J. Herbert Brownell
(b. 1916 – d. 2005)

Freeman, Alfred E. Jr. Residence (1959)
Camino de La Costa, La Jolla

The home of Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Freeman Jr. occupes a conspicuous site on the curving shoreline of the beautiful La Jolla Peninsula.

To provide enjoyment in every room, Architect J. Herbert Brownell, AIA, designed a peaked central area with glass walls on the ocean side. A balcony extends across this side, too.

Steps have been laid from the house to the water line below so that the Freemans can enjoy picnics on the water-washed rock ledges. A sheltered patio on the street side provides outdoor living on windy days.

The house covers 3000 square feet and has a wood frame with the exception of the central area. There steel framing panels are boxed in with wood.

Exterior materials are redwood siding, heavy shake roof, aluminum doors and window frames.

Interior woods are redwood and birch. Floors are cork and vinyl, with masonry used in the entry.

Heatinv is by the gravity system, warm air provided by two furnaces placed under the house. The builder is Bill Canning and landscape design is by Harold Curtiss.

by Barbara Lenox, LA Times Home Magazine section August 12, 1956

The house forms a "U," with glass area facing seaward and toward the patio gardens. Owners: Mr. and Mrs. Alfred E. Freeman; General Contractor: William Canning Co.; structural engineer and fabricator: National Steel & Shipbuilding Corp., San Diego.

Few people are fortunate enough to find the perfect setting for their home and fewer still manage to seek out the inspired type of design needed to capture the full beauty of the site. the home of Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Freeman Jr., of La Jolla, Calif., is one of the rare exceptions to the rule... a perfect blending of sky, sea, and home.

In shopping around, the Freemans located a site on the La Jolla peninsula that afforded a panoramic view of the Pacific Ocean with its long sweep of surf and beach. The architect, J. Herbert Brownell, AIA, of Newport Beach, developed a plan consisting of a low spreading general scheme blending with the surroundings, but as an accent the central mass was projected upward with a steep "peaked" roof.

By enclosing the gable ends of this central section completely with glass, Mr. Brownell achieved some spectacular results. To the south, the home provides a view of the Pacific Ocean that is breathtaking in its beauty and scope. Within the living and dining rooms, this "peaked" roof with its end walls of glass creates an open spatial feeling reminiscent of a cathedral. A suspended steel stairway leads to a balcony above the living room which is used as a game area and lounge. This indoor balcony further emphasizes the vast sweep of ocean and sky created by the peak roof and its floor-to-ceiling lights of PPG Solex glass. (PPG's tinted glass was used to counteract the warm southern exposure and reduce glare from the sky and reflections on the water).

The home, which covers 3,000 square feet of space, provides four bedrooms, four baths, and service area in the rambling east and west wings. A spacious patio is provided on the wind-protected inland side of the home for outdoor living and lounging on breezy days, while an outdoor promenade deck extends along the southern side facing the sea. Steps have been laid from the house to the water line below so that the Freemans can enjoy picnics on teh water-washed rock ledges.

The structure of teh house, which was built by William Canning of La Jolla, is conventional wood fram with the exception of a series of steel A-frames boxed in with wood. The exterior of the home is constructed of redwood siding, stucco and heavy shake roof. Expansive glass areas in the south and north elevations are glazed with Solex glass while windows in the east and west are of PPG polished palte glass.

All PPG materials in the Freeman home were supplied and installed b the La Jolla Branch of W.P. Fuller & Company.

Pittsburgh Plate Glass Products March-April 1957