San Diego, 5 Jan 1959

Dear Mrs McCoy,

I am so incensed, disgusted and discouraged over an article by James Britton in the Jan, 59 issue of "San Diego" magazine, using your material and Rand's photos on Gill's work, that I shall give out no more material to anyone until I find how much, if any control we have over who uses it.

This sensational stuff must be stopped, at least so far as I am able to do anything about it.

"Died in poverty" indeed. He lived as he wished and at least had the asset of a well off wife. Must the public be feed this kind of stuff instead of a just appreciation of his merits and deficiencies?

We Must talk over this matter when you are next in San Diego.

Incidentally, I believe I have unearthed a bunch of material, letters, drawings etc. from the early days in San Diego when Gill was early in his practice here.

I hope to see this material in a few days.

Sincerely, Louis J. Gill

This ideal of an organic* architecture for America was touched by Richardson and Root, and perhaps other men, but was developing consciously twenty-eight years ago in the practice of Adler & Sullivan, when I went to work in their office. This ideal combination of Adler & Sullivan was then working to produce what no other combination of architects nor any individual architect at that time dared even preach-a sentient, rational building that would owe its "style" to the integrity with which it was individually fashioned to serve its particular purpose-a "thinking" as well as "feeling" process, requiring the independent work of true artist imagination-an ideal that is dynamite, cap and fuse, in selfish, insensible hands-personal ambition, the lighted match.

-Frank Lloyd Wright in The Architectural Record, May 1914.

(Gill and Wright worked for Adler & Sullivan together in 1891-1893)

Gill, Irving J., Architect, San Diego, Cal., was born in Tully, N.Y., the son of Joseph Gill and Cynthia C. (Scullen) Gill.

He attended the Madison Street School of Syracuse, N.Y., and began his architectural work as a student in the Office of Ellis G. Hall, of Syracuse, in 1889. the following year he studied under J. L. Silsby in Chicago, and in 1891 was a pupil of Messrs. Ader (sic) & Sullivan of Chicago. He was a appointed a member of the Architectural Staff of the World's Columbian Exposition in 1892 but his health became impaired and he was compelled to resign his position, going to Southern California to recuperate.

Locating at San Diego, Cal., Mr. Gill spent several months resting, and in 1893, having regained his health, opened an office there for the practice of his profession. In 1901 Mr. Gill returned to the East, where for the next few years he was engaged in the design and construction of various buildings, but devoted himself principally to private residences. Among the notable homes built by him were those of Albert H. Olmstead, at Newport, R. I.; Miss Ellen Mason, at Newport R. I.; Miss Sarah Birkhead, at Portsmouth, R. I.; Louis Butler McCagg, at Bar Harbor, Maine.

Returning to California in the latter part of 1904, Mr. Gill resumed his work in San Diego, and has since maintained his offices there. In the interim he has been among the leading architects of that section and is classed by authorities on the subject as one of the eminent members of the profession in America.

One of the notable works of Mr. Gill was the design and construction, in 1911, of a community of model cottages at Sierra Madre, California, at the base of the Sierra Madre Mountains.

"The Craftsman," a publication devoted to architecture and allied subjects, was inspired by the Sierra Madre group to pay a splendid tribute to the art of Mr. Gill, stating in part:

"In the West, where man not only dares to be honest but is encouraged in every was to express himself, there has arisen a simpler and more distinctive architecture. One architect of the Coast, Irving J. Gill, after wandering for years among the inspired work of the past--Grecian, Roman, Italian, early English--groping hopefully through the maze that every architect is forced by custom and education to thread, dissatisfied with the best that he could produce and convinced of the absurdity and dishonesty of plagiarism, has had the courage to throw aside every accepted belief of the present day and start afresh with the simplest forms, the straight line, the pier, lintel and arch.*And he uses these without ornamentation, save for the natural grace of a clinging vine that is allowed to trail about a doorway or droop over the severe line of the roof. Instead of delving into the past works of great men, trying to adapt what has been, to the conditions of the present, he bends his efforts to determine what should be, regardless of precedent. By this return to fundamental needs, he has hit upon an architecture so simple and beautiful that restless tourists, practical business men, workmen architects and artists turn aside from their work or play on the highway just for the pleasure of seeing so satisfying a thing as a house of his designing."

"The houses that Mr. Gill designs stand so pre-eminently for permanence in their simplicity that they can no more be disregarded than the old Missions, and are as surely influencing the architecture of the West."

In the same issue of "The Craftsman" the editor of the publication spoke of Mr. Gill's . . . cottages the influence of the early Spanish architecture, which really means the influence of the Moors through the Spaniards, we also find the creative spirit, the fearless use of the brain by the man who knows how to work."

One of the most beautiful and efficient productions by Mr. Gill is the Wilde Fountain in the civic center of San Diego, an electric affair of alternating colors which was designed and built by Mr. Gill for L.J. Wilde who presented it to the city. This is regarded as one of the most artistic fountains in America.

In the early part of 1912 Mr. Gill was chosen by the Dominguez Land Company, a great California corporation, to design and supervise the construction of a model industrial city. This town, known as Torrance, lies near Los Angeles, California, and will be made up of factories of various description, administration buildings and all that goes to make an ideal manufacturing or industrial city, in one division, while another is set aside as the residence section and will be made up of the homes, schools, library, parks, children's playgrounds; the whole having paved streets and every modern facility, which will add to the convenience, beauty and sanitation of the place.

Mr. Gill has devoted himself to this work to the exclusion of practically everything else, although he conducts his offices in San Diego and holds commissions for many important structures in various parts of Southern California.

Mr. Gill is a member of the Southern California Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, and his only other affiliation outside of business is with the Gamut club of Los Angeles.

*In the original: "the straight line, the arch, the cube, and the circle". The quote is from "A New Architecture in a New Land" by Eloise Roorbach in the Aug 1912 Craftsman magazine. The shorter quote from the editor (Gustav Stickley) has the ellipsis for just one of Stickley's words: "workman's". Leaving this word would have made Gus' argument more cogent.

1972: Miltimore House, South Pasadena

1974: George W. Marston House, San Diego

____ La Jolla Women's Club

1975: Granger Music Hall, National City

1977: Horatio West Court, Santa Monica

____ Scripps Lab, La Jolla

1984: Major Myles Moylan House, San Diego

1986: Burnam Marston House, San Diego

1989: Oceanside City Hall, and Police/Fire Station

1990: Clarke Estate, Santa Fe Springs

1994: Americanization School, Oceanside

1999: "Sunnyslope Lodge", San Diego

Not yet verified: Albert H. Olmsted House "Wildacre". Newport, RI

One of the largest receptions of the season, was the delightful affair given yesterday afternoon by Mrs. Lucian Bouvet, entertaining to meet her sister-in -law, Mrs Frederick Etcheverry.

Pink and green made a dainty color effect in the decorative scheme for the afternoon, which was carried out in an abundance of trailing ferns and Cecil Bruner roses. The reception room was entirely in ferns, forming an effective background for the handsome gowns of the relieving party and their guests. The guest of honor was attired in an exquisite gown of pink messaline satin trimmed in embroidered lace, and the hostess was effectively gowned in a creation of blue crepe de chine, with Brussels lace. Mrs Etcheverry, the mother of the hostess, wore a handsome black crepe de chine, with point de Paris lace, and Mrs. Strong was beautifully gowned in tan mousseline de souie over old rose.

The receiving party included Mrs. Bouvet, Mrs Etcheverry, Mrs Strong, the aunt of the guest of honor, Mrs Etcheverry, the mother of the hostess, Mrs T. K. Baker and Mrs B. V. Franklin. At the punch bowls Mrs Stahel and Mrs E. M. Barber presided, and serving in the dining room were Mrs Hugo Klauber, and Mrs Baker Thomas. the young girls asisting were Miss Juliet Newkirk, Miss Lucy Newkirk, Miss Jessie Smith, Miss Frances Bridges, Miss Myra Rife, and Miss Jessie Burbeck.

Among the society women seen at this charming reception were the Mesdames Avery, Anderson, Newkirk, Burbeck, Bowers, Barker, Carlyle, Carrington, Cabell, Chase, Clayton, Collier, Cotton, Crouse, Conard, Church, Connell, Cornell, Chandler, Douglas, Chas. Douglas, Aubrey Davidson, R. V. Dodge, Doig, Doolittle, Daur, Eastman, Earle, Ekings, Edmunson, Elliot, Enneking, Ridout, Fay, Frary, Frevert, Geo. Frost, John Ferry, Fuller, Frost, Garrettson, Geo. Garrettson, Gilbert, Glazer, Griffith, Gilmore, Groesbeck, Hamilton, Geo. Hawley, Hebbard, Hickman, John Hawley*, Sidney Hill, Harding, Hasbrouk, Hale, Heber, Ingle, Jewel, Johnson, Jackson, Fred Jackson, Oscar Kendall, Kraemer, Larme, Thomas Lee, Simon Levi, Luddington, Lancaster, McQuigg, Marsh, Marston, McDonald, Masten, Mead, Mitchell, Munn, Maise, Newman, Nichols?, Newkirk, Oatman, Osburne, Pounds, Parmalee, Pursell, Peters, Reynolds, Rife, Herbert Richards, Rowan, Rice, Stewart, Salmons, Schoonover, Scott, Sehon, Skelly, Miffin Smith, Spaulding, Shirley, Stafford, O.J.Stough, Sprigg, Stockton, Sherman, Schmidt, Thompson?, Tainter, Truitt, Utt, Lewis Utt, Vosdes, Wilde, Whitney, Wood, John Wood, Whittlesey, Walker, and the Missess Copley, Doig, Juliett Newkirk, Lucy Newkirk, Carrington, Ferry, Gertrude Gilbert, Bass Gilbert, Henking, Hasbrouk, McQuigg, Rodgers, Vogdes, Marion Vogdes, Jessie Smith, Frances Bridges, Myra Rife, Jessie Burbeck.

*benefactor and chair of the building committee of the Christian Science Church. Their 1911 house by R. Requa.