The Self-Taught Architect Who Became the "Modern Maverick of Malibu"
Southern California’s Harry Gesner, who died last week, crafted some of the Golden State’s most idiosyncratic homes.
Southern California’s Harry Gesner, who died last week, crafted some of the Golden State’s most idiosyncratic homes.
California architect and surfer Harry Gesner drew inspiration from the ocean to create homes. At Malibu’s Wave House, perhaps his most famous design, soaring, copper-clad roof structures resemble cresting waves. His ability to think outside the box didn’t come from a college degree—he didn’t earn one—but instead from his curious nature.
Born in 1925 and raised in Southern California, Gesner served in the US Army during World War II before designing homes.
Video still courtesy of Jamie Leilani Pelayo
Gesner, who died on June 10 at age 97, never sat still. After serving in the US Army during World War II, he went on to become a television cartoonist, an archaeologist, and waterskiing instructor before studying architecture at Yale University under Frank Lloyd Wright. Gesner attended more of Wright’s lectures at Taliesin West in the Arizona desert, but soon tired of that, and, without a degree, struck out to learn from the real world.
Over the next decade he worked on builds alongside skilled tradesmen, gleaning experience as he went along. Gesner’s hands-on, observational approach was a constant throughout his career—he would spend endless hours on-site studying the wind, land, sun, and surroundings, developing a deep affinity for nature that lies at the heart of his work.
Harry Gesner designed the famous Wave House in Malibu in 1957. He came up with the idea while sitting on a surfboard and observing the site from the ocean, drawing the original concept sketches directly on the surfboard with a grease pencil. The copper-clad sails were an inspiration for the Sydney Opera House, a design Danish architect Jørn Utzon.
Photo by Juergen Nogai
The homes he designed resemble waves, birds’ wings, and fish scales. Some of his most notable homes in Los Angeles include his own, The Sandcastle, the neighboring Wave House, the futuristic Triangle House, the grandiose Ravenseye House, designed for American playwright Jerome Lawrence, and the Boathouses in Hollywood. Even though he never became an accredited architect, his life’s work earned him a better title: The Modern Maverick of Malibu.
The ocean is a constant presence in Harry Gesner’s work. The Sandcastle was built by Gesner himself directly on the sand in Malibu in 1970. The windows that surround the circular structure reflect the ocean and allow the built form to become one with its surroundings.
Photo: Emma Geiszler
See the full story on Dwell.com: The Self-Taught Architect Who Became the "Modern Maverick of Malibu"
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