Telesis (from the Greek τέλεσις /telesis/) or "planned progress" was a concept and neologism coined by the American sociologist Lester Frank Ward (often referred to as the "father of American sociology"),[1] in the late 19th century[2] to describe directed social advancement via education and the scientific method.
[4] Their stated aim was to research the development and implications of what architectural critic Lewis Mumford called the Second Bay Area Regional Style.
"—from The Things Telesis Has Found Important Noted Telesis members included William Wurster, Catherine Bauer Wurster, Vernon DeMars,[3] Thomas Church, Garrett Eckbo, Grace McCann Morley, Geraldine Knight Scott, Joseph Allen Stein, Jack Hillmer, Francis Violich, and T. J. Kent, Jr.
In addition to internal research and working groups that investigated such topics as speculative housing, industrial design, and the relationship of the physical environment of the San Francisco Bay Area to indigenous architectural styles, the group also organized several influential exhibitions on contemporary architecture and planning with the support of the San Francisco Museum of Art.
Professional and personal papers from many of Telesis's members are collected in the Environmental Design Archives at the University of California, Berkeley.