|
1964 Modern Icon by William Lewis Designated
By Amie Hayes
March/April 2021
 Courtesy Google streetview |
 Photo by Julius Shulman Photography. Courtesy J. Paul Getty Trust. Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles (2004.R.10) |
SOHO is pleased to highlight the historical designation of 550 Washington Street by the Historical Resources Board (HRB). The 1964 Whitson Company Medical Office was designed by William Lewis, Jr., for Deems Martin and Associates. Significant under Criterion A with a nearly unanimous vote (9-1), this iconic Mid-Century Modern resource is a special example of San Diego's architectural development; the monumental tower is adorned in sun-catching aluminum tracery visible from miles away in multiple directions. "The sculptural play of these exterior panels, their triangulated design, and their detailing all represented a successful effort to bring warmth and regional character to Modern architecture," noted architecture historian Alan Hess (July 2020 HRB letter).
Thank you for responding to SOHO's preservation action alert. It mattered and, while the city's historic staff did not support the designation partly due to modifications, SOHO advocated for the designation and prepared a draft resolution in support and the HRB agreed.
The notable and nationally recognized work of Master Architect Lewis, is evident in this award-winning masterpiece, one of San Diego's most important post-WWII Modern buildings. It represents a significant time in San Diego and California history, when the economy and population were expanding. As Hess explains in his letter, "Modern architecture of this optimistic, forward-looking era was based on new technologies and bringing their advantages to the general public in their daily lives…" As California became known internationally for influencing industry, culture, artists, and architects, San Diego played a large role in defining and building this cultural influence. This Modern style tower expresses San Diego's innovative influence on Modernism.
The work of Deems Martin and Associates (later Deems, Lewis, Martin) includes other Modernist office buildings downtown and in Uptown. And although the masterful landscape design by Wimmer Yamada has been altered, remnants can be preserved.
|
2024
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
|
