Hiding in Plain Sight
Irving J. Gill Building Re-Discovered
William Douglas House, 1911
Kensington, San Diego, California
Originally identified as generally historic by Thomas H. Bauman, a local dentist and neighborhood historian, in his book “Kensington – Talmadge, 1910 – 1985”, published in 1984, this house was built by and for William Douglas. Douglas was the original sales agent for the first lots sold in Kensington. Kensington is one of the early streetcar suburbs of San Diego.
As Bauman noted, the house was originally located at the southeast corner of Adams Avenue and Kensington Drive. Several years later, when commercial buildings began being built on Adams, it was moved to the back of the lot to make room for a commercial building. Similar home relocations occurred along other Adams Avenue properties.
There was, however, more to the history of this building than Bauman had uncovered. Thanks to the recent sleuthing of architects Heather Crane and John Sheehan, we now know that Douglas had hired Irving J. Gill in late 1910 to design the Douglas home. At this time, as Douglas would have well known, Gill was San Diego’s most prominent architect.
The next time you visit Kensington, stop and take a look at the Douglas House. Look past some of the harsh modifications, its current commercial use, and the extreme paint. Squint a little and you will see Gill’s original design come through. The distinctive roof brackets, the unique fireplace and chimney, and the single-story flat-roofed pop-out all say “Gill”.
We have long known that Gill was a very prolific architect. It is, though, still a joy to come across some “new” work!