HARWELL HAMILTON HARRIS, FAIA (1903-1990)
Born in Redlands CA, Harris grew up in the Imperial Valley area and later attended San Bernardino High School. In 1923, he moved to Los Angeles to attend the Otis Art Institute and in 1925, he began to study drawing and painting with Stanton Macdonald-Wright at the Art Students League. He enrolled at the Frank Wiggins Trade School and found work in the studio of Richard Neutra. His ambition to be a sculptor, however, was changed after visiting Frank Lloyd Wright's Hollyhock House. It was an epiphany for him to study architecture instead of art.
He applied to the architecture program at the University of California at Berkeley. He never attended, however, as he found employment with Richard Neutra and Rudolf Schindler. Neutra discouraged him from attending formal classes in architecture although he did study under Neutra at the Los Angeles Academy of Modern Art. While in Neutra's office, he worked on the Lovell Health House and the Rush City Competition. Neutra was a master of publicity, a skill Harris learned and applied to his own career.
In 1933, Harris left the Neutra office to establish his own independent practice in Los Angeles. His first commissions were for small homes, based on a modular system, in which he applied the Modernist principles learned in the offices of Neutra and Schindler. In 1937, John Entenza, the influential editor of the magazine California Arts and Architecture, commissioned Harris to design his own home.
In 1943, Harris moved to New York where he taught at Columbia University. He moved back to California by 1944 and in 1952, Harris accepted the position of Dean for the School of Architecture at The University of Texas. Although he lacked both formal architectural training and administrative experience, he expanded the School's programs and attempted to revolutionize the methods of teaching. Harris directly involved some of the students in the design process when he collaborated with them on the Texas State Fair House (1954), offering them actual experience with the design and construction process. Harris hired new faculty whose innovative ideas clashed with the traditional Beaux-Arts methods still in use in Texas. Later known as the "Texas Rangers," Harris hired Colin Rowe, John Hejduk, Robert Slutsky, Werner Seligmann, and Herbert Hirsche. The autocratic nature of Harris's teaching, however, created enormous tensions within the school, and Harris resigned as dean in the summer of 1955. He moved to Dallas where he continued to practice until 1962, designing houses brilliantly adapted to the harsh Texas climate. That year Harris accepted a teaching position at the NCSU School of Design where he taught until retirement.
Harris received numerous awards, including the Richard Neutra Medal for Professional Excellence in 1982. Harris's work was published extensively and appeared in numerous exhibitions, including the Museum of Modern Art (1939, 1943, 1943, 1945, and 1953), the National Gallery of Art (1957), and the Cooper-Hewitt Museum (1977). In addition, exhibitions of his work have been held at North Carolina State University (1981), the Museum of Art in Fayetteville NC (1982) and The University of Texas at Austin School of Architecture (1985). Harris received an honorary doctorate from North Carolina State University in 1985. When Harris died in 1990, he gave his drawings and other design materials to the Center for the Study of American Architecture at the University of Texas at Austin; his library of books to NCSU; his extensive collection of Bernard and Ralph Maybeck materials to the Bancroft Library in Berkeley CA; and his extensive collection of Henry and Charles Greene materials to the Avery Library at Columbia University. He left his home/office at 122 Cox Avenue to NCSU's School of Design to endow an annual lecture. Since then, the Harris lecture series has included Joseph Esherick, Glenn Murcutt, Enrique Norten, Rick Joy, Bernard Tschumi, Herman Hertzberger, and his close friend Frank Harmon. Biography adapted from the University of Texas Archives. Unless noted, excludes renovations and additions for houses Harris did not originally design. Additional Resources: 1985 Oral History; glass slides, given to Frank Harmon; architects Frank Harmon and Audie Schechter remember their days with Harris.
Harris won this medal in 1938
2011 - Modern Magazine
1987 - Harris Discusses Maybeck at NCSU
1976 - Harris at
SCI-ARC
part 1
part 2
1941 - The John Weston Havens Residence.
Additional video, Havens Residence.
More.
Even more.
Wylie House, the Treanor Equipment Company, and the English House.
The Tale of Genji, part 1 and part 2, is the story of high courtiers involved in an important battle between two important medieval feudal tribes. Jean Harris, architect Downing Thomas, and professional filmmaker Bob Jessup created the short unfinished film after discovering that the Harris' ornate folding screen exactly illustrated the classic tale.
Harris with Henry Mather Greene, photo taken by Henry Dart Greene at the Greene home in Altadena CA at Henry Mather Greene's 80th birthday party, January 1950.
"An architecture that is only symbol—and a borrowed symbol at that—is a china egg. It will not hatch." —Harwell Hamilton Harris
1931 - The Lewis Gaffney Residence and Studio, Silver Lake area of Los Angeles CA. Unbuilt.
1933 - The Barney Rudd House, 2517 Ivanhoe Drive, Los Angeles CA. Unbuilt.
1934 - The Pauline Lowe and Clive Delbridge Residence, aka the Lowe House, 596 Punahou Street, Altadena CA. Commissioned 1933. Lowe was a buyer for the Bullock's Wilshire Department store and a friend of the architect. Project architect, Carl Anderson. The house was Harris' first independent commission and has has 21 exterior doors. Harris met his future wife, Jean Murray Bangs, at the house. Sold in 1991 to Richard Holmes, still owner as of 2020.Top three photos by Fred Dapprich; bottom two by Michael Locke.
Their design was plagiarized for the 1934 General Electric Small Homes Competition by architects R. Paul Schweikher and Theodore W. Lamb who won the $2,500 first prize. The incident received overwhelmingly favorable national publicity for Harris which helped launch his career.
1935 - The Harwell Hamilton Harris House, aka the Fellowship Park House, 2311 Fellowship Parkway, Los Angeles CA. Designed with Gregory Ain originally for a Dr. S. Hunter but the deal fell through. Harris and his wife Jean lived there after they were married. Sold several times. Sold in 1998 to Jeb And Sondra Brighouse, still owners as of 2014. B/W photos by Fred Dapprich, California Arts & Architecture Magazine, March 1937.
1935 - The Graham Laing House, 1642 Pleasant Way, Pasadena CA. Sold to Steinmetz Trust. Sold in 1996 to Michael W. Wegener. Sold in 1998 to Fokke and Farit Swanborn. Sold in 2007 to Fareed Kanani. B/W photos by Fred Dapprich, California Arts & Architecture, November 1935.
1936 - The Stella Gramer House, 701 Holmby Avenue, Los Angeles CA. Gramer bought Richard Neutra's "Plywood Modern" house which Harris adapted for this site. Commissioned 1935. Sold in 1999 to Carol and Leslie Cohen, still owners as of 2015. Photo by Michael Locke.
1936 - The W. L. Long House, 2041 East Live Oak Drive, Los Angeles CA. Unbuilt.
1936 - The Victor Hugo Benioff Cabin, Upper Falls Tract #28, Mammoth Lakes CA. Benioff, a seismologist, used the location for studying the area's frequent earthquakes. According to his daughter, Martha, who provided the photo, there has been a new roof since around 2005.
1936 - The Ian Campbell House, Pasadena CA. Unbuilt.
1936 - The Horace Fraser House, Bonnie Avenue, Pasadena CA. Unbuilt.
1936 - The John Carr House I, Brentwood area of Los Angeles CA. Built.
1936 - The Edward and Julia De Steiguer House, 20 Glen Summer Road, Pasadena CA. Featured its own gift shop building across a small courtyard from the house. B/W photos by Fred Dapprich. To avoid destruction from a freeway, the house was relocated to 1444 Poppy Peak Drive in 1951 by architect Leland Evison. Sold around 1958 to Colonel and Mary Hartos. Sold around 1998 to Robert D. Tarr. Sold in 2001 to Scott C. Brown.
1937 - The Helene Kershner House, 3905 Brilliant Way, Los Angeles CA. Sold to A. Steward Ballinger for whom Harris did a renovation. Commissioned 1935. Interior design by John S. Mason. Sold to Jack Mason. Sold in 1988 to Robert Rosen who still owned it as of 2011. Featured in California Art & Architecture, August 1937. B/W photos by Fred Dapprich; interior color by Maynard L. Parker; exterior color by Michael Locke.
1937 - The John Entenza House, 475 Mesa Road, Santa Monica CA. B/W photos by Fred Dapprich. Featured in California Art & Architecture, May 1938. B/W photos by Fred Dapprich. Sold in 1998 to Michael P. Deasy, still owner as of 2015. Architect Michael Folonis did a restoration.
1937 - The Walter D. Joël Residence, 1742 Silverwood Terrace, Los Angeles CA. John L. Hudson was the contractor. Sold in 2004 to Gabrielle and Rose Ruddick, still owners as of 2015. Photos by Michael Locke.
1937 - The Pierre Dick Cabin, Big Tujunga CA. Unbuilt.
1937 - The Lee and Mary Blair House I, Beech Knoll Road (in Laurel Canyon), Los Angeles CA. Unbuilt.
1937 - The Roy Rosen House, Montrose CA. Unbuilt.
1938 - The George C. and Marie Bauer House, 2528 East Glenoaks Boulevard, Glendale CA. Project architect was Carl Anderson. Sold in 1996 to Faye Ogawa, still owner as of 2021. B/W and sepia photos by Fred Dapprich; bottom color photo by Michael Locke.
1938 - The Marian Lawrence Clark (Cooch) House, 2442 17th Avenue, Carmel-by-the-Sea CA. Photos by Fred Dapprich. Featured in: Architectural Forum, September 1938; and California Arts & Architecture, March 1938. Sold in 2008 to Marjorie Peet Love. Deeded to her trust in 2011.
1938 - The Harold Swann House, Hope Ranch, Santa Barbara CA. Unbuilt. Swann had Lloyd Wright design them a house in 1940, also unbuilt.
1938 - The W. L. Montgomery House, San Dimas CA. Unbuilt.
1938 - The Edmund Stiff House, 8420 Yucca Lane, Los Angeles CA. Attributed to Harris, yet his name is not on the building permit.
1938 - The J. Musick House, 3019 Passmore Drive, Los Angeles CA. Unbuilt.
1938 - The John Carr House II, Brentwood area of Los Angeles CA. Unbuilt.
1938 - The Greta Granstedt and Max DeVega House, 7922 Woodrow Wilson Drive, Hollywood CA. Commissioned 1937. Sold to Fred and Maija Wolf in 1992, still owners as of 2015. B/W photos by Fred Dapprich; small photos from Harris' slide collection; bottom photo by Michael Locke.
1939 - The Lee and Mary Blair House II, 3763 Fredonia Drive, Los Angeles CA. The house number is sometimes erroneously listed as 3762. Includes a funicular to move items up the hill. Sold in 1955 to William M. Taylor. Sold in 2011 to Cathy Lynn Fenchel, Trustee, Fenchel Family Trust. Sold in 2016 to Harris on Fredonia LLC. Sold in 2017 to Graham D. Phillips. Listed for rent in 2022. B/W photos by Fred Dapprich; bottom three photos by Michael Locke. For sale in 2023.
1939 - The Fred and Jacqueline Harris House, 410 North Avenue 64, Pasadena CA. The lot overlooks what had been the ninth green of what was then the Annandale Golf Club. The views were beautiful of the Sierra Madre mountains, and Mount Wilson. According to their daughter Noelle Harris Murphy, the pregnant Mrs. Harris found Harwell's work in Architectural Digest and went to talk to him, hiring him for an "obscene amount" of money. There are 27 french doors even though the house is only 1700 sf. Sold in 2001 to Robert and Dominique Manning. Photo 2 by Michael Locke.
1939 - The J. E. Powers House, 5160 La Canada Boulevard, La Cañada Flintridge CA. Has been renovated away from the original design. Sold to Otto Hermle. Sold in 2003 to Craig R. Bockman. Sold in 2008 to Jeffery and Karmen Parks. B/W photos by Fred Dapprich; color by Michael Locke.
1939 - The Byron Pumphrey House, 615 Kingman Avenue, Santa Monica CA. Sold to Cathy L. Crosby. Sold several times. Sold to Christopher E. Beach in 2002. Restored by architect Michael Folonis. Sold in 2013 to Matthew Walsworth and Lori Michener. Small photos from Harris' slide collection.
1939 - The Edwin (Stan) and Ethyle Hawk House, 2421 Silver Ridge Avenue, Los Angeles CA. Sold in the 1960s to Edith Liu. Sold in 2001 to Wendy Bleiman. Sold in 2018 to Bryan Andrew Libit. B/W photos by Fred Dapprich; small photos from Harris' slide collection.
1939 - The John Huston House, San Fernando Valley CA. Unbuilt.
1939 - The Alfred Pellicciotti House, Monta Vista Avenue, Tujunga CA. Unbuilt.
1940 - The John Adams Comstock Cabin, 1373 Crest Road, Del Mar CA. Has been greatly expanded. At some point a guest house was added. Sold in 1996 to Steve and Debbie Timmons. Sold in 2014 to the John Musser Trust.
1940 - The Elwood E. Schwenk House, 14329 Millbrook Drive, Sherman Oaks CA. Sold in 1997 to Leslie Song Winner. Sold in 2011 to Elizabeth Gattacher Revocable Trust. Sold in 2016 to Lisa Shotland. Second photo by Michael Locke.
1940 - The Milton (Milt) E. Kahl Residence, Shannon Road, Los Angeles CA. Among the veteran Disney animators, Kahl was considered the most accomplished and influential. Characters he brought to life included the animals in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the tiger Shere Khan in The Jungle Book, Peter in Peter Pan, Tramp in Lady and the Tramp and the villainous Madame Medusa in The Rescuers. It's likely this house was unbuilt, as Kahl lived for a short time (1941-1942) in the spectacular William Kesling designed home at 1530 Easterly Terrace.
1940 - The Kenneth Anderson House, Flintridge CA. Unbuilt.
1940 - The Sophie Treadwell House, Beverly Hills CA. Unbuilt.
1940 - The Herbert Wong House, 1001 Castellar Street, Los Angeles CA. Unbuilt.
1940 - The Dean McHenry House, 624 Holmby Avenue, Los Angeles CA. Sold in 1997 to architects Raun Lee Thorp and Michael Brian Tichenor, still owners as of 2017. Photo by Michael Locke.
1940 - The Harold C. Sox House, 76 Ridge View Drive, Atherton CA. Sox's son David recalls his father chose Harris because Frank Lloyd Wright was too expensive. One day, on Wright's way to his granddaughter's (Anne Baxter's) wedding in 1947, he remarked about the Sox house, "that's one of my homes." When told it was designed by Harris, Wright said, "well, that's almost the same." Small photos at bottom from Harris' slide collection. Other photos provided by David Sox, shown with his brother Hal, last photo. Sold in 1961 to Alexander H. and Barbara Schilling, who hired MCM Northern California architect, Henrik Bull, to do a remodel. Sold in 1996 to Kenneth and Allison Ross. Renovated and expanded. Sold in 2013 to Mark Alain Chuard and Victoria Kate Ransom. Sold later in 2013 to 76 Ridge View Partners, LLC.
1941 - The John Weston Havens Residence, 255 Panoramic Way, Berkeley CA. Commissioned 1940. This is Harris' most famous house. Appeared in California Arts and Architecture, March 1940. In 1957, the AIA glowingly compared the Weston Havens House to Richard Neutra's Lovell House and Wright's Fallingwater. Harris did renovations and an addition in 1968. The owner, John Weston Havens Jr., died in 2001 at age 97, and the house was deeded to the University of California-Berkeley. Top photo by Maynard L. Parker. Other sepia and b/w photos by Man Ray. Small photos from Harris' slide collection. Bottom color photo by Chris Hardy. Learn more at Friends of Havens House. Website.
1941 - The Linden Naylor Residence, 40 Arden Road, Berkeley CA. Commissioned 1940. 1653 square feet. Located in the Berkeley hills above the UC stadium, the Naylor House was built on the lower of two lots once owned by John Weston Havens Jr. Sold in 1991 to Claire Korn. Renovations by Alex Korn. Sold to Timothy Symons in 2009. Top photo by Edward van Altena; color photos by Liz Rusby.
1941 - The Freda and Herbert Alexander House, 2265 Micheltorena Street, Los Angeles CA. Sold to Nancy and Kyle Smith, who did a restoration in 1992. 1700 square feet. Sold later in 1992 to Barry and Jenny Isaacson, still owners as of 2015.
1941 - The William Snyder Jr. House, 10879 Whipple Street, North Hollywood CA. Address was changed in the mid-1950s to 10883 and then changed again to 10901 Whipple Street in 1967. Destroyed in 1967.
1941 - The John Treanor House, 2329 Green Acres Drive, formerly 343 Green Acres Drive, Visalia CA. Commissioned in 1940. Harris did an addition in 1949. Sold in 1959. Sold in 2012 to Rick and Jillian Bos. Massively altered away from Modernism. B/W photos by Maynard Parker.
1942 - The Cecil J. Birtcher House, aka the Birtcher-Share House, Central Terrace, 4234 Sea View Lane, Los Angeles CA. Commissioned 1941. Harris called the house "the adventure of three boards." Sold to Jerome Share, for whom Harris did renovations. Sold to architect Robert D. and Boehm Adel Mabe who did a restoration/addition. Designated a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument (No. 612) in 1994. Bottom three photos by Michael Locke.
1942 - The Lodewijk (Louis) Lek House, 1600 Mecca Drive, La Jolla CA. Commissioned 1941. Small photos from Harris' slide collection. Sold to the Allison Trust. Sold in 1991 to S. An Nassari who did a restoration. Was sold again. The new owner destroyed the house and built a McMansion in 1995.
1941 - The Fritz and Alma Meier House I, 2260 Lake Shore Avenue, Los Angeles CA. Sold in 2015 to Kelley Jeanne Bryant. Bottom two photos by Michael Locke.
1942 - The Langford (Lang) Brown House, aka the Ladies Home Journal House, Vista Way, Chula Vista CA. Along with schemes Harris drew for Woman's Home Companion and Mademoiselle in 1942, Good Housekeeping in 1945, and the Ladies Home Journal, the Brown House illustrated an expandable house that could start with a few hundred square feet and be built under the wartime limit of $6,000. Unbuilt.
1942 - The 194x Modern House for Architectural Forum, published September 1942. Thirty-three architects were asked to design a post-war prefabricated house. 194x was a term coined by Architectural Forum. Unbuilt.
Around 1942 - The Roy Marquart House, Hawthorne CA. Unbuilt.
1944 - The Walter E. Clark House, aka the Headmasters House, aka the Glass House, North Country School, Lake Placid NY. Russell S. Johnson was the project associate. Harris did a kitchen addition and renovation in 1960. Appeared in the 1948 Architectural Record. B/W photos by Ezra Stoller; 2010 photos by John Culpepper/North Country School.
1944 - The Lawrence Shumway House, aka the Women's Home Companion House, Turners Falls MA. Unbuilt.
1944 - The George Gallowhur Honeymoon Cabin/Hunting Lodge, Windsor VT. Unbuilt. Gallowhur was founder of the Skol Sunscreen Company.
1945 - The Lewis Allen House, Ridgeview Drive, San Mateo CA. Unbuilt.
1945 - The John Pennington House and Music Studio, Pasadena CA. Unbuilt.
1945 - The W. I. Montgomery House. Unbuilt.
1945 - The George Taylor House, Hollywood CA. Unbuilt.
1945 - The Richmond Irwin Kelsey House II, 1227 Flanders Road, La Cañada Flintridge CA. Sold to Lance J. and Marilyn Colyar. Has been expanded and altered. Sold in 2004 to Timothy and Shannon Griffin, still owners as of 2015. Photo by Michael Locke.
1945 - The John Nesbitt Lodge, Circle M Ranch, Big Sur CA. Unbuilt. A shed was, however.
1945 - The Oren K. Meyers House, 610 West Main Street, Visalia CA. Remodeled into and office building. Sold in 2012 to Preston Miller. As of 2015, a Coldwell Banker real estate office.
1946 - The Jack Calvin House, Etolin Street, Sitka AK. Commissioned 1942. Status unknown.
1946 - The John G. and Marylyn Sobieski House, 1420 San Marino Avenue (Sierra Madre Boulevard), San Marino CA. Sold in 1966 to Wendell and Ceciliar Mortimer. Photos by Michael Locke.
1946 - The Good Housekeeping House, designed for the magazine. Unbuilt.
1946 - The Libbey-Owens-Ford Glass Company House, aka Solar House, San Marino CA. Unbuilt. There was also supposed to be one in San Jose CA.
1946 - The Frank M. and Margaret B. Hatz House, 601 Palos Verdes Drive West, Palos Verdes Estates CA. Harris also did additions in 1950. Sold to Edward M. Cook. Photos by Michael Locke.
1946 - The Irvine Chapman Cottage, Balboa Beach CA. Unbuilt.
1946 - The W. F. and Dorothy Gantvoort Residence, La Cañada Flintridge CA. Unbuilt. In 1949, they hired John Lautner.
1947 - The Ingersoll Steel / Borg Warner Demonstration House, 1112 Crown Street, Kalamazoo MI. Commissioned 1945. Seeking an efficient and economical way to build homes, architect J. Fletcher Lankton of Peoria IL designed a utility core that brought together all the plumbing, wiring, and mechanical items in one unit that could be manufactured offsite and inserted into a house under construction. The unit included a furnace, water softener and heater, plumbing for bathroom, laundry and kitchen, and electric, gas and ventilation connections. It was a mere 2.5 feet wide, 7.5 feet long and 6.5 feet high and would fit through any standard door. The design saved scarce metal, allowed the elimination of a basement, and was fast since it could be installed in less than one day. Lankton persuaded Kalamazoo's Ingersoll Steel and Disc Division of the Borg-Warner Corporation to build the prototype.
Other architects besides Harris who did houses were Alden Dow, Edward Durell Stone, Royal Barry Wills, L. Morgan Yost, George Fred Keck, and Hugh Stubbins Jr. Landscape architect Michael Rapuano developed the site plan.
This house was substantially altered in 1952 by Kalamazoo architect William A. Stone, including adding a second story. Top photo is Harris' original design. Sold to Nicholas and Rebecca Fate.
1947 - The Richmond Irwin (Dick) and Pauline Kelsey House I, 3600 Berry Drive, Studio City CA. Commissioned 1941. Built by George Walker. Our best guess is there was a disagreement between Harris and Kelsey as no architect is listed in building permits yet the project is part of Harris' archives. Sold around 1972. Sold to David Haskell. Sold in 1991 to Simon B. Locke. Sold in 2011 to Sectores Property Group LLC. Sold in 2013 to Herbert J. Glenn. Rental.
1947 - The Harry Sarber Residence, Oakland CA. Unbuilt.
1947 - The H. Werner Huthsing House, 2446 Ronda Vista Drive, Los Angeles CA. Unbuilt. A house by another architect was built on the site around 1956.
1948 - The Charles and Kathryn (Kay) Cruze House and Studio, 2340 West 3rd Street, Los Angeles CA. Cruze and Harris were colleagues at Chouinard, an art school founded in 1921, which was nearby. Sold in 1998 to Judith B. Kameon. Deeded in 2014 to Cruze Control LLC, belonging to Kameon. Bottom photo by Michael Locke.
1948 - The Robert Ryan House, 15946 Woodvale Road, Los Angeles CA. Unbuilt.
1948 - The Ralph and Eyrie Johnson House, 10261 Chrysanthemum Lane, Los Angeles CA. Many books have the address of 10280, which is incorrect. Commissioned 1947. Johnson planned to retire when moving to the house, however, according to neighbors, the cost of the house far exceeded the original budget, causing Johnson to return to the workforce. Sold to Dave King. Sold in 1994 to Sally Hershberger. Sold in 2004 to ARC 3 LLC. Sold in 2014 to Nguyen Viet Nu. Designated a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument (No. 1127) in 2016. Top photo by Michael Locke; second photo by Mark Willis; bottom photo by Maynard L. Parker; and small photos from Harris' personal collection.
1948 - The Clarence H. Wyle House, 1064 Rancho Drive, Ojai CA. Commissioned 1946. Sold in 2007 to Ann S. Oppenheimer and others. Middle photo by Wayne Andrews; bottom large photo by Maynard L. Parker; small photos from Harris' slide collection.
1949 - The Gerald M. and Rose Loeb House, 127 Lonetown Road, Redding CT. In 1944 they commissioned Frank Lloyd Wright but it didn't work out. Around 1975, the house was partially then fully destroyed. Sold to James C. Dudley. Sold to Elisabeth C. Dudley, who established a nonprofit arboretum called Highstead. Bottom photo by Wayne Andrews.
1949 - The Jerome Joseph (J. J.) Mulvihill House, 580 North Hermosa Avenue, Sierre Madre CA. Sold around 1986 to the Lyle family trust. Architect John T. Lyle did a renovation and added a separate studio building, bottom photo by Cameron Carothers. Sold in 2018 to James Frederick Putnam. Top photo by Julius Shulman, small photos from Harris' slide collection; next by Michael Locke. Website. For sale in 2023-2024.
1949 - The Austin Longcroft Caretaker's House and Stables, 1655 Rancho Avenue, Glendale CA. Commissioned 1946. Sold in 1994 to Paul Knell. Sold in 2018 to Michael and Houry Ojaghian.
1949 - The Frederick H. and Esther Wood House, 223 High Meadow Road, Fairfield CT. Commissioned 1947. Deeded in 1998 to Ann Wood Smith. Deeded later in 1998 to Bazman and Andrea Azarm. Deeded in 2005 to Andrea Azarm. Yop two photos by Wayne Andrews. Sold in 2020 to Stephen and Cochran Grevious.
1949 - aka Cottage for Constance, Malibu CA. Status unknown.
1949 - The Arthur H. and Camille L. Hopmans House, 1727 North Dillon Street, Los Angeles CA. Interiors by Lori Oddino. Marilyn Friedman has owned the house since at least 2003. Fung + Blatt architects designed an addition and roof deck in 2008. Color photos by Michael Locke.
1949 - The Floyd Ross House, Palos Verdes CA. Unbuilt. Designed with Aubrey Horn.
1949 - The Household Magazine House. Unbuilt.
1949 - The Mrs. Arthur Shepard House, Palos Verdes CA. Status unknown.
1949 - 931-933 Lucile Avenue, Los Angeles CA. Duplex. Status unknown.
1950 - The Harold M. English House, 1261 Lago Vista Drive, Beverly Hills CA. Commissioned 1947. Renovated, mostly badly, several times. Small photos from Harris' slide collection. The house was vacant for five years and deteriorated. Sold in 1994 to Toby Emmerich. Renovations in 2001 by Chu and Gooding architects; landscape designer Jay Griffith; and interior designer Kay Kollar; the team won a 2006 National AIA Interior Architecture Honor Award.
1950 - The Alvin Ray House, 167 Burma Road, Fallbrook CA. The vertical-grained redwood house is built around a 100-foot wide boulder, which was incorporated into the terrace. Published in House & Home, January 1962. Sold in 2012 to Jackson Ranch LLC. Top photo by Fred Dapprich.
1950 - The H. W. Aldrich House, Walnut Lane, Eugene OR. Unbuilt.
1951 - The Edward Adams House, 2331 Cove Avenue, Los Angeles CA. Unbuilt.
1951 - The Lee Blair House III, CT or Long Island NY. Unbuilt.
1951 - The Arthur W. Colley House, 409 South President Avenue, Lancaster PA. Unbuilt.
1951 - The Fritz and Alma Meier House II, 2242 Lake Shore Avenue, Los Angeles CA. Status unknown.
1951 - The James and Julietta Elliott House, 10443 Woodbridge, Toluca Lake area of North Hollywood CA. Commissioned 1950. Interior design by Bob Brown. Architect Caciola designed an additional bedroom, family room bath, and second-floor bedroom and bath in 1989. Sold to Rosemary M. Burchett. Sold in the 1990s to actress Swoosie Kurtz. Deeded to her trust in 2000. Black and white photo by Maynard L. Parker. Color photo by Michael Locke.
1951 - The Rex Hardy Jr. Beach House, 121 Spindrift Lane, Rancho Palos Verdes CA. Landscape architect Edward Huntsman-Trout. Featured in Sunset Magazine, September 1952 and House Beautiful, January 1962. Renovated and expanded in 2001 by Marmol/Radziner. Sold to the Ann Leslie Johnson Trust. Photos by Robert C. Cleveland and Maynard L. Parker.
1951 - The H. E. Hansen House, 2305 West Silver Lake Drive, Los Angeles CA. Commissioned 1950. Sold in 1992 to Kirk Nozaki. Sold in 2019 to Mathias Poledna and Hanh Dam. Photos by Michael Locke.
1952 - The Thomas M. Cranfill House, 1901 Cliff Street, Austin TX. Designed with Eugene George. J. M. Odom was the contractor. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2004. Deeded to heirs. Sold to George and Matilde Schade. Top photo by Hans Beacham; most color photos by Nirav Patel.
1952 - The Harwell Hamilton Harris House II, 2736 East Mission Road, Fallbrook CA. Commissioned 1951. Planning as a combined home/office, Harris's own home was organized around four trellised courts. Featured heat-absorbing concrete block walls — one of them a freestanding visual separation between the living room court and the drafting room court. Before the house was finished Harris took a position as Director of the School of Architecture at the University of Texas. The Harrises only lived in this house for five days. Has been remodeled and expanded over the years. Sold to Harold Gross. Sold in 2006 to the Long Family Trust. Sold in 2011 to Samuel Exile. B/W photo by David B. Barrow Jr; small photos from Harris' slide collection.
1952 - The Sylvan S. Lang House, 700 Alta Avenue, San Antonio TX. Sold to Brian G. Hughes. Sold in 2011 to Sandeep and Sunita Patel.
1952 - The David B. Barrow Sr. House I, Northwest Hills, Austin TX. Unbuilt.
1952 - The David B. Barrow Sr. House II, Austin TX. Unbuilt.
1953 - The Mrs. Frederick J. Duhring House, 4 Greenwood Common, Berkeley CA. Designed with Hervey Parke Clark and John Beuttler. Part of architect William Wurster's enclave of eight Modernist houses clustered around a common green space designed by landscape architect Lawrence Halprin. Sold to U. Bingham. Sold in 1988 to Timothy J. Symons and Syndi Beth Master. Deeded in 2015 to her trust. Bottom photo by Lucas Tomsich.
1953 - The S. E. Weaver House, 11540 Thurston Circle, Los Angeles CA. Commissioned in 1950. Sold in 2004 to Richard F. Ollis Jr. and the Ollis Trust. Sold in 2013 to Diamond Shield Investments. Remodeled. Sold in 2016 to the James and Danielle Schneiderman Family Trust.
1955 - The House Beautiful Pace-Setter House, aka the Texas State Fair House, 13030 Stonebrook Circle, Dallas TX. Designed with University of Texas students David Barrow, Don Legge, Bill Hoff, Neil Lacey, Pat Chumney, and Haldor Nielsen. Commissioned 1954. Exhibited at the State Fair of Texas, then sold to J. Robert Phillips Jr. and moved to Stonebrook Circle. Harris updated the house in 1957. Long thought destroyed, it was actually moved again and ended up at 201 Davidson Drive, Terrell TX, bottom photo.
1955 - The Balcones House #1, designed for the Austin Corporation, 4002 Edgemont Drive, Austin TX. Sold in 1971 to Alpha Brown Brunson. Sold in 2012 to Judy Sargent.
1955 - The Balcones House #2, designed for the Austin Corporation, aka the David B. Barrow Sr. House III, 4101 Edgemont Drive, Austin TX. Commissioned 1954. Sold to John B. and Susan I. Gould. Sold in 2012 to William and Elizabeth Myers. Sold later in 2012 to Sarah Duncan. Sold in 2016 to Christopher Hyams.
1956 - The Southwest Homestyle Center Foundation Exhibition, Lot 22, Grand Rapids MI. Unbuilt.
1956 - The Alvan M. Palmer House, 2709 Benedict Canyon Drive, Beverly Hills CA. Palmer was an attorney. Several additions during the 1980s. Sold in 2019 to Outpost Ventures, Texas.
1956 - The Courtney M. Townsend House, 2301 Simpson Street, Paris TX. Featured in Life Magazine, 9/29/1958. Harris worked on renovation plans in 1974. Sold to Severn Townsend.
1956 - The J. Lee Johnson and Ruth Carter Johnson Residence, aka the Ruth Carter Stevenson Residence, 1200 Broad Avenue, Fort Worth TX. Landscape design by Thomas D. Church. Engineering by Frank Sherwood. Harris did alternations in 1960 and 1963. 6000 square feet on three acres. Small photos from Harris' slide collection. Just a few months after Ruth Johnson's 2013 death the house was sold to Ardon and Iris Moore (1200 Broad LLC) and destroyed.
1956 - The Louis Frederick House, Barrington IL. Unbuilt.
1957 - The Calvin R. Antrim House, 6160 North Van Ness Boulevard, Fresno CA. Commissioned 1956. Sold in 2010 to Kay Shelline Bennett and Donald Charles Bennett. Sold in 2014 to Tom and Tammy Tuso.
1957 - The Hollis S. Baker Vacation House, Grand Rapids area, Northport Point MI. Needs verification as built.
1957 - The Horace Garrett House, Big Spring TX. Unbuilt.
1957 - The Andrew Kirkpatrick House, 457 Harbor Road, Southport CT. Destroyed. The house above was built on the site in 1998.
1957 - 3525 Turtle Creek Boulevard #21a, Dallas TX. Interiors only. Building designed by Howard Meyer. Sold in 2018. Restored.
1958 - The Seymour and Jean Eisenberg House, 9624 Rockbrook Drive, Dallas TX. Commissioned 1957. Sold to Stuart Barkley. Top photo by Wayne Andrews; small photos from Harris' slide collection.
1958 - The Leon B. Cohen House, Dallas TX. Unbuilt.
1959 - The Thomas Cranfill-Beacham Apartments, 1911 Cliff Street, Austin TX. Commissioned 1958. Three units converted to condos. See the complete history here.
1959 - The J. M. Woodall Jr. House, aka the Rhodes House, 808 West 14th Street, Big Spring TX. Commissioned 1958. Sold to Sandra and Wayne Bartlett. Small photos from Harris' slide collection.
1959 - The Milton William Talbot Jr. House, 1508 Dayton Road, Big Spring TX. Commissioned 1958. Vacant for a year. Sold in 1971 to Tumbleweed Smith. Small photos from Harris' slide collection.
1959 - The John S. Treanor House, 2617 Oldham Lane, Abilene TX. Commissioned 1958. Won an Award of Merit from the Texas Society of Architects. Sold in 1984 to Delores and Paul Washburn. Small photos from Harris' slide collection.
1959 - The Louise Brown House, Monte Vista Drive, San Bernardino CA. Unbuilt.
1959 - The Cole Weston House, Big Sur CA. Unbuilt.
1961 - The Wesley Francis Wright Jr. House, 3504 Lexington Avenue, Dallas TX. Commissioned in 1960. Has been renovated and expanded. Sold to Thwd LLC.
1961 - The Henry Miller Cottage, Marsh Lane and Keller Springs Road, Dallas TX. Commissioned 1961. Unbuilt.
1963 - The J. Francis and Primrose Paschal House, 1527 Pinecrest Road, Durham NC. Commissioned in 1962. Sold in 1995 to Scott T. Howell and Dorathea Taylor. Sold in 1997 to Donald C. Mullen and Tamara Brooks, still owners as of 2023. Renovations done around 2012.
1963 - The John Headley Renovations, 603 Laurel Hill Road, Chapel Hill NC. Sold in 1975 to Frank and Ann Wilson.
1963 - The Henry Miller Cottage, Marsh Lane and Keller Springs Road, Dallas TX. Commissioned in 1961. Unbuilt.
1964 - The Frank W. Klingberg Entryway Renovation, 505 Hawthorne Lane, Chapel Hill NC. Harris did not design the house but modified the entryway. A visit here prompted Kenneth Sugioka, above, to commission Harris for a new house a few years later. Sold in 1982 to William Leuchtenburg. Photo by Leilani Carter.
1964 - The Henry Zaytoun Residence, Raleigh NC. Unbuilt. According to Henry Zaytoun in 2010, in 1968, the Zaytouns hired architect Joe Nassif instead.
1964 - The Vernon Watson Pugh House I, Buggs Island, Kerr Lake, Mecklenburg County VA. Unbuilt.
1964 - The Roy Lindahl House, 305 Clayton Road, Chapel Hill NC. Commissioned 1964. Sold in 2004 to Jason and Teresa Wilson. Remodel design by architect Bill Waddell, who furnished most of the color pictures. Sold in 2017 to Lilly U. Nguyen and Ryan Chittick. Top photo by Steve Arnaudin.
1965 - The Vernon Watson Pugh House II, 944 Island Hill Road, Clarksville VA. Still owned by the Pughs as of 2020.
1966 - The Wayne Andrews House, Gross Pointe MI. Unbuilt.
1967 - The George and Eugenia Sweetser House, 170 Apple Lane, Laurel Park, Hendersonville NC. Sold to Raymond and Helen Zook. Sold in 1985 to Lester Keiser. Sold in 2002 to Peter and Monica Thorn and transferred to their company, Greenies, in 2018. One of the bedrooms available for rent.
1967 - The William and Carol Van Alstyne Residence, 1702 Woodburn Road, Durham NC. Commissioned in 1963. Deeded in 1979 to Carol Van Alstyne Frances. Co-deeded to Allyn Van Alstyne. Became a rental house. Remains a rental as of 2023. Small photos from Harris' slide collection; top photo by Steve Arnaudin.
1968 - The Joseph and Cynthia Hardison Garden House, 2801 Lakeview Drive, Raleigh NC. Commissioned 1957. House was added onto over the years. 12000+ Square feet. Destroyed in 2006.
1968 - The Vernon Watson Pugh House III, aka Tara Farm, Raleigh NC. Commissioned 1967. Unbuilt.
1968 - The Kenneth and Mary Sugioka House, 319 Bayberry Drive, Chapel Hill NC. Commissioned 1967. Harris frequently brought students to see the house. He insisted the family not put anything up on the walls and they complied - until Harris died. After Hurricane Fran damaged the house in 1997, Werner Hausler did a renovation faithful to the original plans. The Sugiokas recalled Harris as a "delightful individual with a dry sense of humor." Sold in 2018 to Roy B. and Michelle Brooks.
1969 - The Ralph C. and Evelyn Bryant House, aka Magnolia Cottage, aka Cypress House, aka Cedar House, 1500 Lake Dam Road, Raleigh NC. Commissioned 1967. Purchased by the City of Raleigh in 1983 as part of a park. Large photos by Rusty Long circa 2007; small photos by Harris at the time of construction. Available as a rental for weddings and meetings.
1969 - The Harwell Hamilton Harris Home/Office, aka Box on Cox, 122 Cox Avenue, Raleigh NC. Harris lived next door in the green bungalow during construction. He willed to the NCSU School of Design Foundation which sold it to Synergetics principal T. C. Howard in 1992. In 2002, it was bought by Natural Capital Investments as offices for Williard Ferm Architects. Top photo by Joann Sieberg-Baker. Small photos from Harris' slide collection; bottom photo by Leilani Carter.
1971 - The H. Stanley and Alice R. Bennett Residence, 107 Bowden Road, Chapel Hill NC. Sold in 1978 to Peter Petrusz who destroyed the Harris house and built a Deck house. Sold in 1992 to Maria Petrusz. Photos from Harris' slide collection. Sold in 2019 to Jean Zhuang and Ryan Evans.
1971 - The Duncan and Lanita (Pud) Stuart House, 6710 Leesville Road, Raleigh NC. Commissioned in 1968. Stuart was a well-known professor at the NCSU School of Design, one of the original faculty under Henry Kamphoefner. Sold in 1973 to Stephen Allen Maser. Sold in 1974 to Indica Inc. Sold in 1975 to Norman Eugene and Kathryn Bartholomew. Renovated in 1983 by Thomas Crowder and Harris. Sold in 2023 to Jonathan and Julie Hamm.
1972 - The Jonathan Brezin House, Shady Lawn Court, Chapel Hill NC. Unbuilt.
1974 - The Harold B. Love Renovations, 609 Sampson Place, Raleigh NC. Unbuilt.
1975 - The John T. Caldwell House, 1101 Marlowe Road, Raleigh NC. Unbuilt. See next entry.
1975 - Harris instead renovated the John T. Caldwell house at 3070 Granville Drive, Raleigh NC. Destroyed around 1997 and a new one built by William and Judith Allen, bottom photo.
1977 - The Ruth Carter Stevenson Vacation House, Valley View Drive, Roaring Gap NC. Unbuilt.
1978 - The William J. (Bill) and Elaine Watson House, 9413 Bartons Creek Road, Raleigh NC. Construction by the owner. Three acres. Commissioned 1977. Sold in 2017 to Leressa R. and Christoper A. Suber. Restoration design by Wolk360. Sold in 2022 to Gina and Sean Hall.
1980 - The Barbara Campbell Renovations to the Dodd-Hinsdale House, 330 Hillsborough Street, Raleigh NC. Commissioned 1979. Sold in 1993 to Ted and Peggy Reynolds, who turned the house into Second Empire, a restaurant, faithful to historic preservation.
1980 - The Pamela Gann and William Van Alstyne House, 1714 Tisdale Street, Durham NC. Unbuilt.
Year Unknown - The Russell and Carol Collins House, Fallbrook CA. Unsure if built.
Sources include: The Harwell Hamilton Harris Architectural Drawings and Photographs at North Carolina State University's Special Collections Research Center; Bill Waddell; Thomas Crowder; Kenneth Sugioka; William Watson; William Van Alstyne; Harwell Hamilton Harris by Lisa Germany; Barry Isaacson; The Harwell Hamilton Harris Collection at University of Texas at Austin Archives; Harris 1979 Oral History by Judy Stonefield; Blockshopper; Virtual GlobeTrotting; New York Times; California Arts & Architecture: A Steppingstone to Fame: Harwell Hamilton Harris and John Entenza: Two Case Studies, by John Crosse; March 1940 Architectural Forum; Harwell Hamilton Harris: A Collection of His Writings and Buildings (1965), NCSU School of Design.