Julia Morgan graduated as the first woman to earn a degree from the École nationale supérieure des beaux-arts in Paris and then became the first women to be licensed as an architect in California. With these credentials, she completed over 700 projects in her career which expressed a distinctly Californian architecture.

Some of her early commissions involved rebuilding after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake based on her engineering expertise in utilizing reinforced concrete. Later in her career, both the Hearst publishing family and the Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) employed Morgan as their primary architect. She also designed a number of women's clubs and private homes.

Morgan did not follow a consistent school of architecture, often synthesizing various combinations of Arts & Crafts, Beaux-Arts, Gothic Revival, Mediterranean Revival, Neoclassical, and Spanish Colonial Revival styles. By the time she retired in 1951, her eclectic architecture had fallen out of style and was poorly regarded but the assessment of her legacy gradually improved over time. In 2014, Morgan became the first women to receive the American Institute of Architects' Gold Medal, 57 years after her death.

List Individually notable buildings and structures

+ Name Image Built LocationCity, State Notes Listing Asilomar Conference Grounds 1913 800 Asilomar Boulevard Pacific Grove, California Originally a YWCA retreat; now the Asilomar State Beach NHLD Berkeley Baptist Divinity School 1919 2606 Dwight Way Berkeley, California Now Hobart Hall at Berkeley School of Theology; part of the Graduate Theological Union BL Berkeley Student Cooperative 1905 2732 Durant Avenue Berkeley, California Morgan designed three family houses in 1905, 1911, and 1913; BSC later purchased and renamed them to provide student housing Berkeley Women's City Club 1929 2315 Durant Avenue Berkeley, California Now the Berkeley City Club NRHP Miss Burke's School 1917 3065 Jackson Street San Francisco, California Institution renamed to Katherine Delmar Burke School; building now part of the San Francisco University High School Margaret Carnegie Library 1904 Oval Circle Oakland, California Part of Mills College Chapel of the Chimes 1909 4499 Piedmont Avenue Oakland, California Built as California Electric Crematory in 1909; Morgan designed chapel addition in 1928ODL Chinatown YWCA 1932 965 Clay Street San Francisco, California Now the Chinese Historical Society of AmericaSFDL Emanu-el Residence Club 1922 300 Page Street San Francisco, California Residence hall for Jewish-American women; now the San Francisco Zen Center Fairmont Hotel 1907 950 Mason Street San Francisco, California Morgan engineered structural repairs after the 1906 San Francisco earthquakeNRHP Foothill Study Club 1914 20399 Park Place Saratoga, California Now the Saratoga Foothill Club NRHP Girton Hall 1911 200 Centennial Drive Berkeley, California Now the Julia Morgan Hall at the University of California Botanical Garden NRHP Goethe House 1924 3731 T Street Sacramento, California Now the Julia Morgan House at California State University, Sacramento NRHP Gum Moon 1912 940 Washington Street San Francisco, California Women's Missionary Society of the Pacific Coast residence hall for women and children Hacienda del Pozo de Verona 1898 707 Country Club Circle Pleasanton, California vicinity Originally designed by A. C. Schweinfurth with later additions by Morgan; demolished in 1969 to build Castlewood Country Club Hearst Castle 1919 750 Hearst Castle Road San Simeon, California vicinity Expansions continued through 1947; also known as La Cuesta Encantada, San Simeon, and Xanadu; now a state parkNHL Hearst Greek Theatre 1903 2001 Gayley Road Berkeley, California Designed by John Galen Howard with assistance from Morgan; part of University of California, BerkeleyNRHP Hearst Gymnasium for Women 1927 2589 Bancroft Parkway Berkeley, California Designed with Bernard Maybeck; now the Hearst Memorial Gymnasium which also houses the Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology NRHP Hearst Memorial Mining Building 1907 Hearst Mining Circle Berkeley, California Designed by architect John Galen Howard with assistance from Morgan; part of the University of California, Berkeley NRHP Hollywood Studio Club 1925 1215 Lodi Place, Los Angeles YWCA residence for aspiring actresses NRHP Hostess House 1918 27 University Avenue Palo Alto, California YWCA building relocated from Camp Fremont; now the MacArthur Park Restaurant NRHP Japanese YWCA 1932 1830 Sutter Street San Francisco, California Now the Nihonmachi Little Friends NRHP KYA Transmitter 1937 34 Bayview Park Road San Francisco, California Located in Bayview Park; station now named KSFB Ladies Protection and Relief Society Building 1925 3400 Laguna Street San Francisco, California Now known as the Julia Morgan Building, part of the San Francisco Ladies Protection and Relief Society's Heritage on the Marina project SFDL Merchants Exchange 1904 465 California Street San Francisco, California Willis Polk led repairs after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake while Morgan assisted by replacing damaged interiors Mills College 1904 5000 MacArthur Boulevard Oakland, California Morgan designed the El Campanil (1904), Kapiolani Cottage Infirmary (1909), and the Student Union (1916); campus now part of Northeastern University Milpitas Hacienda 1930 101 Infantry Road Jolon, California vicinity Alternatively known as the Milpitas Ranch House, Hacienda Guest Lodge, Milpitas Ranchhouse, and The Hacienda; now part of Fort Hunter Liggett NRHP Ming Quong Home for Chinese Girls 1924 Underwood Avenue Oakland, California Later part of Mills College as Alderwood Hall, Geranium Cottage, Graduate House, and then Mills Conference Center; now the Julia Morgan School for Girls Neptune Pool 1936 750 Hearst Castle Road San Simeon, California vicinity On the grounds of Hearst Castle North Star House 1905 12075 Old Auburn Road Grass Valley, California vicinity Also known as Foote Mansion NRHP Occidental Board Presbyterian Mission House 1908 920 Sacramento Street San Francisco, California Now the Donaldina Cameron House SFDL Ocean House 1929 415 Pacific Coast Highway Santa Monica, California Home of Marion Davies, also known as the Beach House; demolished in 1956 and now the site of the Annenberg Community Beach House Potrero Hill Neighborhood House 1922 953 DeHaro Street San Francisco, California Morgan also designed the 1930 kindergarten building; now known as The Nabe; SFDL St. John's Presbyterian Church 1910 2640 College Avenue Berkeley, California Now the Julia Morgan Theater NRHP Sausalito Woman's Club 1918 120 Central Avenue Sausalito, California Listed as Sausalito’s first municipal landmark in 1976 NRHP Alfred E. Warren House 1922 341 Mansion Ave Chico, California Now the President's Mansion at California State University, Chico Seldon Williams House 1928 2821 Claremont Boulevard Berkeley, California Now the Julia Morgan House at the University of California; Wyntoon 1935 1 Wyntoon Road McCloud, California vicinity Originally designed by Bernard Maybeck; Morgan added Cinderella, Bear and Sleeping Beauty houses in a Bavarian style YWCA Building 1922 1660 M Street Fresno, California Now part of the Marjaree Mason Center NRHP YWCA Building 1915 1515 Webster Street Oakland, California Now part of Envision Schools NRHP YWCA Building 1929 3425 Mission Inn Avenue Riverside, California Now the Riverside Art Museum NRHP YWCA Building 1927 1040 Richards Street Honolulu, Hawaii Also known as Laniākea; CP

Key

National Historic Landmark National Historic Landmark District NRHP-listed Contributing property in a NRHP-listed historic district Local heritage register

Gallery of other works

References