Irving J. Gill’s remains, lost for over eight decades, will be interred at a public burial on October 7, 2024, at 2 PM, the 88th anniversary of his death, at Mt. Hope Cemetery, San Diego. The public is invited to attend.
(San Diego, CA) Irving J. Gill passed away in 1936, though his ashes have only recently been discovered.
Irving John Gill was born in Tully, New York, in 1870. His journey in architecture took him from Syracuse to Chicago, San Diego to Los Angeles and back again. His innovative designs laid the foundation for Modern architecture in Southern California and beyond. Gill spent his final years managing his and his wife’s ranch in Carlsbad, California, where he continued working on architectural projects until his death on October 7, 1936.
Despite a storied career, the end of Gill’s life, long a mystery, has now been solved. After a serious heart attack on October 7, he was transported to San Diego Hospital in Hillcrest, where he passed away later that day. He was cremated the next day and his ashes were placed in a temporary cardboard box at Cypress View Mortuary, just minutes southeast of downtown, marked "Hold" for a family member to retrieve.
For decades, his remains were believed to have been scattered by his wife, Marion, according to a narrative popularized by the late historian and Gill biographer Bruce Kamerling. However, in 2022 it was discovered that the architect’s ashes had remained at Cypress View all along. After an exhaustive search for descendants proved unsuccessful, the Irving J. Gill Foundation petitioned the County of San Diego to release his remains, and the request was granted.
The Irving J. Gill Foundation has arranged a plot for his burial in Mt. Hope cemetery. The public is welcome to attend and pay their respects and to help honor a man whose vision continues to shape the form, light, shadows, and spirit of meaningful buildings and places.
Event Details:
Date: Monday, October 7, 2024
Time: 2pm-2:30pm
Location: Mt. Hope Cemetery, San Diego
Donations to the Irving J. Gill Foundation for Mr. Gill’s headstone are appreciated. www.irvingjgill.org
About Irving J. Gill
Irving J. Gill (1870-1936), is San Diego’s pioneering architect who left an indelible mark on San Diego and southern California with his beloved, innovative homes, churches, schools, civic buildings, and more. Recognition of his national and international importance has grown significantly over time. The subject of numerous books and articles, he was the first architect to be posthumously honored with the American Institute of Architects California Council’s prestigious Maybeck Award for lifetime achievement (2017).
About Irving J. Gill Foundation
Founded in 2015, the Irving J. Gill Foundation is a California-based not-for-profit corporation that preserves the work and legacy of renowned architect Irving J. Gill (1870-1936). Through exhibitions, panels, lectures, architectural tours and newly produced publications, the foundation and its members educate current and future generations of architects and their allied professions, as well as the general public, about the pioneering advancements Gill formed in the art and science of architectural design and building. For more information on the foundation and its activities, visit:
