Series IV: Addendum

The William Ward Watkin Papers, totaling 13 document boxes, detail the academic and architectural career of Watkin. The papers include correspondence, newspaper clippings, photographs and architectural drawings gathered by Annie Ray Watkin from her father's papers. The collection is arranged in three series.

The Biographical series concentrates on Watkin's personal life. It includes materials from his school days, family correspondence, speeches, lectures and writings. The speeches and writings are architectural in subject.

The series Architectural Career covers both Watkin's time at Rice and his private practice. Watkin first came to Rice in 1910, as an employee of the architecture firm Cram, Goodhue and Ferguson. He oversaw the construction of the Administration Building, the Mechanical Laboratory and Power Plant, and a Residential Group, the first buildings on the campus. Then, Watkin went on to design and supervise the building of other structures on campus. Most of the materials in the sub-series, Rice Institute, are photographic but there are some textual materials. The sub-series Private Practice incorporates many projects Watkin undertook outside of his career at Rice. These papers include correspondence with clients and drawings of projects.

The final series Academic Career touches upon the various roles Watkin played at Rice, other than as architect. Most prominent are records from his time with the Architecture department.