Services Held for Architect S.W. Hamill, 86,

A funeral Mass was held Friday for Samuel Wood Hamill, a San Diego architect who died Tuesday at Pomerado Hospital after a long illness. He was 86.

In the 1930s, Hamill made a name for himself in San Diego as the lead designer for the county administration center, as well as helping to design the Del Mar Race Track and fairgrounds. In 1934, he helped restore Balboa Park’s House of Hospitality.

Hamill helped plan the County Courthouse and Sheriff’s Department facilities in the 1950s. He was the architect for the Marston Co. and the Union Title & Trust Co. He also designed and renovated school buildings.

In the 1960s, Hamill worked with five other architects in the design and construction of the Community Concourse. As a founding member of San Diegans Inc. and the Committee of 100, Hamill helped preserve Balboa Park buildings.

He was president of the San Diego Chapter of the American Institute of Architects in 1938, 1939 and 1955, and was elected to the organization’s College of Fellows in 1957. Hamill retired in 1968 after 40 years of practice.

Survivors include a sister, Ruth Mary Hamill of San Diego; daughters Georgette R. Serrano of San Diego and Annette M. Orendain of Dallas; eight grandchildren, and 12 great-grandchildren.