John Byers was the go to architect in Santa Monica in the first half of the 1900s. He and his partner Edla Muir designed homes for Hollywood stars Norma Shearer, Irving Thalberg, Shirley Temple, “Buster” Crabbe. The wonderful Miles Memorial Playhouse in Reed Park is their design.
Byers was honored by the Santa Monica Conservancy on October 23 at the Spanish Colonial Revival home he designed in1926 on San Vicente in Santa Monica. Movie stars Greta Garbo and Bette Davis once lived in the house, now the home of Susan Disney Lord and Scott Lord and their family.
Susan Disney Lord said, “I am grateful to the Santa Monica Conservancy for bringing attention to Byers and Muir. We have lived in this house for 11 years and raised our five kids here. Every day we feel joy living in this beautiful house. When we first saw it, it took our breath away, the style, the views and the feeling of love in the house.”
Architectural historian Ken Breisch talked about Byers to the group gathered at the Conservancy event. He said Byers had studied engineering, travelled the world, and spoke many languages. He came to Santa Monica in 1910 to teach Romance languages at Santa Monica High School.
Byers first Santa Monica house was wood construction, designed and built for his family. In 1919 Byers cousin by marriage, Harry Johnson, wanted to build an adobe house. He had seen adobe used in Ojai and was eager to employ the same technique in Brentwood. He needed workmen knowledgeable in adobe construction but he didn’t speak Spanish and couldn’t communicate with his Mexican workmen. So he asked Byers to be his translator. Breisch told the audience.
It was Byers introduction to adobe style construction and that chance meeting was to determine the focus of his work for years to come. Byers became a major proponent for the revival of adobe construction.
Today we would label adobe “green.” It’s local. It provides great insulation – keeping buildings cool during the day and warm at night. And it is an all-natural material.
“Byers worked in the building traditions of Hispanic cultures, building in the Mexican Colonial the Spanish Colonial and the Monterey styles. When he couldn’t get the curved, clay roof tiles he needed for these buildings he established his own workshop and employed the traditional technique where workmen used their thighs as forms to shape the wet clay for the curved tile shape needed for rooftops. The workshop also produced decorative tile, wrought iron and woodwork. He named his company the “John Byers Organization for the Design and Building of Latin Houses.” L.A. Times 1931.
He went on to design Ray Bradbury’s house in Santa Monica, a ranch house at the Getty in Malibu, and the Club House at Brentwood Country Club, where he was a member and an avid golfer.
Byers’ offices,were located at 246 26th Street. The building, a Santa Monica landmark, is currently a restaurant. He worked there with Edla Muir, also a self-taught architect. She worked for Byers for 11 years before getting her license and then becoming his partner in the firm.
After WWII she opened her own office. Her work was featured in Architectural Digest and Sunset magazine. In 1952 her design for the Zona Hall residence in West Los Angeles won the Honor Award of the Southern California chapter, American Institute of Architects.
Breisch said, “Much of Byers’ and Muir’s early work exhibits traits of the Spanish Colonial Revival, while during their later years they also worked in other American Revival styles to produce some of the most beautiful and graceful adaptations of historic revival architecture in Southern California.”
At the time of his death in 1966 Byers lived at 2034 La Mesa, an elegant Montery Revival design and the third home he built in Santa Monica for his own family. He was 91 years old. John Winford Byers, architect and builder, designed some of Santa Monica’s most treasured residences and public buildings.
Conservancy President Carol Lemlein said these were “exciting times for the Santa Monica Conservancy and the Santa Monica community coalition that made possible events such as the one in the Byers’ house today and the recognition and awards received by the Shotgun House.”
