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IRVING JOHN GILL (1870-1936)
Gill apprenticed to Ellis G. Hall in Syracuse around 1889. He moved to Chicago in 1890, worked for Joseph Lyman Silsbee, and, in 1891, with Adler and Sullivan. Gill moved to San Diego in 1893 and partnered with another former Chicago apprentice, William S. Hebbard for 11 years, bonding with San Diego's progressive philanthropic elite, including Ellen Browning Scripps.
Gill parted ways with Hebbard in 1907 and formed a brief partnership with Frank Mead. The three residences created during their seven-month partnership began to exhibit the ornament-free, geometric elements for which Gill is best known.
1907 also brought his first solo commission and his launch to fame with the Laughlin House. In 1913, Gill was commissioned by Ellen Browning Scripps to design the La Jolla Woman's Club (715 Silverado), using the "tilt-slab" construction method, the first use of this kind in the state.
After a serious heart attack in 1936 he was transported to San Diego Hospital in Hillcrest, where he passed away later that day. He was cremated the next day and his ashes were placed in a temporary cardboard box at Cypress View Mortuary, just minutes southeast of downtown, marked "Hold" for a family member to retrieve. For decades, his remains were believed to have been scattered by his wife, Marion, according to a narrative popularized by the late historian and Gill biographer Bruce Kamerling. However, in 2022 it was discovered that the architect’s ashes had remained at Cypress View all along. The Irving J. Gill Foundation petitioned the County of San Diego to release his remains, and he was formally buried in October 2024.
Gill designed more than 350 projects. In 2017, Gill became the first architect to receive the AIA California Council's Maybeck Award posthumously. His archives are at UCSB. The Irving Gill foundation was started in 2015 and is led by James Guthrie. Bio adapted from Wikipedia. Research by Kevin H. Souza and Catherine Cramer.
1893 - The Daniel Schuyler House, 838-842 25th Street, San Diego CA. Sold to Irma Shaw, an interior designer. Updated in 2020.
1893 - The John Kendall Residence, Waverly Ranch, Hillsdale Road, El Cajon CA. A one-story East Indian Bungalow style. Designed with partner Joseph Falkenham.
1895 - The John Kendall Summer Beach Cottage, "Windemere" 844 Prospect Street, La Jolla CA. Relocated in 1927 to 1328 Virginia Way. Designed with Joseph Falkenham. Sold to Bernate Ticino. The San Diego Historical Society stepped in in 2011 when new owners wanted to destroy it. Two agencies wrote up historical designation reports, one for, one against. The house lost for loss of integrity. Destroyed in 2011.
1894 - The M. A. Wilcox House, 2nd Avenue and B Street, San Diego CA. Destroyed.
1894 - The Parson Shaw House, 4th Avenue and Quince Street, San Diego CA. Destroyed.
1894 - The S. W. Belding Renovation, Broadway and 18th Street, San Diego CA. Destroyed.
1894 - The Myles Moylan House, 2214-2224 Second Avenue, San Diego CA. Designed with Joseph Falkenham. On the National Register of Historic Places. Sold to Foerster and Susan Barrett. Site now the Law Offices of Olin and Zuconni.
1894 - The Edward M. Burbeck Cottage #1, 1174 Prospect Street, La Jolla CA. Destroyed in 2020.
1894 - The Gustave W. Jorres House, 2568 Front Street, San Diego CA. Destroyed.
1895 - The George Garrettson Residence, 2410 East Street, San Diego CA. Sold in 2017 to Crash Inc. Now an alcohol recovery center.
1895 - The David K. Horton House, 1504 East 22nd, National CIty CA. Sold to the Lori A Peoples Trust.
1895 - The Harry W. Nichols House, 1718 A Avenue, Coronado CA. Address no longer exists. First house built on Coronado by William Sterling Hebbard and Gill. Destroyed.
1896 - The Mary Cossitt House #1, 1710 & 1718 Visalia Row, San Diego. More research needed.
1897 - The Abel H. Frost House, 2456 Broadway, San Diego CA. Converted into offices. Sold to 2456 Broadway LLC.
1897 - The John H. Kleine House #1, 12332 Topa Hill Circle, Lakeside CA. Designed with Hebbard and Gill. Sold in 1988 to Steven Cowen.
1898 - The Ralph Granger Music Hall, 8th & National, San Diego CA. A music hall designed by Gill for Mr. Grainger. Oiginally on 8th Street but moved in 1969 to 1700 East 4th Street.
1898 - The M. V. Carroll House, 827 Fifth Avenue, Hillcrest, San Diego CA. Building permit for M.V. Carroll listed on 3/24/1898; later became his business. Likely a mixed-use development with commercial space below and apartments above.
1898 - The Mendell Churchill House, 1300 Orange Avenue, San Diego CA. With Hebbard and Gill. Relocated to 1106 4th Street, Coronado CA. Map indicates the first location was to the south. House was relocated prior to 1953. Sold in 2016 to Diana Cronquist.
1898 - The George McKenzie House, Northwest Corner Front and Kalmia, San Diego CA. Destroyed in 1976 and replaced with an apartment building that takes up entire front of block. Aerial from 1972 before it was destroyed.
1898 - The Dr. Lorini - Mary C. Pratt House, 1517 Ynez Place, Coronado CA. Built for Dr. Lorini. Sold to Mary C. Pratt, now known as the Lorini-Pratt house. Sold c1935 to Lt. and Mrs. Rufus Taylor. Sold in 1993 to Ted and Kay Krohne, who are still the owners.
1898 - The Mary Cossitt House #2, 1037 Star Park Circle, Coronado CA. Sold in 1912 to Mr. and Mrs. Frank Von Tesmar (Mrs. Tesmar was living there in 1944 at the time of her death). The couple remodeled the house in 1929, including the addition of a garage. In 1983, Coronado architect Dale St. Denis received an award for his renovation of the home, which honored Irving Gill’s signature use of light. Sold to the Benzian Family Trust.
1898 - The Ernest E. White House, aka White -Seifert House, 136 Redwood Street, San Diego CA. With Hebbard and Gill. Sold in 1990 to Howard and Holly Frank Sold in 2015 to Edith Barnik Personal Trust Etal.
1898 - Private Residence, 4th Avenue near Date Street, San Diego CA. Destroyed.
1898 - The William Bailhache House, 1022 Adella Avenue, Coronado CA. With Hebbard and Gill. Sold to the Rogers Trust. Sold c1924. Sold in early 1930's to the J. A. Roberts famiy. Sold in 1937 to the Hamilton family. Sold in 1939 to the Hanlan family who owned until the late 1960's. Sold to the Dye family. Sold in 1998 to Nicholas and Patricia Dicicco, now in a family trust.
1898 - The Anson P. and Catherine A. Stephens House, 711 A Avenue, San Diego CA. Original address 1400 7th Street, San Diego CA. Sold in 2010 to the Ferrar Family Trust.
1898 - The Rynearson House, 2441 East Street, San Diego CA. Seven bedrooms and four baths that has been converted into studio/loft residences. Sold in 2021 to Javier and Yalda Bravo.
1899 - The George Kroenert House, 1471 8th Avenue, San Diego CA. Sold in 1902 to James Liston. Sold in 1909 to Paulie Walbrect and Katherine Steffen and used as a rental. Sold in 1939 to J. H. Halorson famiy, who owned the house until the 1960's. Sold to Daniel Salerno. Sold in 1989 to Davoud Shirazi. Sold in 1998 to F. Cortez Hill Associates Redevelopment Agency. Sold in 2022 to 1471 8th Avenue LLC. Apartments were added to block in 2002. House is now the leasing office.
1899 - The Mary Cossitt House #3, 1127 Flora Avenue, Coronado CA. Sold in 1988 to Robert M. Spear. Sold in 2007 to William Markham and Stephen Wiggins. Sold in 2008 to the John and Katherine Utley Living Trust.
1900 - The Mrs. Waldo Waterman House, 237 West Hawthorn Street, San Diego CA. Sold in 1976 to Krutop Living Trust.
1901 - The Bartlett and Inez Richards House, aka Crown Manor, 1015 Ocean Boulevard., Coronado CA. The house is believed to have been designed by Hebbard and Gill with additional wings and stables added in 1914 for the Dupee family by architect Frederick Roehrig. Sold in 1980 to M. Larry Lawrence. Sold in 2000 to Steven and Paula Black. Sold in 2003 to Christopher and Dawn Bower who had the home recently updated and expanded to nearly 24,000 sf.
1902 - The Sarah King Birckhead House, end of Eastover Road, Portsmouth RI.
1902 - The Irving Gill Cottages, 3703, 3709, and 3719 Albatross Street, San Diego CA. 3703 - Built in 1902. Sold to Lupe and Mercedes Alvarado. Sold in 1995 to Thomas and Katya Mistretta. Sold in 2005 to Michael and Lisa Feren. 3709 - Built in 1906. Sold in 1924 to the Hendrie Family. Sold for the first time since in 2010 to Karil Craig. 3719 - (renumbered as 3721) - Built in 1908. Sold in 2013 to Brandon White.
1904 - The John Osborn House, 2073 Logan Avenue, San Diego CA. Currently apartments. Sold c2005 to Eduardo and Guadalupe Johnston.
1904 - The Ellen Scripps Cottage, 780 Prospect Street, La Jolla CA. Bult with Hebbard. Remodeled by Gill in 1911. Recently restored to the 1910 time period. The cottage is part of a larger estate, also built in the 1900s.
1904 - The Judge E. Milton Barber House #1, 108 West Robinson Avenue, San Diego CA. Destroyed in 1999-2000.
1904 - The E. F. Chase House, 205 Laurel Street, San Diego CA. Apartments. Sold to R J and J V Thompson. Sold in 2004 to Dan Floit. Sold in 2009 to Wing California Real Estate INC. Recent remodel was of a kitchen and a bathroom.
1904 - The Frank J and Virginia Belcher House, Southeast corner of Kalmia and Albatross, San Diego CA. Destroyed.
1904 - The Warren and Lena Crouse House, 2600 1st Avenue, San Diego CA. Destroyed early 1960's. Newspaper clipping from May 31, 1904.
1904 - The Irving Gill Rental Cottage, 2488 L Street, aka 2486-2488 L Street, San Diego CA. Still a rental. Sold in 2018 to Jean and Nathalie Bruey.
1904 - The Irving Gill Rental Cottage, 146 25th Street, San Diego CA.
1904 - The Bertha B. Mitchell House, 2720 4th Avenue, San Diego CA. Occupied by Mrs. Bertha Mitchell and her son, Lt. Dewitt Mitchell. Dewitt died when he was young, but Bertha stayed in the house until the mid 1920's. Sold in 1928 to the Terpezone Clinic. Later it was the home of two restaurants, a boarding house and an apartment until being sold in the 1950's to the Elks Fraternal Organization. Sold in the 1990's to Mayfair, a developer and destroyed in 2001-02. Now Cambridge Square Condominiums.
1904 - The William Stewart House, 942 23rd Street, San Diego CA. Sold to the Tucker Trust. Sold in 1998 to Maria Zuniga. Sold in 2018 to Osiris and Rachel Rogerio. Converted into a 5-unit rental.
1904 - The Julius and Laura Wangenheim House, 148 West Juniper, San Diego CA. Destroyed c1964. Julius Wanghenheim lived in the home until his death in 1942. Laura died in 1947. Now condominiums.
1904 - The W. B. Woodward Flats, 7th between Broadway and C Street, San Diego CA. Destroyed.
1904 - The Judge Monroe Anderson House, 2257 Front Street, San Diego CA. With Hebbard and Gill. New roof installed 2017 and interior work of gypsum board, window modification to meet egress requirements, and update in heating and A/C in 2015. Sold to the Estep Trust. Sold in 2002 to Craig and Katherine Harms. Sold in 2014 Brian and Jennifer Minns. Sold in 2017 to Alan Brown.
1905 - The George W.and Anna G. Marston House, 3525 7th Avenue, San Diego CA. Commissioned in 1904. Gill and William Sterling Hebbard and Irving Gill designed and built the house. Converted into a museum in 1987 after the Marston family gave the house to the City of San Diego. As of 2023, maintained by Save Our Heritage Organization.
1905 - The Charles P. Douglas House, 202 Nutmeg Street, San Diego CA. Destroyed late 1950's.
1905 - The Charles Fox House, 3100 Brant Street, San Diego CA. Designed solely by William Sterling Hebbard.
1905 - The Edward Grove House, 2243 Front Street, San Diego CA. Sold to Walter and Penny Waller. Sold in 2005 to Norman and Susan Finkelstein.
1905 - The Alice Lee House, 3574 7th Avenue, San Diego CA. Designed by Hazel Waterman working for Gill. Alice Lee lived here with Katherine Teats, recognized by the City of San Diego as one of the first documented domestic partnerships in San Diego, until Lee died in 1943. 3574 7th Avenue; 3560 7th Avenue; and 3578 7th Avenue were initially configured around a shared courtyard connected by a U-shaped pergola, planned by landscape architect Kate Sessions. The project was one of Gill's first experiments in multiple-residential designs, which he would become known for later in his career. Lee and Teats lived in the main house and used the other two for rentals. Sold to Arthur and Eleanor Herman. Sold in 2008 to the Herzman Nieces Trust. Sold in 2017 to Christine Cunning. San Diego Historic Site #1021.
1905 - The Katherine Teats House, 3560 Seventh Ave, San Diego CA. Altered in 1912 by Gill and again by Gill's nephew, Louis Gill, in 1922. Changes to the house enclosed the porch to the south and extended the second story. Henry and Ellen Babcock purchased the home in 1923. 3574 Seventh Avenue, 3560 Seventh Ave, and 3578 Seventh Avenue were initially configured around a shared courtyard, connected by a U-shaped pergola, planned by landscape architect Kate Sessions. The project was one of Gill's first experiments in multiple-residential designs, which he would become known for later in his career. Lee and Teats lived in the main house and used the other two for rentals. Sold to Robert and Phyllis Vodicka. Sold in 1995 to Patrick Greene and Jay Weelborg. Sold in 2013 to Paula Cronovich. San Diego Historic Site #98.
1905 - The Alice Lee Cottage, 3578 7th Avenue, San Diego CA. In 1911, Alice Lee hired Gill to enlarge the cottage, extending the building to the north and adding a basement garage down the slope. Gill added a dining room on the first floor and, upstairs, a bedroom and bath with a sleeping porch on the southeast corner. Architect and engineer Frank P. Allen Jr., and his family resided here from 1911 to 1915. Photo by Kansas Sebastian. San Diego Historic Site #99. 3574 7th Avenue; 3560 7th Avenue; and 3578 7th Avenue were initially configured around a shared courtyard connected by a U-shaped pergola, planned by landscape architect Kate Sessions. The project was one of Gill's first experiments in multiple-residential designs, which he would become known for later in his career. Lee and Teats lived in the main house and used the other two for rentals. Sold prior to 2007 to Maria and Patricia Calderon.
1906 - The Frederick and Lilla Burnham House, 3563 7th Avenue, San Diego CA. Designed by Hebbard & Gill for the sister and brother-in-law of George Marston. In 1948, the Burnham's two daughters converted the house into two units and lived there on separate floors. A new wall inserted beneath the staircase divided the house into separate upstairs and downstairs units, with the staircase providing private and direct access to the second-level apartment. This modification left the grand staircase intact. The building has recently been converted from a residence into offices. City of San Diego Historical Registry #41 and National Register of Historic Places #86002665. Photos by Kansas Sebastian. Tours available.
1906 - The Frederick and Mary Cossitt House, 3526 7th Avenue, San Diego CA. The Cossitts were frequent clients of Gill with numerous commissions, including rental properties. Sold in 1990 to Laurence and Susan Favrot. City of San Diego Historic Registry #97.
1908 - The Russel C. Allen Residence, 4094 Old Orchard Lane, Bonita CA. Commissioned in 1907. Austrian architect Adolf Loos is often credited with designing the first intentionally anti-ornament house in 1911, but this one is 3 years earlier. Sold in 2014 to Gregory Strangman.
1908 - The Homer Laughlin Jr. Residence, 666 West 28th Street, Los Angeles CA. The Los Angeles Herald in 1908 declared that Laughlin's residence was model of modern construction, featuring things well before their time, like a central vacuum system with an outlet in each room pulling dust to the furnace; a garbage disposal in the kitchen dropping garbage to an incinerator in the basement; an automatic gas heater and a water filtration system. The ice box in the kitchen had access from the outside, precluding the need for ice delivery inside the house, and milk was delivered through an outside slot. Laughlin's garage had an automatic car-washing machine and a service station-like maintenance pit. Mail was delivered through a mailbox flush with the front door. Laughlin's role as Gill's first solo client brought him to fame. Destroyed.
1909 - The Arthur and Elsa Marston House, 3575 7th Avenue, San Diego CA. Like his father, George Marston, Arthur Marston hired Irving Gill to design his home. Typical Gill features such as a boxy shape, casement windows, and recessed arched entry can be seen. Although Gill produced several presentation renderings for the home, with most showing a stucco finish, the Marstons kept to the family's fondness for red brick. In 1929 and 1930, Irving Gill's nephew, Louis Gill, his partner from 1914 to 1919, designed a north wing addition and a separate garage with an apartment above. Sold in 2013 to Charles Marston and Rosa Luevano. Photos by Kansas Sebastian.
1910 - The Fred B. Lewis-Bella Vista Terrace Court, Mountain Trail & Alegria Avenue, Sierra Madre, Los Angeles CA. Main address is 261 E. Alegria, which is along Alegria and appears o be a seperate unit. On a 1910 trip to California, Lewis spent a vacation at the Cypress Court in Sierra Madre (owned by Frank Fraiburg, also a jeweler from Cleveland), located just north of where Lewis would decide to build his own house court for tourists such as himself. Gill built eight cottages for Lewis. Lewis sold Bella Vista Terrace in 1914 and moved to Long Beach, CA. The property, which had Sierra Madre Historic Landmark status, had that removed at the request of its 1997 owner, Healing Light Church. Additional units have been added over the years.
1911 - The Mrs. Paul Miltimore House, 1301 South Chelten Way, South Pasadena CA. Changes after construction include the removal of the sleeping balcony above the west terrace and the roofing over the entire west terrace; the "green room" in the projection on the west has been closed in. A solar heating system on the roof has been removed. The kitchen was remodeled in 1958 when the wall between the kitchen and pantry was removed, and steel windows above the sink were replaced. South Pasadena's Register of Cultural Heritage Landmarks #11 and National Registry of Historic Places #72000235. Sold in 1940 to John Shaw. Sold in 1952 to Benjamin and Virginia Holt. Sold in 2018 to Joseph M. and Therese A. Molina. Second photo by Michael Locke.
1912 - The Workers Single-Family Housing, around Gramercy Avenue, Torrance CA. Around 1912, Gill secured the job as Chief Architect for the city of Torrance CA, then under development by Jared Sidney Torrance's Dominguez Land Co. In addition to the commercial buildings, Gill planned to design 100 model homes for factory workers who wanted to live near their jobs. If successful, they would have been easy to duplicate throughout the district. Gill told the Los Angeles Herald in 1912 that "the whole secret" was "privacy and cleanliness." One wall of each was built purposely without windows, and it faced the windowed side of the neighboring house, giving privacy to each family.
The houses were designed with few adornments. Their concrete floors sometimes were curved where they met the walls, eliminating crevices to promote easier cleaning. There were no baseboards, moldings, exposed beams or other design frills inside, and basic stucco walls outside. But they were not popular with their intended audience, who reacted with disdain for their plainness and lack of decoration, preferring the more romantic California bungalow. About ten of the model homes were built, located in the 1800 and 1900 blocks of Gramercy Avenue. Sadly, only one appears to have survived, located at 1819 Gramercy Avenue. Text and photos by Michael Locke.
1916 - The Walter L. Dodge House, 950 North Kings Road, West Hollywood CA. Published in House Beautiful, February 1921. Walter Dodge used the house as his retirement home until 1924, when he sold it to T. Morrison McKenna. In 1939, the Los Angeles Board of Education acquired the property in a contested condemnation action, and the house was never again put to full use. Beginning in 1963, efforts began to redevelop the property. Architectural historian Esther McCoy made the film Dodge House 1916, available on YouTube. Richard Neutra said the Dodge House was required study for architecture students worldwide and declared n 1969 that demolition would "not be a passing event ... it would become an epic, an international scandal. In November 1969, a lawsuit by the Citizens' Committee seeking to stop the sale of the Dodge House was rejected, and the house was sold to Riviera Management Company which destroyed it on February 9, 1970. Apartments were built on the site.
1917 - The Morgan House, 626 North Arden Boulevard, Los Angeles CA. Restored by architects Roy McMakin and Andie Zelnin. Sold in 2001 to Frederic and Doanne R. Hunter. Sold in 2006 to Paul R. Hunter. Photos by Michael Locke.
1918 - The Samuel Raymond House, 2749 East Ocean Boulevard, Bluff Park, Long Beach CA. 3660 sf. His daughter, Florence R. Bois, lived there until she died in 1966. Though the exterior looks much the same as a century ago, its interior has been heavily remodeled. Surviving original features include archways, some concrete floors, casement windows, and a tiled fireplace. Sold in 2000 to Henry and Debra Hockenberger. Sold in 2020 to Goma Elbiali. Deeded in 2020 to Mohamed Elbiali.
1919 - The Horatio West Court, 140 Hollister Avenue, Santa Monica CA. The four buildings are grouped on a 60-foot lot. Changed to El Consuelo Apartments in 1927, and it is believed that the four townhouse units were split into two separate apartments, one up and one down. In 1968, the building was documented by the Historic American Building Survey's Los Angeles Project. The building was operated as income-producing apartments until the early 1970s when a partnership of six people, including three architects, bought and restored the property for their use, living in the four townhouse units and renting out the two apartments in the back. The project was converted to condominiums in 1979. Santa Monica Historic Landmark #10, and National Registry of Historic Places. Richard Neutra extensively photographed the Horatio West Court and Gill's Dodge House and published in his book Amerika: Neues Bauen in der Welt (1930). Black and white photo by Marvin Rand; color photos by Michael Locke.
1920 - The Kate Crane-Gartz Duplex, aka Little Cloister, 948 North Oakland Avenue, Pasadena CA. Gartz, a celebrated reformer and pacifist, was heir of her father's fortune derived from his plumbing business. When her two sons wrote to her of the "useless slaughter" they witnessed while serving in World War I, she appealed to President Harding on behalf of conscientious objectors and provided funding to the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom. Although the house is currently well hidden from view behind landscaping, evidence of Gill's design can be seen. Sold in 2005 to Jack Dixon Moore. Photo by Michael Locke.
1921 - The Chauncey and Marie Rankin Clarke House, 10211 Pioneer Boulevard, Santa Fe Springs CA. 60 acres. Commissioned in 1919. The Clarkes made their fortunes in distilleries and gold mining. They lived in the home for two years before the discovery of oil on their land, which brought industry to the area and led them to move. When Marie Clarke died in 1948, the home was left to her secretary's nephew, James Siemon, who lived there until 1986. An extensive set of early photographs are on the National Park Service website. Sold to Santa Fe Springs Community Development. On the National Registry of Historic Places.
Sources include: Irving John Gill papers at UC Santa Barbara; Historic American Buildings Survey at the Library of Congress; Irving J. Gill Architect by Marvin Rand.