Elmer Grey,

FAIA Fellow of the American Institute of Architects (FAIA) is a postnominal title or membership, designating an individual who has been named a fellow of the American Institute of Architects (AIA). Fellowship is bestowed by the institute on AIA-membe ...

(April 29, 1872 – November 14, 1963) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

and artist based in

Pasadena, California Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commerci ...

. Grey designed many noted landmarks in

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural List of regions of California, region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its densely populated coastal reg ...

, including the

Beverly Hills Hotel The Beverly Hills Hotel, also called the Beverly Hills Hotel and Bungalows, is located on Sunset Boulevard in Beverly Hills, California. One of the world's best-known hotels, it is closely associated with Hollywood film stars, rock stars, and ...

, the Huntington Art Gallery, the

Pasadena Playhouse Pasadena Playhouse is a Tony Award-winning historic performing arts venue located 39 S. El Molino Avenue in Pasadena, California. The 686-seat auditorium produces a variety of cultural and artistic events, professional shows, and community engag ...

and Wattles Mansion. He is credited with being one of the pioneers in the development of the new American architecture in the early 20th century, with a focus on harmony with nature and eliminating features not belonging to the local climate and conditions. Grey was also a noted artist whose paintings are in the permanent collection of the

Chicago Art Institute The Art Institute of Chicago, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the United States. The museum is based in the Art Institute of Chicago Building in Chicago's Grant Park. Its collection, stewarded by 11 curatoria ...

Architectural career

Career in the Midwest

Huntington art gallery at huntington library california

Grey was born in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

and educated in the

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

public schools. He did not attend college and worked for the Milwaukee architectural firm of Ferry & Clas from 1887-1899. In 1890, the 18-year-old Grey won first prize in a competition for the design of a water tower and pumping station sponsored by a New York architectural publication. While at Ferry & Clas, he assisted in the design of the Milwaukee Central Library and the

Wisconsin Historical Society The Wisconsin Historical Society (officially the State Historical Society of Wisconsin) is simultaneously a state agency and a private membership organization whose purpose is to maintain, promote and spread knowledge relating to the history of ...

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is the List of municipalities in Wisconsin by population, second-most populous city in the state, with a population of 269,840 at the 2020 Uni ...

. When Grey went into practice on his own, he first attracted attention for his design of a summer home he built for himself on a bluff overlooking

Lake Michigan Lake Michigan ( ) is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume () and depth () after Lake Superior and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the ...

Fox Point, Wisconsin Fox Point is a village in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 6,934 at the 2020 census. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, Fox Point is one of the North Shore suburbs of the Milwaukee metropolitan area. Th ...

. Grey's Fox Point house was a great hit, being published widely in magazines and leading to Grey's elevation to

Fellow of the American Institute of Architects Fellow of the American Institute of Architects (FAIA) is a postnominal title or membership, designating an individual who has been named a fellow of the American Institute of Architects (AIA). Fellowship is bestowed by the institute on AIA-memb ...

Health problems

Another major commission during his years in Wisconsin was the Christian Science church in Milwaukee. It was shortly after those plans were finished that Grey later recalled that "my health broke down completely." Grey wrote that his health problems had more to do with "nerves" rather than anything purely physical. Grey abandoned his Milwaukee practice and traveled to Florida, Philadelphia and then to Las Vegas, seeking to regain his health. He took up work on a ranch, hoping the hard work would build his strength. He eventually moved to California, spending time swimming, rowing, playing tennis and fishing on Catalina Island. When he read of a job working on a Hollywood citrus ranch for $25 a month plus board, he took the position.

Partnership with Myron Hunt

In 1904, Grey became friends with a fellow Midwestern architect,

Myron Hunt Myron Hubbard Hunt (February 27, 1868 – May 26, 1952) was an American architect whose numerous projects include many noted landmarks in Southern California and Evanston, Illinois. Hunt was elected a Fellow in the American Institute of Archi ...

. The two rode horses together on Sunday mornings in Pasadena and formed a partnership in that city as Hunt and Grey. Grey later wrote that he began by working only a short time each day "until my nerves got in better shape." Grey's health again failed during the early years of his partnership with Hunt, and he took a long trip to the South Sea Islands. Yet, it was during his partnership with Hunt that Grey produced some of his finest work. The two designed fine residences for the wealthy of Pasadena and also worked on larger projects, including schools, churches and hotels. In 1905, '' The Architectural Record'' published articles on both Grey and Hunt, noting: "Both Mr. Hunt and Mr. Grey stand for the attempt to naturalize in this country the best traditions of European architecture. Mr. Grey, for instance, believes that a very genuine American style is in the process of making; but that as yet it is only in its infancy." From 1907-1908, Hunt & Grey designed a Beaux Arts mansion for railroad and finance magnate, Henry Huntington, in

San Marino San Marino, officially the Republic of San Marino, is a landlocked country in Southern Europe, completely surrounded by Italy. Located on the northeastern slopes of the Apennine Mountains, it is the larger of two European microstates, microsta ...

. The mansion, built with reinforced concrete, tile walls and a slab roof, was not completed until 1911. In his book, "Houses of Los Angeles," Sam Watters wrote that the Huntington structure was "unique in Los Angeles for the ambition of its house." While a French influence was requested by Mrs. Huntington, Hunt & Grey also added elements of a new California architecture by including a red-tile roof, unornamented plaster walls, and sage green window trim. The Huntington mansion was later converted into the main art gallery of the cultural center built around the

Huntington Library The Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens, known as The Huntington, is a collections-based educational and research institution established by Henry E. Huntington and Arabella Huntington in San Marino, California, United State ...

. Hunt & Grey's larger commissions included work for Throop Institute in Pasadena, the school which would soon become

California Institute of Technology The California Institute of Technology (branded as Caltech) is a private research university in Pasadena, California, United States. The university is responsible for many modern scientific advancements and is among a small group of institutes ...

. In 1911, they began plans for the new campus of

Occidental College Occidental College (informally Oxy) is a private liberal arts college in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1887 as a coeducational college by clergy and members of the Presbyterian Church, it became non-sectarian in 1910. It is ...

in the Eagle Rock district of Los Angeles. They also designed a dormitory and other structures for Claremont College and a master expansion plan for

Pomona College Pomona College ( ) is a private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Claremont, California. It was established in 1887 by a group of Congregationalism in the United States, Congregationalists ...

Association with the Arts and Crafts movement

In 1906, Hunt & Grey designed a home for Dr. Guy Cochran near

Downtown Los Angeles Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) is the central business district of the city of Los Angeles. It is part of the Central Los Angeles region and covers a area. As of 2020, it contains over 500,000 jobs and has a population of roughly 85,000 residents ...

that

Gustav Stickley Gustav Stickley (March 9, 1858 – April 15, 1942) was an American furniture manufacturer, design leader, publisher, and a leading voice in the American Arts and Crafts movement. Stickley's design philosophy was a major influence on American ...

's ''The Craftsman'' magazine dubbed the "very best" of their work, with enormous windows "looking out upon the terrace and garden, giv ngsuch a sense of relationship between the two that there is almost no feeling of being enclosed within walls." ''The Craftsman'' referred to Hunt & Grey as "pioneers in the development of the new American architecture," which was "but a series of individual plans adapted to the climatic conditions and to the needs of daily living" and in harmony "with the natural environment and contour of the landscape." The house reflected Grey's vision of California bungalow architecture, which he described in 1907 as follows:

"The best California bungalow schemes involve a garden or large outdoor living space, incorporated as an integral part of the plan. By this we mean that the main rooms of the house are arranged to face this out-of-door living space ... It was once considered absurd to plan a house with the kitchen toward the street, but now not so in California ... the street side of man'sdomicile is merely the side through which he enters."

In 1910, as the

American Craftsman American Craftsman is an American domestic architectural style, inspired by the Arts and Crafts movement, which included interior design, landscape design, applied arts, and decorative arts, beginning in the last years of the 19th century. ...

movement was in full bloom in

, Grey wrote that California architecture was distinctive because local architects were simply trying to be "natural"—not so much "because our architects have striven to be unique in their designing as because they have tried to eliminate features not belonging to this climate and to local conditions." Grey also emphasized simplicity, once writing that "the greatest fault that can be found with the architecture of Southern California is that which may be found with all American architecture to a greater or lesser extent, namely, a lack of simplicity." Though often associated with the

Craftsman Craftsman may refer to: A profession *Artisan, a skilled manual worker who makes items that may be functional or strictly decorative *Master craftsman, an artisan who has achieved such a standard that he may establish his own workshop and take o ...

movement, Grey's structures reflect a wide variety of styles, including Beaux Arts, Mission Revival and English Tudor. One Grey biographer wrote: "While Grey shared a number of beliefs with Stickley and the Arts and Crafts movement, his catholic, traditionalist taste and disposition would not allow him to become an exponent of any one movement. The woodsy, informal image of the Arts and Crafts house was simply one of many that he might employ. Like Charles and Henry Greene, he transformed the low-art Arts and Crafts dwelling into a sophisticated high-art object."

Later career

After his partnership with Hunt dissolved in 1910 or 1911, Grey went on to design the

, the

, the Lincoln Shrine in Redlands, three buildings for the First Church of Christ Scientist, and many residences. After completing his first Christian Science church, Grey published an article about church design in which he wrote:

"The commercial spirit of our age is so inclined to be a mad race for the 'almighty dollar,' and commercial structures are so often built with the idea of obtaining the most show for the least money that when religious organizations build they should show that their aims are higher. The trend of preachment or sermon in all churches is for the things of lasting value, the real as against the seeming; so when a church builds, it should show that it believes in putting such preachments into practice, that it demands the real in architecture instead of that which only seems so."

The church Grey designed for the

First Church of Christ, Scientist The First Church of Christ, Scientist is the administrative headquarters and mother church of the Church of Christ, Scientist, also known as the Christian Science church. Christian Science was founded in the 19th century in Lynn, Massachusetts ...

in Los Angeles was later used by

Jim Jones James Warren Jones (May 13, 1931 – November 18, 1978) was an American cult leader, preacher and mass murderer who founded and led the Peoples Temple between 1955 and 1978. Jones and the members of his inner circle planned and orchestrat ...

and his

Peoples Temple The Peoples Temple of the Disciples of Christ, originally Peoples Temple Full Gospel Church and commonly shortened to Peoples Temple, was an American new religious organization which existed between 1954 and 1978 and was affiliated with the C ...

immediately prior to the 1978

Jonestown The Peoples Temple Agricultural Project, better known by its informal name "Jonestown", was a remote settlement in Guyana established by the Peoples Temple, an American religious movement under the leadership of Jim Jones. Jonestown became in ...

tragedy.

Artist and author

Grey was also an artist who painted in both oils and watercolors. He painted Southern California landscapes, and his watercolors are on permanent exhibit at the

. Grey also wrote numerous articles on architecture and philosophy. For several years in the 1920s, Grey's nervous condition again forced him to cease working as an architect, though he returned to his practice in 1929. During the 1930s, he also tried to obtain work as a set designer in Hollywood. Grey moved his practice to Florida in 1941, where he was an instructor in mechanical drawing and also painted a 35-foot frieze at the Naval Air Station in

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville ( ) is the most populous city proper in the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of North Florida, northeastern Florida. It is the county seat of Duval County, Florida, Duval County, with which the City of Jacksonv ...

, depicting five episodes in the history and development of Florida. Grey later returned to Pasadena in his retirement; he died in November 1963 at age 91 in the Pasadena mansion he had built for himself.

Grey's architectural works

Grey's major works include:

To 1906

* Sixth Church of Christ, Scientist, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on the NRHP in Milwaukee * Edith Daniels House, Arcadia, CA (1904) * Livingston Jenks House, San Rafael, CA (1904) * Astronomer's House (aka The Monastery) and other buildings,

Mount Wilson Observatory The Mount Wilson Observatory (MWO) is an Observatory#Astronomical observatories, astronomical observatory in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The MWO is located on Mount Wilson (California), Mount Wilson, a peak in the San Gabrie ...

, Mount Wilson, CA (1904) (''with Myron Hunt'') * Thomas H. Foote House, East Colorado Street, Pasadena, CA (1905) (''with Myron Hunt'') * J.W. Gillespie House, Montecito, CA (''with Myron Hunt'') * Livingston Jenks House, 1000 Vallejo,

Russian Hill Russian Hill is a neighborhood of San Francisco, California. It is named after one of San Francisco's 44 hills, and one of its original "Seven Hills". Location Russian Hill is directly to the north (and slightly downhill) from Nob Hill, to t ...

San Francisco, CA San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of 2024, San Francisco is the fourth-most populous city in the ...

(1905) * Ingraham Hotel, Ingraham and Orange Streets, Los Angeles, CA (1906–08) (''with Myron Hunt'') * Dr. Guy H. Cochran House, Loma Drive, Los Angeles (1906) (''with Myron Hunt'') * Henry E. Huntington Cottage, Clifton, CA (between Redondo and San Pedro) (1906) (''with Myron Hunt'')

1907

* Paine House, Pasadena, CA (1907) (''with Myron Hunt'') * L.H. Nares House, Beverly Hills, CA (1907) (''with Myron Hunt'') * Wattles Mansion, 1824 N. Curson Ave.,

Hollywood, Los Angeles, CA Hollywood, sometimes informally called Tinseltown, is a neighborhood and district in the central region of Los Angeles County, California, within the city of Los Angeles. Its name has become synonymous with the U.S. film industry and the peo ...

(1907) * Valley Hunt Clubhouse, South Orange Grove and Palmetto Avenues, Pasadena, CA (1907) (''with Myron Hunt'') * Walter Ransome Leeds House, Berkeley Square, Los Angeles, CA (1907) (''with Myron Hunt'') * Chester Montgomery House, Berkeley Square, Los Angeles, CA (1907) (''with Myron Hunt'') * William R. Burke House, Berkeley Square, Los Angeles, CA (1907) (''with Myron Hunt'') * Polytechnic Elementary School, Pasadena, CA (1907) (''with Myron Hunt'') and addition (1912–1913) * Arthur Herbert Woodward House (now the Zane Grey Estate), Altadena, CA (1907) (''with Myron Hunt'')

1908-1910

* William R. Nash House, N. Orange Grove Blvd. near San Rafael Bridge, Pasadena, CA (1908) (''with Myron Hunt'') * A.S. Gaylord House, San Rafael Heights, Pasadena, CA (1908) (''with Myron Hunt'') * Throop Polytechnic Institute, Campus Plan, Pasadena, CA (1908) (''with Myron Hunt'') * Dr. J.A. Scherer House (Pres. of Throop Polytechnic), Pasadena, CA (1908) (''with Myron Hunt'') * Men's Dormitory and other buildings at Claremont College, Pomona, CA (1908) (''with Myron Hunt'') * Henry Huntington House, later converted into the Huntington Library and Art Museum,

San Marino, CA San Marino is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. It was incorporated on April 25, 1913. At the 2020 United States census the population was 12,513, a decline from the 2010 United States census. History Origin of name Th ...

(1908) (''with Myron Hunt'') * Throop Hall, Pasadena, CA (1909) (''with Myron Hunt'') * Throop Polytechnic Institute, Pasadena Hall, Pasadena, CA (1908–10) * Edward D. Libbey House,

Ojai, California Ojai ( ; Chumashan languages, Chumash: ''’Awhaỳ'') is a city in Ventura County, California. Located in the Ojai Valley, it is northwest of Los Angeles and east of Santa Barbara, California, Santa Barbara. The valley is part of the east– ...

(1909) (''with Myron Hunt'') * Edward M. Taylor House (aka "Ferndale"), Altadena, CA (''with Myron Hunt'') (destroyed by fire in 1943) * ''Gartz Court'', Pasadena, CA, (1910) (''with Myron Hunt'') on the NRHP in Pasadena * E.M. Neustadt Mansion, West Adams St. and Western Ave., West Adams, Los Angeles (1910) (''with Myron Hunt'') * Dormitories at

Eagle Rock, Los Angeles, CA Eagle Rock is a neighborhood of Northeast Los Angeles, abutting the San Rafael Hills in Los Angeles County, California. The community is named after Eagle Rock (geographic point), Eagle Rock, a large boulder whose shadow resembles an eagle.http ...

, and Throop Polytechnic (1910) (''with Myron Hunt'') * J.N. Burnes House, El Molino and Pinehurst, Oak Knoll, Pasadena, CA (1910) (''with Myron Hunt'')

1911-1920

* Addison Lysle House, Garfield Ave. and El Monte Rd., Alhambra, CA (1911) *

, Beverly Hills, CA (1911) * Hawkins House, Reno, NV (1911) * Julius Seyler Bungalow,

South Pasadena, California South Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 26,943, up from 25,619 at the 2020 census. It is located in the Western San Gabriel Valley. It is in area and lies betwe ...

(1911–1912) *

, Alvarado Terrace, Los Angeles, CA (1911) * First Church of Christ Scientist, Long Beach, CA (1913) * Robert C. Gillis House, Santa Monica, CA (1913) * First Congregational Church of Riverside, CA, 1913, (''with Myron Hunt'') on the NRHP in Riverside County * E.M. Neustadt House, Altadena, CA (1913) * Dr. Clifford Webster Barnes House, 999 S. San Rafael Ave., Pasadena, CA (1913) * Elmer Grey House, 1372 S. El Molino Ave., Pasadena, CA (1912) * W. Sias House, Oak Knoll, Pasadena, CA (1912–13) * John Luckenbach House, Hillhurst Park, Hollywood, CA (1914) * First Church of Christ Scientist, 661 Bryant Street,

Palo Alto, CA Palo Alto ( ; Spanish language, Spanish for ) is a charter city in northwestern Santa Clara County, California, United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area, named after a Sequoia sempervirens, coastal redwood tree known as El Palo Alto. Th ...

(1916) * Rew-Sharp House,

Coronado, CA Coronado (Spanish language, Spanish for "Crowned") is a resort town, resort city in San Diego County, California, United States, across San Diego Bay from downtown San Diego. It was founded in the 1880s and incorporated in 1890. Its population ...

(1918) * Stafford W. Bixby House, Hillhurst Park, Hollywood, CA (1919)

1921 on

* Harvey Mudd House, Benedict Canyon Drive,

Beverly Hills, CA Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. A notable and historic suburb of Los Angeles, it is located just southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Beverly Hills ...

(1922) * Pico Heights Branch Library, Connecticut and Oxford Streets, Los Angeles, CA (1923) *

, Pasadena, CA (1924) * Bowen House, 336 Hudson Ave.,

Hancock Park, Los Angeles Hancock Park is a neighborhood in the Mid-Wilshire, Wilshire area of Los Angeles, California. Developed in the 1920s, the neighborhood features architecturally distinctive residences, many of which were constructed in the early 20th century. Ha ...

CA (1925) * Colony Club,

Santa Monica, CA Santa Monica (; Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 U.S. census population was 93,076. Santa Monica is a popular resort town, owing to ...

(1925) * R.H. Cromwell House,

Bel Air, Los Angeles Bel Air (or Bel-Air) is a residential neighborhood on the Los Angeles Westside, in the foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains in the U.S. state of California. Together with Beverly Hills, California, Beverly Hills and Holmby Hills, Bel Air fo ...

CA (1925) * A.N. Kemp House, Canyon Vista Park, overlooking Santa Monica Canyon and Brentwood Country Club (1925)
Bel-Air Bay Club
16801 Pacific Coast Highway Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, CA (1927) * Charles J. Wild House, Fremont Place, Los Angeles, CA (1930) * Lincoln Shrine, Redlands, CA (1932) * Charles J. Wild House, Altadena, CA (c. 1932) * Mrs. J.M. Goss Studio, Pasadena, Ca (c. 1932) * Margaret Coleman Studio, S. Madison Ave., Pasadena, CA (1933)

Selected published works

*
'A New Movement in American Architecture': Is It a Healthful One?
(1900) *
The planning of Christian Science church edifices
' (1916)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Grey, Elmer 1872 births 1963 deaths American ecclesiastical architects American residential architects American neoclassical architects Arts and Crafts architects Beaux Arts architects Spanish Revival architects Spanish Colonial Revival architects Architects from Pasadena, California Artists from Pasadena, California Architects from Milwaukee 20th-century American architects