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Abrams,
Harold |
J. Herbert
Brownell
Born the son of a JC Penny’s clerk on January 21, 1916, James Herbert Brownell would grow up in El Monte, California and practiced architecture across seven decades. As a youth, James (later he would favor Herbert, or Herb) held two paper routes simultaneously during the Great Depression to help the family, a period in American history that would have a profound impact on his life and work. As a byproduct of the Great Depression, Mr. Brownell would not waste anything (even space in his designs – as he saw hallways as wasted opportunities) or throw things away. Herb never borrowed from a bank, kept a reserve of cash in the bank at all times, and lived frugally. He built his first home, for his parents, while still in high school. Mr. Brownell started his career in architecture in 1934 working for Joe Weston (Eugene Weston III’s uncle) in El Monte. Following work with the Federal Housing Authority and an apprenticeship with Phil Ellerbrock, with Joe Weston’s encouragement Herb enrolled at Cal Berkeley. Beyond academic study, a young Herbert Brownell would act as president of the campus Architectural Association and Delta Sigma Chi architectural fraternity and graduate at the top of his class in 1940. J. Herbert Brownell served as a pilot in the Army Air Corps. With the rank of Captain, he received a medical discharge after two years for his allergies. As World War II came to a close, Herb drafted several residential designs in the office of Whitney R. Smith (Smith & Williams). Between April, 30 and June 11th, 1945, the young Herb Brownell drafted for Smith clients - Nelson, Carlson, Wyatt, Blaisdell, Kurtz, Sumner, Webster, Van Dorn, and Zwell. Among the many new ideas and technologies to blossom during wartime, plywood would become a motivating force in J. Herbert Brownell’s career. Joining in partnership with a salesman who made a name for himself at the San Francisco Golden Gate Exhibition (1939-1940) working for a large lumber firm, Brownell would design and construct small buildings heavily utilizing plywood to demonstrate its effectiveness as a building material. Brownell would incorporate plywood into many of his projects from then on. After practicing architecture in San Francisco and Washington DC, J. Herbert Brownell hung his own shingle in 1951 in a small Pasadena office. In short order he moved his private architectural practice to 2802 Circle Drive in Bayshores, then onto 1000 Coast Highway in Newport Beach where he would work between 1952-1955. The J. Herbert Brownell Architect and Staff Office of his own design held its open house on Friday June 3, 1955 at 1950 Coast Highway. At this final location, J. Herbert Brownell would produce a great number of residential, commercial and government buildings. J. Herbert Brownell would travel to Japan and through Europe extensively to educate himself on art and architecture. Beyond his love of fine art and crafts, a fondness for Scandinavian architecture and Danish furnishings became a motivating force in Herbert’s designs. While he did not design and build every cabinet detail, his interior and exterior designs would reflect the spirit of contemporary furniture without finishes (he used stains and waxes on woods at the clients’ requests) and honesty in structure. Of his design philosophy, Brownell wrote “…the structure should be suited to the physical environment, honestly expressing the use of simple materials, dramatic, warm in feeling and designed to function well for the intended purpose. The job of the architect is the housing of a family so that it may live comfortably, conveniently, economically, and with a certain pride in possession. If the plan of that home fulfills its needs, if its design conforms to its construction and reflects its planning, then it is a good house and will serve its purpose as a good home for the family.” The Brownell office went through a number of permutations as staff architects and partners changed over the years. He took on his first partner, Kermit P. Dorius (Brownell and Dorius) in 1959. This partnership would change to (Fred) Hodgsdon, Brownell and Dorius in 1960, the same year Herb was elected as President of the Orange County chapter of the AIA. During the1960s, the firm peaked at nine employees (for a time including his brother Harold Brownell) designing larger school and hospital projects. After a career designing housing tracts, churches, apartment and office complexes, fire stations, schools, clubhouses and custom residences, J. Herbert Brownell died on February 25, 2005.
Partial List of Projects Freeman,
Alfred E. Residence (1959) Mr & Mrs.
Robert C. Hermann Residence Pearce & Co.
Compact Houses Partial List of Other Projects Alecks, R.V. Residence Anthony Residence
(1959) Armstrong, D. Residence (1960) Armstrong, J. Residence Armstrong, Ramsey
C. Residence (1960) Atherton, William
Residence (1947) Ayres Residence
(1957) Bagnoli Residence
(1960) Barnes, Edward
(1955) Baycrest Model
Home/Development Benton Residence Berkson Residence Brownell Office
(1955) Brownell Residence
#1 (1950) Brownell Residence
#2 (February, 1956) Brownell Residence
#3 (June, 1962) Brownell Residence
#4 (August, 1970) Brownell Residence
#5 (March, 1973) Carney, Jack (1965) C & G Tool
Co. (1955) Clark Residence
(1951) Conklin Residence
(1960) Corona Del Mar Elementary Corona Del Mar
Intermediate School Crawford Residence Davis, Henry C.
Residence (1954) Dawson Residence Duncan, Dr. Donald
B. Residence (1959) Edwards, James
Residence (1953) Ebell Club of
Fullerton Eisenlohr Residence Ellis Residence Elks Lodge 1767
Building Emerald Bay House
(1957) Emison Residence Eoff, Asel Residence
(1958) Estabrook, Jeffrey Residence Falk Residence
(1960) Featherstone Residence Fire Station Sub
#6 (1957) Fire Station (1953) Fire Station, Orange Sub #2 (1959) Fire Station, Newport Sub #1 (1961) Foster, John Residence
(1961) Fox, Robert Residence
Remodel (1958) Gardner, Robert
A. Residence (1954) Graham, Eugene
B. Residence Hakes Residence
(1957) Hamilton Residence
(1960) Hamilton, L.A.
Residence (1954) Hanna, Kathleen
& Dunbacher, Robert Residence (1951) Harbor House Restaurant
(1953) Harbor View School Harris, W.B. “Bud”
Residence (1955) Hayward, William
C. Residence (1959) Herrmann, Robert.
C. Residence Hightower Residence
(1959) Hoag Hospital
(1966) Hoag Hospital
Pediatrics Pavillion (1968) Hoag Residence Holmes Residence
Horsley, Fred
R. Residence (1953) Horsley, Fred
R. Residence (1956) Irvine Company
Offfices (1959) Irvine, Myford
Residence (1959) Ivey Residence
#1 (1958) Ivey Residence
#2 Jackson, D.W.
(1954) Johnson, S.B.
Residence (1959) Johnson, E.F.
Residence (1958) Jones, F. Residence
(1960) Kendall Residence Kephart, Dean
Residence Kinner Residence (1958) Koch, Eugene Residence
(1953) Kress Residence
(1957) Lewis, Howard
B. Residence (1955) Lewis, Roy Residence Lido Clubhouse Remodel (1955)a Lombardo Residence
(1958) Long Residence
(1958) Longley, Dr. J.R.
(1955) Loughbridge, Paul
Residence (1952) Lougher Residence Marina Shores
Development 136 homes (1957) Massachusetts
Mutual Insurance (1959) Mather Residence
(1956) McCray Residence McGavren, L.B.
Residence (1954) Meachem Residence Mitchell, Kenneth
C. Residence (1956) Moore, Roger Residence
(1960) Nahas, A.S. Residence
(1955) Newport Beach
Ebell Club (1956) Newport Heights
Subdivision Noble Residence Perley Residence
(1959) Pollack, John
P. Residence (1959) Private Residence
(1965) Rankin Residence
(1954) Ray Residence Redhill Tennis Club Richardson Residence Rojas Residence Scott, Eugene
F. Residence (1955) Stukey Residence Stultz, H.S. Residence Tancredi Building (1959) Taylor, Harry
(1952) Watson, John Stuart
Residence (1954) West Cliff Subdivision
Development Willis, Dr. Residence
(1959) Wiltsie, Dave
Western Den Shop (1966) Wiltsie Residence
(1959) Witmer Residence
(1959) Woodward Residence |
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