Clyde Hufbauer
(b. 1911 - d. 1993)

By Vonn Marie May

Clyde Hufbauer was born in 1911 in Los Angeles, California.  His family relocated to San Diego when he was 10 years old.  Young Clyde attended San Diego High School and San Diego State College before going north to pursue architectural studies at the University of California at Berkeley where he obtained a Bachelor and Master of Arts degrees in Architecture.  And, for the first time in the University’s history, a Doctorate of Architecture was conferred to Clyde Hufbauer as well.

Clyde met Arabelle McKee at UC Berkeley, a fellow architectural student who also obtained her Bachelor and Master of Arts degrees in Architecture.  The couple married and relocated to San Diego.  Clyde began his architectural career in the late 1930’s as he and Arabelle welcomed three children, sons Karl and Gary, and young daughter Joyce.

The family resided in their first designed home at 833 Capistrano Way in Mission Beach.  Clyde was averse to living in ‘recycled’ houses and was determined to express his Modernist design sensibilities starting with his own residence.   In a 1939 article the San Diego Union the residential design was touted as ‘Ultra-Modern’ and beach functional, giving it a full-page Sunday feature with several photographs (See Attachment E-Criterion D).  Clyde would later build a second home in La Jolla for his growing family in 1952.

During 1955-1965, Hufbauer was supported by structural engineer Ted Paulson, who designed a few houses in a similar style as the Hufbauer House.

Hufbauer is most known for his work as chief architect for the San Diego Unified School District. He is credited with designing and bringing in on budget, 16 middle, junior, and high schools, in addition to 63 elementary schools.  Hufbauer also designed school facilities for Poway, Grossmont, Miramar and Southwestern community colleges.

However, Clyde’s career challenge was his response to an overwhelming population surge following World War II.  An indication of this extraordinary growth is reflected in U. S. Census figures.  In 1940 San Diego County had a population of 289,348.  By 1950 it grew to 556,806, an additional 95%, essentially doubling.  In 1960 the population continued to swell to 1,033,011, another 85%.  Hufbauer was instrumental in keeping up with the demand.  He was also the innovator of the ‘portable’ classroom, which could be moved from campus to campus, as needed.

His design for schools responded to the mild climate of San Diego, utilizing mostly one story structures with interconnecting flat or low sloping roofs, and a modular steel structural system with pipe column supports for canopies over the outdoor corridors; banded low walls and horizontal steel window systems facing intervening walkways and lawns on one side, and high transom windows on the opposite side. He was known “as a very direct, practical man, who was very successful working for school districts and state agencies” and to be on-time and within budget for his projects.

Hufbauer’s most noted design is the San Diego Unified School District Board of Education - Eugene Brucker Education Center on Normal Avenue (1953).

Clyde Hufbauer maintained professional offices at 1975 Fifth Avenue throughout most of his career.  He and Arabelle would divorce in 1960, she would retain the residence at 1821 Torrey Pines Road until 1964, after which she moved back to Berkeley.  Clyde remarried and moved to Del Mar still maintaining his private practice and his association with regional school districts.  He began an architectural partnership of Hufbauer, Humphrey & Worthington at 2148 Avenida de la Playa in La Jolla and moved with wife Virginia to a residence in La Jolla until his death in 1993.  

Partial List of San Diego Projects

Alice Birney Elementary School
North & East of Education Center

Crown Point Elementary School

Education Center (1953)
1405 Park Boulevard / 4100 Normal Street

Grossmont Community College (unknown building)

Hufbauer, Clyde & Arabelle M. Residence #1 (1939)
833 Capistrano Place, Mission Beach

Hufbauer, Clyde & Arabelle M. Residence #2 (1952)
1821 Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla

Miramar Community College (unknown building)

Mission Bay High School
2475 Grand Avenue, Pacific Beach

Raitt, Russell Residence (1954)
2424 Ellentown, La Jolla

Southwestern College (unknown building)

Wright, Dorrit & Albert Residence (circa mid-50s)
8445 Avenida de Las Ondas, La Jolla