In 1953 Bill Lewis graduated from USC where he studied under Cal Straub, Gregory Ain, Raphael Soriano and William Pereira. Following his return from being drafted to serve in the Korean War, he joined the Los Angeles firm AC Martin where Ward Deems was already employed.
In 1953, Bill Lewis graduated from USC. Spending several years with his teachers - architects Cal Straub, Gregory Ain, Raphael Soriano and William Pereira, Bill was well prepared to start his career embracing Southern California’s post-war materials, styles and clients’ needs. Attending USC’s architecture program at such an early age, Mr. Lewis’ studies were heavily impacted by his elders – approximately 90% of his fellow students were WW2 GIs, focused and heartily competitive to make their way in the post-War years. His teachers “worked us like dogs, creating a competitive environment that motivated us all” recalled Lewis.
While Arts & Architecture and John Entenza’s Case Study House program influenced many USC graduates, Lewis gave credit to Cal Straub as one of his earliest influences. Additionally, his early architectural heroes were Eero Saarinen, Gordon Bunshaft, Skidmore Owings & Merrill as well as I.M. Pei. Despite the casual observer connecting Lewis’ work to that of Mies Van Der Rohe, Mr. Lewis recalled “…he was a bit stiff for me.” Also having an impact on Bill’s early career was Frank Lloyd Wright. While Lewis didn’t agree with the Taliesin philosophy of enslaving students under the tutelage of one instructor, or that Wright designed his buildings around himself, rather than clients’ needs. USC provided a varied education by way of its many highly respected and differentiated teachers. From his earliest coursework, Lewis’ philosophy became “understand what the project should be, and let the building bloom from there.”
His first years at USC were frightening. At one point an instructor threw away all of Bill Lewis’ drawings in one sweep of his arm.
Soon after graduation, Bill worked for Pereira & Luckman for one week following his return from being drafted into Korea. He walked away from the short assignment with a few early impressions of his career colleagues: Pereira showed him how important Business Development is to the profession; and Luckman’s designs in his opinion were immoral, failing to be honest to the client and the project.
Bill joined the Los Angeles firm AC Martin where his USC classmate, Ward Deems, was already employed. By 1959, Bill and Ward had decided to move south and explore an architecture partnership in the growing city of San Diego. San Diego in 1959, according to Lewis was a cheap, sleepy city surviving on tourism and military spending. With financial and brand support from the AC Martin firm, they opened Deems, Martin Associates in the El Cortez Building – Ward being responsible for public relations and business development functions. Bill Lewis did not socialize with other architects (Deems on the other hand was president of the San Diego AIA) as he did not see the pursuit getting him anywhere. He saw himself as a coach to bring out the potential of other employees. He ran the firm as a team – the talent and personal ownership of the project was held by the team.
One of their earliest, most notable, and visible projects for the young firm was the steel screen ensconced Crabtree Building (at 3rd & A Streets) was designed by Robert Jones (who would later join in partnership with Henry Hester). Jones and Lewis would be next door neighbors in Del Mar until Jones’ death.
In 1961, the firm Deems Lewis worked its way through their first San Diego recession. Embracing the city-wide motto “Try San Diego First” they and other firms worked to keep clients from heading to Los Angeles to have their projects designed. The firm watched San Diego grow larger and more sophisticated. One important milestone was the shift of retail from downtown to Mission Valley as Walker Scott and Marston's folded – in part because of the Deems Lewis design for Mission Valley shopping center. Also re-defining San Diego was interest in re-invention of the Embarcadero – a project illustrating Lewis’ point “if you want to get something done, you have to attack it politically.”
During his 41-year career, Bill Lewis only built three of his residential designs. His first, a project for friends in the San Fernando Valley was a sore spot on his CV for years – because it was still standing. He had hoped for years the client (or a future owner) would demolish the work. His home for himself is a striking example of mid-century construction techniques and aesthetics embracing the climate with walls of glass and courtyard views off each room. Mr. Lewis designed his home after the firm was open for only four years. Following his purchase of the lot for $7800, he had little money to build. His goals in the design were to create a quiet, well-integrated, clean environment for his family. It was not to be ostentatious. His 3rd residential design, a home for David Milne in 1974, was a simple, cost-effective design for friends living near their employer, San Diego State College.
“I would rather do anything than build my own house. I would rather solve someone else’s problems,” Lewis stated. Bill found the process of building his house frustrating – most notably by builder Herb Turner walking off the project after being the lowest bid for the job. Turner may have been off put by Lewis’ very-detailed drawings leaving little room for error or interpretation by Turner and his workers. While not engaging his wife, potter Joanne Lewis, in the problems of architecture, Bill only intimidated her with his design ideas. The low-point of construction was when Herb Turner exclaimed “you’re no Frank Lloyd Wright, I’m off the job.” Turner would later return to the project, fearing lost wages and a lawsuit, he built the house rapidly and to Lewis’ satisfaction. The greatest problem of designing and living in your own home according to Lewis, “houses can’t be static, because families change not only in size but in their relationships with each other.”
While Ward played the public role of the firm, Lewis focused on his designs, the teamwork of his staff, as well as his family and church life. While not in the public eye, Lewis was never short of opinion on the state of architecture: he saw post-modernism as morally wrong, lacking integrity, and professionally dishonest.
Understanding the structure of an architectural firm to be directly related to the quality of work, Deems Lewis held steadfast to empowering working groups and teams. Lewis’ philosophy that “the person inside a bureaucracy creates and defends their own pasture, a sub-set of the whole. Their boss then becomes the biggest issue in their work. His project becomes third priority, after his own pasture.” Deems Lewis’ 1st priority was the project, their 2nd priority was making a profit on the project, and 3rd was keeping the business afloat. The quality of a project can be too easily sacrificed because of the elements of the bureaucracy.
Within the field of architecture Lewis found three types of people: “Accomplished Business Development people like Ward Deems soliciting work (only 2-3% of AIA members are qualified for this important role); Another 2-3% of AIA members Lewis argues are good Designers, taking designs from concept to built project; and lastly the field of architecture is comprised of Technical staff – which make up the bulk of architects. The latter not always able to make a building fit together, work and look good. Lewis maintained, “the problem with many architects is their inability to see in three dimensions.”
“If anything will make a project look good, it is landscaping. While landscape can be haphazard and still work, Balboa Park is a good example of an environment being created more by its landscape than its buildings,” recalled Bill. Lewis’ own residence exemplifies his take on landscaping as an organic part of the site growing and changing over decades. With each room’s floor-to-ceiling glass walls framing a unique view of the landscape, the same grouping of flora takes on a different meaning from varied views.
Carter-Higgins Office Building (1963)
2250 Fifth Avenue
Centerside Office Towers (1985-1987)
Christ The King Lutheran Church (circa 1959) (now Saint Ephrem Church)
750 Medford Street
Designed by Deems Martin Associates
Church of Jesus Christ Latter Day Saints
5299 Trojan Avenue, San Diego
Crabtree Office Building (1961)
3rd & A Streets
Project Architect: Robert Jones, AIA
Honor Award, AIA San Diego Chapter
Cordura Publications (1980)
Scripps Ranch
El Cortez Convention Center (1960)
7th Avenue and Beech Street
Project Architect: Edward Malone, AIA
Award of Merit, AIA San Diego Chapter
Financial Square - San Diego Federal Building (1972)
Sixth Avenue and ‘B’ Street
Hillcrest North Medical Center (1964)
550 Fifth Avenue at Washington Street
Building of the Year, San Diego Magazine
Humanities Library-Galbraith Hall (1965)
UCSD Revelle College
Building of the Year, San Diego Magazine
Industrial Indemnity (1970-74)
3255 Camino del Rio South
AIA Honor Award (Phase 1)
AIA Award of Merit (Phase 2), AIA San Diego Chapter
Koll Office Building (1987)
Lewis, Bill Residence (1964)
2029 Balboa, Del Mar
LKRD Medical Office Building (1970)
3260 3rd Street
AIA Award of Merit, AIA San Diego Chapter
Milne Residence (1970)
5118 Bixel Street
Mission Valley Center (ca. 1960)
San Diego
Orr, Dr. & Mrs. Robert J. Residence (1960)
2382 Via Capri Court, La Jolla, CA
Award of Merit, AIA San Diego Chapter
Motorola Office Building (1979)
North County Detention Facility (1980)
Rubin, Seltzer & Soloman Building (1964)
3003 Fourth Avenue
Remodeled
Ruselso Office Building (1963)
3003 Fourth Avenue
Remodeled
Project Architect: Donald Goldman, AIA
Award of Merit, AIA San Diego Chapter
San Diego County Welfare Office Building (1963)
HHFA First Honor Award
Torrey Pines High School (1976)
3710 Del Mar Heights Road
Honor Award, Unit Masonry Association
Trade Services Publications (1983)
U.S. Customs Station (1969)
San Ysidro, CA
U.S. Navy Anti-Submarine Warfare School Mess Hall (1967)
Nimitz Blvd and Harbor Drive, San Diego, CA
U.S. Navy Enlisted Men’s Barracks - Anti Submarine Warfare School (1964)
Harbor Drive and Nimitz Blvd
AIA Honor Award, AIA San Diego Chapter
U.S. Post Office Facility (1972)
2535 Midway Drive, San Diego, CA
AIA Award of Merit, AIA San Diego Chapter
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