Willis J Polk

• American

• Glass Curtain Wall

As an innovator in design in the Bay Area, Willis Polk was rivalled in his time only by Bernard Maybeck. Polk, who played a major role in the rebuilding of the city after the 1906 disaster and perhaps designed more buildings in that period than any other local architect, had been trained in Chicago under the renowned architect and city planner Daniel Burnham. After heading Burnham 's San Francisco office for several years ' following the Earthquake and Fire, Polk took the office over on his own. Polk's free use of traditional forms, his comprehension of indigenous regional styles, his imaginative spirit and willingness to experiment assure him a place in San Francisco's Pantheon. - NRHP