Résumé

Member, Monument Valley-Rainbow Bridge Expedition, Arizona, 1934.

Draftsman, Clarence W.W. Mayhew, Architect, San Francisco, CA, c. 1935.

Architectural Draftsman, United States Resettlement Administration, Berkeley, CA, 1935.

Regional Architect for Southwestern States (Region 9), Resettlement Administration, Washington, DC, 1936.

Partner, De Mars and Cairns, San Francisco, CA, 1937. In Alfred Roth's book, The New Architecture, De Mars indicated that he had had "Practical experience in various offices in San Francisco and Oakland." (See Alfred Roth, The New Architecture, [Zurich: Les Editions d'Architecture, Erlenbach-Zurich], p. 61.)

District Architect for the Western States, Resettlement Administration, later known as the Farm Security Administration (FSA), San Francisco, CA, 1939-1943; his title for the FSA was also termed "Chief Architect of the Pacific Coast Region." (See Alfred Roth, The New Architecture, [Zurich: Les Editions d'Architecture, Erlenbach-Zurich], p. 61.) De Mars worked with Burton D. Cairns (1909-1939) on affordable housing in the Southwestern states for the FSA. The American Architects Directory, 1962, (p. 163), indicated that DeMars worked for the Farm Security Administration between 1937 and 1942.

Chief, National Housing Agency, Housing Standards Section, San Francisco, CA, 1943- . The American Architects Directory, 1962, (p. 163), listed his time with the National Housing Agency as occurring between 1942 and 1944.

Associate, Hardison and DeMars, Associated Architects, Berkeley, CA, 1950-1954. He and Donald L. Hardison collaborated on the design of the Easter Hill Village Public Housing development in Richmond, CA, completed in 1954.

Partner, DeMars and [Donald P.] Reay, Architects, Berkeley, CA. 1955-c. 1962.

Principal, Vernon DeMars, Architect, Berkeley, CA, c. 1962. According to the American Architects Directory, 1962, (p. 163), Vernon DeMars practiced singly at 2161 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley, CA. Donald P. Reay was not mentioned in this biographical entry.

Partner, DeMars and [John Gilbert] Wells, Architects, Berkeley, CA, 1966-1977. In 1970, the firm of DeMars and Wells had an office at 2161 Shattuck Avenue in Berkeley. (See "DeMars & Wells," American Architects Directory, 3rd Edition, 1970, John F. Gane, ed., [New York: R.R. Bowker Company, 1970], p. 216.)

Partner, DeMars and [Carl] Maletic, Architects, Berkeley, CA, 1977- c. 2001.

Teaching

Visiting Professor in Architecture, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA, 1947-1949.

Lecturer, Department of Architecture, University of California, Berkeley (UCB), 1951-1952.

Professor, Department of Architecture, UCB, 1953-1975.

Chairman, Department of Architecture, UCB, 1959-1962; DeMars worked at both MIT and UCB under Dean William Wurster (1895-1973), who considered DeMars a friend and ally.

Professional Activities

DeMars was an original member of Telesis, a San Francisco-based group of youthful design professionals eager for new approaches to regional planning. (Other members included architect Burton D. Cairns, planner T.J. Kent, Jr., planner Francis Violich, landscape architect Garrett Eckbo, and architect Francis Joseph McCarthy.)

While teaching at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), De Mars collaborated with fellow faculty members William Hoskins Brown, Robert Woods Kennedy, Carl Koch and Ralph Rapson on the design of the 100 Memorial Drive Apartments (1950) in Cambridge, MA. This high-rise housing won an Award of Merit from the American Institute of Architects (AIA) in 1952.

Member, American Institute of Architects (AIA), Northern California Chapter, 1952- .

Professional Awards

Fellow, American Institute of Architects (FAIA), 1964.

Recipient, AIA, Lifetime Achievement Award.

Recipient, University of California, Berkeley (UCB), College of Environmental Design (CED), Distinguished Alumni Award, Berkeley, CA, 2003.

College

A.B, University of California, Berkeley (UCB), Berkeley, CA, 1931.

College Awards

The American Architects Directory, 1962, (p. 163), indicated that DeMars had won three architectural medals for design between 1930 and 1931, presumably at the UCB.

Relocation

DeMars died in Berkeley, CA, at the age of 97.

Spouse

Vernon DeMars married Betty Bates in 1940. She was a photographer.

De Mars traveled in Europe during 1938 to learn about trends in housing and city planning. A number of Bay Area architects traveled abroad during the 1937-1938 period, including De Mars, William Wilson Wurster (1895-1973), and John C. Funk (1908-1993).