Kemper Nomland Jr. (May 8, 1919 - December 25, 2009) was a

modernist Modernism was an early 20th-century movement in literature, visual arts, and music that emphasized experimentation, abstraction, and Subjectivity and objectivity (philosophy), subjective experience. Philosophy, politics, architecture, and soc ...

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 ...

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California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

and part of a father-son architectural team with his father Kemper Nomland, Sr. He was also a painter and printer of poetry and arts publications.Brother Antoninus/ William Everson
Poet, Printer and Religious An Interview Conducted by Ruth Teiser, Berkeley 1966

Family

Kemper Nomland Jr. was the son of Kemper Nomland Sr. (1892- 1976) and Elgie (Barrington) Nomland (1892-1996) . He had one younger brother, Dr. John Nomland. Kemper Nomland Sr. was born in

Buxton, North Dakota Buxton is a city in Traill County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 348 at the 2020 census. Buxton was founded in 1880. History Buxton was founded in 1880 in Buxton Township as a townsite along the Great Northern Railroad in 1 ...

to Norwegian immigrant parents who had lived in rural

Traill County, North Dakota Traill County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population at 7,997, and was estimated to be 7,989 in 2024. The county seat is Hillsboro, North Dakota, H ...

. After completing coursework at the

University of North Dakota The University of North Dakota (UND) is a Public university, public research university in Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States. It was established by the Dakota Territory, Dakota Territorial Assembly in 1883, six years before the establishm ...

, Kemper Nomland Sr. studied architecture at

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

before practicing in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

, and then

. He worked with Albert C. Martin in 1922, Marston Van Pelt & Maybury (1923–1925) Austin, Martin & Parkinson (1926–1927); Kemper Nomland Jr. after 1928; and Hunt & Chambers from 1942-1944. Cultural Resources of the Recent Past
Historic Context Report, City of Pasadena

Studies and work camp

Kemper Nomland Jr. graduated from

Pasadena City College Pasadena City College (PCC) is a Public college, public community college in Pasadena, California. It was founded in 1924 as Pasadena Junior College. History Pasadena City College was founded in 1924 as Pasadena Junior College. It originally o ...

in 1938 and with a bachelor's degree in architecture from the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...

in 1941. He worked for Albert C. Martin before joining his father to form a firm together. He was a

conscientious objector A conscientious objector is an "individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service" on the grounds of freedom of conscience or religion. The term has also been extended to objecting to working for the military–indu ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and was put to work in a

Civilian Public Service The Civilian Public Service (CPS) was a program of the United States government that provided conscientious objectors with an alternative service, alternative to military service during World War II. From 1941 to 1947, nearly 12,000 draftees, wil ...

camp at

Wyeth, Oregon Wyeth is an unincorporated locale in Hood River County, Oregon, United States. (Dead link - no longer supported by GNIS) It is the site of a campground area in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area off Interstate 84 (I-84). It was a r ...

, (CPS Camp 21) in the

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (PNW; ) is a geographic region in Western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though no official boundary exists, the most common ...

, where he did forest-maintenance work, and Camp Angel, near

Waldport, Oregon Waldport is a city in Lincoln County, Oregon, United States. The population was 2,033 at the 2010 census. The city is located on the Alsea River and Alsea Bay, south of Newport and north of Yachats. History Settlement of Waldport began in ...

, "where he was involved with the fine arts group, designing several covers for books printed by the Untide Press at the camp and working on Illiterati, a literary and artistic journal". He designed the chapel at Camp 21 in the

Columbia River Gorge The Columbia River Gorge is a canyon of the Columbia River in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. Up to deep, the canyon stretches for over as the river winds westward through the Cascade Range, forming the boundary between the state ...

on Gorton Creek in

, "a few miles east of Cascade Locks."Charles Davis and Jeffrey Kova
Confrontation at the Locks
; A Protest of Japanese Removal and Incarceration during World War II, Oregon Historical Quarterly Vol. 107, No. 4 winter 2006 Seven of his framed paintings, including portraits from his time at the work camp, are held in a collection at

Lewis and Clark College Lewis & Clark College is a private liberal arts college in Portland, Oregon. It was founded in 1867 and is situated on the historic M. Lloyd Frank Estate in South Portland's Collins View neighborhood. It is composed of three distinct but adja ...

. One of his paintings was published in two of Coffield's books as well as the publication ''The Illiterati''. Subjects of the paintings included Glen Coffield, Windsor Utley, Bill Webb, a waterfall, concert, and (from 1968) an anti-war rally. He also painted a portrait of Mark Schrock, the director of CPS Camp 21. Nomland was also involved in printing work with William Everson and provided the illustrations for William Everson's ''War Elegies''. He also wrote to E.E. Cummings.

Architectural work

Together with his father, Nomland designed

Case Study House No. 10 Case Study House No. 10 is a modernist house in Pasadena, California constructed in 1947. The house was designed by architect Kemper Nomland and his son Kemper Nomland, Kemper Nomland Jr. Although not originally part of the Case Study Houses, Case ...

in 1947 in

Pasadena 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 commercial d ...

. The project was part of a program sponsored by the magazine

Arts & Architecture ''Arts & Architecture'' (1929–1967) was an American design, architecture, landscape, and arts magazine. It was published and edited by John Entenza from 1938–1962 and David Travers 1962–1967. ''Arts & Architecture'' played a significant ro ...

which promoted the design of modernist postwar housing. The home on a sloping corner lot "in the hillside neighborhood" "mirrored the descending line of the home’s site into the sloping roofline" and included "large walls of glass and a heated floor system" and used "industrial materials such as plywood and corrugated wire glass were also used throughout and the architects further specified large openings to the outside, which allowed for the fluid layout of interior spaces to be carried to the outdoors." In 1950 he moved to Mt. Washington section of Los Angeles and designed his own three-story hillside home, and about a dozen other nearby homes. He resided there with other

pacifist Pacifism is the opposition to war or violence. The word ''pacifism'' was coined by the French peace campaigner Émile Arnaud and adopted by other peace activists at the tenth Universal Peace Congress in Glasgow in 1901. A related term is ''a ...

friends and neighbors until his wife inability to get around well. Nomland also designed the

Norwegian Seamen's Church, San Pedro The Norwegian Seamen's Church () is a Norwegian Church Abroad that doubles as the Church of Sweden Los Angeles (), also known as the Swedish Seamen's Church. It is located at 1035 South Beacon Street in the San Pedro, Los Angeles, California, Sa ...

. During the campus' expansion during the 1950s, he refurbished

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...

's Moore Hall, including lighting work when it was converted to exclusive use by the University's School of Education. After working with his father for several years he joined "several architectural firms, and at one point he designed a house for actress

Jane Russell Ernestine Jane Geraldine Russell (June 21, 1921 – February 28, 2011) was an American actress, model, and singer. She was one of Hollywood's leading sex symbols in the 1940s and 1950s and starred in more than 20 films throughout her career. R ...

" and designed at least a dozen other residence.

Personal life

His first wife, Ella Kube Nomland (1914-1994) had been an immigrant from Germany. He was later married to Joan Westermeyer.Dennis McLella
Kemper Nomland Jr. dies at 90
L.A. architect built Case Study House No. 10, He joined with his father to form Nomland & Nomland after World War II. During their partnership, the pair designed numerous projects. OBITUARY December 30, 2009 Los Angeles Times Kemper Nomland Jr. died of natural causes while residing at an assisted living home in

Long Beach Long Beach is a coastal city in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is the list of United States cities by population, 44th-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 451,307 as of 2022. A charter ci ...

, leaving behind a daughter, Erika Nomland Cilengir, a son-in-law, Erol Cilengir, and a grandson, Kemal Antonio Cilengir.

Selected Projects

(1947) by Kemper Nomland and Kemper Nomland Jr. * West Hollywood house at 1030 North Kings Road (Unfortunately, this house has been demolished and replaced by an apartment building.) *French Normandy style residence at 3635 Shannon Road (This residence was actually designed by Kemper Nomland, Sr., not Kemper Nomland, Jr.) in Los Feliz.''Grand French Normandy Residence'' (Keller Williams, Beverly Hills)
/ref> *

(1951) *1680 Virginia Rd. Los Angeles, CA built in 1961 and located in historic LaFayette Square.

References

External links

Footprints of Pacifism: The Creative Lives of Kemper Nomland & Kermit Sheets

* [https://www.amazon.com/Shadow-Maverick-Lessons-father/dp/B0BT76MV48/ref=sr_1_1?crid=UKEX1YTWU156&keywords=%22in+the+shadow+of+a+maverick%22&qid=1707795701&sprefix=in+the+shadow+of+a+maverick+%2Caps%2C177&sr=8-1 Cilengir, Erika Nomland (2023), In the Shadow of a Maverick: Lessons from my father, Rainmaker Publishing] {{DEFAULTSORT:Nomland, Kemper 2009 deaths 1919 births Pasadena City College alumni People from Traill County, North Dakota Artists from California Artists from North Dakota Architects from California American conscientious objectors Members of the Civilian Public Service Columbia University alumni People from Mount Washington, Los Angeles University of North Dakota alumni