as the President of the California Chapter of the National Institute of Architects in 1979.","Willis' interest in the issues that affect planning, population density, and land-use economics with respect to large-scale development manifested itself in the creation of the computer program CARLA (Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis) in the 1970's. The software was developed by Willis with Eric Tiescholz and Jochen Eigen. With CARLA's completion and implementation, Willis and Associates became one of the first architectural firms to incorporate computers into the routine practices of design and land development.","Projects such as the prototype for the regional computer centers of the IRS and master-planning for a new town situated in Aliamanu Valley, Hawaii (1975), are good examples of her unique philosophy of design.","Throughout the 1970s, Willis' firm concentrated on large- scale housing and new-community planning and design. By espousing architecture of rural pragmatism and rooting it in ancient images and myths, Willis offered something new to the intellectual landscape of architectural design.","In 1997, the National Building Museum published Willis' book,  Invisible Images: The Silent Language of Architecture,  in which she describes her buildings and design philosophy. In 1980, she was elected to the American Institute of Architects College of Fellows. In 1984, Willis received an honorary doctorate in Fine Arts from Mount Holyoke College.","By the early 1980s, Willis' design focus shifted to urban structures like the Yerba Buena Gardens redevelopment project (1980) and the San Francisco Ballet Association Building (1984). Smaller, but no less important, projects include Nob Hill Court (1971), Pacific Point Condominiums (1972), the Greenwich Apartment (1978), the Margaret Hayward Playground Building (1978), the (unbuilt) Shown Winery (1986), and the Mr. and Mrs. Richard Goeglin Pool House and Sculpture (1988).","Willis relocated her office and residence to New York City in 1991. Willis founded in 1994 the  Architectural Research Institute, Inc.  (through which the Manhattan Village Academy was designed). In 2002, she founded the  Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation , and she presently (2008) serves as the foundation's president. Her work and community leadership have been widely published (see bibliography). She is a founding trustee of the National Building Museum (1975-present). The Beverly Willis Library is located at the National Building Museum.","Much of the information in the biography was culled from the biography written for Beverly Willis by Nicolai Ouroussoff and included in  Invisible Images: The Silent Language of Architecture , published in 1997 by the National Building Museum, Washington, DC.","Some of the information in the scope and content note was taken from an independent appraisal of the collection.","The bulk of the drawings in the Willis Papers were arranged and described before they were donated, and information about the arrangement of the collection was compiled in a searchable database that is available at the repository. Project records stored in record cartons have been inventoried and are included in the database and finding aid.","The first accession, which was arranged and described by Laura Katz Smith in 1995, was combined with subsequent accessions in 2003. A finding aid describing the complete collection was created by Catherine G. OBrion in 2003, using descriptions of materials in the archives database that was donated with the bulk of the collection in 2000.\nThe 2004 and 2009 additions were arranged and described by Sherrie Bowser in 2012. The project index arrangement was also included at this time.  ","The guide to the Beverly Willis Architectural Collection by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 ( https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/ ).","The Beverly Willis Architectural Collection span the years 1954 to 1999 and are comprised primarily of records documenting Willis' work as an architect in San Francisco between 1960 and 1990. The collection documents the application of computers to architectural design and land analysis, the development of CARLA (Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis) in the 1970s, the history of twentieth-century urban planning, particularly in San Francisco; and the contribution of women to twentieth-century American architecture. Willis, a noted artist, photographer, teacher, and writer, employed the full range of visual arts and design skills to influence and guide architectural projects of major significance.","The bulk of the collection is comprised of Willis and Associates project files from the period 1960 to 1990. Projects range from private residences and residential developments to institutions, such as the San Francisco Ballet Association Building; and urban development projects, most notably the Yerba Buena Gardens project in downtown San Francisco. Also included are records and design documents for Aliamanu Valley New Town, a military base in Hawaii that was the first major project designed with CARLA, computer software for architectural design created by Willis; and records documenting the development of CARLA.","Project files are comprised of presentation drawings, slope analysis drawings, site plans, maps, cut-and-fill analysis plans, sketches, conceptual design drawings, construction drawings, as well as correspondence, research files, contracts, environmental impact statements and studies, financial records, and feasibility studies. There are records for more than 150 projects. Drawings are large folio, pen-and- ink or watercolor on paper, linen, or mylar. Some are heightened with color.","Also included is a series documenting the development of CARLA, Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis, in the 1970s. Beverly Willis was interested in issues that affected planning, population density, and land-use economics in relation to large-scale development. Along with Eric Tiescholz and Jochen Eigen, she developed a program that enabled architects, with the use of computers, to develop site plans and design techniques in a fraction of the time required by the old methodology. Records documenting the development of CARLA include computer tapes, correspondence, flow charts, memos, and Jochen Eigen's notes on interfacing CARLA with a computer mapping program in 1974.","The collection also contains a series of Publications, Brochures, and Clippings, which includes biographical information on Willis, Miscellaneous Project Records, and a video of the Yerba Buena Gardents development.","The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials. Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form:  http://bit.ly/scuareproduction . Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form:  http://bit.ly/scuapublication . Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form.","Please note:  Boxes 1-51 are located in off-site storage and requires 2-3 days notice for retrieval. Please contact Special Collections for more information.","Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech","Willis and Associates","Willis, Beverly, 1928-","The materials in the collection are in English."],"unitid_tesim":["Ms.1992.019"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Beverly Willis Architectural Collection"],"collection_title_tesim":["Beverly Willis Architectural Collection"],"collection_ssim":["Beverly Willis Architectural Collection"],"repository_ssm":["Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University"],"repository_ssim":["Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University"],"geogname_ssm":["San Francisco (Calif.)"],"geogname_ssim":["San Francisco (Calif.)"],"creator_ssm":["Willis, Beverly, 1928-"],"creator_ssim":["Willis, Beverly, 1928-"],"creator_persname_ssim":["Willis, Beverly, 1928-"],"creators_ssim":["Willis, Beverly, 1928-"],"places_ssim":["San Francisco (Calif.)"],"access_terms_ssm":["The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials. Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form:  http://bit.ly/scuareproduction . Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form:  http://bit.ly/scuapublication . Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form."],"acqinfo_ssim":["Beverly Willis donated samples of her designs to Virginia Tech in 1992. This gift was followed, in 2000, with a donation of the bulk of the records and designs from her architectural career.  Additional small accessions arrived in 2004 and 2009."],"access_subjects_ssim":["Architects and community","Housing -- United States","City planning","Architecture -- Computer-aided design","Women -- History","International Archive of Women in Architecture (IAWA)","Architectural drawings (visual works)"],"access_subjects_ssm":["Architects and community","Housing -- United States","City planning","Architecture -- Computer-aided design","Women -- History","International Archive of Women in Architecture (IAWA)","Architectural drawings (visual works)"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"extent_ssm":["100 Linear Feet"],"extent_tesim":["100 Linear Feet"],"genreform_ssim":["Architectural drawings (visual works)"],"date_range_isim":[1954,1955,1956,1957,1958,1959,1960,1961,1962,1963,1964,1965,1966,1967,1968,1969,1970,1971,1972,1973,1974,1975,1976,1977,1978,1979,1980,1981,1982,1983,1984,1985,1986,1987,1988,1989,1990,1991,1992,1993,1994,1995,1996,1997,1998,1999],"accessrestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eCollection is open to research.\u003c/p\u003e"],"accessrestrict_heading_ssm":["Conditions Governing Access"],"accessrestrict_tesim":["Collection is open to research."],"altformavail_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003e\u003ca target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://digitalsc.lib.vt.edu/collections/show/225\"\u003eSome of this collection has been digitized and is available online.\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e"],"altformavail_heading_ssm":["Existence and Location of Copies"],"altformavail_tesim":["Some of this collection has been digitized and is available online."],"arrangement_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe collection has been arranged into a \u003cextref actuate=\"onRequest\" href=\"http://spec.lib.vt.edu/assets/documents/iawa/Ms1992-019pi.xls\" show=\"new\" title=\"Project Index\"\u003eProject Index.\u003c/extref\u003e which is a way to organize the various formats of architectural records from the same project. The index is arranged by project number and contains information, where available, about the location, date, project type, architect, collaborators, and formats for each project in the collection.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eA Summary of the \u003cextref actuate=\"onRequest\" href=\"http://spec.lib.vt.edu/assets/documents/iawa/Ms1992-019pi.xls\" show=\"new\" title=\"Project Index\"\u003eProject Index.\u003c/extref\u003e  is listed below.  Consult the \u003cextref actuate=\"onRequest\" href=\"http://spec.lib.vt.edu/assets/documents/iawa/Ms1992-019pi.xls\" show=\"new\" title=\"Project Index\"\u003eProject Index.\u003c/extref\u003e  for location information.  \u003c/p\u003e"],"arrangement_heading_ssm":["Arrangement"],"arrangement_tesim":["The collection has been arranged into a  Project Index.  which is a way to organize the various formats of architectural records from the same project. The index is arranged by project number and contains information, where available, about the location, date, project type, architect, collaborators, and formats for each project in the collection.","A Summary of the  Project Index.   is listed below.  Consult the  Project Index.   for location information.  "],"bioghist_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eBeverly Willis, FAIA Architect, artist, and writer, was one of perhaps three women architects in the United States to own her own sizeable architecture firm between 1958 and 1990 and the only woman in San Francisco, California, to have her own practice there for 17 years. Her book, \u003ctitle render=\"italic\"\u003eInvisible Images: The Silent Language of Architecture,\u003c/title\u003e published by the National Building Museum, describes her design philosophy.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eShe was the first woman appointed to the Building Research Advisory Board of the National Academy of Science, the first appointed to the Federal Construction Council, and its first woman chair. She was the first woman elected president of the American Institute of Architects, California Council; and the Golden Gate Chapter of Lambda Alpha Society.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eWillis played a major role in the revitalization of San Francisco neighborhoods after World War II. She renovated commercial spaces in the Jackson Square area and Union Street, redesigned Glide Church, designed the San Francisco Ballet Building, and won an international competition to design the Yerba Buena Gardens development downtown.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eBeverly Willis was born February 17, 1928, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to Ralph William Willis, founder of the National Tool Company, and Margaret Elizabeth Porter, a nurse. She had one sibling, Ralph Gerald Willis. Both Willis and her brother were placed in an orphanage when their parents divorced in 1934.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eTaking advantage of the increased opportunities available to women with the advent of World War II, Willis learned welding, riveting, electrical wiring, carpentry, and how to fly an airplane--skills that reflected the fiercely independent qualities that emerged in her personality when she was in the institutional environment of the orphanage. After the war, she enrolled in an aeronautical engineering program at Oregon State University, but withdrew after two years to work at a lithographer's studio. She then studied at the San Francisco Art Institute until relocating to Hawaii. In 1954 she received a B.A. in Fine Art from the University of Hawaii.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eAfter graduation, Willis received a series of design commissions that led to her interest in architecture. Fueled by the friendship and ideas of entrepreneur Henry Kaiser, Willis returned to San Francisco in 1960 to open a firm that designed furniture and interiors for offices, created mixed-media art for clients that included United Airlines, and re-worked supermarket displays. Despite her rural sensibility, Willis began to immerse herself in urban designs. She found that her interests ran parallel to those of San Francisco architects like William Wurster and Joseph Esherick.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eWillis' first major architectural project was the conversion of three Victorian buildings into a retail complex on Union Street in San Francisco. Her design, which proved a financial success almost immediately, influenced the renovation of the rest of the street between present-day Gough and Pierce streets.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eMeeting the experience and education requirements of the California State Architectural Licensing Board in 1966, Willis became a licensed architect and the only woman in San Francisco with her own firm, Beverly Willis and Associates. This firm assumed a partnership with would-be principal architect David Coldoff that year, a partnership that lasted until 1980. Despite the heavy demands of her practice, Willis also found time to serve on the U.S. Government delegation to the United Nations conference on Habitat, become a trustee and founder of the National Building Museum in 1976, and serve as the President of the California Chapter of the National Institute of Architects in 1979.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eWillis' interest in the issues that affect planning, population density, and land-use economics with respect to large-scale development manifested itself in the creation of the computer program CARLA (Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis) in the 1970's. The software was developed by Willis with Eric Tiescholz and Jochen Eigen. With CARLA's completion and implementation, Willis and Associates became one of the first architectural firms to incorporate computers into the routine practices of design and land development.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eProjects such as the prototype for the regional computer centers of the IRS and master-planning for a new town situated in Aliamanu Valley, Hawaii (1975), are good examples of her unique philosophy of design.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eThroughout the 1970s, Willis' firm concentrated on large- scale housing and new-community planning and design. By espousing architecture of rural pragmatism and rooting it in ancient images and myths, Willis offered something new to the intellectual landscape of architectural design.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eIn 1997, the National Building Museum published Willis' book, \u003ctitle render=\"italic\"\u003eInvisible Images: The Silent Language of Architecture,\u003c/title\u003e in which she describes her buildings and design philosophy. In 1980, she was elected to the American Institute of Architects College of Fellows. In 1984, Willis received an honorary doctorate in Fine Arts from Mount Holyoke College.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eBy the early 1980s, Willis' design focus shifted to urban structures like the Yerba Buena Gardens redevelopment project (1980) and the San Francisco Ballet Association Building (1984). Smaller, but no less important, projects include Nob Hill Court (1971), Pacific Point Condominiums (1972), the Greenwich Apartment (1978), the Margaret Hayward Playground Building (1978), the (unbuilt) Shown Winery (1986), and the Mr. and Mrs. Richard Goeglin Pool House and Sculpture (1988).\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eWillis relocated her office and residence to New York City in 1991. Willis founded in 1994 the \u003cextref href=\"http://www.architect.org\" title=\"Architectural Research Institute, Inc.\"\u003eArchitectural Research Institute, Inc.\u003c/extref\u003e (through which the Manhattan Village Academy was designed). In 2002, she founded the \u003cextref href=\"http://www.bwaf.org/\" title=\"Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation\"\u003eBeverly Willis Architecture Foundation\u003c/extref\u003e, and she presently (2008) serves as the foundation's president. Her work and community leadership have been widely published (see bibliography). She is a founding trustee of the National Building Museum (1975-present). The Beverly Willis Library is located at the National Building Museum.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eMuch of the information in the biography was culled from the biography written for Beverly Willis by Nicolai Ouroussoff and included in \u003ctitle render=\"italic\"\u003eInvisible Images: The Silent Language of Architecture\u003c/title\u003e, published in 1997 by the National Building Museum, Washington, DC.\u003c/p\u003e"],"bioghist_heading_ssm":["Biographical Note","Source"],"bioghist_tesim":["Beverly Willis, FAIA Architect, artist, and writer, was one of perhaps three women architects in the United States to own her own sizeable architecture firm between 1958 and 1990 and the only woman in San Francisco, California, to have her own practice there for 17 years. Her book,  Invisible Images: The Silent Language of Architecture,  published by the National Building Museum, describes her design philosophy.","She was the first woman appointed to the Building Research Advisory Board of the National Academy of Science, the first appointed to the Federal Construction Council, and its first woman chair. She was the first woman elected president of the American Institute of Architects, California Council; and the Golden Gate Chapter of Lambda Alpha Society.","Willis played a major role in the revitalization of San Francisco neighborhoods after World War II. She renovated commercial spaces in the Jackson Square area and Union Street, redesigned Glide Church, designed the San Francisco Ballet Building, and won an international competition to design the Yerba Buena Gardens development downtown.","Beverly Willis was born February 17, 1928, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to Ralph William Willis, founder of the National Tool Company, and Margaret Elizabeth Porter, a nurse. She had one sibling, Ralph Gerald Willis. Both Willis and her brother were placed in an orphanage when their parents divorced in 1934.","Taking advantage of the increased opportunities available to women with the advent of World War II, Willis learned welding, riveting, electrical wiring, carpentry, and how to fly an airplane--skills that reflected the fiercely independent qualities that emerged in her personality when she was in the institutional environment of the orphanage. After the war, she enrolled in an aeronautical engineering program at Oregon State University, but withdrew after two years to work at a lithographer's studio. She then studied at the San Francisco Art Institute until relocating to Hawaii. In 1954 she received a B.A. in Fine Art from the University of Hawaii.","After graduation, Willis received a series of design commissions that led to her interest in architecture. Fueled by the friendship and ideas of entrepreneur Henry Kaiser, Willis returned to San Francisco in 1960 to open a firm that designed furniture and interiors for offices, created mixed-media art for clients that included United Airlines, and re-worked supermarket displays. Despite her rural sensibility, Willis began to immerse herself in urban designs. She found that her interests ran parallel to those of San Francisco architects like William Wurster and Joseph Esherick.","Willis' first major architectural project was the conversion of three Victorian buildings into a retail complex on Union Street in San Francisco. Her design, which proved a financial success almost immediately, influenced the renovation of the rest of the street between present-day Gough and Pierce streets.","Meeting the experience and education requirements of the California State Architectural Licensing Board in 1966, Willis became a licensed architect and the only woman in San Francisco with her own firm, Beverly Willis and Associates. This firm assumed a partnership with would-be principal architect David Coldoff that year, a partnership that lasted until 1980. Despite the heavy demands of her practice, Willis also found time to serve on the U.S. Government delegation to the United Nations conference on Habitat, become a trustee and founder of the National Building Museum in 1976, and serve as the President of the California Chapter of the National Institute of Architects in 1979.","Willis' interest in the issues that affect planning, population density, and land-use economics with respect to large-scale development manifested itself in the creation of the computer program CARLA (Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis) in the 1970's. The software was developed by Willis with Eric Tiescholz and Jochen Eigen. With CARLA's completion and implementation, Willis and Associates became one of the first architectural firms to incorporate computers into the routine practices of design and land development.","Projects such as the prototype for the regional computer centers of the IRS and master-planning for a new town situated in Aliamanu Valley, Hawaii (1975), are good examples of her unique philosophy of design.","Throughout the 1970s, Willis' firm concentrated on large- scale housing and new-community planning and design. By espousing architecture of rural pragmatism and rooting it in ancient images and myths, Willis offered something new to the intellectual landscape of architectural design.","In 1997, the National Building Museum published Willis' book,  Invisible Images: The Silent Language of Architecture,  in which she describes her buildings and design philosophy. In 1980, she was elected to the American Institute of Architects College of Fellows. In 1984, Willis received an honorary doctorate in Fine Arts from Mount Holyoke College.","By the early 1980s, Willis' design focus shifted to urban structures like the Yerba Buena Gardens redevelopment project (1980) and the San Francisco Ballet Association Building (1984). Smaller, but no less important, projects include Nob Hill Court (1971), Pacific Point Condominiums (1972), the Greenwich Apartment (1978), the Margaret Hayward Playground Building (1978), the (unbuilt) Shown Winery (1986), and the Mr. and Mrs. Richard Goeglin Pool House and Sculpture (1988).","Willis relocated her office and residence to New York City in 1991. Willis founded in 1994 the  Architectural Research Institute, Inc.  (through which the Manhattan Village Academy was designed). In 2002, she founded the  Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation , and she presently (2008) serves as the foundation's president. Her work and community leadership have been widely published (see bibliography). She is a founding trustee of the National Building Museum (1975-present). The Beverly Willis Library is located at the National Building Museum.","Much of the information in the biography was culled from the biography written for Beverly Willis by Nicolai Ouroussoff and included in  Invisible Images: The Silent Language of Architecture , published in 1997 by the National Building Museum, Washington, DC."],"odd_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eSome of the information in the scope and content note was taken from an independent appraisal of the collection.\u003c/p\u003e"],"odd_heading_ssm":["General note"],"odd_tesim":["Some of the information in the scope and content note was taken from an independent appraisal of the collection."],"otherfindaid_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eA file-level \u003cextref href=\"http://spec.lib.vt.edu/iawa/inventories/Willis/Willis.html\" title=\"inventory\"\u003einventory\u003c/extref\u003e of letter- and legal-size project records is available at the repository.\u003c/p\u003e"],"otherfindaid_heading_ssm":["Other Finding Aid"],"otherfindaid_tesim":["A file-level  inventory  of letter- and legal-size project records is available at the repository."],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eResearchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Beverly Willis Architectural Collection, Ms1992-019, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.\u003c/p\u003e"],"prefercite_tesim":["Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Beverly Willis Architectural Collection, Ms1992-019, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va."],"processinfo_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe bulk of the drawings in the Willis Papers were arranged and described before they were donated, and information about the arrangement of the collection was compiled in a searchable database that is available at the repository. Project records stored in record cartons have been inventoried and are included in the database and finding aid.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe first accession, which was arranged and described by Laura Katz Smith in 1995, was combined with subsequent accessions in 2003. A finding aid describing the complete collection was created by Catherine G. OBrion in 2003, using descriptions of materials in the archives database that was donated with the bulk of the collection in 2000.\nThe 2004 and 2009 additions were arranged and described by Sherrie Bowser in 2012. The project index arrangement was also included at this time.  \u003c/p\u003e"],"processinfo_heading_ssm":["Processing Information"],"processinfo_tesim":["The bulk of the drawings in the Willis Papers were arranged and described before they were donated, and information about the arrangement of the collection was compiled in a searchable database that is available at the repository. Project records stored in record cartons have been inventoried and are included in the database and finding aid.","The first accession, which was arranged and described by Laura Katz Smith in 1995, was combined with subsequent accessions in 2003. A finding aid describing the complete collection was created by Catherine G. OBrion in 2003, using descriptions of materials in the archives database that was donated with the bulk of the collection in 2000.\nThe 2004 and 2009 additions were arranged and described by Sherrie Bowser in 2012. The project index arrangement was also included at this time.  "],"relatedmaterial_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe guide to the Beverly Willis Architectural Collection by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 (\u003ca href=\"https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/\"\u003ehttps://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/\u003c/a\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e"],"relatedmaterial_heading_ssm":["Rights Statement for Archival Description"],"relatedmaterial_tesim":["The guide to the Beverly Willis Architectural Collection by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 ( https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/ )."],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe Beverly Willis Architectural Collection span the years 1954 to 1999 and are comprised primarily of records documenting Willis' work as an architect in San Francisco between 1960 and 1990. The collection documents the application of computers to architectural design and land analysis, the development of CARLA (Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis) in the 1970s, the history of twentieth-century urban planning, particularly in San Francisco; and the contribution of women to twentieth-century American architecture. Willis, a noted artist, photographer, teacher, and writer, employed the full range of visual arts and design skills to influence and guide architectural projects of major significance.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eThe bulk of the collection is comprised of Willis and Associates project files from the period 1960 to 1990. Projects range from private residences and residential developments to institutions, such as the San Francisco Ballet Association Building; and urban development projects, most notably the Yerba Buena Gardens project in downtown San Francisco. Also included are records and design documents for Aliamanu Valley New Town, a military base in Hawaii that was the first major project designed with CARLA, computer software for architectural design created by Willis; and records documenting the development of CARLA.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eProject files are comprised of presentation drawings, slope analysis drawings, site plans, maps, cut-and-fill analysis plans, sketches, conceptual design drawings, construction drawings, as well as correspondence, research files, contracts, environmental impact statements and studies, financial records, and feasibility studies. There are records for more than 150 projects. Drawings are large folio, pen-and- ink or watercolor on paper, linen, or mylar. Some are heightened with color.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eAlso included is a series documenting the development of CARLA, Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis, in the 1970s. Beverly Willis was interested in issues that affected planning, population density, and land-use economics in relation to large-scale development. Along with Eric Tiescholz and Jochen Eigen, she developed a program that enabled architects, with the use of computers, to develop site plans and design techniques in a fraction of the time required by the old methodology. Records documenting the development of CARLA include computer tapes, correspondence, flow charts, memos, and Jochen Eigen's notes on interfacing CARLA with a computer mapping program in 1974.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eThe collection also contains a series of Publications, Brochures, and Clippings, which includes biographical information on Willis, Miscellaneous Project Records, and a video of the Yerba Buena Gardents development.\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Contents"],"scopecontent_tesim":["The Beverly Willis Architectural Collection span the years 1954 to 1999 and are comprised primarily of records documenting Willis' work as an architect in San Francisco between 1960 and 1990. The collection documents the application of computers to architectural design and land analysis, the development of CARLA (Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis) in the 1970s, the history of twentieth-century urban planning, particularly in San Francisco; and the contribution of women to twentieth-century American architecture. Willis, a noted artist, photographer, teacher, and writer, employed the full range of visual arts and design skills to influence and guide architectural projects of major significance.","The bulk of the collection is comprised of Willis and Associates project files from the period 1960 to 1990. Projects range from private residences and residential developments to institutions, such as the San Francisco Ballet Association Building; and urban development projects, most notably the Yerba Buena Gardens project in downtown San Francisco. Also included are records and design documents for Aliamanu Valley New Town, a military base in Hawaii that was the first major project designed with CARLA, computer software for architectural design created by Willis; and records documenting the development of CARLA.","Project files are comprised of presentation drawings, slope analysis drawings, site plans, maps, cut-and-fill analysis plans, sketches, conceptual design drawings, construction drawings, as well as correspondence, research files, contracts, environmental impact statements and studies, financial records, and feasibility studies. There are records for more than 150 projects. Drawings are large folio, pen-and- ink or watercolor on paper, linen, or mylar. Some are heightened with color.","Also included is a series documenting the development of CARLA, Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis, in the 1970s. Beverly Willis was interested in issues that affected planning, population density, and land-use economics in relation to large-scale development. Along with Eric Tiescholz and Jochen Eigen, she developed a program that enabled architects, with the use of computers, to develop site plans and design techniques in a fraction of the time required by the old methodology. Records documenting the development of CARLA include computer tapes, correspondence, flow charts, memos, and Jochen Eigen's notes on interfacing CARLA with a computer mapping program in 1974.","The collection also contains a series of Publications, Brochures, and Clippings, which includes biographical information on Willis, Miscellaneous Project Records, and a video of the Yerba Buena Gardents development."],"userestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials. Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form: \u003ca href=\"http://bit.ly/scuareproduction\"\u003ehttp://bit.ly/scuareproduction\u003c/a\u003e. Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form: \u003ca href=\"http://bit.ly/scuapublication\"\u003ehttp://bit.ly/scuapublication\u003c/a\u003e. Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form.\u003c/p\u003e"],"userestrict_heading_ssm":["Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use"],"userestrict_tesim":["The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials. Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form:  http://bit.ly/scuareproduction . Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form:  http://bit.ly/scuapublication . Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form."],"physloc_html_tesm":["\u003cphysloc id=\"aspace_174a3dc5cc0f306ff98b4fcaecbf2059\"\u003e\u003cemph render=\"bold\"\u003ePlease note:\u003c/emph\u003e Boxes 1-51 are located in off-site storage and requires 2-3 days notice for retrieval. Please contact Special Collections for more information.\u003c/physloc\u003e"],"physloc_tesim":["Please note:  Boxes 1-51 are located in off-site storage and requires 2-3 days notice for retrieval. Please contact Special Collections for more information."],"names_coll_ssim":["Willis and Associates","Willis, Beverly, 1928-"],"names_ssim":["Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech","Willis and Associates","Willis, Beverly, 1928-"],"corpname_ssim":["Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech","Willis and Associates"],"persname_ssim":["Willis, Beverly, 1928-"],"language_ssim":["The materials in the collection are in English."],"descrules_ssm":["Describing Archives: A Content Standard"],"total_component_count_is":212,"online_item_count_is":0,"component_level_isim":[0],"sort_isi":0,"timestamp":"2026-04-30T23:45:27.234Z"}]}},"label":"Breadcrumbs"}}},"links":{"self":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03_c108"}},{"id":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03_c109","type":"Subseries","attributes":{"title":"Project 0748: San Francisco Wastewater Solids Study","breadcrumbs":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03_c109#breadcrumbs","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":{"ref_ssi":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03_c109","ref_ssm":["viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03_c109"],"id":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03_c109","ead_ssi":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898","_root_":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898","_nest_parent_":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03","parent_ssi":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03","parent_ssim":["viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898","viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03","viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03"],"parent_ids_ssim":["viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898","viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03","viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03"],"parent_unittitles_ssm":["Beverly Willis Architectural Collection","Project Records","Project Files"],"parent_unittitles_tesim":["Beverly Willis Architectural Collection","Project Records","Project Files"],"text":["Beverly Willis Architectural Collection","Project Records","Project Files","Project 0748: San Francisco Wastewater Solids Study"],"title_filing_ssi":"Project 0748: San Francisco Wastewater Solids Study","title_ssm":["Project 0748: San Francisco Wastewater Solids Study"],"title_tesim":["Project 0748: San Francisco Wastewater Solids Study"],"unitdate_other_ssim":["1982"],"normalized_date_ssm":["1982"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Project 0748: San Francisco Wastewater Solids Study"],"component_level_isim":[3],"repository_ssim":["Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University"],"collection_ssim":["Beverly Willis Architectural Collection"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"child_component_count_isi":0,"level_ssm":["Subseries"],"level_ssim":["Subseries"],"sort_isi":156,"parent_access_restrict_tesm":["Collection is open to research."],"parent_access_terms_tesm":["The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials. Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form: http://bit.ly/scuareproduction. Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form: http://bit.ly/scuapublication. Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form."],"date_range_isim":[1982],"_nest_path_":"/components#2/components#2/components#108","timestamp":"2026-04-30T23:45:27.234Z","collection":{"numFound":1,"start":0,"numFoundExact":true,"docs":[{"id":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898","ead_ssi":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898","_root_":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898","_nest_parent_":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898","ead_source_url_ssi":"data/oai/VT/repositories_2_resources_1898.xml","title_filing_ssi":"Willis, Beverly Architectural Collection","title_ssm":["Beverly Willis Architectural Collection"],"title_tesim":["Beverly Willis Architectural Collection"],"unitdate_ssm":["1954-1999"],"unitdate_inclusive_ssm":["1954-1999"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"unitid_ssm":["Ms.1992.019"],"text":["Ms.1992.019","Beverly Willis Architectural Collection","San Francisco (Calif.)","Architects and community","Housing -- United States","City planning","Architecture -- Computer-aided design","Women -- History","International Archive of Women in Architecture (IAWA)","Architectural drawings (visual works)","Collection is open to research.","Some of this collection has been digitized and is available online.","The collection has been arranged into a  Project Index.  which is a way to organize the various formats of architectural records from the same project. The index is arranged by project number and contains information, where available, about the location, date, project type, architect, collaborators, and formats for each project in the collection.","A Summary of the  Project Index.   is listed below.  Consult the  Project Index.   for location information.  ","Beverly Willis, FAIA Architect, artist, and writer, was one of perhaps three women architects in the United States to own her own sizeable architecture firm between 1958 and 1990 and the only woman in San Francisco, California, to have her own practice there for 17 years. Her book,  Invisible Images: The Silent Language of Architecture,  published by the National Building Museum, describes her design philosophy.","She was the first woman appointed to the Building Research Advisory Board of the National Academy of Science, the first appointed to the Federal Construction Council, and its first woman chair. She was the first woman elected president of the American Institute of Architects, California Council; and the Golden Gate Chapter of Lambda Alpha Society.","Willis played a major role in the revitalization of San Francisco neighborhoods after World War II. She renovated commercial spaces in the Jackson Square area and Union Street, redesigned Glide Church, designed the San Francisco Ballet Building, and won an international competition to design the Yerba Buena Gardens development downtown.","Beverly Willis was born February 17, 1928, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to Ralph William Willis, founder of the National Tool Company, and Margaret Elizabeth Porter, a nurse. She had one sibling, Ralph Gerald Willis. Both Willis and her brother were placed in an orphanage when their parents divorced in 1934.","Taking advantage of the increased opportunities available to women with the advent of World War II, Willis learned welding, riveting, electrical wiring, carpentry, and how to fly an airplane--skills that reflected the fiercely independent qualities that emerged in her personality when she was in the institutional environment of the orphanage. After the war, she enrolled in an aeronautical engineering program at Oregon State University, but withdrew after two years to work at a lithographer's studio. She then studied at the San Francisco Art Institute until relocating to Hawaii. In 1954 she received a B.A. in Fine Art from the University of Hawaii.","After graduation, Willis received a series of design commissions that led to her interest in architecture. Fueled by the friendship and ideas of entrepreneur Henry Kaiser, Willis returned to San Francisco in 1960 to open a firm that designed furniture and interiors for offices, created mixed-media art for clients that included United Airlines, and re-worked supermarket displays. Despite her rural sensibility, Willis began to immerse herself in urban designs. She found that her interests ran parallel to those of San Francisco architects like William Wurster and Joseph Esherick.","Willis' first major architectural project was the conversion of three Victorian buildings into a retail complex on Union Street in San Francisco. Her design, which proved a financial success almost immediately, influenced the renovation of the rest of the street between present-day Gough and Pierce streets.","Meeting the experience and education requirements of the California State Architectural Licensing Board in 1966, Willis became a licensed architect and the only woman in San Francisco with her own firm, Beverly Willis and Associates. This firm assumed a partnership with would-be principal architect David Coldoff that year, a partnership that lasted until 1980. Despite the heavy demands of her practice, Willis also found time to serve on the U.S. Government delegation to the United Nations conference on Habitat, become a trustee and founder of the National Building Museum in 1976, and serve as the President of the California Chapter of the National Institute of Architects in 1979.","Willis' interest in the issues that affect planning, population density, and land-use economics with respect to large-scale development manifested itself in the creation of the computer program CARLA (Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis) in the 1970's. The software was developed by Willis with Eric Tiescholz and Jochen Eigen. With CARLA's completion and implementation, Willis and Associates became one of the first architectural firms to incorporate computers into the routine practices of design and land development.","Projects such as the prototype for the regional computer centers of the IRS and master-planning for a new town situated in Aliamanu Valley, Hawaii (1975), are good examples of her unique philosophy of design.","Throughout the 1970s, Willis' firm concentrated on large- scale housing and new-community planning and design. By espousing architecture of rural pragmatism and rooting it in ancient images and myths, Willis offered something new to the intellectual landscape of architectural design.","In 1997, the National Building Museum published Willis' book,  Invisible Images: The Silent Language of Architecture,  in which she describes her buildings and design philosophy. In 1980, she was elected to the American Institute of Architects College of Fellows. In 1984, Willis received an honorary doctorate in Fine Arts from Mount Holyoke College.","By the early 1980s, Willis' design focus shifted to urban structures like the Yerba Buena Gardens redevelopment project (1980) and the San Francisco Ballet Association Building (1984). Smaller, but no less important, projects include Nob Hill Court (1971), Pacific Point Condominiums (1972), the Greenwich Apartment (1978), the Margaret Hayward Playground Building (1978), the (unbuilt) Shown Winery (1986), and the Mr. and Mrs. Richard Goeglin Pool House and Sculpture (1988).","Willis relocated her office and residence to New York City in 1991. Willis founded in 1994 the  Architectural Research Institute, Inc.  (through which the Manhattan Village Academy was designed). In 2002, she founded the  Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation , and she presently (2008) serves as the foundation's president. Her work and community leadership have been widely published (see bibliography). She is a founding trustee of the National Building Museum (1975-present). The Beverly Willis Library is located at the National Building Museum.","Much of the information in the biography was culled from the biography written for Beverly Willis by Nicolai Ouroussoff and included in  Invisible Images: The Silent Language of Architecture , published in 1997 by the National Building Museum, Washington, DC.","Some of the information in the scope and content note was taken from an independent appraisal of the collection.","The bulk of the drawings in the Willis Papers were arranged and described before they were donated, and information about the arrangement of the collection was compiled in a searchable database that is available at the repository. Project records stored in record cartons have been inventoried and are included in the database and finding aid.","The first accession, which was arranged and described by Laura Katz Smith in 1995, was combined with subsequent accessions in 2003. A finding aid describing the complete collection was created by Catherine G. OBrion in 2003, using descriptions of materials in the archives database that was donated with the bulk of the collection in 2000.\nThe 2004 and 2009 additions were arranged and described by Sherrie Bowser in 2012. The project index arrangement was also included at this time.  ","The guide to the Beverly Willis Architectural Collection by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 ( https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/ ).","The Beverly Willis Architectural Collection span the years 1954 to 1999 and are comprised primarily of records documenting Willis' work as an architect in San Francisco between 1960 and 1990. The collection documents the application of computers to architectural design and land analysis, the development of CARLA (Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis) in the 1970s, the history of twentieth-century urban planning, particularly in San Francisco; and the contribution of women to twentieth-century American architecture. Willis, a noted artist, photographer, teacher, and writer, employed the full range of visual arts and design skills to influence and guide architectural projects of major significance.","The bulk of the collection is comprised of Willis and Associates project files from the period 1960 to 1990. Projects range from private residences and residential developments to institutions, such as the San Francisco Ballet Association Building; and urban development projects, most notably the Yerba Buena Gardens project in downtown San Francisco. Also included are records and design documents for Aliamanu Valley New Town, a military base in Hawaii that was the first major project designed with CARLA, computer software for architectural design created by Willis; and records documenting the development of CARLA.","Project files are comprised of presentation drawings, slope analysis drawings, site plans, maps, cut-and-fill analysis plans, sketches, conceptual design drawings, construction drawings, as well as correspondence, research files, contracts, environmental impact statements and studies, financial records, and feasibility studies. There are records for more than 150 projects. Drawings are large folio, pen-and- ink or watercolor on paper, linen, or mylar. Some are heightened with color.","Also included is a series documenting the development of CARLA, Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis, in the 1970s. Beverly Willis was interested in issues that affected planning, population density, and land-use economics in relation to large-scale development. Along with Eric Tiescholz and Jochen Eigen, she developed a program that enabled architects, with the use of computers, to develop site plans and design techniques in a fraction of the time required by the old methodology. Records documenting the development of CARLA include computer tapes, correspondence, flow charts, memos, and Jochen Eigen's notes on interfacing CARLA with a computer mapping program in 1974.","The collection also contains a series of Publications, Brochures, and Clippings, which includes biographical information on Willis, Miscellaneous Project Records, and a video of the Yerba Buena Gardents development.","The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials. Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form:  http://bit.ly/scuareproduction . Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form:  http://bit.ly/scuapublication . Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form.","Please note:  Boxes 1-51 are located in off-site storage and requires 2-3 days notice for retrieval. Please contact Special Collections for more information.","Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech","Willis and Associates","Willis, Beverly, 1928-","The materials in the collection are in English."],"unitid_tesim":["Ms.1992.019"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Beverly Willis Architectural Collection"],"collection_title_tesim":["Beverly Willis Architectural Collection"],"collection_ssim":["Beverly Willis Architectural Collection"],"repository_ssm":["Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University"],"repository_ssim":["Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University"],"geogname_ssm":["San Francisco (Calif.)"],"geogname_ssim":["San Francisco (Calif.)"],"creator_ssm":["Willis, Beverly, 1928-"],"creator_ssim":["Willis, Beverly, 1928-"],"creator_persname_ssim":["Willis, Beverly, 1928-"],"creators_ssim":["Willis, Beverly, 1928-"],"places_ssim":["San Francisco (Calif.)"],"access_terms_ssm":["The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials. Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form:  http://bit.ly/scuareproduction . Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form:  http://bit.ly/scuapublication . Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form."],"acqinfo_ssim":["Beverly Willis donated samples of her designs to Virginia Tech in 1992. This gift was followed, in 2000, with a donation of the bulk of the records and designs from her architectural career.  Additional small accessions arrived in 2004 and 2009."],"access_subjects_ssim":["Architects and community","Housing -- United States","City planning","Architecture -- Computer-aided design","Women -- History","International Archive of Women in Architecture (IAWA)","Architectural drawings (visual works)"],"access_subjects_ssm":["Architects and community","Housing -- United States","City planning","Architecture -- Computer-aided design","Women -- History","International Archive of Women in Architecture (IAWA)","Architectural drawings (visual works)"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"extent_ssm":["100 Linear Feet"],"extent_tesim":["100 Linear Feet"],"genreform_ssim":["Architectural drawings (visual works)"],"date_range_isim":[1954,1955,1956,1957,1958,1959,1960,1961,1962,1963,1964,1965,1966,1967,1968,1969,1970,1971,1972,1973,1974,1975,1976,1977,1978,1979,1980,1981,1982,1983,1984,1985,1986,1987,1988,1989,1990,1991,1992,1993,1994,1995,1996,1997,1998,1999],"accessrestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eCollection is open to research.\u003c/p\u003e"],"accessrestrict_heading_ssm":["Conditions Governing Access"],"accessrestrict_tesim":["Collection is open to research."],"altformavail_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003e\u003ca target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://digitalsc.lib.vt.edu/collections/show/225\"\u003eSome of this collection has been digitized and is available online.\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e"],"altformavail_heading_ssm":["Existence and Location of Copies"],"altformavail_tesim":["Some of this collection has been digitized and is available online."],"arrangement_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe collection has been arranged into a \u003cextref actuate=\"onRequest\" href=\"http://spec.lib.vt.edu/assets/documents/iawa/Ms1992-019pi.xls\" show=\"new\" title=\"Project Index\"\u003eProject Index.\u003c/extref\u003e which is a way to organize the various formats of architectural records from the same project. The index is arranged by project number and contains information, where available, about the location, date, project type, architect, collaborators, and formats for each project in the collection.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eA Summary of the \u003cextref actuate=\"onRequest\" href=\"http://spec.lib.vt.edu/assets/documents/iawa/Ms1992-019pi.xls\" show=\"new\" title=\"Project Index\"\u003eProject Index.\u003c/extref\u003e  is listed below.  Consult the \u003cextref actuate=\"onRequest\" href=\"http://spec.lib.vt.edu/assets/documents/iawa/Ms1992-019pi.xls\" show=\"new\" title=\"Project Index\"\u003eProject Index.\u003c/extref\u003e  for location information.  \u003c/p\u003e"],"arrangement_heading_ssm":["Arrangement"],"arrangement_tesim":["The collection has been arranged into a  Project Index.  which is a way to organize the various formats of architectural records from the same project. The index is arranged by project number and contains information, where available, about the location, date, project type, architect, collaborators, and formats for each project in the collection.","A Summary of the  Project Index.   is listed below.  Consult the  Project Index.   for location information.  "],"bioghist_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eBeverly Willis, FAIA Architect, artist, and writer, was one of perhaps three women architects in the United States to own her own sizeable architecture firm between 1958 and 1990 and the only woman in San Francisco, California, to have her own practice there for 17 years. Her book, \u003ctitle render=\"italic\"\u003eInvisible Images: The Silent Language of Architecture,\u003c/title\u003e published by the National Building Museum, describes her design philosophy.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eShe was the first woman appointed to the Building Research Advisory Board of the National Academy of Science, the first appointed to the Federal Construction Council, and its first woman chair. She was the first woman elected president of the American Institute of Architects, California Council; and the Golden Gate Chapter of Lambda Alpha Society.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eWillis played a major role in the revitalization of San Francisco neighborhoods after World War II. She renovated commercial spaces in the Jackson Square area and Union Street, redesigned Glide Church, designed the San Francisco Ballet Building, and won an international competition to design the Yerba Buena Gardens development downtown.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eBeverly Willis was born February 17, 1928, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to Ralph William Willis, founder of the National Tool Company, and Margaret Elizabeth Porter, a nurse. She had one sibling, Ralph Gerald Willis. Both Willis and her brother were placed in an orphanage when their parents divorced in 1934.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eTaking advantage of the increased opportunities available to women with the advent of World War II, Willis learned welding, riveting, electrical wiring, carpentry, and how to fly an airplane--skills that reflected the fiercely independent qualities that emerged in her personality when she was in the institutional environment of the orphanage. After the war, she enrolled in an aeronautical engineering program at Oregon State University, but withdrew after two years to work at a lithographer's studio. She then studied at the San Francisco Art Institute until relocating to Hawaii. In 1954 she received a B.A. in Fine Art from the University of Hawaii.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eAfter graduation, Willis received a series of design commissions that led to her interest in architecture. Fueled by the friendship and ideas of entrepreneur Henry Kaiser, Willis returned to San Francisco in 1960 to open a firm that designed furniture and interiors for offices, created mixed-media art for clients that included United Airlines, and re-worked supermarket displays. Despite her rural sensibility, Willis began to immerse herself in urban designs. She found that her interests ran parallel to those of San Francisco architects like William Wurster and Joseph Esherick.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eWillis' first major architectural project was the conversion of three Victorian buildings into a retail complex on Union Street in San Francisco. Her design, which proved a financial success almost immediately, influenced the renovation of the rest of the street between present-day Gough and Pierce streets.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eMeeting the experience and education requirements of the California State Architectural Licensing Board in 1966, Willis became a licensed architect and the only woman in San Francisco with her own firm, Beverly Willis and Associates. This firm assumed a partnership with would-be principal architect David Coldoff that year, a partnership that lasted until 1980. Despite the heavy demands of her practice, Willis also found time to serve on the U.S. Government delegation to the United Nations conference on Habitat, become a trustee and founder of the National Building Museum in 1976, and serve as the President of the California Chapter of the National Institute of Architects in 1979.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eWillis' interest in the issues that affect planning, population density, and land-use economics with respect to large-scale development manifested itself in the creation of the computer program CARLA (Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis) in the 1970's. The software was developed by Willis with Eric Tiescholz and Jochen Eigen. With CARLA's completion and implementation, Willis and Associates became one of the first architectural firms to incorporate computers into the routine practices of design and land development.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eProjects such as the prototype for the regional computer centers of the IRS and master-planning for a new town situated in Aliamanu Valley, Hawaii (1975), are good examples of her unique philosophy of design.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eThroughout the 1970s, Willis' firm concentrated on large- scale housing and new-community planning and design. By espousing architecture of rural pragmatism and rooting it in ancient images and myths, Willis offered something new to the intellectual landscape of architectural design.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eIn 1997, the National Building Museum published Willis' book, \u003ctitle render=\"italic\"\u003eInvisible Images: The Silent Language of Architecture,\u003c/title\u003e in which she describes her buildings and design philosophy. In 1980, she was elected to the American Institute of Architects College of Fellows. In 1984, Willis received an honorary doctorate in Fine Arts from Mount Holyoke College.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eBy the early 1980s, Willis' design focus shifted to urban structures like the Yerba Buena Gardens redevelopment project (1980) and the San Francisco Ballet Association Building (1984). Smaller, but no less important, projects include Nob Hill Court (1971), Pacific Point Condominiums (1972), the Greenwich Apartment (1978), the Margaret Hayward Playground Building (1978), the (unbuilt) Shown Winery (1986), and the Mr. and Mrs. Richard Goeglin Pool House and Sculpture (1988).\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eWillis relocated her office and residence to New York City in 1991. Willis founded in 1994 the \u003cextref href=\"http://www.architect.org\" title=\"Architectural Research Institute, Inc.\"\u003eArchitectural Research Institute, Inc.\u003c/extref\u003e (through which the Manhattan Village Academy was designed). In 2002, she founded the \u003cextref href=\"http://www.bwaf.org/\" title=\"Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation\"\u003eBeverly Willis Architecture Foundation\u003c/extref\u003e, and she presently (2008) serves as the foundation's president. Her work and community leadership have been widely published (see bibliography). She is a founding trustee of the National Building Museum (1975-present). The Beverly Willis Library is located at the National Building Museum.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eMuch of the information in the biography was culled from the biography written for Beverly Willis by Nicolai Ouroussoff and included in \u003ctitle render=\"italic\"\u003eInvisible Images: The Silent Language of Architecture\u003c/title\u003e, published in 1997 by the National Building Museum, Washington, DC.\u003c/p\u003e"],"bioghist_heading_ssm":["Biographical Note","Source"],"bioghist_tesim":["Beverly Willis, FAIA Architect, artist, and writer, was one of perhaps three women architects in the United States to own her own sizeable architecture firm between 1958 and 1990 and the only woman in San Francisco, California, to have her own practice there for 17 years. Her book,  Invisible Images: The Silent Language of Architecture,  published by the National Building Museum, describes her design philosophy.","She was the first woman appointed to the Building Research Advisory Board of the National Academy of Science, the first appointed to the Federal Construction Council, and its first woman chair. She was the first woman elected president of the American Institute of Architects, California Council; and the Golden Gate Chapter of Lambda Alpha Society.","Willis played a major role in the revitalization of San Francisco neighborhoods after World War II. She renovated commercial spaces in the Jackson Square area and Union Street, redesigned Glide Church, designed the San Francisco Ballet Building, and won an international competition to design the Yerba Buena Gardens development downtown.","Beverly Willis was born February 17, 1928, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to Ralph William Willis, founder of the National Tool Company, and Margaret Elizabeth Porter, a nurse. She had one sibling, Ralph Gerald Willis. Both Willis and her brother were placed in an orphanage when their parents divorced in 1934.","Taking advantage of the increased opportunities available to women with the advent of World War II, Willis learned welding, riveting, electrical wiring, carpentry, and how to fly an airplane--skills that reflected the fiercely independent qualities that emerged in her personality when she was in the institutional environment of the orphanage. After the war, she enrolled in an aeronautical engineering program at Oregon State University, but withdrew after two years to work at a lithographer's studio. She then studied at the San Francisco Art Institute until relocating to Hawaii. In 1954 she received a B.A. in Fine Art from the University of Hawaii.","After graduation, Willis received a series of design commissions that led to her interest in architecture. Fueled by the friendship and ideas of entrepreneur Henry Kaiser, Willis returned to San Francisco in 1960 to open a firm that designed furniture and interiors for offices, created mixed-media art for clients that included United Airlines, and re-worked supermarket displays. Despite her rural sensibility, Willis began to immerse herself in urban designs. She found that her interests ran parallel to those of San Francisco architects like William Wurster and Joseph Esherick.","Willis' first major architectural project was the conversion of three Victorian buildings into a retail complex on Union Street in San Francisco. Her design, which proved a financial success almost immediately, influenced the renovation of the rest of the street between present-day Gough and Pierce streets.","Meeting the experience and education requirements of the California State Architectural Licensing Board in 1966, Willis became a licensed architect and the only woman in San Francisco with her own firm, Beverly Willis and Associates. This firm assumed a partnership with would-be principal architect David Coldoff that year, a partnership that lasted until 1980. Despite the heavy demands of her practice, Willis also found time to serve on the U.S. Government delegation to the United Nations conference on Habitat, become a trustee and founder of the National Building Museum in 1976, and serve as the President of the California Chapter of the National Institute of Architects in 1979.","Willis' interest in the issues that affect planning, population density, and land-use economics with respect to large-scale development manifested itself in the creation of the computer program CARLA (Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis) in the 1970's. The software was developed by Willis with Eric Tiescholz and Jochen Eigen. With CARLA's completion and implementation, Willis and Associates became one of the first architectural firms to incorporate computers into the routine practices of design and land development.","Projects such as the prototype for the regional computer centers of the IRS and master-planning for a new town situated in Aliamanu Valley, Hawaii (1975), are good examples of her unique philosophy of design.","Throughout the 1970s, Willis' firm concentrated on large- scale housing and new-community planning and design. By espousing architecture of rural pragmatism and rooting it in ancient images and myths, Willis offered something new to the intellectual landscape of architectural design.","In 1997, the National Building Museum published Willis' book,  Invisible Images: The Silent Language of Architecture,  in which she describes her buildings and design philosophy. In 1980, she was elected to the American Institute of Architects College of Fellows. In 1984, Willis received an honorary doctorate in Fine Arts from Mount Holyoke College.","By the early 1980s, Willis' design focus shifted to urban structures like the Yerba Buena Gardens redevelopment project (1980) and the San Francisco Ballet Association Building (1984). Smaller, but no less important, projects include Nob Hill Court (1971), Pacific Point Condominiums (1972), the Greenwich Apartment (1978), the Margaret Hayward Playground Building (1978), the (unbuilt) Shown Winery (1986), and the Mr. and Mrs. Richard Goeglin Pool House and Sculpture (1988).","Willis relocated her office and residence to New York City in 1991. Willis founded in 1994 the  Architectural Research Institute, Inc.  (through which the Manhattan Village Academy was designed). In 2002, she founded the  Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation , and she presently (2008) serves as the foundation's president. Her work and community leadership have been widely published (see bibliography). She is a founding trustee of the National Building Museum (1975-present). The Beverly Willis Library is located at the National Building Museum.","Much of the information in the biography was culled from the biography written for Beverly Willis by Nicolai Ouroussoff and included in  Invisible Images: The Silent Language of Architecture , published in 1997 by the National Building Museum, Washington, DC."],"odd_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eSome of the information in the scope and content note was taken from an independent appraisal of the collection.\u003c/p\u003e"],"odd_heading_ssm":["General note"],"odd_tesim":["Some of the information in the scope and content note was taken from an independent appraisal of the collection."],"otherfindaid_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eA file-level \u003cextref href=\"http://spec.lib.vt.edu/iawa/inventories/Willis/Willis.html\" title=\"inventory\"\u003einventory\u003c/extref\u003e of letter- and legal-size project records is available at the repository.\u003c/p\u003e"],"otherfindaid_heading_ssm":["Other Finding Aid"],"otherfindaid_tesim":["A file-level  inventory  of letter- and legal-size project records is available at the repository."],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eResearchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Beverly Willis Architectural Collection, Ms1992-019, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.\u003c/p\u003e"],"prefercite_tesim":["Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Beverly Willis Architectural Collection, Ms1992-019, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va."],"processinfo_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe bulk of the drawings in the Willis Papers were arranged and described before they were donated, and information about the arrangement of the collection was compiled in a searchable database that is available at the repository. Project records stored in record cartons have been inventoried and are included in the database and finding aid.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe first accession, which was arranged and described by Laura Katz Smith in 1995, was combined with subsequent accessions in 2003. A finding aid describing the complete collection was created by Catherine G. OBrion in 2003, using descriptions of materials in the archives database that was donated with the bulk of the collection in 2000.\nThe 2004 and 2009 additions were arranged and described by Sherrie Bowser in 2012. The project index arrangement was also included at this time.  \u003c/p\u003e"],"processinfo_heading_ssm":["Processing Information"],"processinfo_tesim":["The bulk of the drawings in the Willis Papers were arranged and described before they were donated, and information about the arrangement of the collection was compiled in a searchable database that is available at the repository. Project records stored in record cartons have been inventoried and are included in the database and finding aid.","The first accession, which was arranged and described by Laura Katz Smith in 1995, was combined with subsequent accessions in 2003. A finding aid describing the complete collection was created by Catherine G. OBrion in 2003, using descriptions of materials in the archives database that was donated with the bulk of the collection in 2000.\nThe 2004 and 2009 additions were arranged and described by Sherrie Bowser in 2012. The project index arrangement was also included at this time.  "],"relatedmaterial_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe guide to the Beverly Willis Architectural Collection by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 (\u003ca href=\"https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/\"\u003ehttps://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/\u003c/a\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e"],"relatedmaterial_heading_ssm":["Rights Statement for Archival Description"],"relatedmaterial_tesim":["The guide to the Beverly Willis Architectural Collection by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 ( https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/ )."],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe Beverly Willis Architectural Collection span the years 1954 to 1999 and are comprised primarily of records documenting Willis' work as an architect in San Francisco between 1960 and 1990. The collection documents the application of computers to architectural design and land analysis, the development of CARLA (Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis) in the 1970s, the history of twentieth-century urban planning, particularly in San Francisco; and the contribution of women to twentieth-century American architecture. Willis, a noted artist, photographer, teacher, and writer, employed the full range of visual arts and design skills to influence and guide architectural projects of major significance.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eThe bulk of the collection is comprised of Willis and Associates project files from the period 1960 to 1990. Projects range from private residences and residential developments to institutions, such as the San Francisco Ballet Association Building; and urban development projects, most notably the Yerba Buena Gardens project in downtown San Francisco. Also included are records and design documents for Aliamanu Valley New Town, a military base in Hawaii that was the first major project designed with CARLA, computer software for architectural design created by Willis; and records documenting the development of CARLA.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eProject files are comprised of presentation drawings, slope analysis drawings, site plans, maps, cut-and-fill analysis plans, sketches, conceptual design drawings, construction drawings, as well as correspondence, research files, contracts, environmental impact statements and studies, financial records, and feasibility studies. There are records for more than 150 projects. Drawings are large folio, pen-and- ink or watercolor on paper, linen, or mylar. Some are heightened with color.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eAlso included is a series documenting the development of CARLA, Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis, in the 1970s. Beverly Willis was interested in issues that affected planning, population density, and land-use economics in relation to large-scale development. Along with Eric Tiescholz and Jochen Eigen, she developed a program that enabled architects, with the use of computers, to develop site plans and design techniques in a fraction of the time required by the old methodology. Records documenting the development of CARLA include computer tapes, correspondence, flow charts, memos, and Jochen Eigen's notes on interfacing CARLA with a computer mapping program in 1974.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eThe collection also contains a series of Publications, Brochures, and Clippings, which includes biographical information on Willis, Miscellaneous Project Records, and a video of the Yerba Buena Gardents development.\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Contents"],"scopecontent_tesim":["The Beverly Willis Architectural Collection span the years 1954 to 1999 and are comprised primarily of records documenting Willis' work as an architect in San Francisco between 1960 and 1990. The collection documents the application of computers to architectural design and land analysis, the development of CARLA (Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis) in the 1970s, the history of twentieth-century urban planning, particularly in San Francisco; and the contribution of women to twentieth-century American architecture. Willis, a noted artist, photographer, teacher, and writer, employed the full range of visual arts and design skills to influence and guide architectural projects of major significance.","The bulk of the collection is comprised of Willis and Associates project files from the period 1960 to 1990. Projects range from private residences and residential developments to institutions, such as the San Francisco Ballet Association Building; and urban development projects, most notably the Yerba Buena Gardens project in downtown San Francisco. Also included are records and design documents for Aliamanu Valley New Town, a military base in Hawaii that was the first major project designed with CARLA, computer software for architectural design created by Willis; and records documenting the development of CARLA.","Project files are comprised of presentation drawings, slope analysis drawings, site plans, maps, cut-and-fill analysis plans, sketches, conceptual design drawings, construction drawings, as well as correspondence, research files, contracts, environmental impact statements and studies, financial records, and feasibility studies. There are records for more than 150 projects. Drawings are large folio, pen-and- ink or watercolor on paper, linen, or mylar. Some are heightened with color.","Also included is a series documenting the development of CARLA, Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis, in the 1970s. Beverly Willis was interested in issues that affected planning, population density, and land-use economics in relation to large-scale development. Along with Eric Tiescholz and Jochen Eigen, she developed a program that enabled architects, with the use of computers, to develop site plans and design techniques in a fraction of the time required by the old methodology. Records documenting the development of CARLA include computer tapes, correspondence, flow charts, memos, and Jochen Eigen's notes on interfacing CARLA with a computer mapping program in 1974.","The collection also contains a series of Publications, Brochures, and Clippings, which includes biographical information on Willis, Miscellaneous Project Records, and a video of the Yerba Buena Gardents development."],"userestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials. Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form: \u003ca href=\"http://bit.ly/scuareproduction\"\u003ehttp://bit.ly/scuareproduction\u003c/a\u003e. Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form: \u003ca href=\"http://bit.ly/scuapublication\"\u003ehttp://bit.ly/scuapublication\u003c/a\u003e. Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form.\u003c/p\u003e"],"userestrict_heading_ssm":["Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use"],"userestrict_tesim":["The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials. Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form:  http://bit.ly/scuareproduction . Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form:  http://bit.ly/scuapublication . Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form."],"physloc_html_tesm":["\u003cphysloc id=\"aspace_174a3dc5cc0f306ff98b4fcaecbf2059\"\u003e\u003cemph render=\"bold\"\u003ePlease note:\u003c/emph\u003e Boxes 1-51 are located in off-site storage and requires 2-3 days notice for retrieval. Please contact Special Collections for more information.\u003c/physloc\u003e"],"physloc_tesim":["Please note:  Boxes 1-51 are located in off-site storage and requires 2-3 days notice for retrieval. Please contact Special Collections for more information."],"names_coll_ssim":["Willis and Associates","Willis, Beverly, 1928-"],"names_ssim":["Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech","Willis and Associates","Willis, Beverly, 1928-"],"corpname_ssim":["Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech","Willis and Associates"],"persname_ssim":["Willis, Beverly, 1928-"],"language_ssim":["The materials in the collection are in English."],"descrules_ssm":["Describing Archives: A Content Standard"],"total_component_count_is":212,"online_item_count_is":0,"component_level_isim":[0],"sort_isi":0,"timestamp":"2026-04-30T23:45:27.234Z"}]}},"label":"Breadcrumbs"}}},"links":{"self":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03_c109"}},{"id":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03_c110","type":"Subseries","attributes":{"title":"Project 0749: Fassler","abstract_or_scope":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03_c110#abstract_or_scope","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":"\u003cp\u003eEIR, Project Papers.\u003c/p\u003e","label":"Abstract Or Scope"}},"breadcrumbs":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03_c110#breadcrumbs","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":{"ref_ssi":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03_c110","ref_ssm":["viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03_c110"],"id":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03_c110","ead_ssi":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898","_root_":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898","_nest_parent_":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03","parent_ssi":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03","parent_ssim":["viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898","viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03","viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03"],"parent_ids_ssim":["viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898","viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03","viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03"],"parent_unittitles_ssm":["Beverly Willis Architectural Collection","Project Records","Project Files"],"parent_unittitles_tesim":["Beverly Willis Architectural Collection","Project Records","Project Files"],"text":["Beverly Willis Architectural Collection","Project Records","Project Files","Project 0749: Fassler","EIR, Project Papers."],"title_filing_ssi":"Project 0749: Fassler","title_ssm":["Project 0749: Fassler"],"title_tesim":["Project 0749: Fassler"],"unitdate_other_ssim":["1980"],"normalized_date_ssm":["1980"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Project 0749: Fassler"],"component_level_isim":[3],"repository_ssim":["Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University"],"collection_ssim":["Beverly Willis Architectural Collection"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"child_component_count_isi":0,"level_ssm":["Subseries"],"level_ssim":["Subseries"],"sort_isi":157,"parent_access_restrict_tesm":["Collection is open to research."],"parent_access_terms_tesm":["The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials. Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form: http://bit.ly/scuareproduction. Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form: http://bit.ly/scuapublication. Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form."],"date_range_isim":[1980],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eEIR, Project Papers.\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Contents note"],"scopecontent_tesim":["EIR, Project Papers."],"_nest_path_":"/components#2/components#2/components#109","timestamp":"2026-04-30T23:45:27.234Z","collection":{"numFound":1,"start":0,"numFoundExact":true,"docs":[{"id":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898","ead_ssi":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898","_root_":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898","_nest_parent_":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898","ead_source_url_ssi":"data/oai/VT/repositories_2_resources_1898.xml","title_filing_ssi":"Willis, Beverly Architectural Collection","title_ssm":["Beverly Willis Architectural Collection"],"title_tesim":["Beverly Willis Architectural Collection"],"unitdate_ssm":["1954-1999"],"unitdate_inclusive_ssm":["1954-1999"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"unitid_ssm":["Ms.1992.019"],"text":["Ms.1992.019","Beverly Willis Architectural Collection","San Francisco (Calif.)","Architects and community","Housing -- United States","City planning","Architecture -- Computer-aided design","Women -- History","International Archive of Women in Architecture (IAWA)","Architectural drawings (visual works)","Collection is open to research.","Some of this collection has been digitized and is available online.","The collection has been arranged into a  Project Index.  which is a way to organize the various formats of architectural records from the same project. The index is arranged by project number and contains information, where available, about the location, date, project type, architect, collaborators, and formats for each project in the collection.","A Summary of the  Project Index.   is listed below.  Consult the  Project Index.   for location information.  ","Beverly Willis, FAIA Architect, artist, and writer, was one of perhaps three women architects in the United States to own her own sizeable architecture firm between 1958 and 1990 and the only woman in San Francisco, California, to have her own practice there for 17 years. Her book,  Invisible Images: The Silent Language of Architecture,  published by the National Building Museum, describes her design philosophy.","She was the first woman appointed to the Building Research Advisory Board of the National Academy of Science, the first appointed to the Federal Construction Council, and its first woman chair. She was the first woman elected president of the American Institute of Architects, California Council; and the Golden Gate Chapter of Lambda Alpha Society.","Willis played a major role in the revitalization of San Francisco neighborhoods after World War II. She renovated commercial spaces in the Jackson Square area and Union Street, redesigned Glide Church, designed the San Francisco Ballet Building, and won an international competition to design the Yerba Buena Gardens development downtown.","Beverly Willis was born February 17, 1928, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to Ralph William Willis, founder of the National Tool Company, and Margaret Elizabeth Porter, a nurse. She had one sibling, Ralph Gerald Willis. Both Willis and her brother were placed in an orphanage when their parents divorced in 1934.","Taking advantage of the increased opportunities available to women with the advent of World War II, Willis learned welding, riveting, electrical wiring, carpentry, and how to fly an airplane--skills that reflected the fiercely independent qualities that emerged in her personality when she was in the institutional environment of the orphanage. After the war, she enrolled in an aeronautical engineering program at Oregon State University, but withdrew after two years to work at a lithographer's studio. She then studied at the San Francisco Art Institute until relocating to Hawaii. In 1954 she received a B.A. in Fine Art from the University of Hawaii.","After graduation, Willis received a series of design commissions that led to her interest in architecture. Fueled by the friendship and ideas of entrepreneur Henry Kaiser, Willis returned to San Francisco in 1960 to open a firm that designed furniture and interiors for offices, created mixed-media art for clients that included United Airlines, and re-worked supermarket displays. Despite her rural sensibility, Willis began to immerse herself in urban designs. She found that her interests ran parallel to those of San Francisco architects like William Wurster and Joseph Esherick.","Willis' first major architectural project was the conversion of three Victorian buildings into a retail complex on Union Street in San Francisco. Her design, which proved a financial success almost immediately, influenced the renovation of the rest of the street between present-day Gough and Pierce streets.","Meeting the experience and education requirements of the California State Architectural Licensing Board in 1966, Willis became a licensed architect and the only woman in San Francisco with her own firm, Beverly Willis and Associates. This firm assumed a partnership with would-be principal architect David Coldoff that year, a partnership that lasted until 1980. Despite the heavy demands of her practice, Willis also found time to serve on the U.S. Government delegation to the United Nations conference on Habitat, become a trustee and founder of the National Building Museum in 1976, and serve as the President of the California Chapter of the National Institute of Architects in 1979.","Willis' interest in the issues that affect planning, population density, and land-use economics with respect to large-scale development manifested itself in the creation of the computer program CARLA (Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis) in the 1970's. The software was developed by Willis with Eric Tiescholz and Jochen Eigen. With CARLA's completion and implementation, Willis and Associates became one of the first architectural firms to incorporate computers into the routine practices of design and land development.","Projects such as the prototype for the regional computer centers of the IRS and master-planning for a new town situated in Aliamanu Valley, Hawaii (1975), are good examples of her unique philosophy of design.","Throughout the 1970s, Willis' firm concentrated on large- scale housing and new-community planning and design. By espousing architecture of rural pragmatism and rooting it in ancient images and myths, Willis offered something new to the intellectual landscape of architectural design.","In 1997, the National Building Museum published Willis' book,  Invisible Images: The Silent Language of Architecture,  in which she describes her buildings and design philosophy. In 1980, she was elected to the American Institute of Architects College of Fellows. In 1984, Willis received an honorary doctorate in Fine Arts from Mount Holyoke College.","By the early 1980s, Willis' design focus shifted to urban structures like the Yerba Buena Gardens redevelopment project (1980) and the San Francisco Ballet Association Building (1984). Smaller, but no less important, projects include Nob Hill Court (1971), Pacific Point Condominiums (1972), the Greenwich Apartment (1978), the Margaret Hayward Playground Building (1978), the (unbuilt) Shown Winery (1986), and the Mr. and Mrs. Richard Goeglin Pool House and Sculpture (1988).","Willis relocated her office and residence to New York City in 1991. Willis founded in 1994 the  Architectural Research Institute, Inc.  (through which the Manhattan Village Academy was designed). In 2002, she founded the  Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation , and she presently (2008) serves as the foundation's president. Her work and community leadership have been widely published (see bibliography). She is a founding trustee of the National Building Museum (1975-present). The Beverly Willis Library is located at the National Building Museum.","Much of the information in the biography was culled from the biography written for Beverly Willis by Nicolai Ouroussoff and included in  Invisible Images: The Silent Language of Architecture , published in 1997 by the National Building Museum, Washington, DC.","Some of the information in the scope and content note was taken from an independent appraisal of the collection.","The bulk of the drawings in the Willis Papers were arranged and described before they were donated, and information about the arrangement of the collection was compiled in a searchable database that is available at the repository. Project records stored in record cartons have been inventoried and are included in the database and finding aid.","The first accession, which was arranged and described by Laura Katz Smith in 1995, was combined with subsequent accessions in 2003. A finding aid describing the complete collection was created by Catherine G. OBrion in 2003, using descriptions of materials in the archives database that was donated with the bulk of the collection in 2000.\nThe 2004 and 2009 additions were arranged and described by Sherrie Bowser in 2012. The project index arrangement was also included at this time.  ","The guide to the Beverly Willis Architectural Collection by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 ( https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/ ).","The Beverly Willis Architectural Collection span the years 1954 to 1999 and are comprised primarily of records documenting Willis' work as an architect in San Francisco between 1960 and 1990. The collection documents the application of computers to architectural design and land analysis, the development of CARLA (Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis) in the 1970s, the history of twentieth-century urban planning, particularly in San Francisco; and the contribution of women to twentieth-century American architecture. Willis, a noted artist, photographer, teacher, and writer, employed the full range of visual arts and design skills to influence and guide architectural projects of major significance.","The bulk of the collection is comprised of Willis and Associates project files from the period 1960 to 1990. Projects range from private residences and residential developments to institutions, such as the San Francisco Ballet Association Building; and urban development projects, most notably the Yerba Buena Gardens project in downtown San Francisco. Also included are records and design documents for Aliamanu Valley New Town, a military base in Hawaii that was the first major project designed with CARLA, computer software for architectural design created by Willis; and records documenting the development of CARLA.","Project files are comprised of presentation drawings, slope analysis drawings, site plans, maps, cut-and-fill analysis plans, sketches, conceptual design drawings, construction drawings, as well as correspondence, research files, contracts, environmental impact statements and studies, financial records, and feasibility studies. There are records for more than 150 projects. Drawings are large folio, pen-and- ink or watercolor on paper, linen, or mylar. Some are heightened with color.","Also included is a series documenting the development of CARLA, Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis, in the 1970s. Beverly Willis was interested in issues that affected planning, population density, and land-use economics in relation to large-scale development. Along with Eric Tiescholz and Jochen Eigen, she developed a program that enabled architects, with the use of computers, to develop site plans and design techniques in a fraction of the time required by the old methodology. Records documenting the development of CARLA include computer tapes, correspondence, flow charts, memos, and Jochen Eigen's notes on interfacing CARLA with a computer mapping program in 1974.","The collection also contains a series of Publications, Brochures, and Clippings, which includes biographical information on Willis, Miscellaneous Project Records, and a video of the Yerba Buena Gardents development.","The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials. Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form:  http://bit.ly/scuareproduction . Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form:  http://bit.ly/scuapublication . Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form.","Please note:  Boxes 1-51 are located in off-site storage and requires 2-3 days notice for retrieval. Please contact Special Collections for more information.","Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech","Willis and Associates","Willis, Beverly, 1928-","The materials in the collection are in English."],"unitid_tesim":["Ms.1992.019"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Beverly Willis Architectural Collection"],"collection_title_tesim":["Beverly Willis Architectural Collection"],"collection_ssim":["Beverly Willis Architectural Collection"],"repository_ssm":["Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University"],"repository_ssim":["Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University"],"geogname_ssm":["San Francisco (Calif.)"],"geogname_ssim":["San Francisco (Calif.)"],"creator_ssm":["Willis, Beverly, 1928-"],"creator_ssim":["Willis, Beverly, 1928-"],"creator_persname_ssim":["Willis, Beverly, 1928-"],"creators_ssim":["Willis, Beverly, 1928-"],"places_ssim":["San Francisco (Calif.)"],"access_terms_ssm":["The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials. Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form:  http://bit.ly/scuareproduction . Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form:  http://bit.ly/scuapublication . Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form."],"acqinfo_ssim":["Beverly Willis donated samples of her designs to Virginia Tech in 1992. This gift was followed, in 2000, with a donation of the bulk of the records and designs from her architectural career.  Additional small accessions arrived in 2004 and 2009."],"access_subjects_ssim":["Architects and community","Housing -- United States","City planning","Architecture -- Computer-aided design","Women -- History","International Archive of Women in Architecture (IAWA)","Architectural drawings (visual works)"],"access_subjects_ssm":["Architects and community","Housing -- United States","City planning","Architecture -- Computer-aided design","Women -- History","International Archive of Women in Architecture (IAWA)","Architectural drawings (visual works)"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"extent_ssm":["100 Linear Feet"],"extent_tesim":["100 Linear Feet"],"genreform_ssim":["Architectural drawings (visual works)"],"date_range_isim":[1954,1955,1956,1957,1958,1959,1960,1961,1962,1963,1964,1965,1966,1967,1968,1969,1970,1971,1972,1973,1974,1975,1976,1977,1978,1979,1980,1981,1982,1983,1984,1985,1986,1987,1988,1989,1990,1991,1992,1993,1994,1995,1996,1997,1998,1999],"accessrestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eCollection is open to research.\u003c/p\u003e"],"accessrestrict_heading_ssm":["Conditions Governing Access"],"accessrestrict_tesim":["Collection is open to research."],"altformavail_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003e\u003ca target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://digitalsc.lib.vt.edu/collections/show/225\"\u003eSome of this collection has been digitized and is available online.\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e"],"altformavail_heading_ssm":["Existence and Location of Copies"],"altformavail_tesim":["Some of this collection has been digitized and is available online."],"arrangement_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe collection has been arranged into a \u003cextref actuate=\"onRequest\" href=\"http://spec.lib.vt.edu/assets/documents/iawa/Ms1992-019pi.xls\" show=\"new\" title=\"Project Index\"\u003eProject Index.\u003c/extref\u003e which is a way to organize the various formats of architectural records from the same project. The index is arranged by project number and contains information, where available, about the location, date, project type, architect, collaborators, and formats for each project in the collection.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eA Summary of the \u003cextref actuate=\"onRequest\" href=\"http://spec.lib.vt.edu/assets/documents/iawa/Ms1992-019pi.xls\" show=\"new\" title=\"Project Index\"\u003eProject Index.\u003c/extref\u003e  is listed below.  Consult the \u003cextref actuate=\"onRequest\" href=\"http://spec.lib.vt.edu/assets/documents/iawa/Ms1992-019pi.xls\" show=\"new\" title=\"Project Index\"\u003eProject Index.\u003c/extref\u003e  for location information.  \u003c/p\u003e"],"arrangement_heading_ssm":["Arrangement"],"arrangement_tesim":["The collection has been arranged into a  Project Index.  which is a way to organize the various formats of architectural records from the same project. The index is arranged by project number and contains information, where available, about the location, date, project type, architect, collaborators, and formats for each project in the collection.","A Summary of the  Project Index.   is listed below.  Consult the  Project Index.   for location information.  "],"bioghist_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eBeverly Willis, FAIA Architect, artist, and writer, was one of perhaps three women architects in the United States to own her own sizeable architecture firm between 1958 and 1990 and the only woman in San Francisco, California, to have her own practice there for 17 years. Her book, \u003ctitle render=\"italic\"\u003eInvisible Images: The Silent Language of Architecture,\u003c/title\u003e published by the National Building Museum, describes her design philosophy.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eShe was the first woman appointed to the Building Research Advisory Board of the National Academy of Science, the first appointed to the Federal Construction Council, and its first woman chair. She was the first woman elected president of the American Institute of Architects, California Council; and the Golden Gate Chapter of Lambda Alpha Society.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eWillis played a major role in the revitalization of San Francisco neighborhoods after World War II. She renovated commercial spaces in the Jackson Square area and Union Street, redesigned Glide Church, designed the San Francisco Ballet Building, and won an international competition to design the Yerba Buena Gardens development downtown.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eBeverly Willis was born February 17, 1928, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to Ralph William Willis, founder of the National Tool Company, and Margaret Elizabeth Porter, a nurse. She had one sibling, Ralph Gerald Willis. Both Willis and her brother were placed in an orphanage when their parents divorced in 1934.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eTaking advantage of the increased opportunities available to women with the advent of World War II, Willis learned welding, riveting, electrical wiring, carpentry, and how to fly an airplane--skills that reflected the fiercely independent qualities that emerged in her personality when she was in the institutional environment of the orphanage. After the war, she enrolled in an aeronautical engineering program at Oregon State University, but withdrew after two years to work at a lithographer's studio. She then studied at the San Francisco Art Institute until relocating to Hawaii. In 1954 she received a B.A. in Fine Art from the University of Hawaii.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eAfter graduation, Willis received a series of design commissions that led to her interest in architecture. Fueled by the friendship and ideas of entrepreneur Henry Kaiser, Willis returned to San Francisco in 1960 to open a firm that designed furniture and interiors for offices, created mixed-media art for clients that included United Airlines, and re-worked supermarket displays. Despite her rural sensibility, Willis began to immerse herself in urban designs. She found that her interests ran parallel to those of San Francisco architects like William Wurster and Joseph Esherick.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eWillis' first major architectural project was the conversion of three Victorian buildings into a retail complex on Union Street in San Francisco. Her design, which proved a financial success almost immediately, influenced the renovation of the rest of the street between present-day Gough and Pierce streets.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eMeeting the experience and education requirements of the California State Architectural Licensing Board in 1966, Willis became a licensed architect and the only woman in San Francisco with her own firm, Beverly Willis and Associates. This firm assumed a partnership with would-be principal architect David Coldoff that year, a partnership that lasted until 1980. Despite the heavy demands of her practice, Willis also found time to serve on the U.S. Government delegation to the United Nations conference on Habitat, become a trustee and founder of the National Building Museum in 1976, and serve as the President of the California Chapter of the National Institute of Architects in 1979.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eWillis' interest in the issues that affect planning, population density, and land-use economics with respect to large-scale development manifested itself in the creation of the computer program CARLA (Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis) in the 1970's. The software was developed by Willis with Eric Tiescholz and Jochen Eigen. With CARLA's completion and implementation, Willis and Associates became one of the first architectural firms to incorporate computers into the routine practices of design and land development.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eProjects such as the prototype for the regional computer centers of the IRS and master-planning for a new town situated in Aliamanu Valley, Hawaii (1975), are good examples of her unique philosophy of design.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eThroughout the 1970s, Willis' firm concentrated on large- scale housing and new-community planning and design. By espousing architecture of rural pragmatism and rooting it in ancient images and myths, Willis offered something new to the intellectual landscape of architectural design.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eIn 1997, the National Building Museum published Willis' book, \u003ctitle render=\"italic\"\u003eInvisible Images: The Silent Language of Architecture,\u003c/title\u003e in which she describes her buildings and design philosophy. In 1980, she was elected to the American Institute of Architects College of Fellows. In 1984, Willis received an honorary doctorate in Fine Arts from Mount Holyoke College.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eBy the early 1980s, Willis' design focus shifted to urban structures like the Yerba Buena Gardens redevelopment project (1980) and the San Francisco Ballet Association Building (1984). Smaller, but no less important, projects include Nob Hill Court (1971), Pacific Point Condominiums (1972), the Greenwich Apartment (1978), the Margaret Hayward Playground Building (1978), the (unbuilt) Shown Winery (1986), and the Mr. and Mrs. Richard Goeglin Pool House and Sculpture (1988).\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eWillis relocated her office and residence to New York City in 1991. Willis founded in 1994 the \u003cextref href=\"http://www.architect.org\" title=\"Architectural Research Institute, Inc.\"\u003eArchitectural Research Institute, Inc.\u003c/extref\u003e (through which the Manhattan Village Academy was designed). In 2002, she founded the \u003cextref href=\"http://www.bwaf.org/\" title=\"Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation\"\u003eBeverly Willis Architecture Foundation\u003c/extref\u003e, and she presently (2008) serves as the foundation's president. Her work and community leadership have been widely published (see bibliography). She is a founding trustee of the National Building Museum (1975-present). The Beverly Willis Library is located at the National Building Museum.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eMuch of the information in the biography was culled from the biography written for Beverly Willis by Nicolai Ouroussoff and included in \u003ctitle render=\"italic\"\u003eInvisible Images: The Silent Language of Architecture\u003c/title\u003e, published in 1997 by the National Building Museum, Washington, DC.\u003c/p\u003e"],"bioghist_heading_ssm":["Biographical Note","Source"],"bioghist_tesim":["Beverly Willis, FAIA Architect, artist, and writer, was one of perhaps three women architects in the United States to own her own sizeable architecture firm between 1958 and 1990 and the only woman in San Francisco, California, to have her own practice there for 17 years. Her book,  Invisible Images: The Silent Language of Architecture,  published by the National Building Museum, describes her design philosophy.","She was the first woman appointed to the Building Research Advisory Board of the National Academy of Science, the first appointed to the Federal Construction Council, and its first woman chair. She was the first woman elected president of the American Institute of Architects, California Council; and the Golden Gate Chapter of Lambda Alpha Society.","Willis played a major role in the revitalization of San Francisco neighborhoods after World War II. She renovated commercial spaces in the Jackson Square area and Union Street, redesigned Glide Church, designed the San Francisco Ballet Building, and won an international competition to design the Yerba Buena Gardens development downtown.","Beverly Willis was born February 17, 1928, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to Ralph William Willis, founder of the National Tool Company, and Margaret Elizabeth Porter, a nurse. She had one sibling, Ralph Gerald Willis. Both Willis and her brother were placed in an orphanage when their parents divorced in 1934.","Taking advantage of the increased opportunities available to women with the advent of World War II, Willis learned welding, riveting, electrical wiring, carpentry, and how to fly an airplane--skills that reflected the fiercely independent qualities that emerged in her personality when she was in the institutional environment of the orphanage. After the war, she enrolled in an aeronautical engineering program at Oregon State University, but withdrew after two years to work at a lithographer's studio. She then studied at the San Francisco Art Institute until relocating to Hawaii. In 1954 she received a B.A. in Fine Art from the University of Hawaii.","After graduation, Willis received a series of design commissions that led to her interest in architecture. Fueled by the friendship and ideas of entrepreneur Henry Kaiser, Willis returned to San Francisco in 1960 to open a firm that designed furniture and interiors for offices, created mixed-media art for clients that included United Airlines, and re-worked supermarket displays. Despite her rural sensibility, Willis began to immerse herself in urban designs. She found that her interests ran parallel to those of San Francisco architects like William Wurster and Joseph Esherick.","Willis' first major architectural project was the conversion of three Victorian buildings into a retail complex on Union Street in San Francisco. Her design, which proved a financial success almost immediately, influenced the renovation of the rest of the street between present-day Gough and Pierce streets.","Meeting the experience and education requirements of the California State Architectural Licensing Board in 1966, Willis became a licensed architect and the only woman in San Francisco with her own firm, Beverly Willis and Associates. This firm assumed a partnership with would-be principal architect David Coldoff that year, a partnership that lasted until 1980. Despite the heavy demands of her practice, Willis also found time to serve on the U.S. Government delegation to the United Nations conference on Habitat, become a trustee and founder of the National Building Museum in 1976, and serve as the President of the California Chapter of the National Institute of Architects in 1979.","Willis' interest in the issues that affect planning, population density, and land-use economics with respect to large-scale development manifested itself in the creation of the computer program CARLA (Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis) in the 1970's. The software was developed by Willis with Eric Tiescholz and Jochen Eigen. With CARLA's completion and implementation, Willis and Associates became one of the first architectural firms to incorporate computers into the routine practices of design and land development.","Projects such as the prototype for the regional computer centers of the IRS and master-planning for a new town situated in Aliamanu Valley, Hawaii (1975), are good examples of her unique philosophy of design.","Throughout the 1970s, Willis' firm concentrated on large- scale housing and new-community planning and design. By espousing architecture of rural pragmatism and rooting it in ancient images and myths, Willis offered something new to the intellectual landscape of architectural design.","In 1997, the National Building Museum published Willis' book,  Invisible Images: The Silent Language of Architecture,  in which she describes her buildings and design philosophy. In 1980, she was elected to the American Institute of Architects College of Fellows. In 1984, Willis received an honorary doctorate in Fine Arts from Mount Holyoke College.","By the early 1980s, Willis' design focus shifted to urban structures like the Yerba Buena Gardens redevelopment project (1980) and the San Francisco Ballet Association Building (1984). Smaller, but no less important, projects include Nob Hill Court (1971), Pacific Point Condominiums (1972), the Greenwich Apartment (1978), the Margaret Hayward Playground Building (1978), the (unbuilt) Shown Winery (1986), and the Mr. and Mrs. Richard Goeglin Pool House and Sculpture (1988).","Willis relocated her office and residence to New York City in 1991. Willis founded in 1994 the  Architectural Research Institute, Inc.  (through which the Manhattan Village Academy was designed). In 2002, she founded the  Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation , and she presently (2008) serves as the foundation's president. Her work and community leadership have been widely published (see bibliography). She is a founding trustee of the National Building Museum (1975-present). The Beverly Willis Library is located at the National Building Museum.","Much of the information in the biography was culled from the biography written for Beverly Willis by Nicolai Ouroussoff and included in  Invisible Images: The Silent Language of Architecture , published in 1997 by the National Building Museum, Washington, DC."],"odd_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eSome of the information in the scope and content note was taken from an independent appraisal of the collection.\u003c/p\u003e"],"odd_heading_ssm":["General note"],"odd_tesim":["Some of the information in the scope and content note was taken from an independent appraisal of the collection."],"otherfindaid_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eA file-level \u003cextref href=\"http://spec.lib.vt.edu/iawa/inventories/Willis/Willis.html\" title=\"inventory\"\u003einventory\u003c/extref\u003e of letter- and legal-size project records is available at the repository.\u003c/p\u003e"],"otherfindaid_heading_ssm":["Other Finding Aid"],"otherfindaid_tesim":["A file-level  inventory  of letter- and legal-size project records is available at the repository."],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eResearchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Beverly Willis Architectural Collection, Ms1992-019, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.\u003c/p\u003e"],"prefercite_tesim":["Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Beverly Willis Architectural Collection, Ms1992-019, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va."],"processinfo_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe bulk of the drawings in the Willis Papers were arranged and described before they were donated, and information about the arrangement of the collection was compiled in a searchable database that is available at the repository. Project records stored in record cartons have been inventoried and are included in the database and finding aid.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe first accession, which was arranged and described by Laura Katz Smith in 1995, was combined with subsequent accessions in 2003. A finding aid describing the complete collection was created by Catherine G. OBrion in 2003, using descriptions of materials in the archives database that was donated with the bulk of the collection in 2000.\nThe 2004 and 2009 additions were arranged and described by Sherrie Bowser in 2012. The project index arrangement was also included at this time.  \u003c/p\u003e"],"processinfo_heading_ssm":["Processing Information"],"processinfo_tesim":["The bulk of the drawings in the Willis Papers were arranged and described before they were donated, and information about the arrangement of the collection was compiled in a searchable database that is available at the repository. Project records stored in record cartons have been inventoried and are included in the database and finding aid.","The first accession, which was arranged and described by Laura Katz Smith in 1995, was combined with subsequent accessions in 2003. A finding aid describing the complete collection was created by Catherine G. OBrion in 2003, using descriptions of materials in the archives database that was donated with the bulk of the collection in 2000.\nThe 2004 and 2009 additions were arranged and described by Sherrie Bowser in 2012. The project index arrangement was also included at this time.  "],"relatedmaterial_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe guide to the Beverly Willis Architectural Collection by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 (\u003ca href=\"https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/\"\u003ehttps://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/\u003c/a\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e"],"relatedmaterial_heading_ssm":["Rights Statement for Archival Description"],"relatedmaterial_tesim":["The guide to the Beverly Willis Architectural Collection by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 ( https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/ )."],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe Beverly Willis Architectural Collection span the years 1954 to 1999 and are comprised primarily of records documenting Willis' work as an architect in San Francisco between 1960 and 1990. The collection documents the application of computers to architectural design and land analysis, the development of CARLA (Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis) in the 1970s, the history of twentieth-century urban planning, particularly in San Francisco; and the contribution of women to twentieth-century American architecture. Willis, a noted artist, photographer, teacher, and writer, employed the full range of visual arts and design skills to influence and guide architectural projects of major significance.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eThe bulk of the collection is comprised of Willis and Associates project files from the period 1960 to 1990. Projects range from private residences and residential developments to institutions, such as the San Francisco Ballet Association Building; and urban development projects, most notably the Yerba Buena Gardens project in downtown San Francisco. Also included are records and design documents for Aliamanu Valley New Town, a military base in Hawaii that was the first major project designed with CARLA, computer software for architectural design created by Willis; and records documenting the development of CARLA.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eProject files are comprised of presentation drawings, slope analysis drawings, site plans, maps, cut-and-fill analysis plans, sketches, conceptual design drawings, construction drawings, as well as correspondence, research files, contracts, environmental impact statements and studies, financial records, and feasibility studies. There are records for more than 150 projects. Drawings are large folio, pen-and- ink or watercolor on paper, linen, or mylar. Some are heightened with color.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eAlso included is a series documenting the development of CARLA, Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis, in the 1970s. Beverly Willis was interested in issues that affected planning, population density, and land-use economics in relation to large-scale development. Along with Eric Tiescholz and Jochen Eigen, she developed a program that enabled architects, with the use of computers, to develop site plans and design techniques in a fraction of the time required by the old methodology. Records documenting the development of CARLA include computer tapes, correspondence, flow charts, memos, and Jochen Eigen's notes on interfacing CARLA with a computer mapping program in 1974.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eThe collection also contains a series of Publications, Brochures, and Clippings, which includes biographical information on Willis, Miscellaneous Project Records, and a video of the Yerba Buena Gardents development.\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Contents"],"scopecontent_tesim":["The Beverly Willis Architectural Collection span the years 1954 to 1999 and are comprised primarily of records documenting Willis' work as an architect in San Francisco between 1960 and 1990. The collection documents the application of computers to architectural design and land analysis, the development of CARLA (Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis) in the 1970s, the history of twentieth-century urban planning, particularly in San Francisco; and the contribution of women to twentieth-century American architecture. Willis, a noted artist, photographer, teacher, and writer, employed the full range of visual arts and design skills to influence and guide architectural projects of major significance.","The bulk of the collection is comprised of Willis and Associates project files from the period 1960 to 1990. Projects range from private residences and residential developments to institutions, such as the San Francisco Ballet Association Building; and urban development projects, most notably the Yerba Buena Gardens project in downtown San Francisco. Also included are records and design documents for Aliamanu Valley New Town, a military base in Hawaii that was the first major project designed with CARLA, computer software for architectural design created by Willis; and records documenting the development of CARLA.","Project files are comprised of presentation drawings, slope analysis drawings, site plans, maps, cut-and-fill analysis plans, sketches, conceptual design drawings, construction drawings, as well as correspondence, research files, contracts, environmental impact statements and studies, financial records, and feasibility studies. There are records for more than 150 projects. Drawings are large folio, pen-and- ink or watercolor on paper, linen, or mylar. Some are heightened with color.","Also included is a series documenting the development of CARLA, Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis, in the 1970s. Beverly Willis was interested in issues that affected planning, population density, and land-use economics in relation to large-scale development. Along with Eric Tiescholz and Jochen Eigen, she developed a program that enabled architects, with the use of computers, to develop site plans and design techniques in a fraction of the time required by the old methodology. Records documenting the development of CARLA include computer tapes, correspondence, flow charts, memos, and Jochen Eigen's notes on interfacing CARLA with a computer mapping program in 1974.","The collection also contains a series of Publications, Brochures, and Clippings, which includes biographical information on Willis, Miscellaneous Project Records, and a video of the Yerba Buena Gardents development."],"userestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials. Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form: \u003ca href=\"http://bit.ly/scuareproduction\"\u003ehttp://bit.ly/scuareproduction\u003c/a\u003e. Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form: \u003ca href=\"http://bit.ly/scuapublication\"\u003ehttp://bit.ly/scuapublication\u003c/a\u003e. Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form.\u003c/p\u003e"],"userestrict_heading_ssm":["Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use"],"userestrict_tesim":["The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials. Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form:  http://bit.ly/scuareproduction . Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form:  http://bit.ly/scuapublication . Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form."],"physloc_html_tesm":["\u003cphysloc id=\"aspace_174a3dc5cc0f306ff98b4fcaecbf2059\"\u003e\u003cemph render=\"bold\"\u003ePlease note:\u003c/emph\u003e Boxes 1-51 are located in off-site storage and requires 2-3 days notice for retrieval. Please contact Special Collections for more information.\u003c/physloc\u003e"],"physloc_tesim":["Please note:  Boxes 1-51 are located in off-site storage and requires 2-3 days notice for retrieval. Please contact Special Collections for more information."],"names_coll_ssim":["Willis and Associates","Willis, Beverly, 1928-"],"names_ssim":["Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech","Willis and Associates","Willis, Beverly, 1928-"],"corpname_ssim":["Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech","Willis and Associates"],"persname_ssim":["Willis, Beverly, 1928-"],"language_ssim":["The materials in the collection are in English."],"descrules_ssm":["Describing Archives: A Content Standard"],"total_component_count_is":212,"online_item_count_is":0,"component_level_isim":[0],"sort_isi":0,"timestamp":"2026-04-30T23:45:27.234Z"}]}},"label":"Breadcrumbs"}}},"links":{"self":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03_c110"}},{"id":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03_c111","type":"Subseries","attributes":{"title":"Project 0751: Jesse St. Sub Station, San Francisco, California","abstract_or_scope":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03_c111#abstract_or_scope","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":"\u003cp\u003eStudy plan to determine feasibility to locate the Developer's Project Office in the existing Jesse Street Sub-station space, which was a former utility building.\u003c/p\u003e","label":"Abstract Or Scope"}},"breadcrumbs":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03_c111#breadcrumbs","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":{"ref_ssi":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03_c111","ref_ssm":["viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03_c111"],"id":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03_c111","ead_ssi":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898","_root_":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898","_nest_parent_":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03","parent_ssi":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03","parent_ssim":["viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898","viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03","viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03"],"parent_ids_ssim":["viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898","viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03","viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03"],"parent_unittitles_ssm":["Beverly Willis Architectural Collection","Project Records","Project Files"],"parent_unittitles_tesim":["Beverly Willis Architectural Collection","Project Records","Project Files"],"text":["Beverly Willis Architectural Collection","Project Records","Project Files","Project 0751: Jesse St. Sub Station, San Francisco, California","Study plan to determine feasibility to locate the Developer's Project Office in the existing Jesse Street Sub-station space, which was a former utility building."],"title_filing_ssi":"Project 0751: Jesse St. Sub Station, San Francisco, California","title_ssm":["Project 0751: Jesse St. Sub Station, San Francisco, California"],"title_tesim":["Project 0751: Jesse St. Sub Station, San Francisco, California"],"unitdate_other_ssim":["1980"],"normalized_date_ssm":["1980"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Project 0751: Jesse St. Sub Station, San Francisco, California"],"component_level_isim":[3],"repository_ssim":["Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University"],"collection_ssim":["Beverly Willis Architectural Collection"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"child_component_count_isi":0,"level_ssm":["Subseries"],"level_ssim":["Subseries"],"sort_isi":158,"parent_access_restrict_tesm":["Collection is open to research."],"parent_access_terms_tesm":["The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials. Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form: http://bit.ly/scuareproduction. Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form: http://bit.ly/scuapublication. Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form."],"date_range_isim":[1980],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eStudy plan to determine feasibility to locate the Developer's Project Office in the existing Jesse Street Sub-station space, which was a former utility building.\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Contents note"],"scopecontent_tesim":["Study plan to determine feasibility to locate the Developer's Project Office in the existing Jesse Street Sub-station space, which was a former utility building."],"_nest_path_":"/components#2/components#2/components#110","timestamp":"2026-04-30T23:45:27.234Z","collection":{"numFound":1,"start":0,"numFoundExact":true,"docs":[{"id":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898","ead_ssi":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898","_root_":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898","_nest_parent_":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898","ead_source_url_ssi":"data/oai/VT/repositories_2_resources_1898.xml","title_filing_ssi":"Willis, Beverly Architectural Collection","title_ssm":["Beverly Willis Architectural Collection"],"title_tesim":["Beverly Willis Architectural Collection"],"unitdate_ssm":["1954-1999"],"unitdate_inclusive_ssm":["1954-1999"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"unitid_ssm":["Ms.1992.019"],"text":["Ms.1992.019","Beverly Willis Architectural Collection","San Francisco (Calif.)","Architects and community","Housing -- United States","City planning","Architecture -- Computer-aided design","Women -- History","International Archive of Women in Architecture (IAWA)","Architectural drawings (visual works)","Collection is open to research.","Some of this collection has been digitized and is available online.","The collection has been arranged into a  Project Index.  which is a way to organize the various formats of architectural records from the same project. The index is arranged by project number and contains information, where available, about the location, date, project type, architect, collaborators, and formats for each project in the collection.","A Summary of the  Project Index.   is listed below.  Consult the  Project Index.   for location information.  ","Beverly Willis, FAIA Architect, artist, and writer, was one of perhaps three women architects in the United States to own her own sizeable architecture firm between 1958 and 1990 and the only woman in San Francisco, California, to have her own practice there for 17 years. Her book,  Invisible Images: The Silent Language of Architecture,  published by the National Building Museum, describes her design philosophy.","She was the first woman appointed to the Building Research Advisory Board of the National Academy of Science, the first appointed to the Federal Construction Council, and its first woman chair. She was the first woman elected president of the American Institute of Architects, California Council; and the Golden Gate Chapter of Lambda Alpha Society.","Willis played a major role in the revitalization of San Francisco neighborhoods after World War II. She renovated commercial spaces in the Jackson Square area and Union Street, redesigned Glide Church, designed the San Francisco Ballet Building, and won an international competition to design the Yerba Buena Gardens development downtown.","Beverly Willis was born February 17, 1928, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to Ralph William Willis, founder of the National Tool Company, and Margaret Elizabeth Porter, a nurse. She had one sibling, Ralph Gerald Willis. Both Willis and her brother were placed in an orphanage when their parents divorced in 1934.","Taking advantage of the increased opportunities available to women with the advent of World War II, Willis learned welding, riveting, electrical wiring, carpentry, and how to fly an airplane--skills that reflected the fiercely independent qualities that emerged in her personality when she was in the institutional environment of the orphanage. After the war, she enrolled in an aeronautical engineering program at Oregon State University, but withdrew after two years to work at a lithographer's studio. She then studied at the San Francisco Art Institute until relocating to Hawaii. In 1954 she received a B.A. in Fine Art from the University of Hawaii.","After graduation, Willis received a series of design commissions that led to her interest in architecture. Fueled by the friendship and ideas of entrepreneur Henry Kaiser, Willis returned to San Francisco in 1960 to open a firm that designed furniture and interiors for offices, created mixed-media art for clients that included United Airlines, and re-worked supermarket displays. Despite her rural sensibility, Willis began to immerse herself in urban designs. She found that her interests ran parallel to those of San Francisco architects like William Wurster and Joseph Esherick.","Willis' first major architectural project was the conversion of three Victorian buildings into a retail complex on Union Street in San Francisco. Her design, which proved a financial success almost immediately, influenced the renovation of the rest of the street between present-day Gough and Pierce streets.","Meeting the experience and education requirements of the California State Architectural Licensing Board in 1966, Willis became a licensed architect and the only woman in San Francisco with her own firm, Beverly Willis and Associates. This firm assumed a partnership with would-be principal architect David Coldoff that year, a partnership that lasted until 1980. Despite the heavy demands of her practice, Willis also found time to serve on the U.S. Government delegation to the United Nations conference on Habitat, become a trustee and founder of the National Building Museum in 1976, and serve as the President of the California Chapter of the National Institute of Architects in 1979.","Willis' interest in the issues that affect planning, population density, and land-use economics with respect to large-scale development manifested itself in the creation of the computer program CARLA (Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis) in the 1970's. The software was developed by Willis with Eric Tiescholz and Jochen Eigen. With CARLA's completion and implementation, Willis and Associates became one of the first architectural firms to incorporate computers into the routine practices of design and land development.","Projects such as the prototype for the regional computer centers of the IRS and master-planning for a new town situated in Aliamanu Valley, Hawaii (1975), are good examples of her unique philosophy of design.","Throughout the 1970s, Willis' firm concentrated on large- scale housing and new-community planning and design. By espousing architecture of rural pragmatism and rooting it in ancient images and myths, Willis offered something new to the intellectual landscape of architectural design.","In 1997, the National Building Museum published Willis' book,  Invisible Images: The Silent Language of Architecture,  in which she describes her buildings and design philosophy. In 1980, she was elected to the American Institute of Architects College of Fellows. In 1984, Willis received an honorary doctorate in Fine Arts from Mount Holyoke College.","By the early 1980s, Willis' design focus shifted to urban structures like the Yerba Buena Gardens redevelopment project (1980) and the San Francisco Ballet Association Building (1984). Smaller, but no less important, projects include Nob Hill Court (1971), Pacific Point Condominiums (1972), the Greenwich Apartment (1978), the Margaret Hayward Playground Building (1978), the (unbuilt) Shown Winery (1986), and the Mr. and Mrs. Richard Goeglin Pool House and Sculpture (1988).","Willis relocated her office and residence to New York City in 1991. Willis founded in 1994 the  Architectural Research Institute, Inc.  (through which the Manhattan Village Academy was designed). In 2002, she founded the  Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation , and she presently (2008) serves as the foundation's president. Her work and community leadership have been widely published (see bibliography). She is a founding trustee of the National Building Museum (1975-present). The Beverly Willis Library is located at the National Building Museum.","Much of the information in the biography was culled from the biography written for Beverly Willis by Nicolai Ouroussoff and included in  Invisible Images: The Silent Language of Architecture , published in 1997 by the National Building Museum, Washington, DC.","Some of the information in the scope and content note was taken from an independent appraisal of the collection.","The bulk of the drawings in the Willis Papers were arranged and described before they were donated, and information about the arrangement of the collection was compiled in a searchable database that is available at the repository. Project records stored in record cartons have been inventoried and are included in the database and finding aid.","The first accession, which was arranged and described by Laura Katz Smith in 1995, was combined with subsequent accessions in 2003. A finding aid describing the complete collection was created by Catherine G. OBrion in 2003, using descriptions of materials in the archives database that was donated with the bulk of the collection in 2000.\nThe 2004 and 2009 additions were arranged and described by Sherrie Bowser in 2012. The project index arrangement was also included at this time.  ","The guide to the Beverly Willis Architectural Collection by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 ( https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/ ).","The Beverly Willis Architectural Collection span the years 1954 to 1999 and are comprised primarily of records documenting Willis' work as an architect in San Francisco between 1960 and 1990. The collection documents the application of computers to architectural design and land analysis, the development of CARLA (Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis) in the 1970s, the history of twentieth-century urban planning, particularly in San Francisco; and the contribution of women to twentieth-century American architecture. Willis, a noted artist, photographer, teacher, and writer, employed the full range of visual arts and design skills to influence and guide architectural projects of major significance.","The bulk of the collection is comprised of Willis and Associates project files from the period 1960 to 1990. Projects range from private residences and residential developments to institutions, such as the San Francisco Ballet Association Building; and urban development projects, most notably the Yerba Buena Gardens project in downtown San Francisco. Also included are records and design documents for Aliamanu Valley New Town, a military base in Hawaii that was the first major project designed with CARLA, computer software for architectural design created by Willis; and records documenting the development of CARLA.","Project files are comprised of presentation drawings, slope analysis drawings, site plans, maps, cut-and-fill analysis plans, sketches, conceptual design drawings, construction drawings, as well as correspondence, research files, contracts, environmental impact statements and studies, financial records, and feasibility studies. There are records for more than 150 projects. Drawings are large folio, pen-and- ink or watercolor on paper, linen, or mylar. Some are heightened with color.","Also included is a series documenting the development of CARLA, Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis, in the 1970s. Beverly Willis was interested in issues that affected planning, population density, and land-use economics in relation to large-scale development. Along with Eric Tiescholz and Jochen Eigen, she developed a program that enabled architects, with the use of computers, to develop site plans and design techniques in a fraction of the time required by the old methodology. Records documenting the development of CARLA include computer tapes, correspondence, flow charts, memos, and Jochen Eigen's notes on interfacing CARLA with a computer mapping program in 1974.","The collection also contains a series of Publications, Brochures, and Clippings, which includes biographical information on Willis, Miscellaneous Project Records, and a video of the Yerba Buena Gardents development.","The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials. Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form:  http://bit.ly/scuareproduction . Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form:  http://bit.ly/scuapublication . Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form.","Please note:  Boxes 1-51 are located in off-site storage and requires 2-3 days notice for retrieval. Please contact Special Collections for more information.","Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech","Willis and Associates","Willis, Beverly, 1928-","The materials in the collection are in English."],"unitid_tesim":["Ms.1992.019"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Beverly Willis Architectural Collection"],"collection_title_tesim":["Beverly Willis Architectural Collection"],"collection_ssim":["Beverly Willis Architectural Collection"],"repository_ssm":["Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University"],"repository_ssim":["Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University"],"geogname_ssm":["San Francisco (Calif.)"],"geogname_ssim":["San Francisco (Calif.)"],"creator_ssm":["Willis, Beverly, 1928-"],"creator_ssim":["Willis, Beverly, 1928-"],"creator_persname_ssim":["Willis, Beverly, 1928-"],"creators_ssim":["Willis, Beverly, 1928-"],"places_ssim":["San Francisco (Calif.)"],"access_terms_ssm":["The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials. Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form:  http://bit.ly/scuareproduction . Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form:  http://bit.ly/scuapublication . Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form."],"acqinfo_ssim":["Beverly Willis donated samples of her designs to Virginia Tech in 1992. This gift was followed, in 2000, with a donation of the bulk of the records and designs from her architectural career.  Additional small accessions arrived in 2004 and 2009."],"access_subjects_ssim":["Architects and community","Housing -- United States","City planning","Architecture -- Computer-aided design","Women -- History","International Archive of Women in Architecture (IAWA)","Architectural drawings (visual works)"],"access_subjects_ssm":["Architects and community","Housing -- United States","City planning","Architecture -- Computer-aided design","Women -- History","International Archive of Women in Architecture (IAWA)","Architectural drawings (visual works)"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"extent_ssm":["100 Linear Feet"],"extent_tesim":["100 Linear Feet"],"genreform_ssim":["Architectural drawings (visual works)"],"date_range_isim":[1954,1955,1956,1957,1958,1959,1960,1961,1962,1963,1964,1965,1966,1967,1968,1969,1970,1971,1972,1973,1974,1975,1976,1977,1978,1979,1980,1981,1982,1983,1984,1985,1986,1987,1988,1989,1990,1991,1992,1993,1994,1995,1996,1997,1998,1999],"accessrestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eCollection is open to research.\u003c/p\u003e"],"accessrestrict_heading_ssm":["Conditions Governing Access"],"accessrestrict_tesim":["Collection is open to research."],"altformavail_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003e\u003ca target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://digitalsc.lib.vt.edu/collections/show/225\"\u003eSome of this collection has been digitized and is available online.\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e"],"altformavail_heading_ssm":["Existence and Location of Copies"],"altformavail_tesim":["Some of this collection has been digitized and is available online."],"arrangement_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe collection has been arranged into a \u003cextref actuate=\"onRequest\" href=\"http://spec.lib.vt.edu/assets/documents/iawa/Ms1992-019pi.xls\" show=\"new\" title=\"Project Index\"\u003eProject Index.\u003c/extref\u003e which is a way to organize the various formats of architectural records from the same project. The index is arranged by project number and contains information, where available, about the location, date, project type, architect, collaborators, and formats for each project in the collection.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eA Summary of the \u003cextref actuate=\"onRequest\" href=\"http://spec.lib.vt.edu/assets/documents/iawa/Ms1992-019pi.xls\" show=\"new\" title=\"Project Index\"\u003eProject Index.\u003c/extref\u003e  is listed below.  Consult the \u003cextref actuate=\"onRequest\" href=\"http://spec.lib.vt.edu/assets/documents/iawa/Ms1992-019pi.xls\" show=\"new\" title=\"Project Index\"\u003eProject Index.\u003c/extref\u003e  for location information.  \u003c/p\u003e"],"arrangement_heading_ssm":["Arrangement"],"arrangement_tesim":["The collection has been arranged into a  Project Index.  which is a way to organize the various formats of architectural records from the same project. The index is arranged by project number and contains information, where available, about the location, date, project type, architect, collaborators, and formats for each project in the collection.","A Summary of the  Project Index.   is listed below.  Consult the  Project Index.   for location information.  "],"bioghist_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eBeverly Willis, FAIA Architect, artist, and writer, was one of perhaps three women architects in the United States to own her own sizeable architecture firm between 1958 and 1990 and the only woman in San Francisco, California, to have her own practice there for 17 years. Her book, \u003ctitle render=\"italic\"\u003eInvisible Images: The Silent Language of Architecture,\u003c/title\u003e published by the National Building Museum, describes her design philosophy.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eShe was the first woman appointed to the Building Research Advisory Board of the National Academy of Science, the first appointed to the Federal Construction Council, and its first woman chair. She was the first woman elected president of the American Institute of Architects, California Council; and the Golden Gate Chapter of Lambda Alpha Society.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eWillis played a major role in the revitalization of San Francisco neighborhoods after World War II. She renovated commercial spaces in the Jackson Square area and Union Street, redesigned Glide Church, designed the San Francisco Ballet Building, and won an international competition to design the Yerba Buena Gardens development downtown.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eBeverly Willis was born February 17, 1928, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to Ralph William Willis, founder of the National Tool Company, and Margaret Elizabeth Porter, a nurse. She had one sibling, Ralph Gerald Willis. Both Willis and her brother were placed in an orphanage when their parents divorced in 1934.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eTaking advantage of the increased opportunities available to women with the advent of World War II, Willis learned welding, riveting, electrical wiring, carpentry, and how to fly an airplane--skills that reflected the fiercely independent qualities that emerged in her personality when she was in the institutional environment of the orphanage. After the war, she enrolled in an aeronautical engineering program at Oregon State University, but withdrew after two years to work at a lithographer's studio. She then studied at the San Francisco Art Institute until relocating to Hawaii. In 1954 she received a B.A. in Fine Art from the University of Hawaii.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eAfter graduation, Willis received a series of design commissions that led to her interest in architecture. Fueled by the friendship and ideas of entrepreneur Henry Kaiser, Willis returned to San Francisco in 1960 to open a firm that designed furniture and interiors for offices, created mixed-media art for clients that included United Airlines, and re-worked supermarket displays. Despite her rural sensibility, Willis began to immerse herself in urban designs. She found that her interests ran parallel to those of San Francisco architects like William Wurster and Joseph Esherick.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eWillis' first major architectural project was the conversion of three Victorian buildings into a retail complex on Union Street in San Francisco. Her design, which proved a financial success almost immediately, influenced the renovation of the rest of the street between present-day Gough and Pierce streets.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eMeeting the experience and education requirements of the California State Architectural Licensing Board in 1966, Willis became a licensed architect and the only woman in San Francisco with her own firm, Beverly Willis and Associates. This firm assumed a partnership with would-be principal architect David Coldoff that year, a partnership that lasted until 1980. Despite the heavy demands of her practice, Willis also found time to serve on the U.S. Government delegation to the United Nations conference on Habitat, become a trustee and founder of the National Building Museum in 1976, and serve as the President of the California Chapter of the National Institute of Architects in 1979.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eWillis' interest in the issues that affect planning, population density, and land-use economics with respect to large-scale development manifested itself in the creation of the computer program CARLA (Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis) in the 1970's. The software was developed by Willis with Eric Tiescholz and Jochen Eigen. With CARLA's completion and implementation, Willis and Associates became one of the first architectural firms to incorporate computers into the routine practices of design and land development.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eProjects such as the prototype for the regional computer centers of the IRS and master-planning for a new town situated in Aliamanu Valley, Hawaii (1975), are good examples of her unique philosophy of design.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eThroughout the 1970s, Willis' firm concentrated on large- scale housing and new-community planning and design. By espousing architecture of rural pragmatism and rooting it in ancient images and myths, Willis offered something new to the intellectual landscape of architectural design.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eIn 1997, the National Building Museum published Willis' book, \u003ctitle render=\"italic\"\u003eInvisible Images: The Silent Language of Architecture,\u003c/title\u003e in which she describes her buildings and design philosophy. In 1980, she was elected to the American Institute of Architects College of Fellows. In 1984, Willis received an honorary doctorate in Fine Arts from Mount Holyoke College.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eBy the early 1980s, Willis' design focus shifted to urban structures like the Yerba Buena Gardens redevelopment project (1980) and the San Francisco Ballet Association Building (1984). Smaller, but no less important, projects include Nob Hill Court (1971), Pacific Point Condominiums (1972), the Greenwich Apartment (1978), the Margaret Hayward Playground Building (1978), the (unbuilt) Shown Winery (1986), and the Mr. and Mrs. Richard Goeglin Pool House and Sculpture (1988).\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eWillis relocated her office and residence to New York City in 1991. Willis founded in 1994 the \u003cextref href=\"http://www.architect.org\" title=\"Architectural Research Institute, Inc.\"\u003eArchitectural Research Institute, Inc.\u003c/extref\u003e (through which the Manhattan Village Academy was designed). In 2002, she founded the \u003cextref href=\"http://www.bwaf.org/\" title=\"Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation\"\u003eBeverly Willis Architecture Foundation\u003c/extref\u003e, and she presently (2008) serves as the foundation's president. Her work and community leadership have been widely published (see bibliography). She is a founding trustee of the National Building Museum (1975-present). The Beverly Willis Library is located at the National Building Museum.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eMuch of the information in the biography was culled from the biography written for Beverly Willis by Nicolai Ouroussoff and included in \u003ctitle render=\"italic\"\u003eInvisible Images: The Silent Language of Architecture\u003c/title\u003e, published in 1997 by the National Building Museum, Washington, DC.\u003c/p\u003e"],"bioghist_heading_ssm":["Biographical Note","Source"],"bioghist_tesim":["Beverly Willis, FAIA Architect, artist, and writer, was one of perhaps three women architects in the United States to own her own sizeable architecture firm between 1958 and 1990 and the only woman in San Francisco, California, to have her own practice there for 17 years. Her book,  Invisible Images: The Silent Language of Architecture,  published by the National Building Museum, describes her design philosophy.","She was the first woman appointed to the Building Research Advisory Board of the National Academy of Science, the first appointed to the Federal Construction Council, and its first woman chair. She was the first woman elected president of the American Institute of Architects, California Council; and the Golden Gate Chapter of Lambda Alpha Society.","Willis played a major role in the revitalization of San Francisco neighborhoods after World War II. She renovated commercial spaces in the Jackson Square area and Union Street, redesigned Glide Church, designed the San Francisco Ballet Building, and won an international competition to design the Yerba Buena Gardens development downtown.","Beverly Willis was born February 17, 1928, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to Ralph William Willis, founder of the National Tool Company, and Margaret Elizabeth Porter, a nurse. She had one sibling, Ralph Gerald Willis. Both Willis and her brother were placed in an orphanage when their parents divorced in 1934.","Taking advantage of the increased opportunities available to women with the advent of World War II, Willis learned welding, riveting, electrical wiring, carpentry, and how to fly an airplane--skills that reflected the fiercely independent qualities that emerged in her personality when she was in the institutional environment of the orphanage. After the war, she enrolled in an aeronautical engineering program at Oregon State University, but withdrew after two years to work at a lithographer's studio. She then studied at the San Francisco Art Institute until relocating to Hawaii. In 1954 she received a B.A. in Fine Art from the University of Hawaii.","After graduation, Willis received a series of design commissions that led to her interest in architecture. Fueled by the friendship and ideas of entrepreneur Henry Kaiser, Willis returned to San Francisco in 1960 to open a firm that designed furniture and interiors for offices, created mixed-media art for clients that included United Airlines, and re-worked supermarket displays. Despite her rural sensibility, Willis began to immerse herself in urban designs. She found that her interests ran parallel to those of San Francisco architects like William Wurster and Joseph Esherick.","Willis' first major architectural project was the conversion of three Victorian buildings into a retail complex on Union Street in San Francisco. Her design, which proved a financial success almost immediately, influenced the renovation of the rest of the street between present-day Gough and Pierce streets.","Meeting the experience and education requirements of the California State Architectural Licensing Board in 1966, Willis became a licensed architect and the only woman in San Francisco with her own firm, Beverly Willis and Associates. This firm assumed a partnership with would-be principal architect David Coldoff that year, a partnership that lasted until 1980. Despite the heavy demands of her practice, Willis also found time to serve on the U.S. Government delegation to the United Nations conference on Habitat, become a trustee and founder of the National Building Museum in 1976, and serve as the President of the California Chapter of the National Institute of Architects in 1979.","Willis' interest in the issues that affect planning, population density, and land-use economics with respect to large-scale development manifested itself in the creation of the computer program CARLA (Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis) in the 1970's. The software was developed by Willis with Eric Tiescholz and Jochen Eigen. With CARLA's completion and implementation, Willis and Associates became one of the first architectural firms to incorporate computers into the routine practices of design and land development.","Projects such as the prototype for the regional computer centers of the IRS and master-planning for a new town situated in Aliamanu Valley, Hawaii (1975), are good examples of her unique philosophy of design.","Throughout the 1970s, Willis' firm concentrated on large- scale housing and new-community planning and design. By espousing architecture of rural pragmatism and rooting it in ancient images and myths, Willis offered something new to the intellectual landscape of architectural design.","In 1997, the National Building Museum published Willis' book,  Invisible Images: The Silent Language of Architecture,  in which she describes her buildings and design philosophy. In 1980, she was elected to the American Institute of Architects College of Fellows. In 1984, Willis received an honorary doctorate in Fine Arts from Mount Holyoke College.","By the early 1980s, Willis' design focus shifted to urban structures like the Yerba Buena Gardens redevelopment project (1980) and the San Francisco Ballet Association Building (1984). Smaller, but no less important, projects include Nob Hill Court (1971), Pacific Point Condominiums (1972), the Greenwich Apartment (1978), the Margaret Hayward Playground Building (1978), the (unbuilt) Shown Winery (1986), and the Mr. and Mrs. Richard Goeglin Pool House and Sculpture (1988).","Willis relocated her office and residence to New York City in 1991. Willis founded in 1994 the  Architectural Research Institute, Inc.  (through which the Manhattan Village Academy was designed). In 2002, she founded the  Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation , and she presently (2008) serves as the foundation's president. Her work and community leadership have been widely published (see bibliography). She is a founding trustee of the National Building Museum (1975-present). The Beverly Willis Library is located at the National Building Museum.","Much of the information in the biography was culled from the biography written for Beverly Willis by Nicolai Ouroussoff and included in  Invisible Images: The Silent Language of Architecture , published in 1997 by the National Building Museum, Washington, DC."],"odd_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eSome of the information in the scope and content note was taken from an independent appraisal of the collection.\u003c/p\u003e"],"odd_heading_ssm":["General note"],"odd_tesim":["Some of the information in the scope and content note was taken from an independent appraisal of the collection."],"otherfindaid_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eA file-level \u003cextref href=\"http://spec.lib.vt.edu/iawa/inventories/Willis/Willis.html\" title=\"inventory\"\u003einventory\u003c/extref\u003e of letter- and legal-size project records is available at the repository.\u003c/p\u003e"],"otherfindaid_heading_ssm":["Other Finding Aid"],"otherfindaid_tesim":["A file-level  inventory  of letter- and legal-size project records is available at the repository."],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eResearchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Beverly Willis Architectural Collection, Ms1992-019, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.\u003c/p\u003e"],"prefercite_tesim":["Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Beverly Willis Architectural Collection, Ms1992-019, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va."],"processinfo_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe bulk of the drawings in the Willis Papers were arranged and described before they were donated, and information about the arrangement of the collection was compiled in a searchable database that is available at the repository. Project records stored in record cartons have been inventoried and are included in the database and finding aid.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe first accession, which was arranged and described by Laura Katz Smith in 1995, was combined with subsequent accessions in 2003. A finding aid describing the complete collection was created by Catherine G. OBrion in 2003, using descriptions of materials in the archives database that was donated with the bulk of the collection in 2000.\nThe 2004 and 2009 additions were arranged and described by Sherrie Bowser in 2012. The project index arrangement was also included at this time.  \u003c/p\u003e"],"processinfo_heading_ssm":["Processing Information"],"processinfo_tesim":["The bulk of the drawings in the Willis Papers were arranged and described before they were donated, and information about the arrangement of the collection was compiled in a searchable database that is available at the repository. Project records stored in record cartons have been inventoried and are included in the database and finding aid.","The first accession, which was arranged and described by Laura Katz Smith in 1995, was combined with subsequent accessions in 2003. A finding aid describing the complete collection was created by Catherine G. OBrion in 2003, using descriptions of materials in the archives database that was donated with the bulk of the collection in 2000.\nThe 2004 and 2009 additions were arranged and described by Sherrie Bowser in 2012. The project index arrangement was also included at this time.  "],"relatedmaterial_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe guide to the Beverly Willis Architectural Collection by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 (\u003ca href=\"https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/\"\u003ehttps://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/\u003c/a\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e"],"relatedmaterial_heading_ssm":["Rights Statement for Archival Description"],"relatedmaterial_tesim":["The guide to the Beverly Willis Architectural Collection by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 ( https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/ )."],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe Beverly Willis Architectural Collection span the years 1954 to 1999 and are comprised primarily of records documenting Willis' work as an architect in San Francisco between 1960 and 1990. The collection documents the application of computers to architectural design and land analysis, the development of CARLA (Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis) in the 1970s, the history of twentieth-century urban planning, particularly in San Francisco; and the contribution of women to twentieth-century American architecture. Willis, a noted artist, photographer, teacher, and writer, employed the full range of visual arts and design skills to influence and guide architectural projects of major significance.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eThe bulk of the collection is comprised of Willis and Associates project files from the period 1960 to 1990. Projects range from private residences and residential developments to institutions, such as the San Francisco Ballet Association Building; and urban development projects, most notably the Yerba Buena Gardens project in downtown San Francisco. Also included are records and design documents for Aliamanu Valley New Town, a military base in Hawaii that was the first major project designed with CARLA, computer software for architectural design created by Willis; and records documenting the development of CARLA.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eProject files are comprised of presentation drawings, slope analysis drawings, site plans, maps, cut-and-fill analysis plans, sketches, conceptual design drawings, construction drawings, as well as correspondence, research files, contracts, environmental impact statements and studies, financial records, and feasibility studies. There are records for more than 150 projects. Drawings are large folio, pen-and- ink or watercolor on paper, linen, or mylar. Some are heightened with color.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eAlso included is a series documenting the development of CARLA, Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis, in the 1970s. Beverly Willis was interested in issues that affected planning, population density, and land-use economics in relation to large-scale development. Along with Eric Tiescholz and Jochen Eigen, she developed a program that enabled architects, with the use of computers, to develop site plans and design techniques in a fraction of the time required by the old methodology. Records documenting the development of CARLA include computer tapes, correspondence, flow charts, memos, and Jochen Eigen's notes on interfacing CARLA with a computer mapping program in 1974.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eThe collection also contains a series of Publications, Brochures, and Clippings, which includes biographical information on Willis, Miscellaneous Project Records, and a video of the Yerba Buena Gardents development.\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Contents"],"scopecontent_tesim":["The Beverly Willis Architectural Collection span the years 1954 to 1999 and are comprised primarily of records documenting Willis' work as an architect in San Francisco between 1960 and 1990. The collection documents the application of computers to architectural design and land analysis, the development of CARLA (Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis) in the 1970s, the history of twentieth-century urban planning, particularly in San Francisco; and the contribution of women to twentieth-century American architecture. Willis, a noted artist, photographer, teacher, and writer, employed the full range of visual arts and design skills to influence and guide architectural projects of major significance.","The bulk of the collection is comprised of Willis and Associates project files from the period 1960 to 1990. Projects range from private residences and residential developments to institutions, such as the San Francisco Ballet Association Building; and urban development projects, most notably the Yerba Buena Gardens project in downtown San Francisco. Also included are records and design documents for Aliamanu Valley New Town, a military base in Hawaii that was the first major project designed with CARLA, computer software for architectural design created by Willis; and records documenting the development of CARLA.","Project files are comprised of presentation drawings, slope analysis drawings, site plans, maps, cut-and-fill analysis plans, sketches, conceptual design drawings, construction drawings, as well as correspondence, research files, contracts, environmental impact statements and studies, financial records, and feasibility studies. There are records for more than 150 projects. Drawings are large folio, pen-and- ink or watercolor on paper, linen, or mylar. Some are heightened with color.","Also included is a series documenting the development of CARLA, Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis, in the 1970s. Beverly Willis was interested in issues that affected planning, population density, and land-use economics in relation to large-scale development. Along with Eric Tiescholz and Jochen Eigen, she developed a program that enabled architects, with the use of computers, to develop site plans and design techniques in a fraction of the time required by the old methodology. Records documenting the development of CARLA include computer tapes, correspondence, flow charts, memos, and Jochen Eigen's notes on interfacing CARLA with a computer mapping program in 1974.","The collection also contains a series of Publications, Brochures, and Clippings, which includes biographical information on Willis, Miscellaneous Project Records, and a video of the Yerba Buena Gardents development."],"userestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials. Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form: \u003ca href=\"http://bit.ly/scuareproduction\"\u003ehttp://bit.ly/scuareproduction\u003c/a\u003e. Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form: \u003ca href=\"http://bit.ly/scuapublication\"\u003ehttp://bit.ly/scuapublication\u003c/a\u003e. Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form.\u003c/p\u003e"],"userestrict_heading_ssm":["Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use"],"userestrict_tesim":["The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials. Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form:  http://bit.ly/scuareproduction . Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form:  http://bit.ly/scuapublication . Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form."],"physloc_html_tesm":["\u003cphysloc id=\"aspace_174a3dc5cc0f306ff98b4fcaecbf2059\"\u003e\u003cemph render=\"bold\"\u003ePlease note:\u003c/emph\u003e Boxes 1-51 are located in off-site storage and requires 2-3 days notice for retrieval. Please contact Special Collections for more information.\u003c/physloc\u003e"],"physloc_tesim":["Please note:  Boxes 1-51 are located in off-site storage and requires 2-3 days notice for retrieval. Please contact Special Collections for more information."],"names_coll_ssim":["Willis and Associates","Willis, Beverly, 1928-"],"names_ssim":["Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech","Willis and Associates","Willis, Beverly, 1928-"],"corpname_ssim":["Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech","Willis and Associates"],"persname_ssim":["Willis, Beverly, 1928-"],"language_ssim":["The materials in the collection are in English."],"descrules_ssm":["Describing Archives: A Content Standard"],"total_component_count_is":212,"online_item_count_is":0,"component_level_isim":[0],"sort_isi":0,"timestamp":"2026-04-30T23:45:27.234Z"}]}},"label":"Breadcrumbs"}}},"links":{"self":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03_c111"}},{"id":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03_c112","type":"Subseries","attributes":{"title":"Project 0752: Yerba Buena Gardens, San Francisco, California","abstract_or_scope":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03_c112#abstract_or_scope","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":"\u003cp\u003eCreated a master plan and conducted conceptual design for 24 acres in downtown San Francisco. Project part of a redevelopment project called Yerba Buena - joint venture of Beverly Willis Architects and Zeidler- Roberts Partnership, Toronto, Canada.\u003c/p\u003e","label":"Abstract Or Scope"}},"breadcrumbs":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03_c112#breadcrumbs","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":{"ref_ssi":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03_c112","ref_ssm":["viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03_c112"],"id":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03_c112","ead_ssi":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898","_root_":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898","_nest_parent_":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03","parent_ssi":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03","parent_ssim":["viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898","viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03","viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03"],"parent_ids_ssim":["viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898","viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03","viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03"],"parent_unittitles_ssm":["Beverly Willis Architectural Collection","Project Records","Project Files"],"parent_unittitles_tesim":["Beverly Willis Architectural Collection","Project Records","Project Files"],"text":["Beverly Willis Architectural Collection","Project Records","Project Files","Project 0752: Yerba Buena Gardens, San Francisco, California","Created a master plan and conducted conceptual design for 24 acres in downtown San Francisco. Project part of a redevelopment project called Yerba Buena - joint venture of Beverly Willis Architects and Zeidler- Roberts Partnership, Toronto, Canada.","Extended Description: Covering 24 acres--four city blocks--in downtown San Francisco, the Yerba Buena site was seen as a bridge that could extend the economic success of the financial and Union Street districts into the surrounding urban neighborhood ravaged by poorly conceived urban renewal projects. In 1980, the master plan put forth by the team of Beverly Willis Architects, Olympia \u0026 York, Ltd., the Marriott Corporation, and Zeidler-Roberts Partnership, Ltd. won an international competition for the site's development.","Consisting of 1,250,000 square feet of office space, a 1,500-room hotel, 250,000 square feet of retail, 350 apartments, and an exhibition and performance art complex, the master plan created transitions in scale, use, texture, access that seamlessly rewove the urban fabric into an integrated whole. Ground level components were reduced in size creating a comfortable pedestrian street-scape that negated the presence of the 'super block' towers. A series of open spaces, sited for maximum sunlight and minimal wind, further reduced the scale and offered a variety of outdoor environments."],"title_filing_ssi":"Project 0752: Yerba Buena Gardens, San Francisco, California","title_ssm":["Project 0752: Yerba Buena Gardens, San Francisco, California"],"title_tesim":["Project 0752: Yerba Buena Gardens, San Francisco, California"],"unitdate_inclusive_ssm":["1980-1981"],"normalized_date_ssm":["1980/1981"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Project 0752: Yerba Buena Gardens, San Francisco, California"],"component_level_isim":[3],"repository_ssim":["Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University"],"collection_ssim":["Beverly Willis Architectural Collection"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"child_component_count_isi":0,"level_ssm":["Subseries"],"level_ssim":["Subseries"],"sort_isi":159,"parent_access_restrict_tesm":["Collection is open to research."],"parent_access_terms_tesm":["The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials. Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form: http://bit.ly/scuareproduction. Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form: http://bit.ly/scuapublication. Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form."],"date_range_isim":[1980,1981],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eCreated a master plan and conducted conceptual design for 24 acres in downtown San Francisco. Project part of a redevelopment project called Yerba Buena - joint venture of Beverly Willis Architects and Zeidler- Roberts Partnership, Toronto, Canada.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eExtended Description: Covering 24 acres--four city blocks--in downtown San Francisco, the Yerba Buena site was seen as a bridge that could extend the economic success of the financial and Union Street districts into the surrounding urban neighborhood ravaged by poorly conceived urban renewal projects. In 1980, the master plan put forth by the team of Beverly Willis Architects, Olympia \u0026amp; York, Ltd., the Marriott Corporation, and Zeidler-Roberts Partnership, Ltd. won an international competition for the site's development.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eConsisting of 1,250,000 square feet of office space, a 1,500-room hotel, 250,000 square feet of retail, 350 apartments, and an exhibition and performance art complex, the master plan created transitions in scale, use, texture, access that seamlessly rewove the urban fabric into an integrated whole. Ground level components were reduced in size creating a comfortable pedestrian street-scape that negated the presence of the 'super block' towers. A series of open spaces, sited for maximum sunlight and minimal wind, further reduced the scale and offered a variety of outdoor environments.\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Contents note"],"scopecontent_tesim":["Created a master plan and conducted conceptual design for 24 acres in downtown San Francisco. Project part of a redevelopment project called Yerba Buena - joint venture of Beverly Willis Architects and Zeidler- Roberts Partnership, Toronto, Canada.","Extended Description: Covering 24 acres--four city blocks--in downtown San Francisco, the Yerba Buena site was seen as a bridge that could extend the economic success of the financial and Union Street districts into the surrounding urban neighborhood ravaged by poorly conceived urban renewal projects. In 1980, the master plan put forth by the team of Beverly Willis Architects, Olympia \u0026 York, Ltd., the Marriott Corporation, and Zeidler-Roberts Partnership, Ltd. won an international competition for the site's development.","Consisting of 1,250,000 square feet of office space, a 1,500-room hotel, 250,000 square feet of retail, 350 apartments, and an exhibition and performance art complex, the master plan created transitions in scale, use, texture, access that seamlessly rewove the urban fabric into an integrated whole. Ground level components were reduced in size creating a comfortable pedestrian street-scape that negated the presence of the 'super block' towers. A series of open spaces, sited for maximum sunlight and minimal wind, further reduced the scale and offered a variety of outdoor environments."],"_nest_path_":"/components#2/components#2/components#111","timestamp":"2026-04-30T23:45:27.234Z","collection":{"numFound":1,"start":0,"numFoundExact":true,"docs":[{"id":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898","ead_ssi":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898","_root_":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898","_nest_parent_":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898","ead_source_url_ssi":"data/oai/VT/repositories_2_resources_1898.xml","title_filing_ssi":"Willis, Beverly Architectural Collection","title_ssm":["Beverly Willis Architectural Collection"],"title_tesim":["Beverly Willis Architectural Collection"],"unitdate_ssm":["1954-1999"],"unitdate_inclusive_ssm":["1954-1999"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"unitid_ssm":["Ms.1992.019"],"text":["Ms.1992.019","Beverly Willis Architectural Collection","San Francisco (Calif.)","Architects and community","Housing -- United States","City planning","Architecture -- Computer-aided design","Women -- History","International Archive of Women in Architecture (IAWA)","Architectural drawings (visual works)","Collection is open to research.","Some of this collection has been digitized and is available online.","The collection has been arranged into a  Project Index.  which is a way to organize the various formats of architectural records from the same project. The index is arranged by project number and contains information, where available, about the location, date, project type, architect, collaborators, and formats for each project in the collection.","A Summary of the  Project Index.   is listed below.  Consult the  Project Index.   for location information.  ","Beverly Willis, FAIA Architect, artist, and writer, was one of perhaps three women architects in the United States to own her own sizeable architecture firm between 1958 and 1990 and the only woman in San Francisco, California, to have her own practice there for 17 years. Her book,  Invisible Images: The Silent Language of Architecture,  published by the National Building Museum, describes her design philosophy.","She was the first woman appointed to the Building Research Advisory Board of the National Academy of Science, the first appointed to the Federal Construction Council, and its first woman chair. She was the first woman elected president of the American Institute of Architects, California Council; and the Golden Gate Chapter of Lambda Alpha Society.","Willis played a major role in the revitalization of San Francisco neighborhoods after World War II. She renovated commercial spaces in the Jackson Square area and Union Street, redesigned Glide Church, designed the San Francisco Ballet Building, and won an international competition to design the Yerba Buena Gardens development downtown.","Beverly Willis was born February 17, 1928, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to Ralph William Willis, founder of the National Tool Company, and Margaret Elizabeth Porter, a nurse. She had one sibling, Ralph Gerald Willis. Both Willis and her brother were placed in an orphanage when their parents divorced in 1934.","Taking advantage of the increased opportunities available to women with the advent of World War II, Willis learned welding, riveting, electrical wiring, carpentry, and how to fly an airplane--skills that reflected the fiercely independent qualities that emerged in her personality when she was in the institutional environment of the orphanage. After the war, she enrolled in an aeronautical engineering program at Oregon State University, but withdrew after two years to work at a lithographer's studio. She then studied at the San Francisco Art Institute until relocating to Hawaii. In 1954 she received a B.A. in Fine Art from the University of Hawaii.","After graduation, Willis received a series of design commissions that led to her interest in architecture. Fueled by the friendship and ideas of entrepreneur Henry Kaiser, Willis returned to San Francisco in 1960 to open a firm that designed furniture and interiors for offices, created mixed-media art for clients that included United Airlines, and re-worked supermarket displays. Despite her rural sensibility, Willis began to immerse herself in urban designs. She found that her interests ran parallel to those of San Francisco architects like William Wurster and Joseph Esherick.","Willis' first major architectural project was the conversion of three Victorian buildings into a retail complex on Union Street in San Francisco. Her design, which proved a financial success almost immediately, influenced the renovation of the rest of the street between present-day Gough and Pierce streets.","Meeting the experience and education requirements of the California State Architectural Licensing Board in 1966, Willis became a licensed architect and the only woman in San Francisco with her own firm, Beverly Willis and Associates. This firm assumed a partnership with would-be principal architect David Coldoff that year, a partnership that lasted until 1980. Despite the heavy demands of her practice, Willis also found time to serve on the U.S. Government delegation to the United Nations conference on Habitat, become a trustee and founder of the National Building Museum in 1976, and serve as the President of the California Chapter of the National Institute of Architects in 1979.","Willis' interest in the issues that affect planning, population density, and land-use economics with respect to large-scale development manifested itself in the creation of the computer program CARLA (Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis) in the 1970's. The software was developed by Willis with Eric Tiescholz and Jochen Eigen. With CARLA's completion and implementation, Willis and Associates became one of the first architectural firms to incorporate computers into the routine practices of design and land development.","Projects such as the prototype for the regional computer centers of the IRS and master-planning for a new town situated in Aliamanu Valley, Hawaii (1975), are good examples of her unique philosophy of design.","Throughout the 1970s, Willis' firm concentrated on large- scale housing and new-community planning and design. By espousing architecture of rural pragmatism and rooting it in ancient images and myths, Willis offered something new to the intellectual landscape of architectural design.","In 1997, the National Building Museum published Willis' book,  Invisible Images: The Silent Language of Architecture,  in which she describes her buildings and design philosophy. In 1980, she was elected to the American Institute of Architects College of Fellows. In 1984, Willis received an honorary doctorate in Fine Arts from Mount Holyoke College.","By the early 1980s, Willis' design focus shifted to urban structures like the Yerba Buena Gardens redevelopment project (1980) and the San Francisco Ballet Association Building (1984). Smaller, but no less important, projects include Nob Hill Court (1971), Pacific Point Condominiums (1972), the Greenwich Apartment (1978), the Margaret Hayward Playground Building (1978), the (unbuilt) Shown Winery (1986), and the Mr. and Mrs. Richard Goeglin Pool House and Sculpture (1988).","Willis relocated her office and residence to New York City in 1991. Willis founded in 1994 the  Architectural Research Institute, Inc.  (through which the Manhattan Village Academy was designed). In 2002, she founded the  Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation , and she presently (2008) serves as the foundation's president. Her work and community leadership have been widely published (see bibliography). She is a founding trustee of the National Building Museum (1975-present). The Beverly Willis Library is located at the National Building Museum.","Much of the information in the biography was culled from the biography written for Beverly Willis by Nicolai Ouroussoff and included in  Invisible Images: The Silent Language of Architecture , published in 1997 by the National Building Museum, Washington, DC.","Some of the information in the scope and content note was taken from an independent appraisal of the collection.","The bulk of the drawings in the Willis Papers were arranged and described before they were donated, and information about the arrangement of the collection was compiled in a searchable database that is available at the repository. Project records stored in record cartons have been inventoried and are included in the database and finding aid.","The first accession, which was arranged and described by Laura Katz Smith in 1995, was combined with subsequent accessions in 2003. A finding aid describing the complete collection was created by Catherine G. OBrion in 2003, using descriptions of materials in the archives database that was donated with the bulk of the collection in 2000.\nThe 2004 and 2009 additions were arranged and described by Sherrie Bowser in 2012. The project index arrangement was also included at this time.  ","The guide to the Beverly Willis Architectural Collection by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 ( https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/ ).","The Beverly Willis Architectural Collection span the years 1954 to 1999 and are comprised primarily of records documenting Willis' work as an architect in San Francisco between 1960 and 1990. The collection documents the application of computers to architectural design and land analysis, the development of CARLA (Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis) in the 1970s, the history of twentieth-century urban planning, particularly in San Francisco; and the contribution of women to twentieth-century American architecture. Willis, a noted artist, photographer, teacher, and writer, employed the full range of visual arts and design skills to influence and guide architectural projects of major significance.","The bulk of the collection is comprised of Willis and Associates project files from the period 1960 to 1990. Projects range from private residences and residential developments to institutions, such as the San Francisco Ballet Association Building; and urban development projects, most notably the Yerba Buena Gardens project in downtown San Francisco. Also included are records and design documents for Aliamanu Valley New Town, a military base in Hawaii that was the first major project designed with CARLA, computer software for architectural design created by Willis; and records documenting the development of CARLA.","Project files are comprised of presentation drawings, slope analysis drawings, site plans, maps, cut-and-fill analysis plans, sketches, conceptual design drawings, construction drawings, as well as correspondence, research files, contracts, environmental impact statements and studies, financial records, and feasibility studies. There are records for more than 150 projects. Drawings are large folio, pen-and- ink or watercolor on paper, linen, or mylar. Some are heightened with color.","Also included is a series documenting the development of CARLA, Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis, in the 1970s. Beverly Willis was interested in issues that affected planning, population density, and land-use economics in relation to large-scale development. Along with Eric Tiescholz and Jochen Eigen, she developed a program that enabled architects, with the use of computers, to develop site plans and design techniques in a fraction of the time required by the old methodology. Records documenting the development of CARLA include computer tapes, correspondence, flow charts, memos, and Jochen Eigen's notes on interfacing CARLA with a computer mapping program in 1974.","The collection also contains a series of Publications, Brochures, and Clippings, which includes biographical information on Willis, Miscellaneous Project Records, and a video of the Yerba Buena Gardents development.","The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials. Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form:  http://bit.ly/scuareproduction . Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form:  http://bit.ly/scuapublication . Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form.","Please note:  Boxes 1-51 are located in off-site storage and requires 2-3 days notice for retrieval. Please contact Special Collections for more information.","Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech","Willis and Associates","Willis, Beverly, 1928-","The materials in the collection are in English."],"unitid_tesim":["Ms.1992.019"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Beverly Willis Architectural Collection"],"collection_title_tesim":["Beverly Willis Architectural Collection"],"collection_ssim":["Beverly Willis Architectural Collection"],"repository_ssm":["Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University"],"repository_ssim":["Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University"],"geogname_ssm":["San Francisco (Calif.)"],"geogname_ssim":["San Francisco (Calif.)"],"creator_ssm":["Willis, Beverly, 1928-"],"creator_ssim":["Willis, Beverly, 1928-"],"creator_persname_ssim":["Willis, Beverly, 1928-"],"creators_ssim":["Willis, Beverly, 1928-"],"places_ssim":["San Francisco (Calif.)"],"access_terms_ssm":["The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials. Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form:  http://bit.ly/scuareproduction . Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form:  http://bit.ly/scuapublication . Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form."],"acqinfo_ssim":["Beverly Willis donated samples of her designs to Virginia Tech in 1992. This gift was followed, in 2000, with a donation of the bulk of the records and designs from her architectural career.  Additional small accessions arrived in 2004 and 2009."],"access_subjects_ssim":["Architects and community","Housing -- United States","City planning","Architecture -- Computer-aided design","Women -- History","International Archive of Women in Architecture (IAWA)","Architectural drawings (visual works)"],"access_subjects_ssm":["Architects and community","Housing -- United States","City planning","Architecture -- Computer-aided design","Women -- History","International Archive of Women in Architecture (IAWA)","Architectural drawings (visual works)"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"extent_ssm":["100 Linear Feet"],"extent_tesim":["100 Linear Feet"],"genreform_ssim":["Architectural drawings (visual works)"],"date_range_isim":[1954,1955,1956,1957,1958,1959,1960,1961,1962,1963,1964,1965,1966,1967,1968,1969,1970,1971,1972,1973,1974,1975,1976,1977,1978,1979,1980,1981,1982,1983,1984,1985,1986,1987,1988,1989,1990,1991,1992,1993,1994,1995,1996,1997,1998,1999],"accessrestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eCollection is open to research.\u003c/p\u003e"],"accessrestrict_heading_ssm":["Conditions Governing Access"],"accessrestrict_tesim":["Collection is open to research."],"altformavail_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003e\u003ca target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://digitalsc.lib.vt.edu/collections/show/225\"\u003eSome of this collection has been digitized and is available online.\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e"],"altformavail_heading_ssm":["Existence and Location of Copies"],"altformavail_tesim":["Some of this collection has been digitized and is available online."],"arrangement_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe collection has been arranged into a \u003cextref actuate=\"onRequest\" href=\"http://spec.lib.vt.edu/assets/documents/iawa/Ms1992-019pi.xls\" show=\"new\" title=\"Project Index\"\u003eProject Index.\u003c/extref\u003e which is a way to organize the various formats of architectural records from the same project. The index is arranged by project number and contains information, where available, about the location, date, project type, architect, collaborators, and formats for each project in the collection.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eA Summary of the \u003cextref actuate=\"onRequest\" href=\"http://spec.lib.vt.edu/assets/documents/iawa/Ms1992-019pi.xls\" show=\"new\" title=\"Project Index\"\u003eProject Index.\u003c/extref\u003e  is listed below.  Consult the \u003cextref actuate=\"onRequest\" href=\"http://spec.lib.vt.edu/assets/documents/iawa/Ms1992-019pi.xls\" show=\"new\" title=\"Project Index\"\u003eProject Index.\u003c/extref\u003e  for location information.  \u003c/p\u003e"],"arrangement_heading_ssm":["Arrangement"],"arrangement_tesim":["The collection has been arranged into a  Project Index.  which is a way to organize the various formats of architectural records from the same project. The index is arranged by project number and contains information, where available, about the location, date, project type, architect, collaborators, and formats for each project in the collection.","A Summary of the  Project Index.   is listed below.  Consult the  Project Index.   for location information.  "],"bioghist_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eBeverly Willis, FAIA Architect, artist, and writer, was one of perhaps three women architects in the United States to own her own sizeable architecture firm between 1958 and 1990 and the only woman in San Francisco, California, to have her own practice there for 17 years. Her book, \u003ctitle render=\"italic\"\u003eInvisible Images: The Silent Language of Architecture,\u003c/title\u003e published by the National Building Museum, describes her design philosophy.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eShe was the first woman appointed to the Building Research Advisory Board of the National Academy of Science, the first appointed to the Federal Construction Council, and its first woman chair. She was the first woman elected president of the American Institute of Architects, California Council; and the Golden Gate Chapter of Lambda Alpha Society.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eWillis played a major role in the revitalization of San Francisco neighborhoods after World War II. She renovated commercial spaces in the Jackson Square area and Union Street, redesigned Glide Church, designed the San Francisco Ballet Building, and won an international competition to design the Yerba Buena Gardens development downtown.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eBeverly Willis was born February 17, 1928, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to Ralph William Willis, founder of the National Tool Company, and Margaret Elizabeth Porter, a nurse. She had one sibling, Ralph Gerald Willis. Both Willis and her brother were placed in an orphanage when their parents divorced in 1934.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eTaking advantage of the increased opportunities available to women with the advent of World War II, Willis learned welding, riveting, electrical wiring, carpentry, and how to fly an airplane--skills that reflected the fiercely independent qualities that emerged in her personality when she was in the institutional environment of the orphanage. After the war, she enrolled in an aeronautical engineering program at Oregon State University, but withdrew after two years to work at a lithographer's studio. She then studied at the San Francisco Art Institute until relocating to Hawaii. In 1954 she received a B.A. in Fine Art from the University of Hawaii.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eAfter graduation, Willis received a series of design commissions that led to her interest in architecture. Fueled by the friendship and ideas of entrepreneur Henry Kaiser, Willis returned to San Francisco in 1960 to open a firm that designed furniture and interiors for offices, created mixed-media art for clients that included United Airlines, and re-worked supermarket displays. Despite her rural sensibility, Willis began to immerse herself in urban designs. She found that her interests ran parallel to those of San Francisco architects like William Wurster and Joseph Esherick.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eWillis' first major architectural project was the conversion of three Victorian buildings into a retail complex on Union Street in San Francisco. Her design, which proved a financial success almost immediately, influenced the renovation of the rest of the street between present-day Gough and Pierce streets.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eMeeting the experience and education requirements of the California State Architectural Licensing Board in 1966, Willis became a licensed architect and the only woman in San Francisco with her own firm, Beverly Willis and Associates. This firm assumed a partnership with would-be principal architect David Coldoff that year, a partnership that lasted until 1980. Despite the heavy demands of her practice, Willis also found time to serve on the U.S. Government delegation to the United Nations conference on Habitat, become a trustee and founder of the National Building Museum in 1976, and serve as the President of the California Chapter of the National Institute of Architects in 1979.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eWillis' interest in the issues that affect planning, population density, and land-use economics with respect to large-scale development manifested itself in the creation of the computer program CARLA (Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis) in the 1970's. The software was developed by Willis with Eric Tiescholz and Jochen Eigen. With CARLA's completion and implementation, Willis and Associates became one of the first architectural firms to incorporate computers into the routine practices of design and land development.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eProjects such as the prototype for the regional computer centers of the IRS and master-planning for a new town situated in Aliamanu Valley, Hawaii (1975), are good examples of her unique philosophy of design.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eThroughout the 1970s, Willis' firm concentrated on large- scale housing and new-community planning and design. By espousing architecture of rural pragmatism and rooting it in ancient images and myths, Willis offered something new to the intellectual landscape of architectural design.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eIn 1997, the National Building Museum published Willis' book, \u003ctitle render=\"italic\"\u003eInvisible Images: The Silent Language of Architecture,\u003c/title\u003e in which she describes her buildings and design philosophy. In 1980, she was elected to the American Institute of Architects College of Fellows. In 1984, Willis received an honorary doctorate in Fine Arts from Mount Holyoke College.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eBy the early 1980s, Willis' design focus shifted to urban structures like the Yerba Buena Gardens redevelopment project (1980) and the San Francisco Ballet Association Building (1984). Smaller, but no less important, projects include Nob Hill Court (1971), Pacific Point Condominiums (1972), the Greenwich Apartment (1978), the Margaret Hayward Playground Building (1978), the (unbuilt) Shown Winery (1986), and the Mr. and Mrs. Richard Goeglin Pool House and Sculpture (1988).\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eWillis relocated her office and residence to New York City in 1991. Willis founded in 1994 the \u003cextref href=\"http://www.architect.org\" title=\"Architectural Research Institute, Inc.\"\u003eArchitectural Research Institute, Inc.\u003c/extref\u003e (through which the Manhattan Village Academy was designed). In 2002, she founded the \u003cextref href=\"http://www.bwaf.org/\" title=\"Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation\"\u003eBeverly Willis Architecture Foundation\u003c/extref\u003e, and she presently (2008) serves as the foundation's president. Her work and community leadership have been widely published (see bibliography). She is a founding trustee of the National Building Museum (1975-present). The Beverly Willis Library is located at the National Building Museum.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eMuch of the information in the biography was culled from the biography written for Beverly Willis by Nicolai Ouroussoff and included in \u003ctitle render=\"italic\"\u003eInvisible Images: The Silent Language of Architecture\u003c/title\u003e, published in 1997 by the National Building Museum, Washington, DC.\u003c/p\u003e"],"bioghist_heading_ssm":["Biographical Note","Source"],"bioghist_tesim":["Beverly Willis, FAIA Architect, artist, and writer, was one of perhaps three women architects in the United States to own her own sizeable architecture firm between 1958 and 1990 and the only woman in San Francisco, California, to have her own practice there for 17 years. Her book,  Invisible Images: The Silent Language of Architecture,  published by the National Building Museum, describes her design philosophy.","She was the first woman appointed to the Building Research Advisory Board of the National Academy of Science, the first appointed to the Federal Construction Council, and its first woman chair. She was the first woman elected president of the American Institute of Architects, California Council; and the Golden Gate Chapter of Lambda Alpha Society.","Willis played a major role in the revitalization of San Francisco neighborhoods after World War II. She renovated commercial spaces in the Jackson Square area and Union Street, redesigned Glide Church, designed the San Francisco Ballet Building, and won an international competition to design the Yerba Buena Gardens development downtown.","Beverly Willis was born February 17, 1928, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to Ralph William Willis, founder of the National Tool Company, and Margaret Elizabeth Porter, a nurse. She had one sibling, Ralph Gerald Willis. Both Willis and her brother were placed in an orphanage when their parents divorced in 1934.","Taking advantage of the increased opportunities available to women with the advent of World War II, Willis learned welding, riveting, electrical wiring, carpentry, and how to fly an airplane--skills that reflected the fiercely independent qualities that emerged in her personality when she was in the institutional environment of the orphanage. After the war, she enrolled in an aeronautical engineering program at Oregon State University, but withdrew after two years to work at a lithographer's studio. She then studied at the San Francisco Art Institute until relocating to Hawaii. In 1954 she received a B.A. in Fine Art from the University of Hawaii.","After graduation, Willis received a series of design commissions that led to her interest in architecture. Fueled by the friendship and ideas of entrepreneur Henry Kaiser, Willis returned to San Francisco in 1960 to open a firm that designed furniture and interiors for offices, created mixed-media art for clients that included United Airlines, and re-worked supermarket displays. Despite her rural sensibility, Willis began to immerse herself in urban designs. She found that her interests ran parallel to those of San Francisco architects like William Wurster and Joseph Esherick.","Willis' first major architectural project was the conversion of three Victorian buildings into a retail complex on Union Street in San Francisco. Her design, which proved a financial success almost immediately, influenced the renovation of the rest of the street between present-day Gough and Pierce streets.","Meeting the experience and education requirements of the California State Architectural Licensing Board in 1966, Willis became a licensed architect and the only woman in San Francisco with her own firm, Beverly Willis and Associates. This firm assumed a partnership with would-be principal architect David Coldoff that year, a partnership that lasted until 1980. Despite the heavy demands of her practice, Willis also found time to serve on the U.S. Government delegation to the United Nations conference on Habitat, become a trustee and founder of the National Building Museum in 1976, and serve as the President of the California Chapter of the National Institute of Architects in 1979.","Willis' interest in the issues that affect planning, population density, and land-use economics with respect to large-scale development manifested itself in the creation of the computer program CARLA (Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis) in the 1970's. The software was developed by Willis with Eric Tiescholz and Jochen Eigen. With CARLA's completion and implementation, Willis and Associates became one of the first architectural firms to incorporate computers into the routine practices of design and land development.","Projects such as the prototype for the regional computer centers of the IRS and master-planning for a new town situated in Aliamanu Valley, Hawaii (1975), are good examples of her unique philosophy of design.","Throughout the 1970s, Willis' firm concentrated on large- scale housing and new-community planning and design. By espousing architecture of rural pragmatism and rooting it in ancient images and myths, Willis offered something new to the intellectual landscape of architectural design.","In 1997, the National Building Museum published Willis' book,  Invisible Images: The Silent Language of Architecture,  in which she describes her buildings and design philosophy. In 1980, she was elected to the American Institute of Architects College of Fellows. In 1984, Willis received an honorary doctorate in Fine Arts from Mount Holyoke College.","By the early 1980s, Willis' design focus shifted to urban structures like the Yerba Buena Gardens redevelopment project (1980) and the San Francisco Ballet Association Building (1984). Smaller, but no less important, projects include Nob Hill Court (1971), Pacific Point Condominiums (1972), the Greenwich Apartment (1978), the Margaret Hayward Playground Building (1978), the (unbuilt) Shown Winery (1986), and the Mr. and Mrs. Richard Goeglin Pool House and Sculpture (1988).","Willis relocated her office and residence to New York City in 1991. Willis founded in 1994 the  Architectural Research Institute, Inc.  (through which the Manhattan Village Academy was designed). In 2002, she founded the  Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation , and she presently (2008) serves as the foundation's president. Her work and community leadership have been widely published (see bibliography). She is a founding trustee of the National Building Museum (1975-present). The Beverly Willis Library is located at the National Building Museum.","Much of the information in the biography was culled from the biography written for Beverly Willis by Nicolai Ouroussoff and included in  Invisible Images: The Silent Language of Architecture , published in 1997 by the National Building Museum, Washington, DC."],"odd_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eSome of the information in the scope and content note was taken from an independent appraisal of the collection.\u003c/p\u003e"],"odd_heading_ssm":["General note"],"odd_tesim":["Some of the information in the scope and content note was taken from an independent appraisal of the collection."],"otherfindaid_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eA file-level \u003cextref href=\"http://spec.lib.vt.edu/iawa/inventories/Willis/Willis.html\" title=\"inventory\"\u003einventory\u003c/extref\u003e of letter- and legal-size project records is available at the repository.\u003c/p\u003e"],"otherfindaid_heading_ssm":["Other Finding Aid"],"otherfindaid_tesim":["A file-level  inventory  of letter- and legal-size project records is available at the repository."],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eResearchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Beverly Willis Architectural Collection, Ms1992-019, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.\u003c/p\u003e"],"prefercite_tesim":["Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Beverly Willis Architectural Collection, Ms1992-019, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va."],"processinfo_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe bulk of the drawings in the Willis Papers were arranged and described before they were donated, and information about the arrangement of the collection was compiled in a searchable database that is available at the repository. Project records stored in record cartons have been inventoried and are included in the database and finding aid.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe first accession, which was arranged and described by Laura Katz Smith in 1995, was combined with subsequent accessions in 2003. A finding aid describing the complete collection was created by Catherine G. OBrion in 2003, using descriptions of materials in the archives database that was donated with the bulk of the collection in 2000.\nThe 2004 and 2009 additions were arranged and described by Sherrie Bowser in 2012. The project index arrangement was also included at this time.  \u003c/p\u003e"],"processinfo_heading_ssm":["Processing Information"],"processinfo_tesim":["The bulk of the drawings in the Willis Papers were arranged and described before they were donated, and information about the arrangement of the collection was compiled in a searchable database that is available at the repository. Project records stored in record cartons have been inventoried and are included in the database and finding aid.","The first accession, which was arranged and described by Laura Katz Smith in 1995, was combined with subsequent accessions in 2003. A finding aid describing the complete collection was created by Catherine G. OBrion in 2003, using descriptions of materials in the archives database that was donated with the bulk of the collection in 2000.\nThe 2004 and 2009 additions were arranged and described by Sherrie Bowser in 2012. The project index arrangement was also included at this time.  "],"relatedmaterial_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe guide to the Beverly Willis Architectural Collection by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 (\u003ca href=\"https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/\"\u003ehttps://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/\u003c/a\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e"],"relatedmaterial_heading_ssm":["Rights Statement for Archival Description"],"relatedmaterial_tesim":["The guide to the Beverly Willis Architectural Collection by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 ( https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/ )."],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe Beverly Willis Architectural Collection span the years 1954 to 1999 and are comprised primarily of records documenting Willis' work as an architect in San Francisco between 1960 and 1990. The collection documents the application of computers to architectural design and land analysis, the development of CARLA (Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis) in the 1970s, the history of twentieth-century urban planning, particularly in San Francisco; and the contribution of women to twentieth-century American architecture. Willis, a noted artist, photographer, teacher, and writer, employed the full range of visual arts and design skills to influence and guide architectural projects of major significance.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eThe bulk of the collection is comprised of Willis and Associates project files from the period 1960 to 1990. Projects range from private residences and residential developments to institutions, such as the San Francisco Ballet Association Building; and urban development projects, most notably the Yerba Buena Gardens project in downtown San Francisco. Also included are records and design documents for Aliamanu Valley New Town, a military base in Hawaii that was the first major project designed with CARLA, computer software for architectural design created by Willis; and records documenting the development of CARLA.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eProject files are comprised of presentation drawings, slope analysis drawings, site plans, maps, cut-and-fill analysis plans, sketches, conceptual design drawings, construction drawings, as well as correspondence, research files, contracts, environmental impact statements and studies, financial records, and feasibility studies. There are records for more than 150 projects. Drawings are large folio, pen-and- ink or watercolor on paper, linen, or mylar. Some are heightened with color.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eAlso included is a series documenting the development of CARLA, Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis, in the 1970s. Beverly Willis was interested in issues that affected planning, population density, and land-use economics in relation to large-scale development. Along with Eric Tiescholz and Jochen Eigen, she developed a program that enabled architects, with the use of computers, to develop site plans and design techniques in a fraction of the time required by the old methodology. Records documenting the development of CARLA include computer tapes, correspondence, flow charts, memos, and Jochen Eigen's notes on interfacing CARLA with a computer mapping program in 1974.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eThe collection also contains a series of Publications, Brochures, and Clippings, which includes biographical information on Willis, Miscellaneous Project Records, and a video of the Yerba Buena Gardents development.\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Contents"],"scopecontent_tesim":["The Beverly Willis Architectural Collection span the years 1954 to 1999 and are comprised primarily of records documenting Willis' work as an architect in San Francisco between 1960 and 1990. The collection documents the application of computers to architectural design and land analysis, the development of CARLA (Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis) in the 1970s, the history of twentieth-century urban planning, particularly in San Francisco; and the contribution of women to twentieth-century American architecture. Willis, a noted artist, photographer, teacher, and writer, employed the full range of visual arts and design skills to influence and guide architectural projects of major significance.","The bulk of the collection is comprised of Willis and Associates project files from the period 1960 to 1990. Projects range from private residences and residential developments to institutions, such as the San Francisco Ballet Association Building; and urban development projects, most notably the Yerba Buena Gardens project in downtown San Francisco. Also included are records and design documents for Aliamanu Valley New Town, a military base in Hawaii that was the first major project designed with CARLA, computer software for architectural design created by Willis; and records documenting the development of CARLA.","Project files are comprised of presentation drawings, slope analysis drawings, site plans, maps, cut-and-fill analysis plans, sketches, conceptual design drawings, construction drawings, as well as correspondence, research files, contracts, environmental impact statements and studies, financial records, and feasibility studies. There are records for more than 150 projects. Drawings are large folio, pen-and- ink or watercolor on paper, linen, or mylar. Some are heightened with color.","Also included is a series documenting the development of CARLA, Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis, in the 1970s. Beverly Willis was interested in issues that affected planning, population density, and land-use economics in relation to large-scale development. Along with Eric Tiescholz and Jochen Eigen, she developed a program that enabled architects, with the use of computers, to develop site plans and design techniques in a fraction of the time required by the old methodology. Records documenting the development of CARLA include computer tapes, correspondence, flow charts, memos, and Jochen Eigen's notes on interfacing CARLA with a computer mapping program in 1974.","The collection also contains a series of Publications, Brochures, and Clippings, which includes biographical information on Willis, Miscellaneous Project Records, and a video of the Yerba Buena Gardents development."],"userestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials. Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form: \u003ca href=\"http://bit.ly/scuareproduction\"\u003ehttp://bit.ly/scuareproduction\u003c/a\u003e. Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form: \u003ca href=\"http://bit.ly/scuapublication\"\u003ehttp://bit.ly/scuapublication\u003c/a\u003e. Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form.\u003c/p\u003e"],"userestrict_heading_ssm":["Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use"],"userestrict_tesim":["The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials. Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form:  http://bit.ly/scuareproduction . Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form:  http://bit.ly/scuapublication . Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form."],"physloc_html_tesm":["\u003cphysloc id=\"aspace_174a3dc5cc0f306ff98b4fcaecbf2059\"\u003e\u003cemph render=\"bold\"\u003ePlease note:\u003c/emph\u003e Boxes 1-51 are located in off-site storage and requires 2-3 days notice for retrieval. Please contact Special Collections for more information.\u003c/physloc\u003e"],"physloc_tesim":["Please note:  Boxes 1-51 are located in off-site storage and requires 2-3 days notice for retrieval. Please contact Special Collections for more information."],"names_coll_ssim":["Willis and Associates","Willis, Beverly, 1928-"],"names_ssim":["Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech","Willis and Associates","Willis, Beverly, 1928-"],"corpname_ssim":["Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech","Willis and Associates"],"persname_ssim":["Willis, Beverly, 1928-"],"language_ssim":["The materials in the collection are in English."],"descrules_ssm":["Describing Archives: A Content Standard"],"total_component_count_is":212,"online_item_count_is":0,"component_level_isim":[0],"sort_isi":0,"timestamp":"2026-04-30T23:45:27.234Z"}]}},"label":"Breadcrumbs"}}},"links":{"self":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03_c112"}},{"id":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03_c113","type":"Subseries","attributes":{"title":"Project 0753: San Francisco Ballet Building","abstract_or_scope":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03_c113#abstract_or_scope","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":"\u003cp\u003eProject entailed building design, construction drawings and construction supervision for a new 4 story, 96 foot-high building in San Francisco's Civic Center.\u003c/p\u003e","label":"Abstract Or Scope"}},"breadcrumbs":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03_c113#breadcrumbs","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":{"ref_ssi":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03_c113","ref_ssm":["viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03_c113"],"id":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03_c113","ead_ssi":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898","_root_":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898","_nest_parent_":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03","parent_ssi":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03","parent_ssim":["viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898","viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03","viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03"],"parent_ids_ssim":["viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898","viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03","viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03"],"parent_unittitles_ssm":["Beverly Willis Architectural Collection","Project Records","Project Files"],"parent_unittitles_tesim":["Beverly Willis Architectural Collection","Project Records","Project Files"],"text":["Beverly Willis Architectural Collection","Project Records","Project Files","Project 0753: San Francisco Ballet Building","Project entailed building design, construction drawings and construction supervision for a new 4 story, 96 foot-high building in San Francisco's Civic Center.","Extended Description: In the design of the building for the San Francisco Ballet Association, Willis was preoccupied with how the design could reflect the total fabric of a dancer's life. Located in the city's Civic Center, the site for the modest project of some 65,000 feet was surrounded by such monumentally-scaled buildings as the Opera House, Symphony Hall, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and City Hall.","To be compatible with the Civic Center's Neoclassical context, Willis used a tripartite horizontal ordering system derived from Renaissance principles on the facade. Breaking with classical tradition of symmetry, the entry was located on the corner, the curvilinear wall suggesting physical movement and offering a unique identity for the growing ballet company.","As the dancers were required to spend six hours per day in the facility, the desire for natural light and outdoor air is reflected in the interior. In the large airy spaces visually accessible to the outdoors, Willis developed a mirror system to provide unbroken images of lifts and jumps, as well as a fluorescent lighting system free of the stroboscopic wavering that causes dizziness during practice. The building includes rehearsal, instructional, and administrative spaces along with food service, locker rooms, and lounges."],"title_filing_ssi":"Project 0753: San Francisco Ballet Building","title_ssm":["Project 0753: San Francisco Ballet Building"],"title_tesim":["Project 0753: San Francisco Ballet Building"],"unitdate_other_ssim":["1981"],"normalized_date_ssm":["1981"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Project 0753: San Francisco Ballet Building"],"component_level_isim":[3],"repository_ssim":["Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University"],"collection_ssim":["Beverly Willis Architectural Collection"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"child_component_count_isi":0,"level_ssm":["Subseries"],"level_ssim":["Subseries"],"sort_isi":160,"parent_access_restrict_tesm":["Collection is open to research."],"parent_access_terms_tesm":["The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials. Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form: http://bit.ly/scuareproduction. Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form: http://bit.ly/scuapublication. Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form."],"date_range_isim":[1981],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eProject entailed building design, construction drawings and construction supervision for a new 4 story, 96 foot-high building in San Francisco's Civic Center.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eExtended Description: In the design of the building for the San Francisco Ballet Association, Willis was preoccupied with how the design could reflect the total fabric of a dancer's life. Located in the city's Civic Center, the site for the modest project of some 65,000 feet was surrounded by such monumentally-scaled buildings as the Opera House, Symphony Hall, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and City Hall.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eTo be compatible with the Civic Center's Neoclassical context, Willis used a tripartite horizontal ordering system derived from Renaissance principles on the facade. Breaking with classical tradition of symmetry, the entry was located on the corner, the curvilinear wall suggesting physical movement and offering a unique identity for the growing ballet company.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eAs the dancers were required to spend six hours per day in the facility, the desire for natural light and outdoor air is reflected in the interior. In the large airy spaces visually accessible to the outdoors, Willis developed a mirror system to provide unbroken images of lifts and jumps, as well as a fluorescent lighting system free of the stroboscopic wavering that causes dizziness during practice. The building includes rehearsal, instructional, and administrative spaces along with food service, locker rooms, and lounges.\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Contents note"],"scopecontent_tesim":["Project entailed building design, construction drawings and construction supervision for a new 4 story, 96 foot-high building in San Francisco's Civic Center.","Extended Description: In the design of the building for the San Francisco Ballet Association, Willis was preoccupied with how the design could reflect the total fabric of a dancer's life. Located in the city's Civic Center, the site for the modest project of some 65,000 feet was surrounded by such monumentally-scaled buildings as the Opera House, Symphony Hall, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and City Hall.","To be compatible with the Civic Center's Neoclassical context, Willis used a tripartite horizontal ordering system derived from Renaissance principles on the facade. Breaking with classical tradition of symmetry, the entry was located on the corner, the curvilinear wall suggesting physical movement and offering a unique identity for the growing ballet company.","As the dancers were required to spend six hours per day in the facility, the desire for natural light and outdoor air is reflected in the interior. In the large airy spaces visually accessible to the outdoors, Willis developed a mirror system to provide unbroken images of lifts and jumps, as well as a fluorescent lighting system free of the stroboscopic wavering that causes dizziness during practice. The building includes rehearsal, instructional, and administrative spaces along with food service, locker rooms, and lounges."],"_nest_path_":"/components#2/components#2/components#112","timestamp":"2026-04-30T23:45:27.234Z","collection":{"numFound":1,"start":0,"numFoundExact":true,"docs":[{"id":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898","ead_ssi":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898","_root_":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898","_nest_parent_":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898","ead_source_url_ssi":"data/oai/VT/repositories_2_resources_1898.xml","title_filing_ssi":"Willis, Beverly Architectural Collection","title_ssm":["Beverly Willis Architectural Collection"],"title_tesim":["Beverly Willis Architectural Collection"],"unitdate_ssm":["1954-1999"],"unitdate_inclusive_ssm":["1954-1999"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"unitid_ssm":["Ms.1992.019"],"text":["Ms.1992.019","Beverly Willis Architectural Collection","San Francisco (Calif.)","Architects and community","Housing -- United States","City planning","Architecture -- Computer-aided design","Women -- History","International Archive of Women in Architecture (IAWA)","Architectural drawings (visual works)","Collection is open to research.","Some of this collection has been digitized and is available online.","The collection has been arranged into a  Project Index.  which is a way to organize the various formats of architectural records from the same project. The index is arranged by project number and contains information, where available, about the location, date, project type, architect, collaborators, and formats for each project in the collection.","A Summary of the  Project Index.   is listed below.  Consult the  Project Index.   for location information.  ","Beverly Willis, FAIA Architect, artist, and writer, was one of perhaps three women architects in the United States to own her own sizeable architecture firm between 1958 and 1990 and the only woman in San Francisco, California, to have her own practice there for 17 years. Her book,  Invisible Images: The Silent Language of Architecture,  published by the National Building Museum, describes her design philosophy.","She was the first woman appointed to the Building Research Advisory Board of the National Academy of Science, the first appointed to the Federal Construction Council, and its first woman chair. She was the first woman elected president of the American Institute of Architects, California Council; and the Golden Gate Chapter of Lambda Alpha Society.","Willis played a major role in the revitalization of San Francisco neighborhoods after World War II. She renovated commercial spaces in the Jackson Square area and Union Street, redesigned Glide Church, designed the San Francisco Ballet Building, and won an international competition to design the Yerba Buena Gardens development downtown.","Beverly Willis was born February 17, 1928, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to Ralph William Willis, founder of the National Tool Company, and Margaret Elizabeth Porter, a nurse. She had one sibling, Ralph Gerald Willis. Both Willis and her brother were placed in an orphanage when their parents divorced in 1934.","Taking advantage of the increased opportunities available to women with the advent of World War II, Willis learned welding, riveting, electrical wiring, carpentry, and how to fly an airplane--skills that reflected the fiercely independent qualities that emerged in her personality when she was in the institutional environment of the orphanage. After the war, she enrolled in an aeronautical engineering program at Oregon State University, but withdrew after two years to work at a lithographer's studio. She then studied at the San Francisco Art Institute until relocating to Hawaii. In 1954 she received a B.A. in Fine Art from the University of Hawaii.","After graduation, Willis received a series of design commissions that led to her interest in architecture. Fueled by the friendship and ideas of entrepreneur Henry Kaiser, Willis returned to San Francisco in 1960 to open a firm that designed furniture and interiors for offices, created mixed-media art for clients that included United Airlines, and re-worked supermarket displays. Despite her rural sensibility, Willis began to immerse herself in urban designs. She found that her interests ran parallel to those of San Francisco architects like William Wurster and Joseph Esherick.","Willis' first major architectural project was the conversion of three Victorian buildings into a retail complex on Union Street in San Francisco. Her design, which proved a financial success almost immediately, influenced the renovation of the rest of the street between present-day Gough and Pierce streets.","Meeting the experience and education requirements of the California State Architectural Licensing Board in 1966, Willis became a licensed architect and the only woman in San Francisco with her own firm, Beverly Willis and Associates. This firm assumed a partnership with would-be principal architect David Coldoff that year, a partnership that lasted until 1980. Despite the heavy demands of her practice, Willis also found time to serve on the U.S. Government delegation to the United Nations conference on Habitat, become a trustee and founder of the National Building Museum in 1976, and serve as the President of the California Chapter of the National Institute of Architects in 1979.","Willis' interest in the issues that affect planning, population density, and land-use economics with respect to large-scale development manifested itself in the creation of the computer program CARLA (Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis) in the 1970's. The software was developed by Willis with Eric Tiescholz and Jochen Eigen. With CARLA's completion and implementation, Willis and Associates became one of the first architectural firms to incorporate computers into the routine practices of design and land development.","Projects such as the prototype for the regional computer centers of the IRS and master-planning for a new town situated in Aliamanu Valley, Hawaii (1975), are good examples of her unique philosophy of design.","Throughout the 1970s, Willis' firm concentrated on large- scale housing and new-community planning and design. By espousing architecture of rural pragmatism and rooting it in ancient images and myths, Willis offered something new to the intellectual landscape of architectural design.","In 1997, the National Building Museum published Willis' book,  Invisible Images: The Silent Language of Architecture,  in which she describes her buildings and design philosophy. In 1980, she was elected to the American Institute of Architects College of Fellows. In 1984, Willis received an honorary doctorate in Fine Arts from Mount Holyoke College.","By the early 1980s, Willis' design focus shifted to urban structures like the Yerba Buena Gardens redevelopment project (1980) and the San Francisco Ballet Association Building (1984). Smaller, but no less important, projects include Nob Hill Court (1971), Pacific Point Condominiums (1972), the Greenwich Apartment (1978), the Margaret Hayward Playground Building (1978), the (unbuilt) Shown Winery (1986), and the Mr. and Mrs. Richard Goeglin Pool House and Sculpture (1988).","Willis relocated her office and residence to New York City in 1991. Willis founded in 1994 the  Architectural Research Institute, Inc.  (through which the Manhattan Village Academy was designed). In 2002, she founded the  Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation , and she presently (2008) serves as the foundation's president. Her work and community leadership have been widely published (see bibliography). She is a founding trustee of the National Building Museum (1975-present). The Beverly Willis Library is located at the National Building Museum.","Much of the information in the biography was culled from the biography written for Beverly Willis by Nicolai Ouroussoff and included in  Invisible Images: The Silent Language of Architecture , published in 1997 by the National Building Museum, Washington, DC.","Some of the information in the scope and content note was taken from an independent appraisal of the collection.","The bulk of the drawings in the Willis Papers were arranged and described before they were donated, and information about the arrangement of the collection was compiled in a searchable database that is available at the repository. Project records stored in record cartons have been inventoried and are included in the database and finding aid.","The first accession, which was arranged and described by Laura Katz Smith in 1995, was combined with subsequent accessions in 2003. A finding aid describing the complete collection was created by Catherine G. OBrion in 2003, using descriptions of materials in the archives database that was donated with the bulk of the collection in 2000.\nThe 2004 and 2009 additions were arranged and described by Sherrie Bowser in 2012. The project index arrangement was also included at this time.  ","The guide to the Beverly Willis Architectural Collection by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 ( https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/ ).","The Beverly Willis Architectural Collection span the years 1954 to 1999 and are comprised primarily of records documenting Willis' work as an architect in San Francisco between 1960 and 1990. The collection documents the application of computers to architectural design and land analysis, the development of CARLA (Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis) in the 1970s, the history of twentieth-century urban planning, particularly in San Francisco; and the contribution of women to twentieth-century American architecture. Willis, a noted artist, photographer, teacher, and writer, employed the full range of visual arts and design skills to influence and guide architectural projects of major significance.","The bulk of the collection is comprised of Willis and Associates project files from the period 1960 to 1990. Projects range from private residences and residential developments to institutions, such as the San Francisco Ballet Association Building; and urban development projects, most notably the Yerba Buena Gardens project in downtown San Francisco. Also included are records and design documents for Aliamanu Valley New Town, a military base in Hawaii that was the first major project designed with CARLA, computer software for architectural design created by Willis; and records documenting the development of CARLA.","Project files are comprised of presentation drawings, slope analysis drawings, site plans, maps, cut-and-fill analysis plans, sketches, conceptual design drawings, construction drawings, as well as correspondence, research files, contracts, environmental impact statements and studies, financial records, and feasibility studies. There are records for more than 150 projects. Drawings are large folio, pen-and- ink or watercolor on paper, linen, or mylar. Some are heightened with color.","Also included is a series documenting the development of CARLA, Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis, in the 1970s. Beverly Willis was interested in issues that affected planning, population density, and land-use economics in relation to large-scale development. Along with Eric Tiescholz and Jochen Eigen, she developed a program that enabled architects, with the use of computers, to develop site plans and design techniques in a fraction of the time required by the old methodology. Records documenting the development of CARLA include computer tapes, correspondence, flow charts, memos, and Jochen Eigen's notes on interfacing CARLA with a computer mapping program in 1974.","The collection also contains a series of Publications, Brochures, and Clippings, which includes biographical information on Willis, Miscellaneous Project Records, and a video of the Yerba Buena Gardents development.","The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials. Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form:  http://bit.ly/scuareproduction . Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form:  http://bit.ly/scuapublication . Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form.","Please note:  Boxes 1-51 are located in off-site storage and requires 2-3 days notice for retrieval. Please contact Special Collections for more information.","Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech","Willis and Associates","Willis, Beverly, 1928-","The materials in the collection are in English."],"unitid_tesim":["Ms.1992.019"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Beverly Willis Architectural Collection"],"collection_title_tesim":["Beverly Willis Architectural Collection"],"collection_ssim":["Beverly Willis Architectural Collection"],"repository_ssm":["Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University"],"repository_ssim":["Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University"],"geogname_ssm":["San Francisco (Calif.)"],"geogname_ssim":["San Francisco (Calif.)"],"creator_ssm":["Willis, Beverly, 1928-"],"creator_ssim":["Willis, Beverly, 1928-"],"creator_persname_ssim":["Willis, Beverly, 1928-"],"creators_ssim":["Willis, Beverly, 1928-"],"places_ssim":["San Francisco (Calif.)"],"access_terms_ssm":["The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials. Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form:  http://bit.ly/scuareproduction . Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form:  http://bit.ly/scuapublication . Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form."],"acqinfo_ssim":["Beverly Willis donated samples of her designs to Virginia Tech in 1992. This gift was followed, in 2000, with a donation of the bulk of the records and designs from her architectural career.  Additional small accessions arrived in 2004 and 2009."],"access_subjects_ssim":["Architects and community","Housing -- United States","City planning","Architecture -- Computer-aided design","Women -- History","International Archive of Women in Architecture (IAWA)","Architectural drawings (visual works)"],"access_subjects_ssm":["Architects and community","Housing -- United States","City planning","Architecture -- Computer-aided design","Women -- History","International Archive of Women in Architecture (IAWA)","Architectural drawings (visual works)"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"extent_ssm":["100 Linear Feet"],"extent_tesim":["100 Linear Feet"],"genreform_ssim":["Architectural drawings (visual works)"],"date_range_isim":[1954,1955,1956,1957,1958,1959,1960,1961,1962,1963,1964,1965,1966,1967,1968,1969,1970,1971,1972,1973,1974,1975,1976,1977,1978,1979,1980,1981,1982,1983,1984,1985,1986,1987,1988,1989,1990,1991,1992,1993,1994,1995,1996,1997,1998,1999],"accessrestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eCollection is open to research.\u003c/p\u003e"],"accessrestrict_heading_ssm":["Conditions Governing Access"],"accessrestrict_tesim":["Collection is open to research."],"altformavail_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003e\u003ca target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://digitalsc.lib.vt.edu/collections/show/225\"\u003eSome of this collection has been digitized and is available online.\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e"],"altformavail_heading_ssm":["Existence and Location of Copies"],"altformavail_tesim":["Some of this collection has been digitized and is available online."],"arrangement_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe collection has been arranged into a \u003cextref actuate=\"onRequest\" href=\"http://spec.lib.vt.edu/assets/documents/iawa/Ms1992-019pi.xls\" show=\"new\" title=\"Project Index\"\u003eProject Index.\u003c/extref\u003e which is a way to organize the various formats of architectural records from the same project. The index is arranged by project number and contains information, where available, about the location, date, project type, architect, collaborators, and formats for each project in the collection.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eA Summary of the \u003cextref actuate=\"onRequest\" href=\"http://spec.lib.vt.edu/assets/documents/iawa/Ms1992-019pi.xls\" show=\"new\" title=\"Project Index\"\u003eProject Index.\u003c/extref\u003e  is listed below.  Consult the \u003cextref actuate=\"onRequest\" href=\"http://spec.lib.vt.edu/assets/documents/iawa/Ms1992-019pi.xls\" show=\"new\" title=\"Project Index\"\u003eProject Index.\u003c/extref\u003e  for location information.  \u003c/p\u003e"],"arrangement_heading_ssm":["Arrangement"],"arrangement_tesim":["The collection has been arranged into a  Project Index.  which is a way to organize the various formats of architectural records from the same project. The index is arranged by project number and contains information, where available, about the location, date, project type, architect, collaborators, and formats for each project in the collection.","A Summary of the  Project Index.   is listed below.  Consult the  Project Index.   for location information.  "],"bioghist_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eBeverly Willis, FAIA Architect, artist, and writer, was one of perhaps three women architects in the United States to own her own sizeable architecture firm between 1958 and 1990 and the only woman in San Francisco, California, to have her own practice there for 17 years. Her book, \u003ctitle render=\"italic\"\u003eInvisible Images: The Silent Language of Architecture,\u003c/title\u003e published by the National Building Museum, describes her design philosophy.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eShe was the first woman appointed to the Building Research Advisory Board of the National Academy of Science, the first appointed to the Federal Construction Council, and its first woman chair. She was the first woman elected president of the American Institute of Architects, California Council; and the Golden Gate Chapter of Lambda Alpha Society.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eWillis played a major role in the revitalization of San Francisco neighborhoods after World War II. She renovated commercial spaces in the Jackson Square area and Union Street, redesigned Glide Church, designed the San Francisco Ballet Building, and won an international competition to design the Yerba Buena Gardens development downtown.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eBeverly Willis was born February 17, 1928, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to Ralph William Willis, founder of the National Tool Company, and Margaret Elizabeth Porter, a nurse. She had one sibling, Ralph Gerald Willis. Both Willis and her brother were placed in an orphanage when their parents divorced in 1934.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eTaking advantage of the increased opportunities available to women with the advent of World War II, Willis learned welding, riveting, electrical wiring, carpentry, and how to fly an airplane--skills that reflected the fiercely independent qualities that emerged in her personality when she was in the institutional environment of the orphanage. After the war, she enrolled in an aeronautical engineering program at Oregon State University, but withdrew after two years to work at a lithographer's studio. She then studied at the San Francisco Art Institute until relocating to Hawaii. In 1954 she received a B.A. in Fine Art from the University of Hawaii.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eAfter graduation, Willis received a series of design commissions that led to her interest in architecture. Fueled by the friendship and ideas of entrepreneur Henry Kaiser, Willis returned to San Francisco in 1960 to open a firm that designed furniture and interiors for offices, created mixed-media art for clients that included United Airlines, and re-worked supermarket displays. Despite her rural sensibility, Willis began to immerse herself in urban designs. She found that her interests ran parallel to those of San Francisco architects like William Wurster and Joseph Esherick.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eWillis' first major architectural project was the conversion of three Victorian buildings into a retail complex on Union Street in San Francisco. Her design, which proved a financial success almost immediately, influenced the renovation of the rest of the street between present-day Gough and Pierce streets.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eMeeting the experience and education requirements of the California State Architectural Licensing Board in 1966, Willis became a licensed architect and the only woman in San Francisco with her own firm, Beverly Willis and Associates. This firm assumed a partnership with would-be principal architect David Coldoff that year, a partnership that lasted until 1980. Despite the heavy demands of her practice, Willis also found time to serve on the U.S. Government delegation to the United Nations conference on Habitat, become a trustee and founder of the National Building Museum in 1976, and serve as the President of the California Chapter of the National Institute of Architects in 1979.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eWillis' interest in the issues that affect planning, population density, and land-use economics with respect to large-scale development manifested itself in the creation of the computer program CARLA (Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis) in the 1970's. The software was developed by Willis with Eric Tiescholz and Jochen Eigen. With CARLA's completion and implementation, Willis and Associates became one of the first architectural firms to incorporate computers into the routine practices of design and land development.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eProjects such as the prototype for the regional computer centers of the IRS and master-planning for a new town situated in Aliamanu Valley, Hawaii (1975), are good examples of her unique philosophy of design.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eThroughout the 1970s, Willis' firm concentrated on large- scale housing and new-community planning and design. By espousing architecture of rural pragmatism and rooting it in ancient images and myths, Willis offered something new to the intellectual landscape of architectural design.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eIn 1997, the National Building Museum published Willis' book, \u003ctitle render=\"italic\"\u003eInvisible Images: The Silent Language of Architecture,\u003c/title\u003e in which she describes her buildings and design philosophy. In 1980, she was elected to the American Institute of Architects College of Fellows. In 1984, Willis received an honorary doctorate in Fine Arts from Mount Holyoke College.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eBy the early 1980s, Willis' design focus shifted to urban structures like the Yerba Buena Gardens redevelopment project (1980) and the San Francisco Ballet Association Building (1984). Smaller, but no less important, projects include Nob Hill Court (1971), Pacific Point Condominiums (1972), the Greenwich Apartment (1978), the Margaret Hayward Playground Building (1978), the (unbuilt) Shown Winery (1986), and the Mr. and Mrs. Richard Goeglin Pool House and Sculpture (1988).\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eWillis relocated her office and residence to New York City in 1991. Willis founded in 1994 the \u003cextref href=\"http://www.architect.org\" title=\"Architectural Research Institute, Inc.\"\u003eArchitectural Research Institute, Inc.\u003c/extref\u003e (through which the Manhattan Village Academy was designed). In 2002, she founded the \u003cextref href=\"http://www.bwaf.org/\" title=\"Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation\"\u003eBeverly Willis Architecture Foundation\u003c/extref\u003e, and she presently (2008) serves as the foundation's president. Her work and community leadership have been widely published (see bibliography). She is a founding trustee of the National Building Museum (1975-present). The Beverly Willis Library is located at the National Building Museum.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eMuch of the information in the biography was culled from the biography written for Beverly Willis by Nicolai Ouroussoff and included in \u003ctitle render=\"italic\"\u003eInvisible Images: The Silent Language of Architecture\u003c/title\u003e, published in 1997 by the National Building Museum, Washington, DC.\u003c/p\u003e"],"bioghist_heading_ssm":["Biographical Note","Source"],"bioghist_tesim":["Beverly Willis, FAIA Architect, artist, and writer, was one of perhaps three women architects in the United States to own her own sizeable architecture firm between 1958 and 1990 and the only woman in San Francisco, California, to have her own practice there for 17 years. Her book,  Invisible Images: The Silent Language of Architecture,  published by the National Building Museum, describes her design philosophy.","She was the first woman appointed to the Building Research Advisory Board of the National Academy of Science, the first appointed to the Federal Construction Council, and its first woman chair. She was the first woman elected president of the American Institute of Architects, California Council; and the Golden Gate Chapter of Lambda Alpha Society.","Willis played a major role in the revitalization of San Francisco neighborhoods after World War II. She renovated commercial spaces in the Jackson Square area and Union Street, redesigned Glide Church, designed the San Francisco Ballet Building, and won an international competition to design the Yerba Buena Gardens development downtown.","Beverly Willis was born February 17, 1928, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to Ralph William Willis, founder of the National Tool Company, and Margaret Elizabeth Porter, a nurse. She had one sibling, Ralph Gerald Willis. Both Willis and her brother were placed in an orphanage when their parents divorced in 1934.","Taking advantage of the increased opportunities available to women with the advent of World War II, Willis learned welding, riveting, electrical wiring, carpentry, and how to fly an airplane--skills that reflected the fiercely independent qualities that emerged in her personality when she was in the institutional environment of the orphanage. After the war, she enrolled in an aeronautical engineering program at Oregon State University, but withdrew after two years to work at a lithographer's studio. She then studied at the San Francisco Art Institute until relocating to Hawaii. In 1954 she received a B.A. in Fine Art from the University of Hawaii.","After graduation, Willis received a series of design commissions that led to her interest in architecture. Fueled by the friendship and ideas of entrepreneur Henry Kaiser, Willis returned to San Francisco in 1960 to open a firm that designed furniture and interiors for offices, created mixed-media art for clients that included United Airlines, and re-worked supermarket displays. Despite her rural sensibility, Willis began to immerse herself in urban designs. She found that her interests ran parallel to those of San Francisco architects like William Wurster and Joseph Esherick.","Willis' first major architectural project was the conversion of three Victorian buildings into a retail complex on Union Street in San Francisco. Her design, which proved a financial success almost immediately, influenced the renovation of the rest of the street between present-day Gough and Pierce streets.","Meeting the experience and education requirements of the California State Architectural Licensing Board in 1966, Willis became a licensed architect and the only woman in San Francisco with her own firm, Beverly Willis and Associates. This firm assumed a partnership with would-be principal architect David Coldoff that year, a partnership that lasted until 1980. Despite the heavy demands of her practice, Willis also found time to serve on the U.S. Government delegation to the United Nations conference on Habitat, become a trustee and founder of the National Building Museum in 1976, and serve as the President of the California Chapter of the National Institute of Architects in 1979.","Willis' interest in the issues that affect planning, population density, and land-use economics with respect to large-scale development manifested itself in the creation of the computer program CARLA (Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis) in the 1970's. The software was developed by Willis with Eric Tiescholz and Jochen Eigen. With CARLA's completion and implementation, Willis and Associates became one of the first architectural firms to incorporate computers into the routine practices of design and land development.","Projects such as the prototype for the regional computer centers of the IRS and master-planning for a new town situated in Aliamanu Valley, Hawaii (1975), are good examples of her unique philosophy of design.","Throughout the 1970s, Willis' firm concentrated on large- scale housing and new-community planning and design. By espousing architecture of rural pragmatism and rooting it in ancient images and myths, Willis offered something new to the intellectual landscape of architectural design.","In 1997, the National Building Museum published Willis' book,  Invisible Images: The Silent Language of Architecture,  in which she describes her buildings and design philosophy. In 1980, she was elected to the American Institute of Architects College of Fellows. In 1984, Willis received an honorary doctorate in Fine Arts from Mount Holyoke College.","By the early 1980s, Willis' design focus shifted to urban structures like the Yerba Buena Gardens redevelopment project (1980) and the San Francisco Ballet Association Building (1984). Smaller, but no less important, projects include Nob Hill Court (1971), Pacific Point Condominiums (1972), the Greenwich Apartment (1978), the Margaret Hayward Playground Building (1978), the (unbuilt) Shown Winery (1986), and the Mr. and Mrs. Richard Goeglin Pool House and Sculpture (1988).","Willis relocated her office and residence to New York City in 1991. Willis founded in 1994 the  Architectural Research Institute, Inc.  (through which the Manhattan Village Academy was designed). In 2002, she founded the  Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation , and she presently (2008) serves as the foundation's president. Her work and community leadership have been widely published (see bibliography). She is a founding trustee of the National Building Museum (1975-present). The Beverly Willis Library is located at the National Building Museum.","Much of the information in the biography was culled from the biography written for Beverly Willis by Nicolai Ouroussoff and included in  Invisible Images: The Silent Language of Architecture , published in 1997 by the National Building Museum, Washington, DC."],"odd_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eSome of the information in the scope and content note was taken from an independent appraisal of the collection.\u003c/p\u003e"],"odd_heading_ssm":["General note"],"odd_tesim":["Some of the information in the scope and content note was taken from an independent appraisal of the collection."],"otherfindaid_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eA file-level \u003cextref href=\"http://spec.lib.vt.edu/iawa/inventories/Willis/Willis.html\" title=\"inventory\"\u003einventory\u003c/extref\u003e of letter- and legal-size project records is available at the repository.\u003c/p\u003e"],"otherfindaid_heading_ssm":["Other Finding Aid"],"otherfindaid_tesim":["A file-level  inventory  of letter- and legal-size project records is available at the repository."],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eResearchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Beverly Willis Architectural Collection, Ms1992-019, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.\u003c/p\u003e"],"prefercite_tesim":["Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Beverly Willis Architectural Collection, Ms1992-019, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va."],"processinfo_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe bulk of the drawings in the Willis Papers were arranged and described before they were donated, and information about the arrangement of the collection was compiled in a searchable database that is available at the repository. Project records stored in record cartons have been inventoried and are included in the database and finding aid.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe first accession, which was arranged and described by Laura Katz Smith in 1995, was combined with subsequent accessions in 2003. A finding aid describing the complete collection was created by Catherine G. OBrion in 2003, using descriptions of materials in the archives database that was donated with the bulk of the collection in 2000.\nThe 2004 and 2009 additions were arranged and described by Sherrie Bowser in 2012. The project index arrangement was also included at this time.  \u003c/p\u003e"],"processinfo_heading_ssm":["Processing Information"],"processinfo_tesim":["The bulk of the drawings in the Willis Papers were arranged and described before they were donated, and information about the arrangement of the collection was compiled in a searchable database that is available at the repository. Project records stored in record cartons have been inventoried and are included in the database and finding aid.","The first accession, which was arranged and described by Laura Katz Smith in 1995, was combined with subsequent accessions in 2003. A finding aid describing the complete collection was created by Catherine G. OBrion in 2003, using descriptions of materials in the archives database that was donated with the bulk of the collection in 2000.\nThe 2004 and 2009 additions were arranged and described by Sherrie Bowser in 2012. The project index arrangement was also included at this time.  "],"relatedmaterial_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe guide to the Beverly Willis Architectural Collection by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 (\u003ca href=\"https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/\"\u003ehttps://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/\u003c/a\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e"],"relatedmaterial_heading_ssm":["Rights Statement for Archival Description"],"relatedmaterial_tesim":["The guide to the Beverly Willis Architectural Collection by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 ( https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/ )."],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe Beverly Willis Architectural Collection span the years 1954 to 1999 and are comprised primarily of records documenting Willis' work as an architect in San Francisco between 1960 and 1990. The collection documents the application of computers to architectural design and land analysis, the development of CARLA (Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis) in the 1970s, the history of twentieth-century urban planning, particularly in San Francisco; and the contribution of women to twentieth-century American architecture. Willis, a noted artist, photographer, teacher, and writer, employed the full range of visual arts and design skills to influence and guide architectural projects of major significance.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eThe bulk of the collection is comprised of Willis and Associates project files from the period 1960 to 1990. Projects range from private residences and residential developments to institutions, such as the San Francisco Ballet Association Building; and urban development projects, most notably the Yerba Buena Gardens project in downtown San Francisco. Also included are records and design documents for Aliamanu Valley New Town, a military base in Hawaii that was the first major project designed with CARLA, computer software for architectural design created by Willis; and records documenting the development of CARLA.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eProject files are comprised of presentation drawings, slope analysis drawings, site plans, maps, cut-and-fill analysis plans, sketches, conceptual design drawings, construction drawings, as well as correspondence, research files, contracts, environmental impact statements and studies, financial records, and feasibility studies. There are records for more than 150 projects. Drawings are large folio, pen-and- ink or watercolor on paper, linen, or mylar. Some are heightened with color.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eAlso included is a series documenting the development of CARLA, Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis, in the 1970s. Beverly Willis was interested in issues that affected planning, population density, and land-use economics in relation to large-scale development. Along with Eric Tiescholz and Jochen Eigen, she developed a program that enabled architects, with the use of computers, to develop site plans and design techniques in a fraction of the time required by the old methodology. Records documenting the development of CARLA include computer tapes, correspondence, flow charts, memos, and Jochen Eigen's notes on interfacing CARLA with a computer mapping program in 1974.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eThe collection also contains a series of Publications, Brochures, and Clippings, which includes biographical information on Willis, Miscellaneous Project Records, and a video of the Yerba Buena Gardents development.\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Contents"],"scopecontent_tesim":["The Beverly Willis Architectural Collection span the years 1954 to 1999 and are comprised primarily of records documenting Willis' work as an architect in San Francisco between 1960 and 1990. The collection documents the application of computers to architectural design and land analysis, the development of CARLA (Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis) in the 1970s, the history of twentieth-century urban planning, particularly in San Francisco; and the contribution of women to twentieth-century American architecture. Willis, a noted artist, photographer, teacher, and writer, employed the full range of visual arts and design skills to influence and guide architectural projects of major significance.","The bulk of the collection is comprised of Willis and Associates project files from the period 1960 to 1990. Projects range from private residences and residential developments to institutions, such as the San Francisco Ballet Association Building; and urban development projects, most notably the Yerba Buena Gardens project in downtown San Francisco. Also included are records and design documents for Aliamanu Valley New Town, a military base in Hawaii that was the first major project designed with CARLA, computer software for architectural design created by Willis; and records documenting the development of CARLA.","Project files are comprised of presentation drawings, slope analysis drawings, site plans, maps, cut-and-fill analysis plans, sketches, conceptual design drawings, construction drawings, as well as correspondence, research files, contracts, environmental impact statements and studies, financial records, and feasibility studies. There are records for more than 150 projects. Drawings are large folio, pen-and- ink or watercolor on paper, linen, or mylar. Some are heightened with color.","Also included is a series documenting the development of CARLA, Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis, in the 1970s. Beverly Willis was interested in issues that affected planning, population density, and land-use economics in relation to large-scale development. Along with Eric Tiescholz and Jochen Eigen, she developed a program that enabled architects, with the use of computers, to develop site plans and design techniques in a fraction of the time required by the old methodology. Records documenting the development of CARLA include computer tapes, correspondence, flow charts, memos, and Jochen Eigen's notes on interfacing CARLA with a computer mapping program in 1974.","The collection also contains a series of Publications, Brochures, and Clippings, which includes biographical information on Willis, Miscellaneous Project Records, and a video of the Yerba Buena Gardents development."],"userestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials. Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form: \u003ca href=\"http://bit.ly/scuareproduction\"\u003ehttp://bit.ly/scuareproduction\u003c/a\u003e. Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form: \u003ca href=\"http://bit.ly/scuapublication\"\u003ehttp://bit.ly/scuapublication\u003c/a\u003e. Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form.\u003c/p\u003e"],"userestrict_heading_ssm":["Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use"],"userestrict_tesim":["The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials. Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form:  http://bit.ly/scuareproduction . Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form:  http://bit.ly/scuapublication . Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form."],"physloc_html_tesm":["\u003cphysloc id=\"aspace_174a3dc5cc0f306ff98b4fcaecbf2059\"\u003e\u003cemph render=\"bold\"\u003ePlease note:\u003c/emph\u003e Boxes 1-51 are located in off-site storage and requires 2-3 days notice for retrieval. Please contact Special Collections for more information.\u003c/physloc\u003e"],"physloc_tesim":["Please note:  Boxes 1-51 are located in off-site storage and requires 2-3 days notice for retrieval. Please contact Special Collections for more information."],"names_coll_ssim":["Willis and Associates","Willis, Beverly, 1928-"],"names_ssim":["Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech","Willis and Associates","Willis, Beverly, 1928-"],"corpname_ssim":["Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech","Willis and Associates"],"persname_ssim":["Willis, Beverly, 1928-"],"language_ssim":["The materials in the collection are in English."],"descrules_ssm":["Describing Archives: A Content Standard"],"total_component_count_is":212,"online_item_count_is":0,"component_level_isim":[0],"sort_isi":0,"timestamp":"2026-04-30T23:45:27.234Z"}]}},"label":"Breadcrumbs"}}},"links":{"self":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03_c113"}},{"id":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03_c114","type":"Subseries","attributes":{"title":"Project 0754: Yerba Buena Center Flowchart","breadcrumbs":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03_c114#breadcrumbs","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":{"ref_ssi":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03_c114","ref_ssm":["viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03_c114"],"id":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03_c114","ead_ssi":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898","_root_":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898","_nest_parent_":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03","parent_ssi":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03","parent_ssim":["viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898","viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03","viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03"],"parent_ids_ssim":["viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898","viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03","viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03"],"parent_unittitles_ssm":["Beverly Willis Architectural Collection","Project Records","Project Files"],"parent_unittitles_tesim":["Beverly Willis Architectural Collection","Project Records","Project Files"],"text":["Beverly Willis Architectural Collection","Project Records","Project Files","Project 0754: Yerba Buena Center Flowchart"],"title_filing_ssi":"Project 0754: Yerba Buena Center Flowchart","title_ssm":["Project 0754: Yerba Buena Center Flowchart"],"title_tesim":["Project 0754: Yerba Buena Center Flowchart"],"unitdate_other_ssim":["1981"],"normalized_date_ssm":["1981"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Project 0754: Yerba Buena Center Flowchart"],"component_level_isim":[3],"repository_ssim":["Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University"],"collection_ssim":["Beverly Willis Architectural Collection"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"child_component_count_isi":0,"level_ssm":["Subseries"],"level_ssim":["Subseries"],"sort_isi":161,"parent_access_restrict_tesm":["Collection is open to research."],"parent_access_terms_tesm":["The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials. Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form: http://bit.ly/scuareproduction. Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form: http://bit.ly/scuapublication. Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form."],"date_range_isim":[1981],"_nest_path_":"/components#2/components#2/components#113","timestamp":"2026-04-30T23:45:27.234Z","collection":{"numFound":1,"start":0,"numFoundExact":true,"docs":[{"id":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898","ead_ssi":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898","_root_":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898","_nest_parent_":"viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898","ead_source_url_ssi":"data/oai/VT/repositories_2_resources_1898.xml","title_filing_ssi":"Willis, Beverly Architectural Collection","title_ssm":["Beverly Willis Architectural Collection"],"title_tesim":["Beverly Willis Architectural Collection"],"unitdate_ssm":["1954-1999"],"unitdate_inclusive_ssm":["1954-1999"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"unitid_ssm":["Ms.1992.019"],"text":["Ms.1992.019","Beverly Willis Architectural Collection","San Francisco (Calif.)","Architects and community","Housing -- United States","City planning","Architecture -- Computer-aided design","Women -- History","International Archive of Women in Architecture (IAWA)","Architectural drawings (visual works)","Collection is open to research.","Some of this collection has been digitized and is available online.","The collection has been arranged into a  Project Index.  which is a way to organize the various formats of architectural records from the same project. The index is arranged by project number and contains information, where available, about the location, date, project type, architect, collaborators, and formats for each project in the collection.","A Summary of the  Project Index.   is listed below.  Consult the  Project Index.   for location information.  ","Beverly Willis, FAIA Architect, artist, and writer, was one of perhaps three women architects in the United States to own her own sizeable architecture firm between 1958 and 1990 and the only woman in San Francisco, California, to have her own practice there for 17 years. Her book,  Invisible Images: The Silent Language of Architecture,  published by the National Building Museum, describes her design philosophy.","She was the first woman appointed to the Building Research Advisory Board of the National Academy of Science, the first appointed to the Federal Construction Council, and its first woman chair. She was the first woman elected president of the American Institute of Architects, California Council; and the Golden Gate Chapter of Lambda Alpha Society.","Willis played a major role in the revitalization of San Francisco neighborhoods after World War II. She renovated commercial spaces in the Jackson Square area and Union Street, redesigned Glide Church, designed the San Francisco Ballet Building, and won an international competition to design the Yerba Buena Gardens development downtown.","Beverly Willis was born February 17, 1928, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to Ralph William Willis, founder of the National Tool Company, and Margaret Elizabeth Porter, a nurse. She had one sibling, Ralph Gerald Willis. Both Willis and her brother were placed in an orphanage when their parents divorced in 1934.","Taking advantage of the increased opportunities available to women with the advent of World War II, Willis learned welding, riveting, electrical wiring, carpentry, and how to fly an airplane--skills that reflected the fiercely independent qualities that emerged in her personality when she was in the institutional environment of the orphanage. After the war, she enrolled in an aeronautical engineering program at Oregon State University, but withdrew after two years to work at a lithographer's studio. She then studied at the San Francisco Art Institute until relocating to Hawaii. In 1954 she received a B.A. in Fine Art from the University of Hawaii.","After graduation, Willis received a series of design commissions that led to her interest in architecture. Fueled by the friendship and ideas of entrepreneur Henry Kaiser, Willis returned to San Francisco in 1960 to open a firm that designed furniture and interiors for offices, created mixed-media art for clients that included United Airlines, and re-worked supermarket displays. Despite her rural sensibility, Willis began to immerse herself in urban designs. She found that her interests ran parallel to those of San Francisco architects like William Wurster and Joseph Esherick.","Willis' first major architectural project was the conversion of three Victorian buildings into a retail complex on Union Street in San Francisco. Her design, which proved a financial success almost immediately, influenced the renovation of the rest of the street between present-day Gough and Pierce streets.","Meeting the experience and education requirements of the California State Architectural Licensing Board in 1966, Willis became a licensed architect and the only woman in San Francisco with her own firm, Beverly Willis and Associates. This firm assumed a partnership with would-be principal architect David Coldoff that year, a partnership that lasted until 1980. Despite the heavy demands of her practice, Willis also found time to serve on the U.S. Government delegation to the United Nations conference on Habitat, become a trustee and founder of the National Building Museum in 1976, and serve as the President of the California Chapter of the National Institute of Architects in 1979.","Willis' interest in the issues that affect planning, population density, and land-use economics with respect to large-scale development manifested itself in the creation of the computer program CARLA (Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis) in the 1970's. The software was developed by Willis with Eric Tiescholz and Jochen Eigen. With CARLA's completion and implementation, Willis and Associates became one of the first architectural firms to incorporate computers into the routine practices of design and land development.","Projects such as the prototype for the regional computer centers of the IRS and master-planning for a new town situated in Aliamanu Valley, Hawaii (1975), are good examples of her unique philosophy of design.","Throughout the 1970s, Willis' firm concentrated on large- scale housing and new-community planning and design. By espousing architecture of rural pragmatism and rooting it in ancient images and myths, Willis offered something new to the intellectual landscape of architectural design.","In 1997, the National Building Museum published Willis' book,  Invisible Images: The Silent Language of Architecture,  in which she describes her buildings and design philosophy. In 1980, she was elected to the American Institute of Architects College of Fellows. In 1984, Willis received an honorary doctorate in Fine Arts from Mount Holyoke College.","By the early 1980s, Willis' design focus shifted to urban structures like the Yerba Buena Gardens redevelopment project (1980) and the San Francisco Ballet Association Building (1984). Smaller, but no less important, projects include Nob Hill Court (1971), Pacific Point Condominiums (1972), the Greenwich Apartment (1978), the Margaret Hayward Playground Building (1978), the (unbuilt) Shown Winery (1986), and the Mr. and Mrs. Richard Goeglin Pool House and Sculpture (1988).","Willis relocated her office and residence to New York City in 1991. Willis founded in 1994 the  Architectural Research Institute, Inc.  (through which the Manhattan Village Academy was designed). In 2002, she founded the  Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation , and she presently (2008) serves as the foundation's president. Her work and community leadership have been widely published (see bibliography). She is a founding trustee of the National Building Museum (1975-present). The Beverly Willis Library is located at the National Building Museum.","Much of the information in the biography was culled from the biography written for Beverly Willis by Nicolai Ouroussoff and included in  Invisible Images: The Silent Language of Architecture , published in 1997 by the National Building Museum, Washington, DC.","Some of the information in the scope and content note was taken from an independent appraisal of the collection.","The bulk of the drawings in the Willis Papers were arranged and described before they were donated, and information about the arrangement of the collection was compiled in a searchable database that is available at the repository. Project records stored in record cartons have been inventoried and are included in the database and finding aid.","The first accession, which was arranged and described by Laura Katz Smith in 1995, was combined with subsequent accessions in 2003. A finding aid describing the complete collection was created by Catherine G. OBrion in 2003, using descriptions of materials in the archives database that was donated with the bulk of the collection in 2000.\nThe 2004 and 2009 additions were arranged and described by Sherrie Bowser in 2012. The project index arrangement was also included at this time.  ","The guide to the Beverly Willis Architectural Collection by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 ( https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/ ).","The Beverly Willis Architectural Collection span the years 1954 to 1999 and are comprised primarily of records documenting Willis' work as an architect in San Francisco between 1960 and 1990. The collection documents the application of computers to architectural design and land analysis, the development of CARLA (Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis) in the 1970s, the history of twentieth-century urban planning, particularly in San Francisco; and the contribution of women to twentieth-century American architecture. Willis, a noted artist, photographer, teacher, and writer, employed the full range of visual arts and design skills to influence and guide architectural projects of major significance.","The bulk of the collection is comprised of Willis and Associates project files from the period 1960 to 1990. Projects range from private residences and residential developments to institutions, such as the San Francisco Ballet Association Building; and urban development projects, most notably the Yerba Buena Gardens project in downtown San Francisco. Also included are records and design documents for Aliamanu Valley New Town, a military base in Hawaii that was the first major project designed with CARLA, computer software for architectural design created by Willis; and records documenting the development of CARLA.","Project files are comprised of presentation drawings, slope analysis drawings, site plans, maps, cut-and-fill analysis plans, sketches, conceptual design drawings, construction drawings, as well as correspondence, research files, contracts, environmental impact statements and studies, financial records, and feasibility studies. There are records for more than 150 projects. Drawings are large folio, pen-and- ink or watercolor on paper, linen, or mylar. Some are heightened with color.","Also included is a series documenting the development of CARLA, Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis, in the 1970s. Beverly Willis was interested in issues that affected planning, population density, and land-use economics in relation to large-scale development. Along with Eric Tiescholz and Jochen Eigen, she developed a program that enabled architects, with the use of computers, to develop site plans and design techniques in a fraction of the time required by the old methodology. Records documenting the development of CARLA include computer tapes, correspondence, flow charts, memos, and Jochen Eigen's notes on interfacing CARLA with a computer mapping program in 1974.","The collection also contains a series of Publications, Brochures, and Clippings, which includes biographical information on Willis, Miscellaneous Project Records, and a video of the Yerba Buena Gardents development.","The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials. Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form:  http://bit.ly/scuareproduction . Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form:  http://bit.ly/scuapublication . Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form.","Please note:  Boxes 1-51 are located in off-site storage and requires 2-3 days notice for retrieval. Please contact Special Collections for more information.","Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech","Willis and Associates","Willis, Beverly, 1928-","The materials in the collection are in English."],"unitid_tesim":["Ms.1992.019"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Beverly Willis Architectural Collection"],"collection_title_tesim":["Beverly Willis Architectural Collection"],"collection_ssim":["Beverly Willis Architectural Collection"],"repository_ssm":["Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University"],"repository_ssim":["Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University"],"geogname_ssm":["San Francisco (Calif.)"],"geogname_ssim":["San Francisco (Calif.)"],"creator_ssm":["Willis, Beverly, 1928-"],"creator_ssim":["Willis, Beverly, 1928-"],"creator_persname_ssim":["Willis, Beverly, 1928-"],"creators_ssim":["Willis, Beverly, 1928-"],"places_ssim":["San Francisco (Calif.)"],"access_terms_ssm":["The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials. Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form:  http://bit.ly/scuareproduction . Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form:  http://bit.ly/scuapublication . Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form."],"acqinfo_ssim":["Beverly Willis donated samples of her designs to Virginia Tech in 1992. This gift was followed, in 2000, with a donation of the bulk of the records and designs from her architectural career.  Additional small accessions arrived in 2004 and 2009."],"access_subjects_ssim":["Architects and community","Housing -- United States","City planning","Architecture -- Computer-aided design","Women -- History","International Archive of Women in Architecture (IAWA)","Architectural drawings (visual works)"],"access_subjects_ssm":["Architects and community","Housing -- United States","City planning","Architecture -- Computer-aided design","Women -- History","International Archive of Women in Architecture (IAWA)","Architectural drawings (visual works)"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"extent_ssm":["100 Linear Feet"],"extent_tesim":["100 Linear Feet"],"genreform_ssim":["Architectural drawings (visual works)"],"date_range_isim":[1954,1955,1956,1957,1958,1959,1960,1961,1962,1963,1964,1965,1966,1967,1968,1969,1970,1971,1972,1973,1974,1975,1976,1977,1978,1979,1980,1981,1982,1983,1984,1985,1986,1987,1988,1989,1990,1991,1992,1993,1994,1995,1996,1997,1998,1999],"accessrestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eCollection is open to research.\u003c/p\u003e"],"accessrestrict_heading_ssm":["Conditions Governing Access"],"accessrestrict_tesim":["Collection is open to research."],"altformavail_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003e\u003ca target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://digitalsc.lib.vt.edu/collections/show/225\"\u003eSome of this collection has been digitized and is available online.\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e"],"altformavail_heading_ssm":["Existence and Location of Copies"],"altformavail_tesim":["Some of this collection has been digitized and is available online."],"arrangement_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe collection has been arranged into a \u003cextref actuate=\"onRequest\" href=\"http://spec.lib.vt.edu/assets/documents/iawa/Ms1992-019pi.xls\" show=\"new\" title=\"Project Index\"\u003eProject Index.\u003c/extref\u003e which is a way to organize the various formats of architectural records from the same project. The index is arranged by project number and contains information, where available, about the location, date, project type, architect, collaborators, and formats for each project in the collection.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eA Summary of the \u003cextref actuate=\"onRequest\" href=\"http://spec.lib.vt.edu/assets/documents/iawa/Ms1992-019pi.xls\" show=\"new\" title=\"Project Index\"\u003eProject Index.\u003c/extref\u003e  is listed below.  Consult the \u003cextref actuate=\"onRequest\" href=\"http://spec.lib.vt.edu/assets/documents/iawa/Ms1992-019pi.xls\" show=\"new\" title=\"Project Index\"\u003eProject Index.\u003c/extref\u003e  for location information.  \u003c/p\u003e"],"arrangement_heading_ssm":["Arrangement"],"arrangement_tesim":["The collection has been arranged into a  Project Index.  which is a way to organize the various formats of architectural records from the same project. The index is arranged by project number and contains information, where available, about the location, date, project type, architect, collaborators, and formats for each project in the collection.","A Summary of the  Project Index.   is listed below.  Consult the  Project Index.   for location information.  "],"bioghist_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eBeverly Willis, FAIA Architect, artist, and writer, was one of perhaps three women architects in the United States to own her own sizeable architecture firm between 1958 and 1990 and the only woman in San Francisco, California, to have her own practice there for 17 years. Her book, \u003ctitle render=\"italic\"\u003eInvisible Images: The Silent Language of Architecture,\u003c/title\u003e published by the National Building Museum, describes her design philosophy.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eShe was the first woman appointed to the Building Research Advisory Board of the National Academy of Science, the first appointed to the Federal Construction Council, and its first woman chair. She was the first woman elected president of the American Institute of Architects, California Council; and the Golden Gate Chapter of Lambda Alpha Society.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eWillis played a major role in the revitalization of San Francisco neighborhoods after World War II. She renovated commercial spaces in the Jackson Square area and Union Street, redesigned Glide Church, designed the San Francisco Ballet Building, and won an international competition to design the Yerba Buena Gardens development downtown.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eBeverly Willis was born February 17, 1928, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to Ralph William Willis, founder of the National Tool Company, and Margaret Elizabeth Porter, a nurse. She had one sibling, Ralph Gerald Willis. Both Willis and her brother were placed in an orphanage when their parents divorced in 1934.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eTaking advantage of the increased opportunities available to women with the advent of World War II, Willis learned welding, riveting, electrical wiring, carpentry, and how to fly an airplane--skills that reflected the fiercely independent qualities that emerged in her personality when she was in the institutional environment of the orphanage. After the war, she enrolled in an aeronautical engineering program at Oregon State University, but withdrew after two years to work at a lithographer's studio. She then studied at the San Francisco Art Institute until relocating to Hawaii. In 1954 she received a B.A. in Fine Art from the University of Hawaii.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eAfter graduation, Willis received a series of design commissions that led to her interest in architecture. Fueled by the friendship and ideas of entrepreneur Henry Kaiser, Willis returned to San Francisco in 1960 to open a firm that designed furniture and interiors for offices, created mixed-media art for clients that included United Airlines, and re-worked supermarket displays. Despite her rural sensibility, Willis began to immerse herself in urban designs. She found that her interests ran parallel to those of San Francisco architects like William Wurster and Joseph Esherick.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eWillis' first major architectural project was the conversion of three Victorian buildings into a retail complex on Union Street in San Francisco. Her design, which proved a financial success almost immediately, influenced the renovation of the rest of the street between present-day Gough and Pierce streets.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eMeeting the experience and education requirements of the California State Architectural Licensing Board in 1966, Willis became a licensed architect and the only woman in San Francisco with her own firm, Beverly Willis and Associates. This firm assumed a partnership with would-be principal architect David Coldoff that year, a partnership that lasted until 1980. Despite the heavy demands of her practice, Willis also found time to serve on the U.S. Government delegation to the United Nations conference on Habitat, become a trustee and founder of the National Building Museum in 1976, and serve as the President of the California Chapter of the National Institute of Architects in 1979.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eWillis' interest in the issues that affect planning, population density, and land-use economics with respect to large-scale development manifested itself in the creation of the computer program CARLA (Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis) in the 1970's. The software was developed by Willis with Eric Tiescholz and Jochen Eigen. With CARLA's completion and implementation, Willis and Associates became one of the first architectural firms to incorporate computers into the routine practices of design and land development.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eProjects such as the prototype for the regional computer centers of the IRS and master-planning for a new town situated in Aliamanu Valley, Hawaii (1975), are good examples of her unique philosophy of design.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eThroughout the 1970s, Willis' firm concentrated on large- scale housing and new-community planning and design. By espousing architecture of rural pragmatism and rooting it in ancient images and myths, Willis offered something new to the intellectual landscape of architectural design.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eIn 1997, the National Building Museum published Willis' book, \u003ctitle render=\"italic\"\u003eInvisible Images: The Silent Language of Architecture,\u003c/title\u003e in which she describes her buildings and design philosophy. In 1980, she was elected to the American Institute of Architects College of Fellows. In 1984, Willis received an honorary doctorate in Fine Arts from Mount Holyoke College.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eBy the early 1980s, Willis' design focus shifted to urban structures like the Yerba Buena Gardens redevelopment project (1980) and the San Francisco Ballet Association Building (1984). Smaller, but no less important, projects include Nob Hill Court (1971), Pacific Point Condominiums (1972), the Greenwich Apartment (1978), the Margaret Hayward Playground Building (1978), the (unbuilt) Shown Winery (1986), and the Mr. and Mrs. Richard Goeglin Pool House and Sculpture (1988).\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eWillis relocated her office and residence to New York City in 1991. Willis founded in 1994 the \u003cextref href=\"http://www.architect.org\" title=\"Architectural Research Institute, Inc.\"\u003eArchitectural Research Institute, Inc.\u003c/extref\u003e (through which the Manhattan Village Academy was designed). In 2002, she founded the \u003cextref href=\"http://www.bwaf.org/\" title=\"Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation\"\u003eBeverly Willis Architecture Foundation\u003c/extref\u003e, and she presently (2008) serves as the foundation's president. Her work and community leadership have been widely published (see bibliography). She is a founding trustee of the National Building Museum (1975-present). The Beverly Willis Library is located at the National Building Museum.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eMuch of the information in the biography was culled from the biography written for Beverly Willis by Nicolai Ouroussoff and included in \u003ctitle render=\"italic\"\u003eInvisible Images: The Silent Language of Architecture\u003c/title\u003e, published in 1997 by the National Building Museum, Washington, DC.\u003c/p\u003e"],"bioghist_heading_ssm":["Biographical Note","Source"],"bioghist_tesim":["Beverly Willis, FAIA Architect, artist, and writer, was one of perhaps three women architects in the United States to own her own sizeable architecture firm between 1958 and 1990 and the only woman in San Francisco, California, to have her own practice there for 17 years. Her book,  Invisible Images: The Silent Language of Architecture,  published by the National Building Museum, describes her design philosophy.","She was the first woman appointed to the Building Research Advisory Board of the National Academy of Science, the first appointed to the Federal Construction Council, and its first woman chair. She was the first woman elected president of the American Institute of Architects, California Council; and the Golden Gate Chapter of Lambda Alpha Society.","Willis played a major role in the revitalization of San Francisco neighborhoods after World War II. She renovated commercial spaces in the Jackson Square area and Union Street, redesigned Glide Church, designed the San Francisco Ballet Building, and won an international competition to design the Yerba Buena Gardens development downtown.","Beverly Willis was born February 17, 1928, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to Ralph William Willis, founder of the National Tool Company, and Margaret Elizabeth Porter, a nurse. She had one sibling, Ralph Gerald Willis. Both Willis and her brother were placed in an orphanage when their parents divorced in 1934.","Taking advantage of the increased opportunities available to women with the advent of World War II, Willis learned welding, riveting, electrical wiring, carpentry, and how to fly an airplane--skills that reflected the fiercely independent qualities that emerged in her personality when she was in the institutional environment of the orphanage. After the war, she enrolled in an aeronautical engineering program at Oregon State University, but withdrew after two years to work at a lithographer's studio. She then studied at the San Francisco Art Institute until relocating to Hawaii. In 1954 she received a B.A. in Fine Art from the University of Hawaii.","After graduation, Willis received a series of design commissions that led to her interest in architecture. Fueled by the friendship and ideas of entrepreneur Henry Kaiser, Willis returned to San Francisco in 1960 to open a firm that designed furniture and interiors for offices, created mixed-media art for clients that included United Airlines, and re-worked supermarket displays. Despite her rural sensibility, Willis began to immerse herself in urban designs. She found that her interests ran parallel to those of San Francisco architects like William Wurster and Joseph Esherick.","Willis' first major architectural project was the conversion of three Victorian buildings into a retail complex on Union Street in San Francisco. Her design, which proved a financial success almost immediately, influenced the renovation of the rest of the street between present-day Gough and Pierce streets.","Meeting the experience and education requirements of the California State Architectural Licensing Board in 1966, Willis became a licensed architect and the only woman in San Francisco with her own firm, Beverly Willis and Associates. This firm assumed a partnership with would-be principal architect David Coldoff that year, a partnership that lasted until 1980. Despite the heavy demands of her practice, Willis also found time to serve on the U.S. Government delegation to the United Nations conference on Habitat, become a trustee and founder of the National Building Museum in 1976, and serve as the President of the California Chapter of the National Institute of Architects in 1979.","Willis' interest in the issues that affect planning, population density, and land-use economics with respect to large-scale development manifested itself in the creation of the computer program CARLA (Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis) in the 1970's. The software was developed by Willis with Eric Tiescholz and Jochen Eigen. With CARLA's completion and implementation, Willis and Associates became one of the first architectural firms to incorporate computers into the routine practices of design and land development.","Projects such as the prototype for the regional computer centers of the IRS and master-planning for a new town situated in Aliamanu Valley, Hawaii (1975), are good examples of her unique philosophy of design.","Throughout the 1970s, Willis' firm concentrated on large- scale housing and new-community planning and design. By espousing architecture of rural pragmatism and rooting it in ancient images and myths, Willis offered something new to the intellectual landscape of architectural design.","In 1997, the National Building Museum published Willis' book,  Invisible Images: The Silent Language of Architecture,  in which she describes her buildings and design philosophy. In 1980, she was elected to the American Institute of Architects College of Fellows. In 1984, Willis received an honorary doctorate in Fine Arts from Mount Holyoke College.","By the early 1980s, Willis' design focus shifted to urban structures like the Yerba Buena Gardens redevelopment project (1980) and the San Francisco Ballet Association Building (1984). Smaller, but no less important, projects include Nob Hill Court (1971), Pacific Point Condominiums (1972), the Greenwich Apartment (1978), the Margaret Hayward Playground Building (1978), the (unbuilt) Shown Winery (1986), and the Mr. and Mrs. Richard Goeglin Pool House and Sculpture (1988).","Willis relocated her office and residence to New York City in 1991. Willis founded in 1994 the  Architectural Research Institute, Inc.  (through which the Manhattan Village Academy was designed). In 2002, she founded the  Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation , and she presently (2008) serves as the foundation's president. Her work and community leadership have been widely published (see bibliography). She is a founding trustee of the National Building Museum (1975-present). The Beverly Willis Library is located at the National Building Museum.","Much of the information in the biography was culled from the biography written for Beverly Willis by Nicolai Ouroussoff and included in  Invisible Images: The Silent Language of Architecture , published in 1997 by the National Building Museum, Washington, DC."],"odd_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eSome of the information in the scope and content note was taken from an independent appraisal of the collection.\u003c/p\u003e"],"odd_heading_ssm":["General note"],"odd_tesim":["Some of the information in the scope and content note was taken from an independent appraisal of the collection."],"otherfindaid_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eA file-level \u003cextref href=\"http://spec.lib.vt.edu/iawa/inventories/Willis/Willis.html\" title=\"inventory\"\u003einventory\u003c/extref\u003e of letter- and legal-size project records is available at the repository.\u003c/p\u003e"],"otherfindaid_heading_ssm":["Other Finding Aid"],"otherfindaid_tesim":["A file-level  inventory  of letter- and legal-size project records is available at the repository."],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eResearchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Beverly Willis Architectural Collection, Ms1992-019, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.\u003c/p\u003e"],"prefercite_tesim":["Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Beverly Willis Architectural Collection, Ms1992-019, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va."],"processinfo_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe bulk of the drawings in the Willis Papers were arranged and described before they were donated, and information about the arrangement of the collection was compiled in a searchable database that is available at the repository. Project records stored in record cartons have been inventoried and are included in the database and finding aid.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe first accession, which was arranged and described by Laura Katz Smith in 1995, was combined with subsequent accessions in 2003. A finding aid describing the complete collection was created by Catherine G. OBrion in 2003, using descriptions of materials in the archives database that was donated with the bulk of the collection in 2000.\nThe 2004 and 2009 additions were arranged and described by Sherrie Bowser in 2012. The project index arrangement was also included at this time.  \u003c/p\u003e"],"processinfo_heading_ssm":["Processing Information"],"processinfo_tesim":["The bulk of the drawings in the Willis Papers were arranged and described before they were donated, and information about the arrangement of the collection was compiled in a searchable database that is available at the repository. Project records stored in record cartons have been inventoried and are included in the database and finding aid.","The first accession, which was arranged and described by Laura Katz Smith in 1995, was combined with subsequent accessions in 2003. A finding aid describing the complete collection was created by Catherine G. OBrion in 2003, using descriptions of materials in the archives database that was donated with the bulk of the collection in 2000.\nThe 2004 and 2009 additions were arranged and described by Sherrie Bowser in 2012. The project index arrangement was also included at this time.  "],"relatedmaterial_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe guide to the Beverly Willis Architectural Collection by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 (\u003ca href=\"https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/\"\u003ehttps://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/\u003c/a\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e"],"relatedmaterial_heading_ssm":["Rights Statement for Archival Description"],"relatedmaterial_tesim":["The guide to the Beverly Willis Architectural Collection by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 ( https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/ )."],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe Beverly Willis Architectural Collection span the years 1954 to 1999 and are comprised primarily of records documenting Willis' work as an architect in San Francisco between 1960 and 1990. The collection documents the application of computers to architectural design and land analysis, the development of CARLA (Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis) in the 1970s, the history of twentieth-century urban planning, particularly in San Francisco; and the contribution of women to twentieth-century American architecture. Willis, a noted artist, photographer, teacher, and writer, employed the full range of visual arts and design skills to influence and guide architectural projects of major significance.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eThe bulk of the collection is comprised of Willis and Associates project files from the period 1960 to 1990. Projects range from private residences and residential developments to institutions, such as the San Francisco Ballet Association Building; and urban development projects, most notably the Yerba Buena Gardens project in downtown San Francisco. Also included are records and design documents for Aliamanu Valley New Town, a military base in Hawaii that was the first major project designed with CARLA, computer software for architectural design created by Willis; and records documenting the development of CARLA.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eProject files are comprised of presentation drawings, slope analysis drawings, site plans, maps, cut-and-fill analysis plans, sketches, conceptual design drawings, construction drawings, as well as correspondence, research files, contracts, environmental impact statements and studies, financial records, and feasibility studies. There are records for more than 150 projects. Drawings are large folio, pen-and- ink or watercolor on paper, linen, or mylar. Some are heightened with color.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eAlso included is a series documenting the development of CARLA, Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis, in the 1970s. Beverly Willis was interested in issues that affected planning, population density, and land-use economics in relation to large-scale development. Along with Eric Tiescholz and Jochen Eigen, she developed a program that enabled architects, with the use of computers, to develop site plans and design techniques in a fraction of the time required by the old methodology. Records documenting the development of CARLA include computer tapes, correspondence, flow charts, memos, and Jochen Eigen's notes on interfacing CARLA with a computer mapping program in 1974.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eThe collection also contains a series of Publications, Brochures, and Clippings, which includes biographical information on Willis, Miscellaneous Project Records, and a video of the Yerba Buena Gardents development.\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Contents"],"scopecontent_tesim":["The Beverly Willis Architectural Collection span the years 1954 to 1999 and are comprised primarily of records documenting Willis' work as an architect in San Francisco between 1960 and 1990. The collection documents the application of computers to architectural design and land analysis, the development of CARLA (Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis) in the 1970s, the history of twentieth-century urban planning, particularly in San Francisco; and the contribution of women to twentieth-century American architecture. Willis, a noted artist, photographer, teacher, and writer, employed the full range of visual arts and design skills to influence and guide architectural projects of major significance.","The bulk of the collection is comprised of Willis and Associates project files from the period 1960 to 1990. Projects range from private residences and residential developments to institutions, such as the San Francisco Ballet Association Building; and urban development projects, most notably the Yerba Buena Gardens project in downtown San Francisco. Also included are records and design documents for Aliamanu Valley New Town, a military base in Hawaii that was the first major project designed with CARLA, computer software for architectural design created by Willis; and records documenting the development of CARLA.","Project files are comprised of presentation drawings, slope analysis drawings, site plans, maps, cut-and-fill analysis plans, sketches, conceptual design drawings, construction drawings, as well as correspondence, research files, contracts, environmental impact statements and studies, financial records, and feasibility studies. There are records for more than 150 projects. Drawings are large folio, pen-and- ink or watercolor on paper, linen, or mylar. Some are heightened with color.","Also included is a series documenting the development of CARLA, Computerized Approach to Residential Land Analysis, in the 1970s. Beverly Willis was interested in issues that affected planning, population density, and land-use economics in relation to large-scale development. Along with Eric Tiescholz and Jochen Eigen, she developed a program that enabled architects, with the use of computers, to develop site plans and design techniques in a fraction of the time required by the old methodology. Records documenting the development of CARLA include computer tapes, correspondence, flow charts, memos, and Jochen Eigen's notes on interfacing CARLA with a computer mapping program in 1974.","The collection also contains a series of Publications, Brochures, and Clippings, which includes biographical information on Willis, Miscellaneous Project Records, and a video of the Yerba Buena Gardents development."],"userestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials. Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form: \u003ca href=\"http://bit.ly/scuareproduction\"\u003ehttp://bit.ly/scuareproduction\u003c/a\u003e. Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form: \u003ca href=\"http://bit.ly/scuapublication\"\u003ehttp://bit.ly/scuapublication\u003c/a\u003e. Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form.\u003c/p\u003e"],"userestrict_heading_ssm":["Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use"],"userestrict_tesim":["The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials. Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form:  http://bit.ly/scuareproduction . Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form:  http://bit.ly/scuapublication . Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form."],"physloc_html_tesm":["\u003cphysloc id=\"aspace_174a3dc5cc0f306ff98b4fcaecbf2059\"\u003e\u003cemph render=\"bold\"\u003ePlease note:\u003c/emph\u003e Boxes 1-51 are located in off-site storage and requires 2-3 days notice for retrieval. Please contact Special Collections for more information.\u003c/physloc\u003e"],"physloc_tesim":["Please note:  Boxes 1-51 are located in off-site storage and requires 2-3 days notice for retrieval. Please contact Special Collections for more information."],"names_coll_ssim":["Willis and Associates","Willis, Beverly, 1928-"],"names_ssim":["Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech","Willis and Associates","Willis, Beverly, 1928-"],"corpname_ssim":["Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech","Willis and Associates"],"persname_ssim":["Willis, Beverly, 1928-"],"language_ssim":["The materials in the collection are in English."],"descrules_ssm":["Describing Archives: A Content Standard"],"total_component_count_is":212,"online_item_count_is":0,"component_level_isim":[0],"sort_isi":0,"timestamp":"2026-04-30T23:45:27.234Z"}]}},"label":"Breadcrumbs"}}},"links":{"self":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1898_c03_c03_c114"}}],"included":[{"type":"facet","id":"repository_ssim","attributes":{"label":"Repository","items":[{"attributes":{"label":"Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University","value":"Virginia 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