|
|
Claude Oakland
Architect Claude
Oakland, while perhaps not as well-known as Jones and
Emmons, left a legacy with his designs for Eichler housing
alone, forging an alliance with Joseph Eichler that contributed
significantly in realizing Eichler's vision.
Oakland was born in Louisiana in 1919 and attended Tulane
University, winning awards for design. Apparently quite
impressed with Oakland's work, Bruce Goff contacted Claude
Oakland and invited him to come to California and work
with him in his new practice. Though they worked together
for less than a year, their collaboration resulted in
the ground-breaking architectural design of the Leidig
House in Hayward, California.
Oakland worked for Anshen and Allen in the decade prior
to his joining Joseph Eichler. He made his association
with Eichler during this time, refining the Eichler prototypes
and simplifying them for economy and mass production.
Oakland's innovations resulted in fewer building elements
and reorganized the structure of the beams to allow them
to flow in one direction, a stroke of genius which led
to the unique design characteristic we appreciate in Eichlers
today.
In 1950, he joined Eichler where he focused his expertise
on the Sunnyvale development. He formed his own company
in 1960, continuing to work as an independent architect
for Eichler and receiving awards from Architectural Record.
Oakland is responsible for designing the stunning Eichler
gallery models as well as multi-family housing. Oakland
was contracted by Eichler to work on multi-family housing
in San Francisco and designed the Summit apartment building
and Geneva Terrace townhouses.
In the 1970's following Joseph Eichler's passing, Oakland's
company continued to design single and multi-family residential
architecture, including the San Francisco Housing Authority.
He was honored with a fellowship from the American Institute
of Architects in 1979. Oakland is remembered not only
for his tremendous talents but for his warmth, personable
nature and intense ideals. He passed away in 1989 from
lung cancer.
|
|
| |
presented by
