REPORT OF THE DIVISION OF ARCHITECTURE. GEO. B. MCDOUGALL, HISTORY AND PURPOSE. The State Department of Engineering, of which the Bureau of Architecture was a part, was created by an act of the legislature, approved March 11, 1907, chapter 183, Statutes of the year 1907, and was organized in the May following. The Bureau of Architecture was organized very shortly thereafter and immediately began its activities. On July 30, 1921, changes in the organization of the state government, as made by the legislature of 1921 and approved by the Governor, went into effect. The former Department of Engineering, with its Bureau of Architecture, was abolished and its functions transfered to the Department of Public Works, with five divisions, of which the Division of Architecture was one. On August 17, 1923, a new Department of Public Works was created under chapter 286, Statutes of the year 1923, which provided for three divisions, of which the Division of Architecture is one. The activities of the Division of Architecture and the former Bureau of Architecture cover, therefore, a period of approximately seventeen years. During the first few years of its existence the work of the Bureau of Architecture consisted almost entirely of the preparation of plans and specifications for new buildings, repairs and alterations to existing buildings, and general supervision of the construction thereof. The work was therefore similar to that of the average architect of private practice, except for the fact that construction has in most cases been at a considerable distance from the central office. As the years have passed, however, the responsibilities have constantly increased, as has also the number of institutions and general building activity in the state, until the present large force is required to handle the work. The duties of the Division of Architecture at the present time may be summed up as follows: To make plans and specifications for all new buildings of a value in excess of $1,000 at the various state institutions; to let contracts for and superintend their erection, or, in case satisfactory contracts can not be made, to construct the buildings by day labor; to care for all alterations and repairs to existing buildings, on the same basis where the amount involved is in excess of $1,000; to design and install all heating, lighting, ventilating, refrigerating, water supply, mechanical and, electrical plants of every nature-whether changes, extensions, or original; survey grounds, lay out walks, drives and roads; provide water supply, sewer and drainage systems, requiring the design and construction of dams, reservoirs, pipe lines, wells, pumping plants, ditches, sewage treatment and disposal plants and drains. The State of California has at the present time twenty-seven major institutions, at which the division functions as outlined in the preceding paragraph. In addition to these, there were twenty places at which either construction of some kind was supervised, or expert assistance given during the past two years. These forty-seven points of activity are scattered from one end of the state to the other, this element of distances to overcome being one of the most difficult of the conditions surrounding the activities of the division. The map printed herewith shows the names and location of these places. ORGANIZATION. The organization of the Division of Architecture, together with the number and distribution of its employees, are indicated by an organization chart and personnel on pages 6 and 7. In addition, the Division maintains, in conjunction with the Division of Engineering and Irrigation and Division of Water Rights, an accounting department of seven employees. The present organization, which is the result of gradual evolution. and a thorough study by the executive heads of the Division, has proven to be practically perfect by more than seven years of experience. Definite authority and responsibility have been fixed to such a degree that friction and overlapping of activities are reduced to a minimum. The nature of the work of the Division and of the state's property at its various institutions is such as to require the services of the heads of the various branches, and of some other employees in the three sections making up the Division, continuously during twelve months of the year. The duties of these men are executive or of a general character that renders a proper segregation of the time spent on different jobs impracticable. There are twelve of these continuously employed and they make up what might be considered as the skeleton organization of the Division. FINANCES OF THE DIVISION. The expenses attendant upon the operation of the Division of Architecture are met as follows: (1) Under chapter 121, the legislature of 1923 provided a salary fund for the Division of Architecture of $31,656. This amount is sufficient only to cover the salaries of the Chief of Division, Assistant to the Chief of Division, Acting Chief Engineer and General Superintendent of Construction. (2) All other employees are paid out of special appropriations for construction or billed to the department or institution for which the work is done. An exact record of the time spent on each project is kept and the value of this time, based on salary paid, is deducted from the appropriation or billed to the department or institution at the end of each month. (3) By an appropriation for support, chapters 121-23, amounting to $20,350, which covers traveling expenses, including automobiles as required by the employees continuously employed, telegraph and telephone, postage, office supplies, printing and furniture. OPERATION OF THE DIVISION. Under the subject of operation, the activities of the Division of Architecture can be listed under three main subdivisions: (1) Construction by contract or subcontracts. (2) Construction by day labor. (3) Miscellaneous activities. 3-36005 |