Francis Joseph McCarthy (1910-1965)

Francis Joseph McCarthy was born in Sydney, Australia while his parents were on a work tour. He studied briefly at Stanford and the California School of Fine Arts, however the bulk of his professional training came from working in a number of architectural offices, including the firm of William Wilson Wurster. He earned his certificate as a registered architect in 1941. McCarthy’s work encompassed numerous residential, municipal, and commercial commissions throughout California. He specialized in library buildings, designing the Stanford University Library, Santa Rosa Public Library, and Inyo County Public Library, among others. McCarthy was a founding member of Telesis, an organization formed in 1939 by design professionals of varying disciplines who were interested in invigorating city and regional planning in the Bay Area. In 1957 he was named a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects.

The Francis Joseph McCarthy collection consists mainly of architectural drawings and specifications for numerous projects. The records are organized into office records and project records. Some projects of distinction include Stanford University’s Library, St. Mark’s Episcopal Church (Berkeley), and the public libraries for Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz, San Leandro, and Stockton.