Description

Raymond L. Watson (1926-) is an architect and planner and former President and CEO of The Irvine Company. With the exception of the years 1977 to 1983, Watson served in various capacities at The Irvine Company beginning in 1960 until his retirement in 2003.

Included in this collection are electronic word-processing files, created between 1992 and 2010, and digitized slides, created in 1996 and 1997. The born digital files were received via email and converted to PDF format in order to facilitate preservation and access. The digitized slides were received on five photographic CDs and were converted into JPEGs, also to facilitate preservation and access.

The born digital files include writings by Watson pertaining to Irvine Company developments in Orange County, California; the planning of the University of California, Irvine and the City of Irvine; city planning; community planning; and planned communities. Also included are reports and writings not authored by Watson that primarily relate to urban planning and design.

The digitized slides contain images documenting Irvine Company developments in Orange County, California; the Irvine Ranch and the Irvine family; and the planning and development of areas within Orange County. Included are aerial, exterior, interior, and plan views, as well as copy prints of schematic drawings, plans, maps, and several photographic portraits.

The born digital files and digitized slides are part of the larger collection, the Raymond L. Watson Papers (MS-120), which are described in a finding aid in the Online Archive of California. Access to the non-digital materials is provided in the Special Collections and Archives Reading Room at the UC Irvine Libraries.