41.25 cubic feet, including 10
sound cassettes and 1 sound wire reel (43 boxes, 1 tube)
Location of Collection:
T1023a-T1029d (boxes 1-41); T1031 (boxes
42-44)
Collection Number:
3516-008
Summary:
Family papers
from the Gould, Fay, and Ober families, primarily focusing on Seattle architect
Carl Freylinghuysen Gould and his wife, Dorothy Fay Gould.
Repository:
University of Washington Libraries
Special Collections
Languages:
Collection materials are in
English.
Sponsor:
Funding for encoding this finding
aid was partially provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment
for the Humanities.
Biographical Note
The Gould Family Papers center around Carl Freylinghuysen Gould
(1873-1939), a prominent Seattle architect. Gould designed over 20 buildings on
the University of Washington campus, including the Henry Suzzallo library. He
also designed the Seattle Asian Art Museum (previously the Seattle Art Museum),
the Marine Hospital (now the headquarters of Amazon.com), and many other
notable structures in the Puget Sound area.
Carl F. Gould was born in New York City into a prominent New York
family. He graduated from Philips Exeter Academy in 1894 and from Harvard
University with an A.B. in 1898. From 1898 to 1903 he studied architecture and
fine art at the École des Beaux Arts in Paris.
On his return to the United States, Gould worked for a number of years
as a draughtsman in several architectural firms, and in 1906 formed the
partnership firm Carpenter, Blair and Gould in New York City. Perhaps due in
part to three brothers-in-law all practicing architecture in New York (Walter
Blair, Edward York, and Dana Swan), in 1908 Gould moved to Seattle on an
impulse. He started out in Seattle as a draughtsman, but in 1914 joined with
Charles H. Bebb to form the architectural firm Bebb & Gould.
In 1913 Gould was asked to lecture on architecture at the University
of Washington, an opportunity that eventually led him to establish the
University’s Department of Architecture in 1914. Gould served as
professor and chair of the department until 1926, while at the same time
practicing professionally with Bebb & Gould.
Gould was a founding member of the Seattle City Planning Commission,
the Seattle Fine Arts Society, and the Seattle Art Institute, as well as being
active in numerous other architectural and civic organizations. He also
belonged to the Rainier and University clubs and was counted among the
prominent citizens of Seattle. Bebb & Gould designed the 1920s addition to
the Rainier Club, as well as homes for many of Seattle’s affluent
families.
Both of Gould’s parents claimed descent from prominent New York
families. His father, Charles Judson Gould, was a successful New York merchant
and financier and his mother, Annie Laurie Westbrook Gould, held property in
the city that had passed through her family for two hundred years. Carl Gould
and his six siblings (five sisters and a brother) grew up in the Gould’s
New York City apartment, and Suncliff, their country home in Tarrytown. The
Gould children were educated in leading New England schools, and all
accompanied their parents on European trips, where their appreciation for art
and architecture was fostered. Carl’s mother was an avid arts patron and
collected the works of relatively unknown (at the time) young artists, such as
Winslow Homer and Rockwell Kent. Appreciation for the arts has pervaded the
Gould family through generations; among other family members, Anne Hauberg, nee
Anne Westbrook Gould, granddaughter and namesake of Carl’s mother, has
followed in her grandmother’s footsteps and been an important Seattle
arts patron.
Gould married Dorothy Wheaton Fay (1890-1976) in 1915, and together
they had three children: Carl, Jr. (1916-1992), Anne (1917-), and John (1925-).
All three children remained in the Seattle area. Carl, Jr., practiced
architecture and John became a research engineer. The Goulds divided their time
between Topsfield, their summer home on Bainbridge Island (built in 1915 and
designed by Gould), and the Gould home at 1058 East Lynn Street, built in 1921
and also designed by Gould.
A local historian, writer, and active member of Seattle society,
Dorothy Fay Gould was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest. She attended
Broadway High School in Seattle and prepared for college at the Baldwin School
in Bryn Mawr before entering Vassar. She graduated in 1912 and returned to
Seattle, and it was while teaching freshman English at the University of
Washington that she met the new professor of architecture, Carl Gould.
Dorothy Fay Gould received a master’s degree in English from
the University of Washington in 1937. Her chief interest, however, was
Northwest history, and she wrote and lectured extensively on the subject
throughout her life. Her first publication was
The Indian Attack on Seattle, a work of
historical editing.
Beyond the Shining Mountains, a history of
the Northwest, was published in 1938. She also wrote numerous articles for
local and other publications. In addition to her lectures on Northwest history
that she augmented with lantern slides, Mrs. Gould recorded a series of
kinescopes in 1957 on Northwest history for elementary school children. She
also gave a number of talks on various television and radio programs.
Like her husband, Dorothy Fay Gould was active in numerous civic and
social organizations. Besides history, art, and architecture, her prime
interests included gardening. She was a long-time active member of the Seattle
Garden Club and the Garden Club of America, and served on numerous committees
for both. She also frequently wrote and gave talks on gardening topics. She was
a founding member of the Seattle Historical Society and served as historian for
the Washington State branch of the National Society of Colonial Dames of
America. In addition to these and other clubs and organizations, she belonged
to the Sunset and University Women’s clubs, and was active in
Seattle’s society circles.
Dorothy Fay Gould was the daughter of John Purinton Fay (1861-1930)
and Alice Ober Fay (1863-1948), both of whom were natives of Massachusetts.
John Fay was born in Westboro to an old Massachusetts family of comfortable
means. He was educated at Exeter and Harvard, graduating in 1881, and after
several years of studying at Harvard Law School, he moved west to take a
position as principal of a Eureka, Nevada, high school. He continued to study
law in Nevada, receiving his license to practice in 1888.
Alice Isabel Ober was born in the Massachusetts coastal town of
Beverly to a prominent New England family, the sixth of eight children. She
attended Wheaton Seminary and after briefly teaching high school in her home
town she went west, taking a teaching position at the school in Eureka where
John Fay was principal. They were married in 1889 and moved to Seattle just
before the 1889 fire. There John Fay established a successful law practice and
specialized in mining law. Fay became involved in politics in the 1890s and in
1912 ran unsuccessfully as the Republican-Progressive nominee for
congressman-at-large. In 1897 he was appointed to the board of regents at the
University of Washington and helped to improve and expand the
University’s curriculum. Alice was a founding member of the Sunset Club
and the Seattle Garden Club.
John and Alice Fay had six children, but two sons, John Bradford
(1896-1904) and Winthrop Herrick (1899-1915) died young. Their surviving son,
Temple Sedgewick (1895-1963), became a famous neurosurgeon. Besides Dorothy,
there were two daughters: Alice (1891-1950), who joined the Women’s
Overseas Section of the Y.M.C.A. National War Work Council during World War I,
and Jean Bradford (1904-1986), who became a journalist.
Faybrooke, the Fays' 46-acre estate on Bainbridge Island, later became
part of Fay Bainbridge State Park.
In addition to the Fays, four of Alice’s siblings settled in
Seattle. Ralph Ober (1871-1931) was an engineer and became Seattle’s
superintendent of buildings. Caroline Ober (1866-1929) founded the languages
department at the University of Washington and was made professor emeritus
shortly before her death. Sarah “Sadie” Ober (1854-1938) did
missionary work among northest Native Americans in addition to being a writer
and artist. She often used the name of her maternal grandmother, Huldah
Herrick, as a pen name.
Other Ober siblings were Charles (1856-1948) and Frank (born in 1860),
both of whom were actively involved in the Young Men’s Christian
Association movement. Charles also authored several books. Arthur (1852-1913)
became a farmer, and Frederick (1849-1913) traveled and published 22 books on
his studies of nature and various cultures.
Content Description
The Gould Family Papers consist of the papers of a number of
individuals, including Carl F. Gould, Dorothy Fay Gould, and other Gould family
members, as well as members of the Fay and Ober families.
Approximately 20 cubic feet of the Gould Family Papers are those of
patriarch Carl Frelinghuysen Gould. Rich in both personal and professional
information, Gould’s papers span 1889 to 1938 and document a variety of
topics. Architectural work is documented in over 100 project files,
correspondence, notes, drawings, building specifications, and other
professional files that span 1908-1938. However, his contributions to the field
of art and architecture are equally represented in his personal files,
1889-1939, which document Gould’s many involvements in architectural,
fine arts, and civic organizations, including the American Institute of
Architects (both the national association and the Washington branch), the
Washington chapter of the Construction League of the United States, the Seattle
Planning Commission, the Oregon Capitol Reconstruction Commission, and the
Seattle Fine Arts Society.
Papers reflecting Gould’s teaching career and the founding of
the architecture department at the University of Washington consist of speeches
and writings, notes, minutes, reports, sketchbooks, and diaries.
The correspondence in the Gould Family Papers is comprehensive.
Incoming letters included in the papers of one family member are often
complemented by outgoing letters in the papers of another relative represented
in the collection. Many of Carl F. Gould’s outgoing letters, for
example, can be found in the personal papers of other family members,
particularly those of his wife, Dorothy Fay Gould, and his mother, Annie
Westbrook Gould.
Materials regarding Gould’s estate span several decades,
beginning late in 1938, when he was in the hospital. Consisting of
correspondence, notes, and legal papers, these papers document a longterm
dispute between Dorothy Fay Gould, Gould’s associate Charles Bebb, and
draftsman John Paul Jones regarding the ownership of Gould’s
professional files.
The Annie Westbrook Gould estate files deal mainly with the
disposition of the legacy of Gould’s mother to her heirs. Included in
these files is correspondence among the Gould siblings.
Comprising over thirteen cubic feet, Dorothy Fay Gould’s
personal papers span 1905-1976. Correspondence, diaries, writings, ephemera,
and much other material document Mrs. Gould’s varied interests and
activities, especially gardening and Northwest history. Lifelong friendships
are documented in letters from Vassar schoolmates, and her close family ties
are apparent in letters from siblings, parents, and other relatives.
Correspondence with prominent Seattleites, news clippings, and various club
ephemera reflect Mrs. Gould’s extremely active social life.
Dorothy Fay Gould's papers also include Archives of American
Architecture materials, sound recordings of several of her lectures, and a
number of recorded oral histories conducted by her son, Carl Gould, Jr., in
1975. There are ten audiocassettes and one wire recording (the wire recording
has been duplicated to audiocassette).
The sheer volume of society and other newspaper clippings about the
family attests to its standing in Seattle society. While there are clippings
within the papers of many family members, the bulk are in Dorothy Fay
Gould’s papers.
The personal papers of other Gould family members, including the Fay
and Ober families, measure approximately five cubic feet. Most of the material
is correspondence, although there are other documents. John P. Fay’s
papers contain diaries, legal and financial records, writings, and campaign and
other ephemera in addition to letters. Also in John Fay’s papers is a
campaign scrapbook filled with news clippings, ephemera, posters, and
correspondence. Alice Ober Fay’s papers contain notes and reports from
high school and college, and Frank Ober’s papers include YMCA ephemera.
Sarah “Sadie” Ober’s papers include some of her writings
and artwork. Major correspondents include Muriel (Gould) York and Paul M.
Gustin.
Use of the Collection
Restrictions on Access :
Open to all users.
Restrictions on Use :
Literary rights of family members have been transferred to the
University of Washington Libraries.
Administrative Information
Custodial History :
The Gould family papers were stored by Dorothy Fay Gould at Topsfield,
the Gould summer home on Bainbridge Island. Following her death they were kept
at the home of her son, Carl Gould, Jr.
Acquisition Information :
Carl Gould, Jr., donated many of these papers to the University of
Washington Libraries in installments over the course of twenty years: Accession
no. 3273-2 and 3516, 1983; 3273-3, 1980; 3273-4, 3273-5, and 3172-4, 1987;
3273-6 and 3273-7, 1988; 3273-8, 1992. Following his death in 1993, Carl Gould,
Jr.’s widow, Gretchen Gould, donated Accession no. 3516-2 in 1993;
35l6-3 and 3516-4 in 1994; 3516-6 in 2000; and 3516-7 in 2002.
Processing Note :
Processing completed by Gina Rappaport and Noella Natalino in
2003.
Accession 3516-8 combines a number of previous accessions. The
installments from Carl Gould, Jr., measured approximately six cubic feet and
included Carl, Sr.’s architectural drawings, faculty papers from the
University of Washington, family photographs and films, and personal papers of
his mother, Dorothy Fay Gould, and other family papers. Most of these
materials, particularly the drawings and faculty papers of Carl Gould, were
processed and made available to researchers soon after their acquisition.
The largest installment of Gould Family papers was Accession no.
3516-3, consisting of over 40 cubic feet of correspondence, writings,
architectural specifications, diaries, ephemera, and other material. In January
1995 most of the previous accessions were merged with 3516-3 and then given the
new accession number 3516-5. All of Carl Gould’s professional and
personal papers were fully processed, with the exception of his estate files.
Dorothy Fay Gould’s papers and the papers of other family members were
preliminarily sorted.
The accessions in 2000 and 2002 comprised over 10 cubic feet of
material. Primarily correspondence, notes, writings, diaries, and ephemera of
Dorothy Fay Gould, the accessions also contained several boxes of Carl
Gould’s personal and professional papers. In 2002 donor Gretchen Gould
made a generous gift to the University of Washington Libraries, enabling the
Special Collections division to hire an intern to process the Gould Family
Papers. 3516-6 and 3516-7 were merged with 3516-5 in 2003, and given the new
accession number 3516-8. At this time, most of Dorothy Fay Gould’s
papers were fully processed, as were the Fay and Ober papers.
There were many mold-damaged letters and other documents in 3516-5 and
the later accessions. The most damaged letters were photocopied during
processing, and the originals have been segregated.
Newspaper clippings were weeded extensively, reducing over five cubic
feet to a little over one cubic foot of clippings. Most of them formed part of
Dorothy Fay Gould’s papers. In addition to clippings relating to family,
she saved those relating to her interests in Northwest history and gardening,
as well as University of Washington development and architecture. Only
clippings that featured or mentioned family members were retained. Several
yearbooks in poor condition from Harvard and Vassar were also discarded.
Biographical information contained within the yearbooks regarding Carl Gould,
John Fay, and Dorothy Fay Gould was photocopied, however, or the relevant pages
saved. Financial papers such as receipts, utility bills, and cancelled checks
were discarded.
Photographs, negatives, postcards, slides, drawings, greeting cards,
and clippings in Accession no. 3516-8, and additional photographs and paintings
in Accession no. 3516-6, were relocated to the Gould Family Photograph
Collection, Photo Accession no. 2005-049, in the repository in 2003 and 2004.
Most of the photographs are of the Fay and Ober families, but there are also
numerous photographs and illustrations of Seattle and Northwest subjects from
Dorothy Fay Gould’s research materials.
In addition, photographs of Seattle architecture and the gardens of
prominent Seattle estates were relocated to the Carl Gould Photograph
Collection, PH Coll. 426, in the repository. This collection mainly depicts
Gould’s architecture.
Also relocated to the visual materials collections in the repository
in 2003 were Gould home movies on four reels of 16mm film and one U-matic
videocassette.
Some Pacific Northwest travel ephemera from Dorothy Fay
Gould’s papers, including maps and brochures, as well as several Pacific
Northwest periodicals and other pamphlets, were relocated to the
division’s Pacific’s Northwest Collection in 2003. Approximately
100 postcards were added to the division's postcard collection.
Separated Materials :
A few publications were transferred to the University of Washington
Architecture and Urban Planning Library.
Related Materials :
Over 250 architectural drawings, a pencil drawing of Dorothy Fay Gould
by Roi Partridge, and a campus map designed and signed by Gould are available
in the division’s graphic collections.
The Dorothy Fay Gould Papers measure approximately 1 cubic foot and
are available in the Special Collections division. Also housed in the division
are the Anne Gould Hauberg Papers, 1917-1983, and the Caroline Haven Ober
Papers, 1884-1929.
Additional Reference Guides :
The visual materials that became part of the Carl Gould Photograph
Collection, PH Coll. 426, are described and indexed in the Special Collections
division
Photograph Collections
Database. Gould's architectural drawings are described in the
division's
Architectural Drawings Database. A finding aid
for the Gould Family Photograph Collection is also available in the
division.
Bibliography :
T. William Booth and
William H. Wilson,
Carl F. Gould: A Life in Architecture and the
Arts (Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1995) .
Norman Johnston,
The College of Architecture and Urban
Planning, Seventy-Five Years at the University of Washington: A Personal
View (Seattle : the author, 1991).
Detailed Description of the Collection
Gould, Carl F., A.I.A., Professional Papers
Container(s)
Description
Dates
Box/Folder
1/1
Organizational Features of Bebb and Gould,
Associates
undated
1/2
Biographical Information on Charles H. Bebb
undated
1/3-8
Incoming Letters -- Miscellaneous, A-Z
1912-1938
1/9-20
Outgoing Letters
1904-1938, undated
General Correspondence
Box/Folder
1/21
Bebb, Charles H.
1916-1938
1/22
Clark, Allan
1925-1926, 1935
1/23
Hill, Albert P.
1937
1/24
Seig, Lee Paul
1935-1938, undated
1/25
Regarding Subscriptions
1926-1936
1/26
United States [Government]
1933-1938
1/27
Unidentified
1910-1938
1/28
Intraoffice Correspondence
1927-1937, undated
Project Files
Box/Folder
1/29
Ankeny, R.V., Residence
undated
1/30
Apex Building, Washington D.C.,
Competition
1937-1938
1/31
Bainbridge Island Country Club, "Cow Barn"
1911
1/32
Boeing Memorial Plaque
1928
1/33
Bogle, Lawrence, New Residence
1913
1/34
Bond, Marshall, Summer Residence
1909
1/35
Bond, Marshall, Seattle Residence
1910
1/36
Brownell, Francis H., Everett Store
1912
1/37
Clark, Irving, Residence
1914
1/38
Colt, Lyman, Dairy Building and Cow Stable
1913
1/39
Daniels, Joseph, Seattle Residence
undated
1/40
Dickinson, Henry, Cottage
1911
1/41
Dovey, J. T., Residence
1911
1/42
Elmore, Mrs. Bruce, Residence
1912
1/43
Glover, Arthur, Residence
1913
1/44
Hanlon, Mrs. E. H., Residence
1911
1/45-46
Hansen, Otto, Residence
1914
1/47
McChesney, Mrs. H. L., Residence
1909-1910
1/48
McEwan, Alexander, Residence
1912
1/49
Mountaineers Lodge
1911
1/50-54
Peachy, William S., Residence
1912-1914
1/55
Realty and Leasehold, Co., Store Building
1913
1/56
Roberts, Milnor, Garage
1911
1/57-59
Skinner, D. E., Seattle Garage and Music
Room
1912-1913
2/1-4
Skinner, D. E., Residence and Garage
1912-1913
2/5
University of Washington Horace C. Henry Art
Gallery
1916
2/6
University of Washington University
Approach
1923-1928
2/7
War Memorial Auditorium
1919-1924
2/8
Seattle Times, Times Square Building - Project No.
7
1917
2/9-15
Larrabee, Mrs. C. X., Residence - Project No.
19
1914-1922
2/16-18
Brownell, F. H., Seattle Residence - Project No.
37
1910-1911
University of Washington Campus Planning - Project No.
40/383
Box/Folder
2/19
General Correspondence
1914-1938
2/20
General Correspondence -- Suzzallo,
Henry
1916-1917, 1925-1926
2/21
Ephemera
undated
2/22
Lists -- Buildings
1923, 1933, 1935
2/23
Financial Records
1914-1942
2/24-25
Notes
undated
2/26-28
Reports
1914-1938
2/29-30
Speeches and Writings
1938
2/31
Clippings
1927-1938
2/32
University of Washington Home Economics Building -
Project No. 54
1925
2/33-36
White, Mr. Chester F., Residence - Project No.
73
1912-1913
2/37
Fay, John P., Delamar Apartments - Project No.
120
1918-1919
2/38-43
Siems-Carey-Kerbaugh, New Town Plat and Buildings for
U.S. Spruce Division, U.S. Army - Project No. 122
1918
3/1-6
St. John's Association, Doctor's Office Building and
Garage - Project No. 137
1919-1920
3/7-12
Terry, Jane, Residence - Project No. 140
1919-1920
3/13-15
Larrabee, Mr. C. F., Residence - Project No.
145
1919
3/16-22
Brownell, F. H., Alterations to Residence - Project
No. 152
1910-1913
3/23
Peoples, L. B., Store Building - Project No.
161
1919
3/24
Seattle Tacoma Land Company, Normandy Beach Club -
Project No. 164
1929
3/25-26
Stimson, C. D., Apartment Building - Project No.
173
