The name Irving Gill may not ring any bells, but you most likely -perhaps unknowingly- are aware of this architect’s influence on our city. The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego in La Jolla, the Bishop’s School in La Jolla, and the Marston House in Balboa Park are just a few of his lasting impressions on San Diego. Gill’s designs made a lasting mark on San Diego County and continue to influence architects and designers today. If you are looking for ideas to get started with your new home design, see here the driveways manchester website. 

Irving J. Gill was a San Diego architect, by way of New York and Chicago, who designed many buildings in Southern California during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. To him, San Diego was a blank slate with incredible potential. He found inspiration from the coast, canyons, sunlight and shadows. With this landscape as his muse, Gill created a new design language, what we now know as modern architecture. His block-like designs offered simplicity, clean lines, and efficiency at a time when faux-Victorian and Spanish Colonial architecture were mainstream.*

Wheeler-Bailey House, La Jolla – 1905

 

A firm believer in the positive social impacts of proper architecture, Gill took on a variety of different clients. He provided design services for the wealthy, several Native American reservations, an African American religious congregation, and the families of migrant Mexican workers.

 

Bishops School, La Jolla – 1910

Bishops School, La Jolla – present day

Marston House, Balboa Park – 1905

Marston House, Balboa Park – present day

 

Sacred Heart Church, Coronado – 1910

Sacred Heart Church, Coronado – present day

The San Diego History Center’s exhibition, Irving J. Gill: New Architecture for a Great Country, is on through the end of this month. We encourage all architecture enthusiasts to pay a visit there this month to learn more about this intriguing individual who designed some of our city’s most iconic buildings. You can find a large image library of Irving Gill’s works on Pinterest here.

*references: San Diego History Center