Dale Naegle

Dale Naegle graduated from USC’s architecture program in 1954 in the height of Southern California’s modernist movement. With mentors William Perreira and A Quincy Jones helping form his approach to design, Mr. Naegle was one of several Los Angeles ex-patriots (like Robert Jones and Hal Sadler) to bring the Case Study House design ideology to San Diego.

Dale Naegle grew up in Van Nuys among walnut groves, chicken farms and movie stars. While living in Santa Barbara during his teens, Dale spent 15 years as a musician in dance bands through WW2 with Al Jarvis. Following the War, Mr. Naegle moved to the San Fernando Valley, only to realize because of the GI Bill, many of the area universities were full. Dale had no scholarship, and not having been a veteran, no GI Bill either.

While in high school Dale Naegle loved to draw, and kept up with classmates in math. Instead of pursuing these combined talents, Dale played music. Without television, everyone around him played a musical instrument. So Dale played music in the valley, among the farms and movie stars. Dale traveled around Southern California during the war playing for soldiers via the USO.
On his way to rehearsal (for the Hollywood Junior Orchestra) one day Dale Naegle realized he was not in the same league as his musician peers. He began to notice that many older musicians were not successful. He liked to draw. And because of his handicap, he had to sit down to work. Dale needed to make this work.

While living in Santa Barbara Dale Naegle bought books on Mies Van Der Rohe and Frank Lloyd Wright. He did not read up on the Bauhaus (as he saw it as a sham) but appreciated its California interpretation. He wasn’t educated in architecture but continues to believe since back then that the designers of the greatest spaces of all time are still unknown.

With USC’s program full, Dale Naegle went in the back door, he entered his architecture studies by attending night classes 2 to 3 times per week. He was still able to study under faculty like A Quincy Jones. Dale was not a typical undergrad – he didn’t participate in any activities on campus, instead he remained off campus working for variety of architects during the daylight hours. It was time to leave Los Angeles. “I felt like I was drowning in LA because of all the big names there… I knew nobody,” Mr. Naegle admitted.

Later, one of his fellow students from USC, Ed Malone asked him to help on a few San Diego projects for spec. builder Bill Nugent. Ed Malone (along with Robert Jones) also worked for Paderewski then Carl Tavares (later partner with Naegle, 1965). In San Diego, at this stage, Dale began to understand the needs of developers. Developers needed architects to create houses that would sell. “I loved La Jolla back then because of its sense of place. You knew you left somewhere and felt you arrived. The cove was the heart. La Jolla was not defined by its border, but of its heart. I thought to myself -- I’m going to work all my life; I ‘m never going to take a vacation; I may as well live in a vacation setting,” Mr. Naegle recalled.

Dale started a partnership with Herb Turner (who had apprenticed for John Lloyd Wright in Del Mar), down the hall from Fred Liebhardt’s practice. Ken Kellogg worked for Naegle but could never draw a straight line. While Naegle & Turner’s office décor was comprised of drafting tables of discarded doors laid across multiple saw-horses, Liebhardt’s nearby office (later to partner with Eugene Weston III) had bookshelves, carpets, and a secretary. As with Henry Hester, Liebhardt was a great designer but he had side (family) money to pick and choose their clients.
Dale reflects, “In those days we liked to draw. We treated people who liked to draw better than those that didn’t draw.”

Mr. Naegle’s approach to architecture has never been confined. His design expression, however, has been more possible in his custom homes. In these designs he shifted from architect to “human-tect.”

Of the Pappenfort Residence (1962), San Diego & Point wrote: Architect Dale Naegle has achieved a home full of surprises and angles by the use of both vertical and horizontal paneled redwood, soaring beamed ceilings of lighter wood, and flat ceilings with translucent skylights. Despite the variety of angles, nothing is gimmicky. The feeling is clean-cut and linear.

“We were doing houses with integrity, privacy, and dignity between $20-30K for people trying to climb onto the equity ladder. We couldn’t make houses all look like Richard Neutra’s work because they wouldn’t sell, recalled Naegle. “Later, San Diego architects would have to increase density to yield affordability; Our creativity came from trying to get a better yield for the client. We’re still trying passionately to do this today,” Naegle continued.

With his design talents proven in early work for himself (Naegle #1 and Naegle #2) and clients (Pappenfort, Mansfield Mills – both published via Julius Shulman’s photography), Dale began to distinguish the lines between planner, architect, developer and client while working on larger scale projects. He recollects, “Planners love to plan with none of their own money and tell you (clients) how to live in it. Developers listen to how you live because their money is in it and they want to sell it.”

Dale maintains a vigilance about the melding of these disciplines, “When working with developers – they’ve always kept commercial and residential projects separate. I see the zone between – the shopkeeper concept (Rancho Bernardo’s Mercado being an early attempt). The community needs front porches, a combination of retail and live/work to protect the young girl walking home from the bus stop at night.”

Early Projects

Bell, Sam Residence, Beach House & Tramway (1955-65)
La Jolla Shores Lane, La Jolla
Notes: Sam Bell's (Bell Potato Chips) beach house was built as part of a 30-year relationship starting in 1955 with the house on top of cliff. In 1955 elevator was installed by Elevator Electric Company (same company as CJ Paderewski’s first glass elevator on El Cortez Hotel). Beach House completed in March 1965. Later, 2nd owner installed walls around beach house (Ken Kellogg?) and changed interiors. House on top of cliff was demolished around 1990.

Coastwalk La Jolla (1980s)

Colony Hill (1967)
Via Avola, La Jolla
First PRD on a hillside in order to save on excavation/demolition of hillside itself. 30 units including the entryway that Dale is very proud of.

Lawrence Welk Village
Escondido

Mercado Shopping Center (1970s)
Rancho Bernardo - demolished

Mills, Mansfield Residence (1959)
7105 Country Club Lane, La Jolla
Mrs. Mills still in the residence. Planned bequest of property to MCA La Jolla

Moore Residence (1958)
2045 Lowry Terrace (demolished), La Jolla

Muir Commons (1969)
UCSD John Muir Campus

Naegle Residence #1 (1960)
8310 El Paseo Grande (remodeled), La Jolla

Naegle Residence #2 (1970)
29754 Caminito Bello, La Jolla

Naegle Residence #3 (1980)
Dale lived there for 10 years.

Pappenfort, Robert B. Residence (1962)
5931 Citadel (remodeled), La Jolla
Published in San Diego & Point Magazine, June 1962.

Rabbit Residence (1970)
on Calle de la Garza , La Jolla
Dale remodeled residence 15 years later.

Stirret Residence (1967)
1730 Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla

Tenaya Hall (1969)
UCSD John Muir Campus

Tioga Hall (1969)
UCSD John Muir Campus

Ventana Development (1980s)
North of Pacific Beach

Walker Residence (1958)
2451 Ellentown, La Joll

Windemere Development (1970s)
Soledad Cross

Wooley House (early 1960s)
1st design in contemporary production housing on Via Orleta, La Jolla

Dale Naegle was Interviewed on 8/14/02 and 10/30/04 by Keith York