Houses of the Sundown Sea: The architectural vision of Harry Gesner
Los Angeles natives refashion the world from one of two perspectives: that of the relentless romantic or the cynic. The title of 86-year-old architect Harry Gesner's first monograph establishes him firmly in the former group.
Gesner, who is still working (and surfing) today, represents one of the most glamorous stories of the schismatic strain of Modernism that has quietly studded the state of California with masterpieces by the likes of contemporaries John Lautner and Mickey Muennig.
The monograph's admiring and lightly gossipy text by Lisa Germany depicts a maverick mind and a thoroughly heterodox 60-year oeuvre. Though Abrams' prosaic design of the book, itself, in no way reflects the originality of Gesner's work, it includes drawings and plans and new and archival imagery that elucidate the architect's rich structural, formal and material creativity.
Before he started his own practice at 25, Gesner's architectural education consisted of soldier's-eye views of WWII European architecture, a class audited at Yale where he turned down an invitation from Frank Lloyd Wright to visit Taliesen, and a year-long construction apprenticeship.
His second house declared his heresy: made from energy-efficient, quake-resistant, unplastered adobe brick, the façade rose, at a 30-degree angle to form toothy clerestory windows and a cantilevering, triangular fireplace. His break came in 1959 with one of the west coast's first A-frame houses featuring a black concrete floor inlaid with semiprecious minerals.
Many of Gesner's clients sought him out because he could build on limited budgets and 'unbuildable' sites, and because that impossibility - and the views - shaped what he built. He made houses that hang like a bridge between canyon walls; 'hang 10' over the lip of a cliff; or that could only be reached by funiculars. They are scaled like fish or rigged by Norwegian shipbuilders; he sketched his Wave house in grease pencil from beyond the surf line on a 12-foot balsa board.
Gesner's living and dining rooms were sunken, his kitchens and wet bars were raised, his staircases spiraled. Fireplaces, like his early pools, floor plans, windows and decks were often triangular; only mid-career did he 'discover roundness'.
From the 1970s onward, the patchwork combinations of (laudably upcycled) materials suggests that Gesner lost control of the teeming and eclectic ideas that he packaged with such coherence early on. Nonetheless, Gesner's work begs the question: Why hasn't unorthodox architecture gone forth and multiplied?
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
Shonquis Moreno has served as an editor for Frame, Surface and Dwell magazines and, as a long-time freelancer, contributed to publications that include T The New York Times Style Magazine, Kinfolk, and American Craft. Following years living in New York City and Istanbul, she is currently based in the San Francisco Bay Area.
-
Molly Goddard on creating a community of contemporary brides
As new Molly Goddard bridal wear is released, the designer talks about creating romantic but real wedding dresses, while three recent brides tell the stories behind their own Goddard gowns
By Jack Moss Published
-
Palazzo Roma embodies the heritage of Roman noblesse
Palazzo Roma, part of the Shedir Collection, boasts eclectic and eccentric interiors by Giampiero Panepinto
By Luke Abrahams Published
-
Boise Passive House’s bold gestures support an environmentally friendly design
Boise Passive House by Haas Architecture combines sleek, contemporary design and environmental efficiency
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Calming interiors characterise a 1950s mid century modern house in Mexico City
HEMAA Arquitectura celebrates the mid century architecture of a family house – designed by Mexican architect Augusto H. Álvarez – with a respectful renovation, plus a new material palette of light oak and grey stucco
By Harriet Thorpe Last updated
-
Join virtual tours of Frank Lloyd Wright’s architectural masterpieces
A new series of virtual tours offer you the chance to explore Frank Lloyd Wright's architecture from the comfort of your home. The campaign to continue educating and inspiring the public through the digital sphere is also a reminder of the importance of the physical experience of architecture, and an appeal for funding support to heritage sites all over the world during the Covid-19 crisis
By Harriet Thorpe Last updated
-
Dirk Engelen tours his restored Antwerp home – a 1970s architectural masterpiece
Belgian architect Dirk Engelen was surprised to find a John Lautner look-a-like house in suburban Antwerp. Drawn to its unique concrete and brick design, his curiosity got the better of him and he bought the house and renovated it, not without bringing some architectural abstractions of his own to the design
By Harriet Thorpe Last updated
-
Herbert W Burns’ Gillman Residence renovated in Palm Springs
A Palm Springs house designed by architect Herbert W Burns has been brought back to life, with plenty of contemporary improvements. ‘This house can truly be considered a brand new home with Herbert Burns’ bones’ say the designer-developer duo behind the comprehensive restoration and renovation
By Harriet Thorpe Last updated
-
Join a 1960s celebration of desert modern residential design
For Palm Springs Modernism Week the residents of Park Imperial South, a modernist community with zig-zag roofs designed by architect Barry berkus in 1960, are throwing a party to celebrate the architecture and the era
By Harriet Thorpe Last updated
-
Four architects on the influence of Palm Springs
Many contemporary architects working today have been inspired by the modernist architecture of Palm Springs. Modernism Week brings them back to the desert town for a series of events that focus on the work of contemporary architects from restorations and renovations, to obsessions and design expressions
By Harriet Thorpe Last updated
-
An Instagram hotspot in Tokyo is under threat, so snap it before it’s flattened
Designed by architect Kisho Kurokawa, the iconic Nakagin Capsule Tower in Tokyo has become something of an Instagram pilgrimage for architecture enthusiasts. But as the building fell into a state of disrepair, the Metabolist landmark has long been in danger of demolition and the final decision is to be made by the building’s management society by vote
By Sanae Sato Last updated
-
British modernism inspires Waldo Works’ Television Centre penthouse
Tom Bartlett, founder of interior design firm Waldo Works, brings a British modernist interior to the largest Television Centre penthouse through a Festival of Britain-inspired colour pallette and design pieces from Living Diwani, Barber Osgerby, Ingo Maurer and Olivia Aspinall
By Harriet Thorpe Last updated