William Henry Weeks

William Henry Weeks
Weeks in front of his home in Watsonville, CA
Born	(1864-01-18)18 January 1864 Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada
Died	29 April 1936(1936-04-29) (aged 72) Piedmont, California
Nationality	Canadian-American
Alma mater	Brinker Institute
Occupation	Architect
Buildings	Carnegie libraries and schools across Northern and Central California

William Henry Weeks (1864–1936) was an early 20th-century architect who designed hundreds of buildings including many schools, banks, and libraries. He was well known for his monumental Greek Revival neoclassical style of architecture, although he also employed other architectural styles. His offices were based in various parts of the San Francisco Bay area throughout his career. Weeks designed hundreds of structures in over 161 Californian cities, as well as several buildings in Nevada and Oregon. Many of his buildings are still standing and some are still in use.

William Henry Weeks was born in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada on January 18, 1864, the fourth child of Richard and Margaret Weeks. In 1885 Weeks graduated from the Brinker Institute, a co-educational day and boarding school that was open for a short time in Denver, Colorado. After the family moved to their new home in Wichita, Kansas, Weeks began his career working with his father as a builder and designer.

Weeks became engaged to one of the Haymaker girls who lived in Charlestown, Indiana, but she died before the wedding took place. Meanwhile, Weeks' family had moved to Tacoma, Washington, but he returned to Indiana and asked his late fiancée's sister Maggie for her hand in marriage. She accepted and they were married in 1891, at the bride's home in Charlestown. He and his wife would later have nine children, of whom only five survived to adulthood. They moved to Tacoma for a period, but eventually moved to Oakland, California along with Weeks' family.

In 1894 Weeks opened an office in Watsonville, and was employed as the designer for several projects in town. His business prospered, and in 1897 he opened a branch office in Salinas, where he then spent part of his work-week. As Weeks' business continued to grow, he began to bid to design buildings in Monterey, Pacific Grove, Santa Cruz, and many other parts of Northern California. In the middle of the 1890s Weeks had moved his family to Watsonville, and when he was in town he was active in his church, teaching Sunday School class when he could. Weeks was also involved in his community at large: he helped draw up the new city charter for Watsonville and volunteered for many years on the YMCA Board of Directors.