Francis W. Wilson

Wilson was born in Massachusetts and arrived in California at the age of 17 to visit his sister, a schoolteacher in Placerville.

Wilson studied at the San Francisco chapter of the American Institute of Architects and took a grand tour of Europe before establishing his own firm in Santa Barbara in 1895.

His most extravagant residential commission, Las Tejas in the suburb of Montecito, was built in 1917 for Oakleigh Thorne.

[2] In 1920, Wilson purchased a forty-five acre ranch in Tuolumne County, California, as well as a nearby mining company.

During World War II, he took a position as a designer for at Lockheed Aircraft's plant in Burbank, California.

Santa Barbara Railway Station
Hopkins Home, Santa Barbara, 1897; Francis W. Wilson. At least two renovations since, one of which likely restored it close to its original look
Alexander Gardens, Santa Barbara, 1906; Francis W. Wilson. Currently a senior living facility
Home of Seth Cook Rees , Pasadena, 1908; Francis W. Wilson. Prime example of Arts and Crafts period residential architecture, this property has been designated as an historic landmark by the City of Pasadena. [ 23 ]