 An employee of Robert White, he was encouraged by famous architect Bernard Maybeck to pursue his education at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, and was a student there  from 1895 to 1902, thanks to the generosity of Phoebe Apperson Hearst.The training and friendships he made at the École shaped his entire career.After graduating, he spent a short time in New York City with prominent architect George B.