Frances Elkins: Visionary American Designer

Lecture: Frances Elkins: Visionary American Designer
Presented by:
Monterey Area Architectural Resources Archive (MAARA)

Lecturer: Scott Powell
Date: Sunday, November 5, 2023
Location: Stanton Center, 5 Customs House Plaza, Monterey
Time: Lecture & questions: 1:00 – 2:30 p.m. doors open at 12:30 p.m.
Book signing & refreshments: 2:30 to 3:30 p.m.
Price: $10 AIA Members & Sponsors, Students, and MAARA Members
$20 Non-Members
Tickets: Available only at the door, no pre-registration available

Scott Powell will discuss the innovative interiors of Frances Adler Elkins (1887-1953), known for her adroit mixtures of the classical and the modern, her fresh sense of color and texture, and her concern for comfort and livability. She is considered one of the best American interior designers of all time. Elkins, based in Monterey, worked closely with many great architects including her Chicago-based brother David Adler as well as the prominent California architects Gardner Dailey, William Wurster, George Washington Smith, Clarence Tantau, Wallace Neff, Roland Coate, George Kaufmann, Reginald Johnson, Lewis Hobart, Robert Stanton, and Lutah Maria Riggs. The houses, hotels and clubhouses Elkins designed in northern California also featured the work of outstanding Monterey and Carmel artists including Francis & Gene McComas, the Bruton sisters, and Remo Scardigli. Elkins’ commissions on the Monterey Peninsula were frequently landscaped by the illustrious Thomas Church, but also included gardens by talents such as Isabella Worn. The lecture will present images of interiors and exteriors around the country with special emphasis on Chicago and the North Shore, and on Pebble Beach, Monterey and Carmel. Photos of sketches, blueprints, fabrics and wall coverings from the extensive Frances Elkins Archives at Monterey Peninsula College will also be part of the presentation.

Powell’s book Frances Elkins: Visionary American Designer, was published by Rizzoli in late March 2023 and will be available for sale at the event.

Since 2002, Scott Powell has been researching the career of Frances Elkins. He has documented over 250 Elkins commissions, many of them previously unknown. His research includes close contact with existing Elkins family members and clients, ongoing review of her project files and several photo archives throughout the U.S., and visits to several extant Elkins commissions on the West Coast. His interest in Elkins has also led to the acquisition of furniture, textiles, wall coverings and many unpublished period photographs related to her 35-year career. Studying Elkins combines his interests in classical and modern architecture, interior design, landscape design, photography, California history, Hollywood’s two Golden Ages (the silent era and the first three decades of sound film), and textiles.

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MAARA was formed to (a) preserve information sources with respect to the architectural history of the Monterey area by collecting, cataloguing, storing, preserving, and maintaining records, manuscripts, photographs and other archival materials pertaining to such architectural history; (b) maintain and operate archival facilities adequate to preserve, protect and provide public access to archival material related to the architectural history of the Monterey area, (c) conduct educational programs for the public that focus on archival and historical research and the preservation of archival materials with respect to the architectural history of the Monterey area, and (d) cooperate with municipal, cultural and educational institutions in preserving and sharing the historical architectural resources of the Monterey area in the State of California.