Background
William J. Dodd was born on September 21, 1862 Quebec City, Canada.
William J. Dodd was born on September 21, 1862 Quebec City, Canada.
Beginning his career in Chicago, United States at an early age, the youth served an apprenticeship in architecture under the late Major William Jenney, later joined the office of S. S. Beman where he worked on plans of buildings for the new town of Pullman. From Chicago, Mr. Dodd moved to Louisville, United States in 1886 and practiced in that city through 1912. He was associated with other architects and engineers, namely Oscar C. Wehle, Mason Maury, Arthur Cobb, and Kenneth MacDonald and occasionally working alone. In all of his partnerships, Dodd was the designer, usually in association with an engineer. His oeuvre includes many general types of structures: civic, commercial, fraternal, ecclesiastical, and residential. In 1889 he and Mason Maury won a competition for the new Louisville Trust Company Building, the first fireproof structure of more than one story erected in the city. On the Starks Building, a later work completed in 1912, Dodd and McDonald worked with the Chicago firm of D.H. Burnham & Co. Mr. Dodd designed many ecclesiastical structures in Louisville, notable examples of which were St. Paul's Episcopal Church built in 1895; the Presbyterian Seminary (an outstanding work) completed in 1904; the First Christian Church, and the Frankel Memorial Chapel, Jewish Cemetery. He contributed to over 70 residential designs in Louisville alone as well several others out in the state of Kentucky. Outside of Kentucky, W.J. Dodd's work can be found in Illinois, Indiana, Virginia, Tennessee, and California.
During the latter phase of his career in Los Angeles, Mr. Dodd worked alone or in partnership. First, in 1913, with J. Martyn Haenke. In 1915 he joined William and Richards in organizing the firm of Dodd and Richards, and in that association acquired a successful practice lasting until his death in 1930. The partners served as architects of two Public Libraries in the city, the Hollywood Branch at Ivar Street and Hollywood Boulevard built in 1915 several years later moved to a new site on Ivar south of the Boulevard; and the Boyle Heights Library. Among other important works of the firm áre the Associated Realty Building at 510 West Sixth Street, in addition to the Pacific Mutual Life Insurance Building; J. W. Robinson's Department Store on West Seventh; the Ville de Paris on Seventh, and the Architects Building (in association with four other architects).