Davis, John W.

Biography

John W. Davis was born to John O. and Mary C. Davis on August 22, 1910, in Illinois. He received his B.S. degree in architecture from the University of Illinois in 1934 and served as an officer in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers during the Second World War. Following the war, Davis was engaged as a private designer and construction coordinator with partner Jere Strizek, a noted Sacramento developer. The two designed Town and Country Village shopping center and homes in the Town and Country community, both located in the Arden area in Sacramento.

Built in 1946, the Old West-themed Town and Country Village was one of the first shopping centers in the region and was modeled after a center of the same name located in Palo Alto, California. The nearby Town and Country community advertised low-cost family homes. Town and Country houses became known for Davis' distinctive "flat top" design and were featured in a number of publications, including Parents' Magazine, which awarded one of the 3-bedroom, 2-bath designs with a merit award in 1951. In addition to homes in the Town and Country developments, Davis designed original furniture for Town and Country Village.

After his partnership with Strizek ended, Davis worked briefly with the firm Dreyfuss and Davis (1956-1958), and then as a general contractor from 1958-1961. In 1962, he became general manager of Associated Development Co. Davis retired by the mid-1960s.

John W. Davis, his wife Charlotte and their three children lived for many years in a home on Gwen Drive in the Town and Country community.

From the guide to the John W. Davis papers, 1945-1987, (bulk 1946-1954), (Sacramento Public Library. Sacramento Room)