George Applegarth (1876-1972)

George Adrian Applegarth began his professional career as a draughtsman for the architectural firm Wright & Sanders in San Francisco. After studying drawing at the University of California, Berkeley with Bernard Maybeck, Applegarth received his diploma in 1906 from the Ecole des Beaux Arts. Applegarth’s architectural career included the California Palace of the Legion of Honor, the Clift Hotel, residential and commercial projects for the Spreckles family, and the town of Clyde, California. He was also a fellow of the American Institute of Architects. The George A. Applegarth collection primarily documents the construction of Clyde, California, a company town built for the employees of the Pacific Coast Shipbuilding Company and funded through a U.S. government loan. The collection is important for documenting both the planning and growth of company towns and the construction of low cost housing. Correspondence includes memoranda from Bernard Maybeck, supervising architect on the project.