October 20, 2008

I have been commissioned to write, for a renowned biographical dictionary, an entry for Gordon Kaufmann, the famous Anglo-American architect, designer of the Hoover Dam and the Los Angeles Times building, among many famous edifices. Kaufmann, who was born in Forest Hill, London in 1888, and died in Los Angeles in 1949, was a somewhat enigmatic figure, and I am very keen to hear from any of his descendants, and from anybody who knows more about Kaufmann’s life. He was married twice: to Eva McFarland in Canada, and to Elsie Bryant. He and Eva had a son (Kenneth McFarland) and a daughter (Cecil). Kenneth died in Ventura, CA in 1977, while Eva died in 1974 in Los Angeles, as Mrs. Thomas E. Dawson. I should very much like to hear from anyone who knows whether they had any offspring, or even from their descendants themselves. Gordon Kaufmann had a younger brother, Harold, who changed his name to ‘Kay’ during the First World War, and may have lived in Sussex (England) thereafter. Likewise, I should be very interested in information about his life, as well as their father’s. The father, Gustav, was given as living in Littlestone, Kent, on Gordon’s immigration records to the USA. Please contact me at antonypercy@aol.com with any information. (October 20, 2008)