Mid-Century Modern, Salomon Building by Henry Hester in Bankers Hill, San Diego
The home: MODERNISM AT THE PARK: The Salomon Building has, since its construction, been a key architectural landmark West of Balboa Park. This 1st-floor home engages 6th Avenue and the exterior landscape through an expansive floor to ceiling wall of glass. Arriving home from each day provides a strong connection to regional history through a museum-quality lobby. Connect with a wonderfully warm community of homeowners at the pool, outdoor patio area and gym..
Listing Courtesy of and sold by Keith York at Agents of Architecture, Inc.
The building: Henry Hester designed an apartment building for Col. Irving Salomon and his wife Cecile who for decades occupied the building' penthouse. Widely published era photographs by Julius Shulman and local AIA chapter and press accolades brought much-deserved attention to the four-story plan of private units. During the conversion of the apartment building to condominiums, the developer worked diligently to preserve remaining fixtures, restore the garden, lobby and pool areas and compose decorative vignettes using contemporary reissues of period designs.
The architect: Though his designs for Gerald Jerome, Colonel Irving Salomon and Jonathan Edwards were widely published through Julius Shulman’s timeless images, the La Jolla based architect was a private man. Married twice (Piretta, Nancy) and raising a son and a daughter, Henry Hester retired in the late 1980s from his downtown La Jolla office, leaving his 2nd home on Torrey Pines Road to golf and health in Palm Springs, California.
Henry Hester was born May 30, 1925 in Vinita, Oklahoma to Loraine Burgess Hester (who was part Cherokee) and Alford Vernon Hester. Named after his two grandfathers, young Henry attended Roosevelt Junior High and Brown Military Academy in San Diego then San Diego State College (1945-47). He secured his BS in Architecture from USC in 1952. According to the San Diego Union Tribune, “I knew him at USC and he was a talent even then,” Hal Sadler said. “He was recognized by a group of USC people who came to San Diego as one of the early standouts in design."
Between 1950-52, Mr. Hester worked for Kenneth N. Lind as a draftsman. He worked for Lloyd Ruocco (ca. 1952) before establishing Henry H. Hester, AIA in 1954 upon moving to La Jolla. Designing two homes for himself (also photographed by Shulman) in addition to a wide array of residential and commercial commissions, Hester had the good fortune of a small personal inheritance that allowed him to pick only the clients and projects he felt strongly about.
Through the years, Henry Hester would join in partnership with Frederick Liebhardt (ca. 1957), Ronald K. Davis (ca. 1958-60 as Hester & Davis), William F. Cody (ca. 1958-1960 as Cody & Hester), fellow USC-grad Robert E. Jones (ca. 1960-67 as Hester & Jones and Hester, Jones & Associates), with Stanley Livingstone (as Hester & Livingstone) as well as Roger Zucchat and David Lorimer. According to his obituary, Hester worked alongside Lloyd Ruocco in some capacity. Projects, while mainly focused in the San Diego area, stretched to Denver, Albuquerque, Florida and throughout California.
Read more from the source: ModernSan Diego.com