Lawrence 'Larry' W. Weir

Son of Patrick Weir and Stella Bourgeois, Larry Weir was born in Chicago on November 5, 1924. He served in the US Navy from 1939 to 1946, where, during World War II he delivered supplies and briefly served as an aircraft gunner in the South Pacific. Following military service he moved to San Diego and with his three older brothers started Weir Brothers Construction, quickly establishing themselves as pioneers in adobe construction.

By 1948 Weir Bros. Construction was up and running with brother Jack serving as contractor and Larry as designer. In 1951, Weir moved to Escondido. There, he had access to a large supply of adobe at what is now Kit Carson Park. His company grew to 80 employees.

The brothers worked long hours building adobe homes. They started with small, inexpensive two-bedroom units and then expanded into Rancho Santa Fe by building high-end masterpieces. Either way, it was an acquired taste. "People either love adobe or they wouldn't even stable their horses in it," Weir said in a 1989 interview with the Los Angeles Times.

While serving Weir Bros. Larry helped the firm specialize in custom adobe structures – some designed in-house while others would enhance the talents of local architects like Sim Bruce Richards who adored adobe when not building in redwood, cedar and mahogany.

Larry and Maria Ravettino were married on June 23, 1951. They had nine children: Larry Weir, Maria Werth, Estelle Harrison, Thomas Weir, Christine Herms, Catherine Le Bell, Theresa Moller, Michael Damian, and Joani Weir.

In September 1963, he launched the Larry Weir Adobe Co. and proceeded to build homes across the county, including Rancho Santa Fe, Escondido, Encinitas and Poway across four decades. Weir’s designs were rarely conventional – for example, drew inspiration from his time in the Navy by using rope to frame windows. Larry built houses around the site, incorporating boulders and tree limbs into the structure’s design. On occasion he would visit a train yard and buy old materials for use in the construction of the homes.

While certainly adobe walls were their signature early on, passersby may also look for a signature placement of an old wagon wheel often embedded in a wall or a fence as well as round and large arched windows. Weir Brothers homes were often built of recycled lumber – decades before it was fashionable they would buy old piers and train trestles for the large beams used in their home designs. It has been said that his brother Jack’s designs were square, while Larry’s depended on circles, turrets, and more rounded, creative patterns.

Larry Weir, a designer of numerous adobe houses in San Diego County and helped restore the Mission San Antonio de Pala in 1958, died on July 11, 2012 of heart failure. He was 87.

Partial List of Projects

Anderson, George Robert Residence I (1951)
288 Neptune Drive, Encinitas
*Weir Bros homeowners George Anderson and Sid Shaw co-owned Surf Cleaners in Encinitas following their pilot/co-pilot time together in the US Navy during WW2.

Anderson, George Robert Residence II (1952)
1221 Windsor Road, Encinitas
*Published in San Diego & Point Magazine

Aspel, Dr. Thomas and Barbara Residence (1964)
3149 Old Post Road, Fallbrook

Barend, William & Mary Jo Residence (1967)
2945 Verda Avenue, Escondido
*"Larry Weir designed plans for that location before we built but we did not use his design when we built the house," according to Mary Jo Barend.

Beebe Residence (1960)
9458 Del Dios Highway

Bergman Museum (1955)
Aguanga, California

Beust, Mr. & Mrs. Ben Adobe Residence (1965)
315 Olive Avenue, Carlsbad

Bilty, Hazel Residence (1951)
Neptune Drive, Encinitas

Copeland, Admiral and Mrs. Richard G. (1960)
1514 Park Hill Lane, Escondido

Crabe Residence
Country Club, Pauma Valley

Fouts, Dan Residence
San Diego

Goodbody, Mike Residence (1964)
1514 Robyn Rd. in Escondido.
*Mike was Weir Bros lead carpenter, Bob Minkler drew the original plans for the house

Green Ranch
Las Palmas

Hallen, M. Residence (1958)
2640 Loma Vista Drive, Escondido
*'Adobe Home for Mr. & Mrs. M. Hallen' with 'Addition to Residence of Mr. & Mrs. Forrest Drake' in 1966 also by Weir Bros. Adobe Construction Co.

Hinrichs, Suzy & Jack Residence
2362 Royal Crest Drive, Escondido

Hinrichs, Tom Residence
Escondido

Hotchkiss, Bud & Donee Residence
Donee Diego Drive, Escondido

Jackson, James & Gretchen Residence (1964)
2775 La Palmas Avenue, Escondido

Johnson, Nancy Residence
Old San Pasqual Road

Johnson, Robert Residence (1969)
12415 Mesa Verde Drive, Valley Center
*Designed by Robert Johnson’s cousin Millard Sheets. Adobe construction by Weir Bros.

Kaufman, Julian Residence (1959)
3125 Montesano Road, Escondido

Klein, Gene Residence
San Diego

Kurtz, Rear Adm. Thomas R. Residence (1967)
11146 Valley Lights Drive, El Cajon

Lee, Sally Residence
Pauma Valley across from the clubhouse

McGurty, Mr. William H. & Mrs. (1964)
575 W. Armsley Square, Ontario, CA

Morehouse, Homer J. Spec House #1 (1959)
4245 Cobalt Drive, La Mesa

Morehouse, Homer J. Spec House #2 (1962)
8030 Shadow Hill Drive, La Mesa

Morehouse, Homer J. Residence (1963)
4250 Eastridge Drive, La Mesa

Pala Mesa Village (ca. 1971)
Tract of Weir Brothers designs
Via De Todos Santos, Fallbrook

Pala Mesa Resort (ca. ‘70s and ‘80s)
Tract of Weir Brothers designs

Paulson, Allen Residence
San Diego

Pauma Valley Country Club (ca. ‘60s and ‘70s)
Tract of Weir Brothers designs

Private Residence (1965)
Aguanga, California

Private Residence
Big Sur, California

Private Residence (1959)
3118 Quiet Hills Drive, Escondido
Past attribution has stated this is the Reuben H. Fleet Residence. In 1960 the home was sold to Peter and Judith Almand. It is unclear if they were the commissioning client or if this was a spec house sold to them.

Private Residence (1978)
17210 Archie Moore Road, Ramona

Private Residence (1960)
2678 Groton Place, Escondido

Private Residence (1972)
1317 Windsor Road, Cardiff

Private Residence (1961)
3215 Bernardo Lane, Escondido

Private Residence (1948)
1121 Via Loma Vista, El Cajon

Private Residence (1954)
2635 Loma Vista Drive, Escondido

Private Residence (1976)
10082 W. Lilac Road, Escondido

Private Residence (1959)
3188 Quiet Hills Drive, Escondido
Wood for this project came from the old Ocean Beach pier

Private Residence (1978)
2050 La Serena, Escondido

Private Residence (ca. 1968)
2377 Royal Oak Drive, Escondido

Private Residence
2705 Ross Lane, Escondido

Private Residence
16251 Bandy Canyon Rd Escondido

Private Residence
3125 Montesano Rd Escondido

Private Residence
3215 Bernardo Lane Escondido

Private Residence
16251 Bandy Canyon Road, Escondido

Private Residence
2765 Las Palmas Ave, Escondido

Private Residence
2159 Rockhoff Road, Escondido

Private Residence
2608 South Escondido Blvd, Escondido

Private Residence (1967)
4326 Citrus Drive, Fallbrook

Private Residence
3196 Old Post Road, Fallbrook

Private Residence (1967)
3870 Laketree Drive, Fallbrook

Private Residence (1962)
32946 Camino Ortega, Warner Springs

Private Residence (1964)
3355 Old Post Road, Fallbrook

Private Residence (1970)
1735 Caudor, Leucadia

Private Residence (1969)
13747 Acorn Patch Road, Poway

Private Residence (1969)
13735 Acorn Patch Road, Poway

Private Residence
Arroyo Vista, Poway

Private Residence (1964)
29433 Cole Grade Road, Valley Center

Private Residence (1958)
16630 Avenida Florencia, Poway

Private Residence
Cambria Court, San Diego

Private Residence (1976)
14702 Tyler Road, Valley Center

Private Residence (1978)
3225 Emma Lane, Vista

Private Residence (1988)
14217 Highway 76, Pauma Valley
*Attribution

Private Residence (1973)
14213 Highway 76, Pauma Valley
*Attribution

Private Residence (1978)
4033 Ladera Vista Road, Fallbrook
*Attribution

Private Residence (1975)
3839 Ladera Vista Road, Fallbrook
*Attribution

Private Residence (1977)
4057 Ladera Vista Road, Fallbrook
*Attribution

Pusateri, Frank Residence (1969-70)
32350 Katkat Court, Pauma Valley

Ross Residence (1961)
2705 Ross, Escondido

Saar, Richard Residence (1991)
14927 Lyons Valley Road, Jamul

Shaw, Sid and LaVerne Residence (1959)
661 Melba Drive

Smith Residence
Just off Cole Grade Rd., Valley Center

Spivey Residence (1981)
131 Seeman Drive, Encinitas

Stolp, Clyde and Dotte Residence
Boyle Avenue

Summers, Harry Residence
San Diego

Thunder, Joseph & Genevieve Residence (1964)
2195 E. Madison Avenue, El Cajon

Varner Residence (1979)
111 Seeman Drive, Encinitas

Walseth Residence (1964)
705 Idaho Avenue, Escondido

Weir Bros Adobe Construction Co. Offices (ca. 1960s)
1538 S. Escondido Blvd., Escondido

Weir Residence (1958)
738 Idaho Street, Escondido

Weir, Robert Sr. Residence (1966)
1914 Summit Ridge Drive, Escondido

Weir Bros. Offices
Sterling Court, Escondido