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EVERY CITY NEEDS ITS STORYTELLERS, those who bring meaning and context to the places we might otherwise overlook. Rev. Dr. Mark Hargreaves has done precisely that for a hidden chapter of our architectural heritage: the sacred buildings of Irving Gill. Through his research, writing, and public programs, Hargreaves has illuminated how Gill transformed spiritual spaces with the same clarity, simplicity, and vision that made his residential work iconic.
His book, The Sacred Architecture of Irving J. Gill, is the first to focus exclusively on the spiritual buildings of one of San Diego’s most celebrated architects. By exploring fourteen sacred projects across a 35-year span, Hargreaves reveals how Gill, better known for his residential work, quietly revolutionized church architecture, creating spaces of beauty, simplicity, and spiritual purpose. At times, his poetic writing echoes Gill's own poetry of light and shadow.
Through his careful attention to detail, he illuminates how Gill’s simplicity—from the stark walls contrasting with the purple altar cloth to the precise placement of the Bible on the altar desk—directs worshipers’ attention to the sacred and the divine. Hargreaves highlights the use of natural light as both architectural and spiritual language: “a light that speaks of plain truth…direct and unmediated, an analog of the Word.”
He also reveals Gill’s collaborative approach to design, as in the 1911 AME Church at 1649 Front Street, where Gill engaged the congregation in shaping the building. This focus on community underscores how Gill’s work was meant to serve people, not only as architecture but as living, shared spaces of faith.
Drawing on his own experience as a minister and rector of Saint James by-the-Sea Episcopal Church in La Jolla, Hargreaves approaches Gill’s churches not only as architectural works but as spaces designed to guide the faithful and foster community.
In his follow-up book, Sacred Architecture of San Diego/Tijuana, Hargreaves widens the lens to our binational region, tracing the evolution of sacred buildings through key modernist movements, from proto-modernism to post-modernism. His background as both a theologian and a working priest allows him to explore not just architectural form, but the beliefs and communities that gave rise to these spaces.
To bring this history to a broader audience, Hargreaves curated the exhibition Sacred Architecture of San Diego/Tijuana at the La Jolla Historical Society, part of World Design Capital 2024, and presented a widely attended lecture series at the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library in La Jolla. With warmth, insight, and deep respect for the meaning embedded in these buildings, he has helped thousands of people see our sacred spaces in a new light. These programs allowed audiences to experience Gill’s sacred architecture as places of clarity, reflection, and enduring cultural significance.
USING THE POWER OF THE PEN and the podium to inform, engage, and inspire, Hargreaves strengthens public awareness, fosters appreciation, and helps to ensure that the stories these buildings embody are preserved for the future.
For revealing the depth of Irving Gill’s architecture and for inspiring greater appreciation of our city’s architectural heritage, SOHO proudly presents Rev. Dr. Mark Hargreaves with the 2025 Town Crier Award.
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