Farmhouse Plans: Blueprints For Houses

Blueprints For Houses

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE The bulk of the San Luis Obispo Regional Blueprints Collection comes from the Southern Pacific Milling Company, with various architects and engineers signing off on the documents. The company was founded by R.M. Shackelford circa 1886. Shackelford was originally from Kentucky and came to California in 1853 in search of gold. He had many different occupations including mining, freight hauling, grain milling and lumbering, as well as politics serving one term in the Nevada State Legislature. In November of 1886, Shackelford moved to Paso Robles and began building warehouses and lumberyards along the railroad line between Soledad and Santa Margarita. He organized the Southern Pacific Milling Company and built nine warehouses and lumberyards, one of which was located in San Luis Obispo. This branch of the company still exists today. Another prominent name in the collection is the Klicka Lumber Company. Emil and George Klicka, two brothers from Chicago, moved to San Diego in 1921 and started several companies including the Klicka Lumber Company. Emil was a successful banker and managed the financial side of the business while George served as general manager and developed several prefabricated home designs. The Studio Bungalow was the most famous of these “kit houses.” Patented in the 1930s, it was geared toward lower income families making it possible for the average wage earner to own their own home. A model of the kit was introduced at the 1935 Pan-American Exposition in Balboa Park. After the FHA endorsed the “kit house,” hundreds were sold all over San Diego through 1942. SOURCES Hooper, Peggy. “Hon. R.M. Shackelford.” San Luis Obispo County Biographies, California Genealogy & History Archives. Retrieved 21 Feb. 2012. <http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~cagha/biographies/s/shackelford-r-m.txt> “Once Upon A Time In North Park.” History Committee of the North Park Community Association. 2003. Retrieved 21 Feb. 2012.