Albert Lansburgh (1876-1969)

Gustave Albert Lansburgh (front row, center) attended the University of California, Berkeley from 1894 to 1896, working during his vacations as a draftsman for Bernard Maybeck. Encouraged by Maybeck, Lansburgh studied at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris, graduating with honors. Noted as one of San Francisco’s most accomplished architects, Lansburgh designed several San Francisco landmark buildings, public libraries, and schools and was involved in the development of Telegraph Hill. Lansburgh was most famous for his opulent theaters, many originally designed for vaudeville and later transformed into movie palaces. He designed more than fifty theaters nationwide and at the height of his career, Lansburgh ran offices out of San Francisco, New York, and Los Angeles.

The Lansburgh collection is organized into personal papers, including student work and travel diaries, and project records, which include drawings and photographs. Project records, which form the bulk of the collection, include extensive documentation of theater design and construction.