Biographies of Architects, Designers, and Builders

William C. Hays (1873-1963)

William C. Hays was born in Philadelphia on July 7, 1873. After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania in 1893, he won the John Stewardson Memorial Traveling Fellowship. He studied at the American Academy in Rome and at the ateliers of Godefroy-Frenet and Laloux in Paris.

Fresno Buddhist TempleHays came to California in 1904 to work for John Galen Howard and to teach architecture at the University of California. In 1908 he opened his own office in San Francisco. In 1919 he joined with Toyokichi Kurahashi to design the Fresno Buddhist Temple (shown on right). During his career Hays designed numerous buildings on the University's Davis Campus, Giannini Hall at Berkeley, Presbyterian churches in San Francisco and Oakland, and numerous schools, fraternity houses, and residences. William C. Hays died on January 2, 1963.

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