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Willis was an active critic throughout his career and no one was spared from his often caustic and condescending rapier. He publicly attacked friend and foe when he disagreed with their opinions. Addison Mizner who briefly worked for Polk recalled that Willis was “a genius, only spoiled by having read Whistler’s ‘Gentle Art of Making Enemies’… and became a genius at this as well.” He would write columns in The Wave, The Lark (see picture to right) and the editorial pages of The Chronicle, Examiner and Argonaut blasting the style of the day or mocking the recipient of a civic architectural contract. Polk was the undisputed king of self-promotion amongst the local Bohemian community. He was absolutely prolific in this pursuit and would write and send sketches to anyone that would accept them: House & Garden; Architectural Building News; Building; Scientific America; Architectural Digest; to name just a few. Polk published many periodicals such as Architectural News, and was a contributing editor to numerous architectural journals and magazines. |
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