Résumé

Foreman, Southern California Acclimatizing Association, Santa Barbara, CA, 1910. Draftsman, Ossian Cole Simonds, Landscape Architect, Chicago, IL, c. 1911-1913. Principal, Ralph Stevens, Landscape Architect, Santa Barbara, CA, 1917-1950s. The Cultural Landscape Foundation stated in its biography of Stevens: "Stevens’ projects synthesized International and Californian design ideals, integrating formal ideas gleaned from the Mediterranean, Islamic, Spanish Colonial Revival and Hawaiian traditions with a more laid-back California style. He was known for his planting plans, which often included large massings and elaborate plant palettes featuring tropical plants." (See The Cultural Landscape Foundation, "Ralph Stevens," accessed 04/27/2016.) His first office was located in Rooms #14-15 of the 1st National Bank Building in Santa Barbara, 903 State Street, where he remained from 1917 until 1923.

From 1924 until 1948, he maintained his business address at 1161/2 East Sola Street in Santa Barbara, CA. From the 1949 Santa Barbara City Directory (p. 704) on, he was listed as being a landscape architect in Santa Barbara directories, but they did not provide an office address for him, only a residential one.

Teaching

Instructor, , University of California, Berkeley (UCB), Landscape Gardening Department, Berkeley, CA, 1917-1920. Instructor in Landscape Architecture, Santa Barbara School of the Arts, Santa Barbara, CA,1920s.

Professional Activities

Superintendent, City of Santa Barbara, Parks Department, Santa Barbara, CA, 1919-1921; Parks Commissioner/Parks Consultant, City of Santa Barbara, Parks Department, Santa Barbara, CA, after 1921.

College

B.S., Landscape Architecture, Michigan State College, East Lansing, MI, c. 1910.

Relocation

Born in Montecito, CA, Ralph Stevens spent his early childhood on a Montecito farm with his two siblings. According to the US Census of 1900, the Stevens household had taken in a boarder, Annette Butler (born 09/1875 in IN), a school teacher. to make ends meet. The 1910 US Census indicated that he resided in "Township 1" of Santa Barbara County, a district that included Montecito and Summerland, CA. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Year: 1910; Census Place: Township 1, Santa Barbara, California; Roll: T624_105; Page: 3B; Enumeration District: 0166; FHL microfilm: 1374118, accessed 04/27/2016.) As the Montecito location was rural and unincorporated, no street addresses were listed on the census forms.

Stevens attended college at Michigan State College in East Lansing, MI, and then went to work for O.C. Simonds, the landscape architect practicing in the Chicago are for two years in the early-1910s. By 1917, he set up his own practice in the Santa Barbara area; during World War I, he lived at 324 East Islay Street in Santa Barbara, as per his World War I draft registration card (dated 09/12/1918). This house was a small bungalow built in 1914, that still stood, much enlarged, in 2016. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Registration State: California; Registration County: Santa Barbara; Roll: 1544328, accessed 04/27/2016.)

He worked at the UC Berkeley on and off from 1917 until 1920. After 1920, he returned to Montecito. While still a bachelor, he lived at the University Club in Santa Barbara. (See Santa Barbara City Directory, 1926, p. 401.)

After his marriage to Ann Klein Stevens in 1926, they set up housekeeping at 834 Moreno Road in Santa Barbara. (See Santa Barbara City Directory, 1929-1930, p. 407.) They lived here from at least 1927 -1933.

In 1940, Ralph and Ann Stevens resided at the Miramar Hotel off of the Pacific Coast Highway in Montecito. (See Ancestry.com,Source Citation Year: 1940; Census Place: Santa Barbara, California; Roll: T627_333; Page: 61B; Enumeration District: 42-2, accessed 04/27/2016.) A draft registration form for Ralph Stevens of 04/27/1942 also indicated that his wife could always be reached at the Miramar Hotel now at 1555 South Jameson Lane. In 1949, they lived in Montecito at 75 La Vereda Road. (See Santa Barbara City Directory, 1949, p. 704.) Seven years later, the couple listed 57 Humphrey Road in Montecito as their address. (See Santa Barbara City Directory, 1955, p. 509.)

Ralph Stevens died at age 75 and two months and was buried at the Santa Barbara Cemetery, Santa Barbara, CA.

Parents

Stevens's father was born in England but died before 1900. By 1888, his mother, Lucy Caroline Tallant (born 07/1861 in WV), had had three children: Ralph, Kinton Burkill Stevens (1884-1967), who worked as a construction engineer in Seattle, and Barbara C. Stevens Mann (b. 11/1888 in CA), who married an oil executive, had two children, and resided in Roselle, NJ, in 1940. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Year: 1940; Census Place: Roselle, Union, New Jersey; Roll: T627_2388; Page: 8A; Enumeration District: 20-127, accessed 04/27/2016.)

In 1910, Lucy operated the family nursery/farm by herself, with assistance from her son and daughter, Barbara.

Spouse

He married Ann Klein Stevens, (born 03/17/1898 in Rock Rapids, IA) who was 16 years younger than her husband. They married in 1926 or 1927.

The US Census of 1940 indicated that she played bridge and may have been a teacher of the game.

Biographical Notes

On 10/27/1926, Ralph Stevens and his wife, Ann, boarded the S.S. Maui in Honolulu, HI, and disembarked in San Francisco, CA, on 11/02/1926. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation The National Archives at Washington, D.C.; Washington, D.C.; Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at San Francisco, California; NAI Number: 4498993; Record Group Title: Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, 1787-2004; Record Group Number: 85, accessed 04/27/2016.)

Ralph and Ann Stevens took a ship from Vancouver, BC, Canada, to Seattle, WA, in 07/1929. On this trip they traveled with Charles and Hilda Olsen Boldt and Ernestine Horford of Santa Barbara. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation National Archives and Records Administration; Washington, D.C.; Passenger and Crew Lists of Vessels Arriving at Seattle, Washington; NAI Number: 4449160; Record Group Title: Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, 1787 - 2004; Record Group Number: 85; Series Number: M1383; Roll Number: 150, accessed 04/27/2016.)

At age 60, his US draft registration form indicated that he stood 5-feet, 8.5-inches tall, and had brown hair, a light complexion and blue eyes. (See Ancestry.com Source CitationWorld War II Draft Cards (4th Registration) for the State of California; State Headquarters: California; Microfilm Roll: 603155, accessed 04/27/2016.)

• Montecito, CA (Architect's Birth)
  Montecito, CA

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