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William Sterling Hebbard: Overlooked architect left lasting mark on Coronado

By Doug St. Denis

Have you ever seen a house and known, without even going inside, that you could be completely happy living there? You imagine the light dancing through the windowpanes as the sun crosses the sky. You can hear the comforting clunk of the big front door closing behind you, solid and safe. You just know.

That’s how I felt the other day as I stepped up on the front porch of the house at 611 A Avenue. I went there in search of a story, this story, about one of the most prominent, if now overlooked, San Diego architects of the early 20th century: William Sterling Hebbard. For a time, he was the partner of the legendary Irving J. Gill, who is revered to this day by every California architect I know. Hebbard seems sadly overshadowed by Gill, even though both men left behind impressive bodies of work.

I knew of several “Hebbard-and-Gill” projects in Coronado. Notable houses completed during their partnership include the 1902 Richards-Dupee Residence at 1015 Ocean Blvd. (known today as Crown Manor) and the wonderful old Hanson mansion at the corner of Eighth and “A.” But a pure Hebbard was harder to come by.

My research began at the library of the Coronado Historical Association, but they had little information. Seems there are books and articles galore about Irving Gill, but not much on Hebbard. The museum’s executive director, Paige Harrington, did give me a lead, however, which turned out to be buried treasure. Kathleen Flanigan, who did her master’s thesis on Hebbard at the University of San Diego, knows everything about him, and, lucky for me, was extremely generous with her information. She sent me a copy of an article she wrote in 1986 for the Journal of San Diego History; one that won the Kammerling Award from the San Diego Historical Society’s Institute of History. In it, Kathleen confirmed my theory that 611 “A” was indeed a Hebbard, built in 1908 for $10,000, including the house, several outbuildings and gardens.

In fact, she recently assisted its proud owners, Todd and Terri Anson, in having the house designated an Historical Landmark, as well as qualifying it for the Mills Act, a state program that offers tax benefits to owners of historic properties who agree to preserve them. The Ansons purchased the property in late 1997, selling off the parcel next door to Coronadan Kathy Gann, who has built a custom home on the site. Todd Anson, a lawyer and real estate developer, imagined that he and Terri would move in with their three sons, spruce up the old mansion a bit, and sell it for a profit. But, as they say with great enthusiasm, they fell in love with the place in the process. It shows.

Yes, they have made changes. Todd says he feels like a traitor to the preservationist cause because they painted the original wood paneling in light, contemporary colors. They have redone the kitchen, and enclosed one of the pergola-covered porches. They lightened the spectacular oak floors, which were originally stained very dark, and they removed a built-in china cabinet from the dining room. Essentially, they brought the house into the 21st century, and I like to think that if Hebbard were here today, he’d be okay with that. After all, according to Anson, one real-estate developer in town had planned to buy it, demolish it, and build four quick-sale houses in its place. Now, with the landmark designation, that will never happen. In fact, Anson’s business partner purchased the Hebbard-and-Gill “Crown Manor” on Ocean and recently had that property designated, too.

Hebbard was born in Michigan to a pedigreed family and toured Europe after graduating from prep school. He then enrolled at the Cornell School of Architecture. At the time, there were only two schools of architecture in this country, MIT and Cornell, so a graduate of one of the two would have no trouble finding work. After graduating in 1887, Hebbard took a job in Chicago with the well-known architectural firm of Burnham and Root. He came to California the following year, ending up as a draftsman in the San Diego offices of the Reid Brothers, whose big project at the time was the deliciously Victorian seaside resort, the Hotel Del Coronado. According to Flannigan, Hebbard family members recall that Hebbard’s design responsibilities on that project included the ballroom and the main dining room. He took over the Reid Brothers architectural practice in 1890, after they relocated to San Francisco.

One can imagine the creative sparks that must have flown when Hebbard and Gill first met each other in San Diego. Surely the two men enjoyed comparing notes on their time in Chicago, where Gill had apprenticed at another prestigious firm, Sullivan and Adler (as did Frank Lloyd Wright). Both men brought ideas from the so-called “Chicago School” that were well-suited to architectural experimentation in the Southern California climate, such as the use of natural light and ventilation, multi-paned, jewel-like windows, the pioneering use of skylights, and simplified, sculptural architectural forms and massing.

The Hebbard-Gill partnership was formed in 1896. The work they did together seems a pleasing combination of influences: California Mission Style, Arts and Crafts, East Coast Shingle Style, and the Prairie Style that Wright was experimenting with at the time in Chicago. It’s interesting to remember that houses being built then were still predominantly Victorian and quite dark. Actually Hebbard, the older, better-educated and more experienced of the two, was somewhat of a mentor to Gill during their eleven years together.

Buildings remain today in Coronado that Hebbard completed, both before and after his partnership with Gill. Christ Episcopal Church, built in 1894 of locally quarried hand-hewn granite, remains intact with the original wood interior lovingly preserved and the Tiffany Studios of New York stained-glass windows continuing to dazzle. His 1912 Vanderbilt Apartments on the corner of Tenth and “A” stand as testimony to Hebbard’s early training in Mediterranean and neoclassical traditional architecture. The apartments, essentially two separate, flat-roofed boxes built side by side, prove that, in the right hands, the simple box can be the most elegant of forms. Walk past and notice his generous use of windows, popped out on the west elevation to capture light from three sides, his eave detail at the roofs and the simple way he defined the entrances.

A personal favorite is the 1915 Baker Estate at 519 Ocean. For years, this was the Fitch family residence, and I remember Kay Fitch Roeder Stroop’s fun stories of the early days along Ocean Boulevard, getting “rowdy” with her friends down the street, “those Spreckels kids.” The house seems untouched by time, one of Hebbard’s lovely seaside “Shingle Style” mansions.

Speaking of mansions, which Hebbard was good at, there’s a real show-stopper for sale right now in Banker’s Hill. Aileen Oya of Coronado’s Beach House Realty has the listing, and she was kind enough to give me a guided tour. WOW. Built in 1912 for $20,000, Hebbard pulled out all the stops on this one. The style could be called Italianate Revival, but it shouts Southern California to me: beautifully sited, gracious gardens, light and airy with a zillion windows, spectacular views (including the Coronado Bridge) and balconies all over the place. It’s owned by a personal friend of Aileen’s, a most delightful and vivacious lady named Barbara Freeman. She purchased it after it was a Designers’ Showcase House in 1999, and since then has made some impressive changes of her own. Barbara has lived in Coronado, loves it, and after the Banker’s Hill house sells, wants to come back here. I can’t help but think that Hebbard would get a huge kick out of her red-walled “home theater” (the former living room) with huge contemporary paintings, comfy red sofas, and a high-definition, professional-grade projector and screen that electronically drop from the ceiling. But the thing he’d really enjoy, lo, these many years later, is the home’s price tag: $5.2 million. Proof that his architectural fee was not at all a bad investment.


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