Harry Gesner, Surf-Loving Adventurer & Modernist Master
Harry Gesner — the surf-loving adventurer and modernist architect who designed some of the most idiosyncratic houses in LA died in his home in Malibu this June (2022) at 97. If you’re interested in LA architecture, the obits in the New York Times and Los Angeles Times are really worth reading. ABOVE: Kimball House, built 1957 Tarzana Photo: Juergen Nogai Gesner sketched his most famous house while bobbing on his long board in front of the secluded cove that would be its site in Malibu. Set on the secluded beach, the “Wave House” resembles a cresting wave, sea birds, and ship bows, somehow simultaneously. The copper shingles on its vaulted roof are reminiscent of fish scales. Many say the design inspired the Sydney Opera House. BELOW: Wave House built 1957, Malibu Photo: Steven Lippman, Juergen Nogai LA Times writer Carolina A. Miranda says of Gesner’s soaring designs that they, “...seem to draw their shape from the swells of the Pacific Ocean and the wooded...