John Byers: Master Architect + Adobe Builder Lecture

Architectural historian Ken Breisch will examine the adobe construction methods of John Byers as part of a movement in the 1920s to create a regionally appropriate architectural tradition.  It takes place at the Unitarian Universalist Church at 18th and Arizona designed by Byers.

Unitarian Church Image provided by Carol Lemlein

Dr. Breisch is Assistant Professor with USC’s Heritage Conservation Program and President of the Society of Architectural Historians.  Tickets to the lecture will be $15, $10 for Conservancy members, and may be purchased in advance on the Conservancy’s website, www.smconservancy.org, or purchased at the door if space is available.

 

John Byers Tour

The celebration of Byers’ legacy continues on Sunday, June 8, with an architectural tour of five early Byers works including four homes and the Miles Playhouse in Christine Reed Park, followed by a reception at a 1925 home built for a member of the Carrillo family.

Miles Playhouse Image provided by Dwight Flowers

To purchase tickets for the tour visit www.smconservancy.org  or mail a check by June 4 to the Santa Monica Conservancy at P.O. Box 653 , Santa Monica , CA 90406 . State the number of tickets requested, email and phone number contact information. A limited number of tickets may be available on tour day. Tickets and tour booklets will be provided at check-in at 2101 La Mesa Drive, Santa Monica , 90402. Questions can be answered by leaving a message at 310-496-3146 or emailing [email protected].

 

About John Byers:

A native of Michigan, Byers received a degree in Electrical Engineering from of the University of Michigan and went on to do graduate work at Harvard University. He became an English teacher at the North American Academy in Montevideo, Uruguay, before coming to Santa Monica in 1910 to chair the Romance Languages Department at Santa Monica High School. It is thought that during his time in Latin America he became enamored with the architectural vernacular he called, “Latin Houses.”

He began his architectural career building residences for W.F. Barnum, principal at Santa Monica High School, and for himself. Hired as a translator for Mexican workers building an adobe house in Brentwood, he became involved in its design and construction, leading him to pursue a new career as a builder and architect.

Byers was inspired by the vernacular building traditions of Hispanic cultures, designing in the Mexican Colonial the Spanish Colonial and the Monterey styles. To obtain quality handmade products, he opened his own tile factory at 26th and Colorado where workmen used their thighs as forms to shape the wet clay for curved rooftop tiles. The workshop also produced floor tile, decorative tile, wrought iron and woodwork.

Herbert House Image provided by Dwight Flowers

By 1926 Byers was a licensed architect. His office was at 246 26th Street, now remodeled as a restaurant. Among his clients were Norma Shearer and Irving Thalberg, Shirley Temple, Joel McCrea, Laurence (Buster) Crabbe, and King Vidor. He went on to design the Bradbury House in Pacific Palisades and the Miles Memorial Playhouse in Santa Monica.

Byers died in Santa Monica at the age of 91 in 1966. His home on La Mesa Drive, where he lived for nearly 30 years, will be open for the tour.