The Self-Taught Architect Who Became the "Modern Maverick of Malibu"

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.

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.

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.