Kendrick Bangs Kellogg, Pioneer of Organic Modernism, Dies at 89

The Southern California architect spun Frank Lloyd Wright’s philosophies into an iconoclastic body of work that includes the Kellogg Doolittle House in Joshua Tree.

Mar 14, 2024 - 20:00

Kendrick Bangs Kellogg, Pioneer of Organic Modernism, Dies at 89

The Southern California architect spun Frank Lloyd Wright’s philosophies into an iconoclastic body of work that includes the Kellogg Doolittle House in Joshua Tree.

Upon purchasing a 10-acre plot surrounded by a cluster of boulders, a couple wrote a handwritten letter to architect Kendrick Bangs Kellogg, which resulted in the 5,000-square-foot High Desert House on the edge of Joshua Tree National Park. Kellog spent five years designing a home that would settle into the landscape,

Kendrick Banks Kellogg, a genre-bending architect who helped pioneer the organic modernism movement, died on February 16 in San Diego at 89. He is survived by his wife, Franeva Kellogg, three children from his former marriage and their mother, and five grandchildren.

Kellogg leaves behind a legacy of bold, biophilic residences, including the Onion House in Kona, Hawaii, the Surfer House and Lotus House in La Jolla, California, and—perhaps most notably—the strikingly otherworldly Kellogg Doolittle Residence in Joshua Tree, California.

High Desert House is composed of 26 freestanding, concrete columns that look like rib bones. — Kendrick Bangs Kellogg’s career spanned more than 60 years. The Kellogg Doolittle Residence in Joshua Tree, California, is perhaps his most recognizable.
Courtesy of Lance Gerber

His most distinctive works defy neat categorization. They’re deeply responsive to site and ebullient, with layered, curvilinear forms that burst with life. Sinuous shapes, a respect for the landscape, and the application of natural materials are hallmarks of Kellogg’s oeuvre. Although sleek, computer-generated renderings sometimes mirror Kellogg’s work, the trailblazing architect eschewed high tech tools, refusing to design anything with a computer to leave room for improvisation.

He is remembered as both a visionary architect and a talented craftsman who could often be found on site, clad in cargo shorts and a jacket. He frequently worked as an engineer, draftsman, contractor, and carpenter. While in his 70s, Kellogg maintained that he could survey a site in three hours with a tape measure and $20 worth of equipment.

The home features a flexible and open floorplan that has a bright and airy flow. — Kellogg designed the Lotus House in La Jolla, California, in 1978. The residence is emblematic of his distinct approach to modern organic architecture.
Preview First Photography

Born in 1939, Kellogg was a lifelong resident of San Diego County. He grew up in Mission Beach, California: "I had free rein from the time I was six or seven years old. I would put my bathing suit on and never see my parents again until that night," Kellogg told the LA Times.

In his college days—he attended multiple universities, and didn’t earn a degree—Kellogg and some fellow students traveled to the Taliesin West studio in Arizona to attend a public lecture conducted by Frank Lloyd Wright. He spoke with the legendary architect, and the meeting inspired him to pivot his studies from math and engineering to architecture. Ultimately his vision didn’t fit with formal architectural education.