By james art 
Nearly nine decades after his death, renowned architect Irving J. Gill (1870-1936) was finally laid to rest in a public memorial service at Mount Hope Cemetery on 7 October. About 100 people attended the event to honor his life and recognize the significant contributions he made to San Diego’s built environment.
Proclaimed “Irving J. Day.” Gill” by Mayor Todd Gloria, the event was held on the 88th anniversary of Gill’s death.
Several people with professional or personal ties to Gill spoke, including representatives of key organizations and owners of homes designed by Gill. Others attended because they, too, had heard media reports that Gill’s ashes had been discovered after decades in a cardboard box on a shelf at Cypress View Mausoleum.
Gill’s ashes were placed in a temporary cardboard box with a printed identification label. A handwritten “Hold” on the side of the box probably indicates that a family member will pick it up. Instead, the box was placed on a storage shelf in the mausoleum, where it remained for more than eight decades.
In 2021, volunteers from the Find-a-Grave website (findagrave.com) documented the paper records of the permanent and temporary burials at Cypress View. In mid-2022, a Gill fan was searching for Gill’s grave on the Find-a-Grave website. He found the recently uploaded recording that showed Gil’s ashes were still at Cypress View. He contacted the Irving J. Gill Foundation (IJGF) for more information.
James B. Guthrie was the founder and president of the IJGF, who also owned a home designed by Gill (Cossitt Cottage, 1910).
When asked about his reaction to the revealing news, Guthrie said, “Since 1993, when the first book mentioning Gill’s remains was written by San Diegan Bruce Kamerling (1950-1995), we all believed that Marion, Gill’s wife, spread his ashes shortly after his death. Kamerling was a good researcher, so we never doubted his work. Now we can only assume that the distant relative of Gill who passed on what was believed to be an accurate story was wrong.
Guthrie confirmed the remarkable turn of events with Cypress View and was told that only a descendant could retrieve Gill’s remains. Gill and his wife Marion Agnes (Waugh) had no children. When genealogical searches failed to find a living descendant or related relative, IJGF successfully petitioned San Diego County to secure Gill’s remains.
Guthrie’s plea: “Gill was a great San Diegan and remains a world-renowned architect. We have to do something. We can’t just leave it there.
The IJGF helped arrange Gill’s funeral, as well as using their community funds to purchase a plot for his burial at Mount Hope Cemetery. According to Guthrie, “Mt. Hope was chosen as Gill’s final resting place because it is one of San Diego’s historic cemeteries and many of his friends, associates and clients are also buried there.
Guthrie began the touching and fitting memorial service by sharing some historical background and anecdotal stories about Gill’s life. Many are taken from Gill’s letters to and from “Jack,” the name Irving J. Gill is called by family and friends. The stories conveyed something of Gill’s character and personality that evoked a more intimate connection with the man everyone came to revere and remember.
Guthrie then introduced the Rev. Dr. Mark Hargreaves, rector of St. John’s Episcopal Church. James by the Sea in La Jolla, who presided over the graveside ceremony. Gill designed the original St. James Church, which was later replaced by the current and larger church designed by his nephew Louis Gill.
Not only is Hargreaves a church leader in a place of worship historically attributed to Gill, he is also the author of an IJGF book entitled The Sacred Architecture of Irving J. Gil“ (self-published, 2023). Hargreaves opened the service by inviting those present to say a few words.
The first was Mike Shafer, a San Diego City Councilman some 50 years ago, who was one of several homeowners who attended to pay their respects. He grew up in Jill’s house at 3367 Albatross Street on the corner of Uppas. He showed a photo of his former family home and said: “I grew up hearing great things about Mr. Gill, and when I found out we were going to have the chance to pay tribute to his great legacy, I couldn’t wait for him to be here!”
In a light-hearted moment, he added, “I saw our home in Jill listed at $2 million, we bought it and sold it for $20,000!”
Robin Lakin represents Save Our Heritage (SOHO), a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of historic architecture and landmarks in San Diego. Lakin manages the historically designated Gill-designed Marston House Museum (1905) in Balboa Park.
Based on her role as site historian, she shared the following about Gill: “He left an extraordinary legacy of modern architectural innovation that embraces simplicity and resonates with a spiritual connection to San Diego’s natural beauty. We are so fortunate that so many of his buildings, private and public, have been preserved and protected for future generations to appreciate and enjoy, and keep his indelible mark on the character of our region alive.”
Seonaid McArthur, chair of the La Jolla Historical Society Landmarks Committee, also highlighted some of Gill’s contributions, saying, “I just wanted to come thank Irving Gill for creating such a beautiful enclave of buildings for La Jolla. These buildings are a testament to his planning skills and his masterful use of light, form and line… and we just pray that future and current designers and architects will just look at his work. They are a testament to his talents. We would love to see other structures work as well as his.”
The “Scripps enclave” of buildings that MacArthur spoke of was commissioned by philanthropist Ellen Browning Scripps (1836-1932). These include Scripps Hall (1910), Bentham Hall (1912-13), and Gilman Hall (1916) at The Bishop’s School, the La Jolla Woman’s Club (1914), the La Jolla Recreation Center (1915), and Scripps’ own home, now the Museum of contemporary art san diego. They are among more than 50 historically designated Gill buildings in San Diego and Southern California, including extraordinary homes, schools, churches and civic buildings.
Hargreaves acknowledged that Bishop School Principal Ron Kim was in attendance, as was former student Scott Murphy, who spoke. Murphy describes Gill’s masterful design using building resources that work in San Diego’s climate. He shared his unique connection to Gill’s legacy, saying, “[He] I lived in his work for six years, I was on the campus of The Bishop’s School and (experienced) how it functioned in the sun and the way he placed buildings.’
He added, “We need to be able to carry that baton and see the master planning of San Diego and La Jolla. You know, have good architecture, that’s one thing that’s going to make San Diego better, maintaining architecture like Irving Gill’s.”
Hargreaves then led a service, saying that Gill “was a faithful member of an Episcopal church, All Saints in Hillcrest, so it is only fitting that our service this afternoon follows an Episcopal order of service that he would have been very familiar with.”
Acts of performance include the King James Version of Psalm 23 and conclude with the Lord’s Prayer. He concluded the service by saying, “Let’s give the last word to Gill, and I’ll quote from a letter he wrote to a church in Coronado. . . . Irving J. Gill, “May ye enter into the House of the Lord, and may his peace be with you forever.” Amen.”
The ceremony was poignant, near a completely unexpected development in the life story of a notable San Diegan. Architect Irving John “Jack” Gill has finally been laid to rest thanks to a diligent “Find a Grave” volunteer, an inquisitive and observant Gill fan, the Irving J. Foundation. Gill (IJGF) and many other organizations and individuals who took part in his memorial service.
Founded in 2015 by Guthrie and fellow architect, Steve Wallet, IJGF is the only organized non-profit group working specifically to preserve Gill’s architectural legacy. A board of directors of volunteers and interested others create its many programs, including exhibitions, tours, lectures and symposia. The foundation, which runs solely on the support of volunteers and donations, would now like to order a suitable marker for Gill’s grave. Donations to the Irving J. Gill Foundation for Gill’s headstone can be made at irvingjgill.org.