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Male, US, born 1874-11-30, died 1955-02-11
Associated with the firms network
Woollett and Woollett, Architects; Woollett, William Lee, Architect
Résumé
Draftsman, Fehmer and Page, Architects, Boston, MA, c. 1892-1896.
Partner, William Lee Woollett and John W. Woollett, Albany, NY, -1906. This firm operated solely in the Albany, NY, area until 1906. A note in the Real Estate Record and Builders' Guide of 04/18/1903 stated: "William L. Woollett, architect, of Albany, has completed plans for alterations to St. Peter's Hospital, Albany, to cost $10,000, and for an addition 65x45, to cost $50,000. The latter will be fireproof and contain all appliances that go to equip a modern hospital. No expense will be spared to furnish the best plumbing,, heating and ventilating apparatus. The contract for the carpentry has been let to Patrick McCann, and the masonry to Collins Bros." (See "The World of Building: In Other Cities," Real Estate Record and Builders' Guide, vol. LXXI, no. 1831, 04/18/1903, p. 763.)
Partner, Woollett and [J.W] Woollett, Architects, San Francisco, CA, and Albany, NY, 1907-1917. It appears that Woollett chose to leave Albany to start a new branch of the Woollett and Woollett architectural firm in San Francisco following the Great Earthquake and Fire of 04/18/1906.Woollett and Woollett had its office in the Monadnock Building in 1907-1908. (See San Francisco, California, City Directory, 1907, p. 1705 and San Francisco, California, City Directory, 1908, p. 1876.) In 1915, the Woollett and Woollett office was located at 260 California Street in San Francisco, (See San Francisco, California, City Directory, 1915, p. 2035.) On his World War I draft registration form, Woollett indicated that he lived in Los Angeles, but worked in Sacramento, CA.
In 1921, his office was located at 405 South Hill Street, Room #216. (SeeLos Angeles, California, City Directory, 1921, p. 2688.) He moved to new quarters at523 West 6th Street, Room #1121, by 1924. (See Los Angeles, California, City Directory, 1924, p. 2393.)
Professional Activities
Woollett served on the Los Angeles Municipal Art Commission until 1936.
Archives
William Lee Woollett's son, William L. Woollett, gave papers belonging to his father and himself to the Architecture and Design Collection, Art, Design and Architecture Museum, University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), in 1981. The collection contained about 10 linear feet of material, and was called the William Lee Woollett papers, circa 1920-circa 1980 Collection #0000198.
College
Coursework, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), c. 1892.
Relocation
Woollett was born in Albany, NY, on 11/13/1873.
He and his family continued to live in Albany in 1905, when they were recorded by the NY State Census.
Woollett lived in Berkeley, the year after the Great Earthquake of 1906. From at least 1912 until 1917, William L. Woollett lived at the intersection of Ridge Road and Highland Place, Berkeley, CA. (SeePolk-Husted Directory Company, Oakland, California, City Directory, 1917, p. 1410.)
By 1917, he worked in Sacramento, CA, but maintained a permanent residence at 5330 Loma Linda Avenue in Los Angeles, CA. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Registration State: California; Registration County: Los Angeles; Roll: 1530903; Draft Board: 14, accessed 12/15/2017.) He resided at this address until at least 1934. (See Los Angeles, California, City Directory, 1918, p. 2114 and Ancestry.com, Source Citation California State Library; Sacramento, California; Great Register of Voters, 1900-1968, accessed 12/14/2017.)
He died in Los Angeles County, CA, at the age of 80.
Ancestry
William Lee Woollett's grandfather, William L. Woollett (05/02/1815-04/02/1874), born in Maidstone, Kent, UK, and father, William M. Woollett (07/06/1850-10/17/1880), born in Albany, NY, were architects in and around Albany; William M. Woollett was the author of the widely-read pattern book, Villas and Cottages; or, Homes for All (1876); for more on the elder Woolletts, see Henry Withey and Elsie Rathburn Withey,Biographical Dictionary of Architects, (Deceased), (Los Angeles: New Age Publishing Company, 1956), p. 671. His mother was Sarah Louise Knappen (
He had two brothers, John Woodward Woollett (1876-1938) and Francis Ives Woollett (1878-1943).
Spouse
William Lee Woollett married a woman named Sarah Louise Briggs.
Children
William Lee and Louise had three children by 1905, including Sylvia P. (born c. 1898 in NY), William L. (02/20/1901-10/13/1988), and Prudence (born c. 1903 in NY).
William L., also an architect; worked with his father between 1926-1929; William Lee Woollett's grandson, Joseph L. Woollett was also an architect in CA.
Biographical Notes
According to CA Voter Rolls of 1912, William L. Woollett was a registered Republican. In 1932, he and his wife, Louise, were registered Republican voters. Two years later into the Depression, he declined to state a party affiliation. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation California State Library; Sacramento, California; Great Register of Voters, 1900-1968, accessed 12/14/2017.)
His World War I draft registration card noted that Woollett was of medium height and build, with gray hair and gray eyes. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Registration State: California; Registration County: Los Angeles; Roll: 1530903; Draft Board: 14, accessed 12/15/2017.)
PCAD id: 495
