W. H. Weeks
William Henry Weeks | |
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Carnegie libraries and schools across Northern and Central California |
William Henry Weeks (1864–1936) was an early 20th-century
Early life
William Henry Weeks was born in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada on January 18, 1864, the fourth child of Richard and Margaret Weeks.[2] In 1885, Weeks graduated from the Brinker Institute, a co-educational day and boarding school that was open for a short time in Denver, Colorado. After the family moved to their new home in Wichita, Kansas, Weeks began his career working with his father as a builder and designer.[2][3]
Family and business life
Weeks became engaged to one of the Haymaker girls who lived in Charlestown, Indiana, but she died before the wedding took place. Meanwhile, Weeks' family had moved to Tacoma, Washington, but he returned to Indiana and asked his late fiancée's sister Maggie for her hand in marriage. She accepted and they were married in 1891, at the bride's home in Charlestown. He and his wife would later have nine children, of whom only five survived to adulthood.[4] They moved to Tacoma for a period, but eventually moved to Oakland, California along with Weeks' family.[5]
In 1894, Weeks opened an office in Watsonville, and was employed as the designer for several projects in town. His business prospered, and in 1897 he opened a branch office in Salinas, where he then spent part of his work-week.[6] As Weeks' business continued to grow, he began to bid to design buildings in Monterey, Pacific Grove, Santa Cruz, and many other parts of Northern California.[7] In the middle of the 1890s Weeks had moved his family to Watsonville, and when he was in town he was active in his church, teaching Sunday School class when he could.[4][8] Weeks was also involved in his community at large: he helped draw up the new city charter for Watsonville and volunteered for many years on the YMCA Board of Directors.[4]
By 1899, Weeks began to invest in real estate in Watsonville, and during his lifetime he accumulated a sizable amount of local property.[8]
In 1905, Weeks opened another branch office in
Weeks' reputation grew because he built many of the
After 18 years in Watsonville, Weeks decided to move to
In 1924, Weeks took his son Harold as his business partner and renamed the business "Weeks and Weeks." The same year a new branch office was opened in
Between 1930 and 1932, Weeks had to deal with many setbacks in his business dealings. In 1930 it was rumored that the Weeks Securities Corporation was $300,000 in debt, but the allegation was found to be incorrect. In 1931, after an investigation, the corporation's license to sell stock was suspended on the grounds that stockholders' money was being "misappropriated."
In 1932, Weeks was 68 years old and still very much active. He was bothered by recurring heart problems (chronic inflammation of the heart), but still maintained his active lifestyle. In 1935, Weeks had a heart attack, which temporarily slowed him down, but he resumed his active pace for several more months until he died in his home in Piedmont on April 29, 1936.[17] In his will Weeks left his architectural business solely to his son Harold, and left nothing to his other children, stating that his wife "will provide for them as she may be able." He left her the entire remainder of his estate.[15][18]
See also
References
- Notes
- ISBN 0-914330-85-3, pp. 47-57 lists all Weeks' buildings and their current condition, if known.
- ^ a b Lewis 1985, pp. 1
- ^ Wilkinson 2003, pp. 74
- ^ a b c Lewis 1985, pp. 9
- ^ Lewis 1985, pp. 3
- ^ Lewis 1985, pp. 7
- ^ Lewis 1985, pp. 8
- ^ a b Lewis 1985, pp. 12
- ^ Lewis 1985, pp. 25
- ^ Lewis 1985, pp. 15
- ^ a b Lewis 1985, pp. 16
- ^ Lewis 1985, pp. 24
- ^ Lewis 1985, pp. 31
- ^ a b Lewis 1985, pp. 35
- ^ a b c Lewis 1985, pp. 37
- ^ Lewis 1985, pp. 38
- ^ Lewis 1985, pp. 41
- ^ Lewis 1985, pp. 40
- Bibliography
- Lewis, Betty (1985), W.H. Weeks: Architect, Fresno, California: Panorama West Books, ISBN 0-914330-85-3
- Wilkinson, David L. (2003), Crafting A Valley Jewel: Architects and Builders of Woodland, Yolo County Historical Society, ISBN 1-892626-06-3