Harrison B. Traver (1881-1973)
Harrison B. Traver was born in Hudson, New York, on December 2, 1881. In 1906 Traver graduated in Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania. After training under Harvey Corbett in New York and Paul Cret in Philadelphia, Traver came to California in 1907 to work in the State Architect's office. In San Francisco Traver formed a partnership with W. D. Coates in 1911. They gained statewide attention in 1912 when their competition proposal for the San Francisco City Hall took second prize.
In 1914 Coates
and Traver moved to Fresno, where they continued practicing together until
1925. Among their most important projects were the A. G. Wishon home (1915),
the Liberty Theatre (1917, shown on left), Fresno High School (1920, shown on
right), Hanford High School (1920), and Porterville High School (1921).
In 1925 Traver
moved to Los Angeles to become a partner in the firm Fisher, Lake and Traver. When that partnership dissolved, Traver
associated with Theodore Jacobs until 1929, after which he practiced alone. In
1936 he became supervising architect for the Mutual Savings and Loan
Association of Pasadena, from which he retired a Senior Vice President in 1963.
H. B. Traver died on March 4, 1973.
©1996 John Edward Powell. All rights reserved.