Dome

Lee House No. 1, house number and entry path; Alice Lee Houses: No. 1, 3578 7th Avenue, 1905; No. 2, 3353 Albatross Street, 1905; No. 3, 3574 7th Avenue, 1906; No. 4, 3367 Albatross Street, 1912. The arrival in 1893 of Irving Gill and his development of a severely stripped-down adaptation of the indigenous adobe Mission-style architecture helped bring a more unified look to San Diego through the work of the many architects who trained in his office. By 1910 Gill had developed his own style, which remained constant until the end of his career. His approach was in part reductivist. Decorative details such as eaves and mouldings are pared away, leaving uninterrupted surfaces inside and out. At a time when the use of reinforced concrete was still a novelty, concrete became Gill’s favourite material as it can be easily moulded, is durable and is conducive to attaining simple effects. He also refined tilt-slab construction techniques and developed his own steel door and window casings, bull noses and lath. Source: Grove Art Online; http://www.oxfordartonline.com/ (accessed 7/6/2010)