Morgan, Walls & Clements Archive

The archive is held by the Huntington Library in Southern California. The Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens , known as The Huntington, is a collections-based educational and research institution established by Henry E. Huntington and Arabella Huntington in San Marino, California. In addition to the library, the institution houses an extensive art collection with a focus on 18th and 19th century European art and 17th to mid-20th century American art. The property also has approximately 120 acres (49 ha) of specialized botanical landscaped gardens.

The Huntington Library  is one of the world’s great independent research libraries, with more than 11 million items spanning the 11th to the 21st century. Digital resources include the Morgan, Walls & Clements Records .

The Architects

Morgan, Walls & Clements was an architectural firm based in Los Angeles, California and responsible for many of the city’s landmarks. The firm dates back to the late 19th century: originally established as Morgan and Walls in 1890 with principals Octavius W. Morgan (1850–1922) and John A. Walls (1860–1922), the firm worked largely in the Los Angeles area for over 20 years.

Around 1910 Morgan’s son Octavius Morgan Jr. (1886–1951) was promoted, resulting in the firm Morgan, Walls and Morgan. Morgan Sr. then retired, and with the emergence of designer Stiles O. Clements (1883–1966), the firm as Morgan, Walls and Clements hit its stride with a series of theatres and commercial projects. Clements often worked in Spanish Colonial Revival and Mayan Revival styles.

You can read more about the firm here on our website, or over at the Los Angeles Conservancy .

Select theatre buildings in the Los Angeles area designed by Morgan, Walls & Clements

The Archive

The Morgan, Walls & Clements Archive consists of digitized microfilm scans (called “reels”) of physical boxes of drawings. Each individual drawing in a reel is called a “frame”. The boxed originals, and therefore the scanned reels, contain mixed content and are not organized alphabetically or by date. Projects are generally grouped together but there are some random drawings separated from their main project. Until indexing is added to the archive, it is a collection of 12,000+ drawings and documents which are not readily searchable.

As part of our research we have identified drawings, sketches, and correspondence relating to historic theatres, some of which are featured on this website. Below is the continually-growing index we have for the archive.

NOTE: Mike Callahan previously indexed the archive, and his index is available online here: MWC Microfilm Finding Aid .

Fonda Theatre, Hollywood

Reel 02 (Drawings B) 

Fonda Theatre (fka Music Box Theatre), Hollywood

• Frames 0385  to 0407  (with thanks to Anthony Caldwell for researching).

Musart Theatre, Los Angeles

Reel 06 (Drawings D and E) 

Musart Theatre (fka Little Theatre, Egan Theatre), Los Angeles

• Frames 0023  to 0052 .

Globe Theatre, Los Angeles

Reel 08 (Drawings G) 

Arcade Theatre, Los Angeles

• Proposed exterior 1940s alterations: Frames 0066  to 0068 .
• General drawings and sketches: Frames 0097  to 0128 .

Globe Theatre & Garland Building, Los Angeles

• Frames 0070  to 0093 , and 0129  to 0157 .

Chinese Theatre, Hollywood

Chinese Theatre, Hollywood

• Designed by a rival firm, Meyer & Holler, but for some reason forms part of the MW&C Archive.
• Frames 0174  to 0183 .

El Capitan Theatre, Hollywood

Reel 09 (Drawings H) 

El Capitan Theatre, Hollywood

• Façade and marquee: Frames 0125  to 0131  (with thanks to Mike Callahan for researching).

Vision Theatre, Los Angeles

Reel 12 (Drawings L) 

Vision Theatre (fka Leimert Theatre), Los Angeles

• Frames 0063  to 0085  (with thanks to Anthony Caldwell for researching).

Geffen Playhouse, Los Angeles

Reel 13 (Drawings M) 

Geffen Playhouse, Los Angeles

• Original building design as a Masonic lodge: Frames 0134  to 0153 .

Reels 15 & 16 (Drawings O, P, and Q) 

Belasco Theatre, Los Angeles

Belasco Theatre, Los Angeles

• General plans and drawings: Frames 0156  to 0220 .
• Highlights:
• Ceiling dome electrical lighting layout: Frame 0170 .
• Auditorium and Stage longitudinal section: Frame 0178 .
• Trapdoors up from Band Room: Frame 0186 .
• Marquee and façade detail: Frames 0188  to 0190 .
• Auditorium ceiling detail: Frames 0198  and 0203 .

Wiltern Theatre, Los Angeles

Philharmonic Auditorium, Los Angeles

• Circa 1934 alterations: Frames 0406  to 0410 .

Pellissier (Wiltern Theatre) Building, Los Angeles

• Store/Office plans; building additions: Frames 0514  to 0537  and 0540  to 0663 .

Grand Theater (fka Polytechnic High School Auditorium), Los Angeles

• Frames 0807  to 0848 .

Mayan Theatre, Los Angeles

Reel 20 (Drawings S continued) 

Mayan Theatre, Los Angeles

• General plans and drawings: Frames 0065  to 0119 .
• Longitudinal Section: Frame 0076 .
• Exquisite detail of proscenium and side stage surround stone-effect treatment: Frame 0084 .

Reviewed Reels Not Containing Historic Theatres

• Reel 07 (Drawings F) 
• Reel 10 (Drawings H continued) 
• Reel 11 (Drawings I, J, and K) 
• Reel 17 (Drawings R) 
• Reel 18 (Drawings R continued) 

Reels Awaiting Full Review (as at 11 Feb 2024)

• Reel 01 (Drawings A) 
• Reel 02 (Drawings B) 
• Reel 03 (Drawings B continued) 
• Reel 04 (Drawings C) 
• Reel 05 (Drawings C continued) 
• Reel 12 (Drawings L) 
• Reel 14 (Drawings N) 
• Reel 19 (Drawings S) 
• Reel 20 (Drawings S continued) 
• Reel 21 (Correspondence, Projects 1720 to 1744 (first part)) 
• Reel 22 (Correspondence, Projects 1744 (first part) to 1773 (first part)) 
• Reel 23 (Correspondence, Projects 1773 (second part) to 1802 (first part) 
• Reel 24 (Drawings C) 
• Reel 25 (Correspondence, Projects 1873 (second part) to 1925 (first part) 
• Reel 26 (Correspondence, Projects 1925 (second part) to 1940 (first part)