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Jon Konigshofer

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Jon Konigshofer
Konigshofer in 1926
Born
Julius Jon Konigshofer

January 13, 1906
Alameda, California, U.S.
Died13 October 1990(1990-10-13) (aged 84)
Monterey, California, U.S.
EducationUniversity of Oregon
OccupationArchitect
StyleModern architecture
Spouses
Frances Wardner Mansfield
​
​
(m. 1938; died 1964)​
Beryl Scott
​
(m. 1966)​
Children1
Military career
Allegiance United States of America
Service / branch United States Navy
Years of service1940s
RankLieutenant

Jon Konigshofer (January 13, 1906 – October 13, 1990) was an American architect and builder, known for his minimalist low cost homes, primarily built in the Monterey Peninsula. He also designed homes and commercial buildings in other areas of California and Mexico.

Early life and education

Konigshofer, born on January 13, 1906, in Alameda, California to Leon and Etta Konigshofer.[1] A World War II veteran, he served as a U.S. Naval lieutenant commander during five major actions in the Pacific Theater. He was married to Beryl Konigshofer.[2][3]

Career

Konigshofer was known for his minimalist and affordable nature of his designs which used cheap materials, and he is considered one of the leading pioneers of Modernism on the Monterey Peninsula.[4] His design ideas and examples were featured in and on the covers of Architectural Forum,[5] Architectural Record,[6] House Beautiful,[7] House & Garden,[8] Sunset,[9] Life magazines,[10] and and the yearbook of the Encyclopædia Britannica.[11]

In 1937, Konigshofer moved to the art colony at Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, working in the office of master builder Michael J. Murphy as a designer. He then left to start his own firm. During this time he built traditional architectural homes that were in demand in Carmel during the early 20th-century.[12] His first house design, created in 1938, was a ranch-style home for J.D. Greenan, overlooking Mission Fields. His second project was for Marie Spreckels Elezaide. He also did extensive work in Pebble Beach, including designing Bing Crosby's house in 1941. In 1940, Konigshofer designed the Etta Stackpole House, situated on Ocean and El Camino in Carmel-by-the-Sea, that demonstrates this early traditional Vernacular-style work before adopting the modernist design for which he is known.[12][1]

He worked on the design of John Gardener's Tennis Ranch in Carmel Valley, California. In 1941, Konigshofer redesigned the Pine Inn's restaurant dining room for Harrison Godwin, and the La Playa Hotel for Fred Godwin. He later moved his office to the Pine Inn. Landscape architect Thomas Church and Konigshofer worked on Monterey Peninsula projects together from the 1940s to the 1950s, such as the Carmel's Mayfair Apartments (1941),[1] a Carmel Valley home,[9] and Robert Buckner's Pebble Beach house (1947).[1] The January 1947, Sunset Magazine featured one of Konigshofer's five Mayfair studio apartments with photographs of the floorplan, exterior covered walkway, and interior with corner fireplace.[13]

Konigshofer's understanding of Frank Lloyd Wright's concept of the Usonian house is apparent in his own designs and in the residences he created in Carmel. Utilizing affordable materials and budgeting, Konigshofer gained recognition for the minimalism and cost-effectiveness of his plans, earning recognition as one of the forerunners of Modern architecture movement in Carmel. The Monterey Peninsula Herald noted that Konigshofer, along with Murphy and Hugh W. Comstock, "influenced house design more than any other." Like Wright and Comstock, Konigshofer was not licensed or formally educated in architecture, yet the Herald observed that his buildings "attracted as much comment and praise in the architectural world as those designed by many a high-ranking degreed architect."[12][4][14] Wright hired Konigshofer to oversee the construction of Hollywood producer John Nesbitt's House at Cypress Point, Pebble Beach, California. The plans were completed in 1940 but not executed.[15][16][1]

In 1941, Konigshofer designed the Sand and Sea complex for Elizabeth White, consisting of five residences and a garage with an upstairs studio, located on San Antonio Avenue, near 4th Avenue in Carmel. This complex served as a good example of modernism, blending elements of West Coast regionalism and Bay Area Tradition modernistic styles.[17] The January 1947, Sunset Magazine featured one of the five houses with photographs of the floor design, exterior redwood siding, and interior with high ceilings.[18]

Konigshofer built a modern circular one-story house for film producer Robert Buckner in 1947 in Pebble Beach. Its design included eaves for shading and a concrete patio that wrapped around much of the structure. The house includes a studio away from the house on a hillside. It contains redwood siding and plate glass windows.[8] This residence gained attention when it appeared in an advertisement for Kimsul Blanket Insulation, manufactured by the Kimberly-Clark. In a published letter within the advertisement, Konigshofer expressed his aim to not only meet the client's desires but also to demonstrate that cost-effective homes could be swiftly constructed while maintaining an appealing design.[6][19] The Robert Buckner residence was among fifty-three houses showcased in the 1949 San Francisco Museum of Modern Art exhibition, titled “Domestic Architecture of the San Francisco Bay Region."[15] It was also featured in Architectural Forum with photographs of the semicircular layout, floorpan, and interiors.[5] In the January 1949 issue of House Beautiful, the house was described as "born of open-mindedness" and envisioned as a testing ground for new ideas on human shelter.[20]

In 1948, Konigshofer designed a two-story for Carmel mayor Keith Evans at 2969 Franciscan Way in Carmel. The "Hillside House" was featured in Life magazine on March 17, 1952,[10] and in House Beautiful in January 1950. He used modern prefabricate materials on a hillside lot and is as an example of affordable residential housing under $10,000 (equivalent to $114,737 in 2023). The Keith Evans house is an example of the Bay Area Tradition architectural style.[1][21]

Death

Konigshofer died of cancer on October 13, 1990, at the Hospice of the Central Coast in Monterey, California.[3][2]

Works

  • J.D. Greenan (1938)[1]
  • Monterey Peninsula Yacht Club[3]
  • Etta Stackpole House (1940)[12]
  • Sand and Sea Development (1941)[12][15]
  • Fred C. Homes House (1941)[21]
  • Robert Buckner House (1947)[19][8]
  • Keith Evans House 2969 Franciscan Way, Carmel (1948)[21][14][10]
  • Carmel Bus Depot (1948)[22]
  • Pasatiempo House (1950)[23]
  • Macdonald and Margaret Booze House (1952)[15]
  • Kip Silvey House at 13th Ave and Scenic[24]
  • George W. Nickel's House (1952)[7]
  • E.S. Hopkins House (1952)[24][7]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g "Department of Parks and Recreation Primary Record - Keith Evans House". State of California The Resources Agency. December 19, 2012. pp. 325–327. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Konigshofer, Jon". Oakland Tribune. Oakland, California. October 17, 1990. Retrieved May 9, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c "Jon Konigshofer". Carmel Pine Cone. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. November 8, 1990. Retrieved May 9, 2024.
  4. ^ a b Grimes, Teresa; Heumann, Leslie (2023). "Historic Context Statement Carmel-by-the-Sea" (PDF). Carmel-by-the-Sea, California: PAST Consultants, LLC. pp. 30, 51, 55, 62–63, 119, 124. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
  5. ^ a b "Architectural Forum". Time Incorporated. 88 (6): 114. June 1948. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
  6. ^ a b "Architectural Record". McGraw Hill Publications Company. 105 (3): 131–132, 135. March 1949. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
  7. ^ a b c "House Beautiful". Hearst Corp. New York. 1952. pp. 172, 205. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
  8. ^ a b c "House & Garden". Condé Nast Publications, Inc. 100 (2): 91. August 1951. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
  9. ^ a b "Sunset". The Pacific Monthly. 103 (1). San Francisco, California: 130. July 1949. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
  10. ^ a b c Modern Living: California Home Styles Invade Rest of U.S. Life. March 17, 1952. pp. 131–132, 135. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
  11. ^ "1949 Britannica book of the year". Encyclopædia Britannica. 1949. pp. 8, 65. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
  12. ^ a b c d e "Carmel-by-the-Sea Preliminary Determination of Ineligibility For the Carmel Historic Resources Inventory" (PDF). City Of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
  13. ^ "Sunset: One Room Wisdom". Southern Pacific Company. 88 (1). San Francisco, California: 34. January 1941. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
  14. ^ a b "City of Carmel-by-the-Sea Historic Resources Boar Meeting Agenda" (PDF). City of Carmel-by-the-Sea. August 20, 2018. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
  15. ^ a b c d "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form" (PDF). U.S. Department of the Interior National Park Service. p. 8. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
  16. ^ David Gebhard, Romanza (1988). The California Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright. San Francisco, California: Chronicle Books. pp. 126, 130–131. ISBN 978-0-87701-379-2. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
  17. ^ "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form" (PDF). U.S. Department of the Interior National Park Service. p. 8. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
  18. ^ "Sunset: Privacy in a group". Southern Pacific Company. 98 (1). San Francisco, California: 30–31. January 1947. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
  19. ^ a b "Robert Buckner House". PCAD. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
  20. ^ "House Beautiful". Hearst Corp. 91 (1). New York: 80–82. January 1949. Retrieved June 13, 2024.
  21. ^ a b c "Camel Inventory Of Historic Resources Database" (PDF). City of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
  22. ^ Hale, Sharron Lee (1980). A Tribute to Yesterday: The History of Carmel, Carmel Valley, Big Sur, Point Lobos, Carmelite Monastery, and Los Burros. Santa Cruz, California: Valley Publishers. pp. 13, 185. ISBN 9780913548738. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
  23. ^ "Interiors". Emerald Expositions LLC. 110 (3, Emerald Expositions LLC): 83–84. October 1950. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
  24. ^ a b "Historic Context Statement Carmel-by-the-Sea" (PDF). City of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
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