This collection, which spans the years 1897-1993 (bulk 1930-1967), consists of records, drawings, specifications and photographs relating to the architectural careers of William G. Merchant and Hans U. Gerson. It contains primarily records of the architectural firms William G. Merchant, AIA and William G. Merchant & Associates with some additional records of Bernard Maybeck and the firm Gerson/Overstreet. The collection is organized into eight series: Personal Papers, Professional Papers, Office Records, Project Records, Maybeck Projects, Palace of Fine Arts, World Trade Center, and San Francisco Recreation and Parks Dept. Within these series original order has been maintained wherever it is evident.

The personal papers contain biographical information on and portraits of William G. Merchant and Bernard Maybeck, a small amount of correspondence between Merchant and Maybeck, student drawings done by Gerson while at the Architectural Association, and records of Gerson’s involvement with the Ashland Chamber Music Workshop.

The professional papers consist primarily of writings by Hans Gerson as well as records pertaining to Gerson’s membership in the Berkeley, CA Civic Art Commission.

The office records contain administrative and financial records from the firms William G. Merchant & Associates and Gerson/Overstreet as well as brochure materials for Hans Gerson and Gerson/Overstreet.

The project records include files, specifications, photographs and drawings of residential, commercial and public commissions from the architectural careers of William G. Merchant and Hans U. Gerson. Projects in this series include the Acme Brewing Company, Bernal Dwellings Housing Project, various projects from the Golden Gate International Exposition and watercolors for the San Francisco Opera Fol de Rol.

The fifth series is a small collection of primarily photographs of projects completed by Bernard Maybeck including Wyntoon Castle for Phoebe and William Randolph Hearst and Principia College. This series does not include Maybeck’s work on the original Palace of Fine Arts Building; these files are located in the next series. This series also contains one rendering of the Lagunitas Country Club by architect John White.

The sixth series contains primarily files, photographs, and specifications for the rehabilitation of the Palace of Fine Arts. In addition, there are a few files, drawings, and photographs of the original 1915 building as well as some files and drawings for small additional projects to the Palace and files pertaining to the Exploratorium conversion. There is also a large number of clippings from newspapers and magazines pertaining to the rehabilitation project.

The seventh series contains files, drawings and specifications for the proposed plan of the World Trade Center in San Francisco.

The final series contains files, drawings, and photographs of various projects for the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department. This includes a number of small city parks, McLaren Park, Camp Mather, and the Junior Museum.