Campbell & Wong Associates Collection

Collection

Identifier: 2020-01

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The Campbell & Wong Associates Collection spans the years 1943-2001, documenting the firm's project history and popularity through news clippings, tear sheets, correspondence, drawings, photographs, slides, and awards. The collection is organized into three series: Personal Papers, Professional Papers, and Project Records.

Personal Papers contain biographical information such as the Wong family ancestral chart, certificates and diplomas, correspondence, photographs, and travel records. The Professional Papers contain correspondence with other architects, presentations, awards, and reference files that document design inspiration. The Project Records document Campbell & Wong's projects spanning the years 1946-1965 recorded through drawings, photographs, and slides. Also documented are Wong and Brocchini projects spanning 1966-1985. Major Projects within this series include the Leisure House (1952), the Weekend House (1960), UC Santa Cruz Master Plan (1960), and Dinah's Motor Hotel (1957).

Dates

Creation: 1943-2001
Creation: Majority of material found within 1950-1970

Access Statement

The Collection is open for research. Many of the Environmental Design Archives collections are stored offsite and advance notice is required for use.

Publication Rights

All requests for permission to publish, reproduce, or quote from materials in the collection should be discussed with the Curator.

Biographical Note

Worley Wong was born in California in 1912. He attended Saint Mary's College and later studied at the University of California, Berkeley where he earned his A.B. with honors. During his time at Berkeley, he joined the English club and was a member of Delta Sigma Chi and Tau Sigma Delta. After graduating, Wong worked as an architect for the US Maritime Commission, Henry Kaiser Shipyard Facilities, and Langhorst and Langhorst Architects, before starting Campbell & Wong Associates with John Carden Campbell in 1946.

John Carden Campbell was born in San Francisco, CA in 1914. He studied at Sacramento Community College, the Art Students League in New York, and later the Rudolph Schaeffer School of Design. Campbell taught interior design at UC Berkeley Extension while maintaining an architectural practice with Worley Wong for twenty years. During this time, he also worked on a few projects independently, such as the Campbell House in Sausalito (1967), the Prefabricated House in Mill Valley (1949-1952), and the Weekend House in Nevada City (1965). Additionally, Campbell co-founded and became president of the California Heritage Council, which helped preserve many of California's historic Gold Rush buildings.

Campbell & Wong Associates (active 1946-1968) largely designed residential buildings in the Bay Area, but the firm also produced projects relating to educational and commercial programs. Thereafter, Campbell established Campbell & Rocchia in 1970 with Peter Rocchia, an interior designer and art director, and Wong formed Wong and Brocchini Associates with Ronald Brocchini, an architect. The firm existed until Wong passed away in 1985.

Campbell & Wong Associates was a prominent firm in the Bay Area, praised for their utilization of space and unique design, drawing inspiration from sculptural forms and interior decoration. Campbell is also credited for being one of the first architects to utilize the A-Frame to construct a house, which was later utilized in one of their most popular projects, the Leisure House.