William Ward Watkin and allied families collection

This collection contains photographs, documents, and more chronicling the professional and personal lives of William Ward Watkin and his family members.

William Ward Watkin was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on January 21, 1886. Watkin joined the Boston office of Cram, Goodhue and Ferguson, then one of the most prominent architectural firms in the United States in 1909. Watkin worked on the development of both the Rice Institute's campus plan and the building plan in the office; when construction was to begin, in the summer of 1910, Watkin was sent to Houston to serve as Cram, Goodhue and Ferguson's representative supervisor. He eventually became a faculty member at the Institute and was later Chair of the Architecture Department. William Ward Watkin died on June 24, 1952 from complications following surgery for a broken kneecap.

The original materials are held by the Woodson Research Center in Fondren Library. Search our finding aid/inventories for the variouls collections related the Watkin family.