Wallace Neff
| Wallace Neff | |
|---|---|
| Born |
January 28, 1895 La Mirada, Los Angeles County, California |
| Died | June 8, 1982 (aged 87) Pasadena, Los Angeles County, California |
| Resting place | Mountain View Cemetery and Mausoleum 34°11′12″N 118°08′59″W / 34.186734°N 118.1497°W |
| Occupation | Structural architect |
| Known for | Architect and designer of residences for Hollywood personalities |
| Notable work | Pickfair |
| Style | Mediterranean Revival architecture, Spanish Colonial Revival architecture |
| Spouse(s) | Louise U. Neff |
| Parent(s) | Edwin Neff and Nettie McNally |
| Relatives | Andrew McNally |
Wallace Neff (January 28, 1895 – June 8, 1982) was an architect based in Southern California and was largely responsible for developing the region's distinct architectural style referred to as "California" style. Neff was a student of architect Ralph Adams Cram and drew heavily from the architectural styles of both Spain and the Mediterranean as a whole, gaining extensive recognition from the number of celebrity commissions, notably Pickfair, the mansion belonging originally to Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks.
Wallace Neff was born to Edwin Neff and Nettie McNally, daughter of Chicago printing tycoon Andrew McNally (Rand-McNally Corporation). Since Grandfather McNally had moved to Altadena, California in 1887 and founded Rancho La Mirada, La Mirada, California was Neff's birthplace. However, he spent a great deal of time at the Altadena residence, a grand Queen Anne Victorian mansion which looked from the hillside community down to the Pacific Ocean. It would become little wonder that the young Neff would take up an interest in architecture given his surroundings on Millionaire's Row (Mariposa Avenue). At age nine Wallace had moved to Europe with his family only to return to the U.S. at the outbreak of World War I.
His interest in architecture saw him studying under the revered Ralph Adams Cram in Massachusetts. He eventually returned to California and took up residence in Altadena while serving as a shipyard draftsman in Wilmington. Eventually he found himself ready for the architectural realm creating designs of the Spanish Medieval period including his own home Parish of St. Elizabeth of Hungary Roman Catholic Church, established 1918 in Altadena. His gift to the parish as well as the community was the design of the church building finished and dedicated in 1926.
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