William Kesling

William Kesling (born Kessling; 18 October 1899 - 13 October 1983) was an American architect. Kesling's career was divided into two periods: a Los Angeles period spanning from 1934 to 1937, and a San Diego period spanning from 1939 to 1962. During the former period he designed primarily in the Streamline Moderne style, and during the latter in the International Style. Kesling is recognized as one California's most prolific practitioners of Streamline Moderne.

William Kesling
Born(1899-10-18)18 October 1899
Died13 October 1983(1983-10-13) (aged 83)
NationalityAmerican
OccupationArchitect
Spouse
Ehrma Williams
(m. 1926)

Biography

William Kessling was born on 18 October 1899 to Adolph Kessling and Pauline Heissler, both German immigrants. Adolph Kessling (1854-1928) was born in Germany, had left home and moved to Russia at the age of 13, and eventually traveled to the United States, settling in Kansas City where he met and married Pauline Heissler. William Kessling was the fourth of their five children. The Kesslings moved from Kansas City to Brenham, Texas, where they owned a ranch, slaughterhouse, and butcher shop. In 1911, Adolph and his eldest son left the family without notice. In 1916, however, Adolph contacted his family and informed them that he was living in Calexico, California, where he owned another cattle operation and invited the family to join him. Pauline, with the four children, moved to Calexico and began working with Adolph while maintaining a separate residence. In the 1920s Adolph again left the family to look for gold in the Mojave Desert. He died in 1928 after falling off of a precipice.

Following the First World War, William Kessling moved to Los Angeles and worked as a carpenter, eventually working his way up to superintendent within the Jarboe Construction Company. In the late 1920s he changed the spelling of his last name to "Kesling" and in 1926 married Ehrma Williams (1903-1993). Around this time Kesling left his job with Jarboe and formed his own contracting company.

In the early part of 1934, Kesling founded his company Kesling Modern Structures and began designing affordable modern houses. His first project was begun that summer and completed in 1935. For the next two years, Kesling remained extremely busy, designing and building an extensive body of houses for clients including Hollywood actor Wallace Beery. During this time Kesling designed and built one of the largest oeuvres of Streamline-Moderne houses by a single architect. Arguably his most iconic houses from this period were the Vanderpool Residence and Skinner Residence, located side-by-side on Easterly Terrace in Los Angeles's Silver Lake neighborhood. In November 1936 Kesling was arrested on fraud charges, and in March 1937 was sentenced to two years probation, during which time he was disallowed from working in the building business.

In 1939, after his probation was finished, Kesling moved to La Jolla to start his business over. Throughout the Second World War he designed prefabricated houses and by the late 1940s was again designing privately commissioned houses. Perhaps his most iconic work from this period was a cliff-side house he designed for Walton McConnell. Photographs of the house taken by Julius Shulman were featured in a 1947 issue of Life.[1]

In the early 1960s Kesling had again gotten into financial trouble and in 1962 was forced to sell his business and assets. For the rest of his career, he worked odd handy-man jobs. Kesling died on 13 October 1983, five days short of his 84th birthday.

Legacy

Kesling's work was largely unappreciated during his lifetime and forgotten after his retirement. In the 21st century, however, Kesling's buildings have gained a new-found popularity and widespread recognition. Kesling houses now command high sale prices and are desirable due to their historic and aesthetic importance. Among those who own Kesling works is actor Jay Huguley, who lives in Kesling's Wilson Residence.[2] In 2021, the Estes House was listed for $2 million.[3]

Works

Name City Address Year
Model Home Los Angeles 1519 North Easterly Terrace 1935
Johnstone Residence Los Angeles 3311 Lowry Road 1935
Hough Residence Los Angeles 2808 West Effie Street 1935
Estes Residence Los Angeles 3817 Broadlawn Drive 1936
Kesling Modern Structures Office Los Angeles 7522 Girard Avenue 1936
Collins Residence Los Angeles 1709 Silverwood Terrace 1936
Vanderpool Residence Los Angeles 1536 North Easterly Terrace 1936
Vernon Residence Los Angeles 11575 Otsego Street 1936
Wilson Residence Los Angeles 1831 Fanning Street 1936
Kaplan Residence Los Angeles 1827 Fanning Street 1936
Evans Triplex Los Angeles 1615-1617 Rendell Place 1936
Dill Residence Los Angeles 4437 Vista del Monte 1936
Beery Residence Los Angeles 947 North Martel Avenue 1936
Beery Duplex Los Angeles 756 Harper Avenue 1936[4]
Skinner Residence Los Angeles 1530 North Easterly Terrace 1936
Adams Residence Los Angeles 3217 Fernwood Avenue 1937
Rivero Residence West Hollywood 1347 Miller Drive 1937
Ulm Residence Los Angeles 3606 Amesbury Road 1937
Kibbe Residence Los Angeles 1495 Easterly Terrace 1937
Unknown Pasadena 412 Glen Holly Drive 1937
Kaysor Residence La Jolla 1942
King Residence La Jolla 8208 Paseo Del Ocaso 1947
Gamson Residence La Jolla 1947
Ingle Residence La Jolla 5819 Beaumont Street 1947
McConnell Residence La Jolla 1890 Spindrift Drive 1947
Jamar Dining Room La Jolla 5786 La Jolla Boulevard 1948
Borrego Springs Desert Club Borrego Springs 401 Tilting T Drive 1948
Borrego Springs Mercantile Building Borrego Springs 665 Palm Canyon Drive 1948

Further reading

Pascal, Patrick. Kesling Modern Structures: Popularizing Modern Design in Southern California 1934-1962. Los Angeles: Balcony Press, 2002.

References

  1. "Life Visits a Cliffside House." Life, 3 November 1947, pp. 154-160.
  2. "'12 Years a Slave' actor Jay Huguley at home in Kesling design". Los Angeles Times. 2013-10-19. Retrieved 2021-12-02.
  3. Woo, Jen (2021-09-02). "Estes Residence by William Kesling". Dwell. Retrieved 2021-12-02.
  4. "756 N HARPER AVE". Historic Places L.A. City of Los Angeles. Retrieved 25 December 2021.
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