Irving Gill
Encyclopedia
Modern architecture
Modern architecture is generally characterized by simplification of form and creation of ornament from the structure and theme of the building. It is a term applied to an overarching movement, with its exact definition and scope varying widely...
. He designed several buildings considered examples of San Diego
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
's best architecture.
Biography
Gill was born in Tully, New YorkTully (town), New York
Tully is a town in Onondaga County, New York, USA. The population of the town was 2,709 at the 2000 census. The name of the town is derived from the Roman orator Marcus Tullius Cicero. The town is on the county's south border, south of Syracuse....
(near Syracuse
Syracuse, New York
Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...
), the son of Joseph Gill, a carpenter and farmer.
Irving Gill had no formal education in architecture and never attended college. He apprenticed to architect Ellis G. Hall in Syracuse and then moved to Chicago, Illinois, working with Joseph Lyman Silsbee
Joseph Lyman Silsbee
Joseph Lyman Silsbee was a significant American architect during the 19th and 20th centuries. He was well known for his facility of drawing and gift for designing buildings in a variety of styles.his most prominent works ran through Syracuse, Buffalo and Chicago He was influential as mentor to a...
and later and more importantly under Dankmar Adler
Dankmar Adler
Dankmar Adler was a celebrated German-born American architect.-Early years:...
and Louis Sullivan
Louis Sullivan
Louis Henri Sullivan was an American architect, and has been called the "father of skyscrapers" and "father of modernism" He is considered by many as the creator of the modern skyscraper, was an influential architect and critic of the Chicago School, was a mentor to Frank Lloyd Wright, and an...
there. Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright was an American architect, interior designer, writer and educator, who designed more than 1,000 structures and completed 500 works. Wright believed in designing structures which were in harmony with humanity and its environment, a philosophy he called organic architecture...
was working in the Adler & Sullivan firm at this time as well. Gill's biggest assignment there was work on the Transportation Building for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition
World's Columbian Exposition
The World's Columbian Exposition was a World's Fair held in Chicago in 1893 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. Chicago bested New York City; Washington, D.C.; and St...
in Chicago.
William S. Hebbard
William Sterling "Will" Hebbard was an American architect most noted for his work in San Diego County, California.Hebbard briefly worked as a draftsman and assistant for the firm, Burnham and Root in Chicago, and in 1888 for Curlett, Eisen and Cuthbertson in Los Angeles. By 1890 he was in private...
that produced good work, important to San Diego County history but less known nationally. The Hebbard & Gill firm was known for work in the Tudor Revival and later the Prairie School styles. The George W. Marston House
George W. Marston House
The George W. Marston House, or George Marston House and Gardens, also referred to as the George and Anna Marston House or the Marston House, is a museum and historic landmark located in San Diego and currently maintained by Save Our Heritage Organisation .- The House :The George W. Marston House...
(now a museum) is its most famous project.
Gill's 1907 partnership with Frank Mead, which lasted less than a year and completed only 4 houses, was a time of some of his best work. The important Bailey, Allen, Laughlin and M. Klauber residences were completed by this partnership.
In 1911, Irving Gill's nephew Louis Gill joined Irving's firm as a draftsman, later he was to be promoted to partner. Irving Gill (known as Jack to his friends) became a pioneer in rational, early modernist design for residences and commercial buildings.
In 1911 Gill lost an important commission for the Panama-California Exposition (1915)
Panama-California Exposition (1915)
The Panama-California Exposition was an exposition held in San Diego, California between March 9, 1915 and January 1, 1917. The exposition celebrated the opening of the Panama Canal, and was meant to tout San Diego as the first U.S. port of call for ships traveling north after passing westward...
to Bertram Goodhue
Bertram Goodhue
Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue was a American architect celebrated for his work in neo-gothic design. He also designed notable typefaces, including Cheltenham and Merrymount for the Merrymount Press.-Early career:...
but did some early work as an associate under Goodhue. Gill started living and mainly working in Los Angeles county after this time although the Gill & Gill partnership lasted until 1919. Multiple projects for the fledgling city of Torrance probably prompted the move. Irving Gill returned to live in North San Diego county in the 1920s. Gill's work slowed considerably after 1920 or so due to lingering illness, changing public tastes, and a lessening desire to compromise with clients. After the late 1920s, his work added certain moderate Art Deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
or "Moderne" touches.
Gill was commissioned by Ellen Browning Scripps
Ellen Browning Scripps
Ellen Browning Scripps was an American philanthropist who was the founding donor of several major institutions in Southern California.-Biography:...
to design the La Jolla Woman's Club building. This prominently sited building (1912–14) is considered one of Gill's masterpieces. It was similar to his other works, simple in style. Gill used the "tilt-slab" construction technique to assemble the exterior walls on-site. This building was the first tilt-up concrete building in California, and despite Gill's association with this building method, he used it in only a handful of structures. The exterior arcade walls only on this building were built with this method, the interior and pop-up center portions were constructed with normal balloon framing. The concrete in the tilted walls in this building was augmented with infill of hollow clay blocks to lighten the weight of the slab.
The most prominent Gill-designed project is probably the Electric Fountain in the center of Horton Plaza Park, in downtown San Diego. Despite being designed in the prime of his modernist period, it is atypical of his work, being in a revivalist style. Gill's design was chosen in a competition among professional architects, and was one of the first projects in the country to combine water and color electrical light effects.
Importance
Irving Gill was concerned with the social impact of good architecture, and worked with equal skill and interest on projects for bankers and mayors as he did on projects for reservation Indians, an African American church, and for migrant Mexican workers and their children.Gill's work established "a new beginning in life and art" and it represented a "grand rejection" of the common "architectural mise en scene from other times and places," according to historian Kevin Starr. His work was described as "cubist" in publications of the time.
Gill's interiors were concerned with removing most unnecessary detailing, for reasons of economy and hygiene. His houses are known for minimal or flush mouldings, simple (or no) fireplace mantles, coved floor to wall transitions, enclosed-side bathtubs, frequent skylights, plastered walls with only the occasional, but featured, wood elements, flush five-piece doors, frequent concrete or Sorel cement
Sorel cement
Sorel cement is a non-hydraulic cement first produced by Frenchman Stanislas Sorel in 1867.The cement is a mixture of magnesium oxide with magnesium chloride with the approximate chemical formula Mg4Cl268, corresponding to a weight ratio of 2.5–3.5 parts MgO to one part MgCl2...
floors, and a general avoidance of cracks, ledges, and unnecessary material changes. According to Joseph Giovannini, "the desire for an easily maintained, sanitary home drove Gill's aesthetic toward purity."
Aesthetically, Gill's best work of the 1910s is identified by: flat roofs with no eaves, a unity of materials (mostly concrete
Concrete
Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...
), casement window
Casement window
A casement window is a window that is attached to its frame by one or more hinges. Casement windows are hinged at the side. A casement window (or casement) is a window that is attached to its frame by one or more hinges. Casement windows are hinged at the side. A casement window (or casement) is a...
s with transoms above, white or near-white exterior and interior walls, cube or rectangular massing, frequent ground-level arches or series of arches creating transitional breezeways in the manner of the California missions.
Despite frequent recent references to Gill as "forgotten" or "unappreciated " he was reasonably well documented during his life. For example, his work was more frequently published in Gustav Stickley
Gustav Stickley
Gustav Stickley was a manufacturer of furniture and the leading proselytizer for the American Arts and Crafts movement, an extension of the British Arts and Crafts movement.-Biography:...
's "Craftsman" magazine than any other Western architect, including the Greene & Greene firm.
Gill's reputation did quickly fade after his death, and it languished until he was included in the 1960 book Five California Architects by Esther McCoy
Esther McCoy
Esther McCoy was an author and architectural historian who was instrumental in bringing to the attention of the world the modern architecture of California.-Early life and education:...
and Randell L. Makinson. This book (still in print) helped to renew interest in his work, and in early California architecture in general, and in the decades since its publication Irving Gill has come to be recognized as a major figure in the modern movement.
Selected projects
- 1904-05: George W. Marston HouseGeorge W. Marston HouseThe George W. Marston House, or George Marston House and Gardens, also referred to as the George and Anna Marston House or the Marston House, is a museum and historic landmark located in San Diego and currently maintained by Save Our Heritage Organisation .- The House :The George W. Marston House...
(with W.S. Hebbard), San Diego, CA - 1906: Katherine Teats House, San Diego, CA
- 1908-: The first buildings at the Scripps Institution of OceanographyScripps Institution of OceanographyScripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla, California, is one of the oldest and largest centers for ocean and earth science research, graduate training, and public service in the world...
, including Old Scripps BuildingOld Scripps BuildingThe Old Scripps Building in La Jolla, California, built in 1909, is the oldest oceanographic research building in continuous use in the United States.. It was the first building of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, the nation's first oceanographic institute, founded in 1903...
, La Jolla, CA - 1910: F. B. Lewis Courts (aka Bella Vista Terrace), Sierra Madre, CA
- 1910-16: La Jolla Recreation Center, La Jolla, CA
- 1911: Miltimore House, Pasadena, CA
- 1912-: La Jolla Woman's Club, La Jolla, CA
- 1912-: The Bishop's School, La Jolla, CA
- 1913: Ellen Browning ScrippsEllen Browning ScrippsEllen Browning Scripps was an American philanthropist who was the founding donor of several major institutions in Southern California.-Biography:...
residence, La Jolla, CA, now remodeled as the Museum of Contemporary Art San DiegoMuseum of Contemporary Art San DiegoThe Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego , in San Diego, California, USA, is an art museum focused on the collection, preservation, exhibition, and interpretation of works of art from 1950 to the present.-History:...
) - 1913: Pacific Electric Railroad BridgePacific Electric Railroad BridgeThe Pacific Electric Railroad Bridge or Southern Pacific Railroad Bridge is a historic double-tracked arch bridge located in Torrance, California USA, spanning Torrance Boulevard at Bow Street, a short distance west of Western Avenue...
, Torrance, CA - 1914-16: Walter L. Dodge HouseWalter L. Dodge HouseThe Walter L. Dodge House was an architecturally significant house built in the Early Modern style in West Hollywood, California according to an Irving Gill design. The house received substantial coverage and recognition from architecture experts, but was targeted for redevelopment...
in West Hollywood, CA (demolished) - 1919: Horatio West CourtHoratio West CourtHoratio West Court, built in Santa Monica, California in 1919, is an early example of attached houses with shared pedestrian and vehicle access. It was designed by Irving Gill. The arched entry ways and small patio courts reflect Gill's affinity for the Mission Revival style...
, Santa Monica, CA - 1919: Clarke Estate, Santa Fe Springs, CASanta Fe Springs, CaliforniaSanta Fe Springs is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is one of the Gateway Cities of southeast Los Angeles County. The population was 16,223 at the 2010 census, down from 17,438 at the 2000 census....
- 1931: Americanization SchoolAmericanization SchoolThe Americanization School in Oceanside, California, built in 1931, was intended as an assimilation school where Spanish-speaking Oceanside residents would be taught English and civics...
, 1210 Division St., Oceanside, CaliforniaOceanside, California-2010:The 2010 United States Census reported that Oceanside had a population of 167,086. The population density was 3,961.8 people per square mile...