John Byers (architect)
| John Winford Byers | |
|---|---|
| Born |
22 March 1875 Michigan |
| Died |
22 May 1966 Santa Monica, California |
| Occupation | Architect |
| Buildings | 1505 San Remo Drive, Pacific Palisades. Built in 1927. Commissioned by actor Lionel Atwell |
John Winford Byers (22 March 1875 – 22 May 1966) was a Santa Monica architect and builder noted for use of the Spanish Colonial revival style.
Early life
Byers was born in Michigan. Byers, a graduate from Harvard University, was employed as a schoolteacher, teaching Spanish and French, at San Rafael High School and Santa Monica High School. Self-trained as a builder and architect, Byers completed his first commission, a house at 510 Lincoln Boulevard for W.F. Barnum, the principal of the Santa Monica High School in 1916.[1]
Importance
Byers designed and built dozens of homes in Brentwood, Pacific Palisades, and Santa Monica from 1916 through 1946. He was fascinated with the native California architecture and its Mexican and Spanish roots. He was most notable for his "Adobe" designed buildings, having written several articles in the 1920s and 1930s on adobe construction and its influence in California architect. He studied the native building traditions of Hispanic cultures, and went through a phase where he built houses of adobe and stucco. He established his own workshop, employing Mexican craftsmen who were masters at creating and installing the adobe brick, the decorative tile, wrought iron and woodwork that he used in his houses.
Some projects
| Project | Date | Address | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stevenson Residence
Albert Ahern Residence |
1926
1926 |
2126 La Mesa Drive
1707 San Vicente |
Santa Monica
Santa Monica |
| Donald Armstrong Residence | 1717 San Vicente | Santa Monica | |
| J.B. Nethercott Residence | 500 25th Street | Santa Monica | |
| Speers Residence | 270 18th Street | Santa Monica | |
| Byers Residence | 1917 | 2034 La Mesa Drive | Santa Monica |
| Byers Residence | 1917 | 547 7th Street | Santa Monica |
| Fuller Residence | 1920 | 304 18th Street | Santa Monica |
| MacBennel House | 1921 | 404 Georgina Avenue | Santa Monica |
| Gorham-Holiday Residence | 1923 | 326 Adelaide Drive | Santa Monica |
| Zimmer Residence | 1924 | 2101 La Mesa Drive | Santa Monica |
| Laidlaw Residence | 1924 | 217 17th Street | Santa Monica |
| Thompson House | 1924 | 2021 La Mesa Drive | Santa Monica |
| Tinglof Residence | 1925 | 2010 La Mesa Drive | Santa Monica |
| Bundy Residence | 1925 | 2133 La Mesa Drive | Santa Monica |
| E.J. Carrillo Residence | 1925 | 1602 Georgina | Santa Monica |
| Residence | 1925 | 1650 Amalfi Drive | Pacific Palisades |
| Byers Office | 1926 | 246 26th Street | Santa Monica |
| Barclay Residence | 1927 | 1425 Monaco Drive | Pacific Palisades |
| Miles Memorial Playhouse | 1929 | 1130 Lincoln Boulevard | Santa Monica |
| John Byers (Third) Residence | 1929 | 2034 La Mesa Drive | Santa Monica |
| Kerr Residence | 1930 | 428 N Carmelina Avenue | Brentwood |
| Hamilton Residence | 1931 | 193 N Carmelina Avenue | Brentwood |
| Murray Residence | 1935 | 436 N Carmelina Avenue | Brentwood |
| Stedman Residence | 1935 | 363 N Carmelina Avenue | Brentwood |
| Temple Residence | 1935 | 231 N Rockingham Avenue | Brentwood |
| Kenaston Residence | 1936 | 914 Corsica Drive | Pacific Palisades |
Other dwellings were constructed in Coachella, Victorville, Bel Air, and Beverly Hills. Byers also constructed an adobe memorial recreation hall (Miles Plyhouse) in Santa Monica, a clubhouse at Brentwood Park, and a building at the John Thomas Dye School.
Family life
When John Byers died in Santa Monica, at the age of 91 in 1966, he was based out of this Spanish Colonial Revival compound at 246 26th Street. Byers and his family lived in the house at 2034 La Mesa Drive[2] for almost thirty years.
References
- Andre, Herb, "John Byers: Domestic Architecture in Southern California 1919-1960," M.A. thesis, University ofCalifornia, Santa Barbara, 1971
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