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{{Short description|American architect (1906–1990)}}
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{{Short description|American architect (1906-1990)}}
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{{Infobox person
{{Infobox person
| name = Jon Konigshofer
| name = Jon Konigshofer
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| caption = Konigshofer in 1926
| caption = Konigshofer in 1926
| birth_date = January 13, 1906
| birth_date = January 13, 1906
| birth_place = [[Alameda]], [[California]], U.S.
| birth_place = [[Alameda, California]], U.S.
| death_date = {{death date and age|df=y|1990|10|13|1906|01|13|}}
| death_date = {{death date and age|df=y|1990|10|13|1906|01|13}}
| death_place = [[Monterey, California]], U.S.
| death_place = [[Monterey, California]], U.S.
| resting_place =
| resting_place =
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| known_for =
| known_for =
| style = [[Modern architecture]]
| style = [[Modern architecture]]
| occupation = [[Architect]]
| occupation = unlicensed architect
| years_active =
| years_active =
| awards =
| awards =
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'''Jon Konigshofer''' (January 13, 1906 – October 13, 1990) was an American architect and builder, who gained international recognition for his [[modern architecture]]-style homes, primarily built in the [[Monterey Peninsula]]. He also designed homes and commercial buildings in other areas of California and Mexico.
'''Jon Konigshofer''' (January 13, 1906 – October 13, 1990) was a house designer and builder who was never licensed as an architect, but known for his minimalist low cost homes, primarily built in the [[Monterey Peninsula]]. He also designed homes and commercial buildings in other areas of California and Mexico.


==Early life and education==
==Early life and education==


Konigshofer, born on January 13, 1906, in [[Alameda, California]], a third generation Californian, the son of Leon and Etta Konigshofer. He went to the [[University of Oregon]] and continued his studies at the [[Art Students League of New York]] and the [[California College of the Arts|Oakland College of the Arts]] under [[Xavier Martínez]] and Hamilton Wolfe.<ref name="Evans"/> A [[World War II]] veteran, he served as a U.S. Naval lieutenant commander during five major actions in the [[Asiatic-Pacific theater|Pacific Theater]].<ref name="Death"/><ref name="Obituary"/> He married Frances Wardner Mansfield of Oregon in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, on October 20, 1938.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/529305515/?match=1&clipping_id=148954922 |title=Marriage Licenses|work=Salinas Morning Post|place=Salinas, California|date=November 16, 1938|page=8|access-date=2024-06-08}}</ref> He remarried to Beryl Scott of San Francisco on April 11, 1966.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/santa-cruz-sentinel-beryl-scott/148944842/ |title=Marriage Licenses|work=Santa Cruz Sentinel|place=Santa Cruz, California|date=April 12, 1966|access-date=2024-06-08}}</ref>
Konigshofer was born on January 13, 1906, in [[Alameda, California]] to Leon and Etta Konigshofer.<ref name="Evans"/> A [[World War II]] veteran, he served as a U.S. Naval lieutenant commander during five major actions in the [[Asiatic-Pacific theater|Pacific Theater]]. He was married to Beryl Konigshofer.<ref name="Death"/><ref name="Obituary"/>


==Career==
==Career==


Konigshofer was a house designer without an architect's license who designed [[Minimalism|minimalist]] and affordable buildings on the [[Monterey Peninsula]] which used cheap materials.<ref name="Statement"/><ref name="Inventory" />
Konigshofer found international recognition as a designer of homes and commercial buildings on the [[Monterey Peninsula]]. His design ideas and examples were featured in and on the covers of ''[[Architectural Forum]],''<ref name="Forum">{{cite journal|url=https://www.scribd.com/document/544123937/AF-1948-06 |title=Architectural Forum|journal=Time Incorporated|volume=88|issue=6|date=June 1948|pages=114|access-date=2024-06-11}}</ref> ''[[Architectural Record]],''<ref name="Record"/> ''[[House Beautiful]],''<ref name="Beautiful"/> ''[[House & Garden (magazine)|House & Garden]],''<ref name="Garden"/> ''[[Sunset (magazine)|Sunset]],''<ref name="Sunset"/> ''[[Life]]'' magazines,<ref name="Life">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=x1QEAAAAMBAJ|title=Modern Living: California Home Styles Invade Rest of U.S.|publisher=[[Life]]|date=March 17, 1952|pages=131–132, 135|access-date=2024-06-08}}</ref> and and the yearbook of the ''[[Encyclopædia Britannica]].''<ref>{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/bwb_P8-ANR-098/page/64/mode/2up?q= |title=1949 Britannica book of the year|publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica|date=1949|pages=8, 65|access-date=2024-06-11}}</ref>


In 1937, Konigshofer moved to the [[art colony]] at [[Carmel-by-the-Sea, California]], working in the office of [[master builder]] [[Michael J. Murphy (builder)|Michael J. Murphy]] as a designer. He then left to start his own firm. During this time he built traditional architectural homes that were in demand in Carmel during the early 20th-century.<ref name="Preliminary"/> His first house design, created in 1938, was a ranch-style home for J.D. Greenan, overlooking Mission Fields. His second project was for Marie Spreckels Elezaide. He also did extensive work in Pebble Beach, including designing [[Bing Crosby]]'s house in 1941. In 1940, Konigshofer designed the Etta Stackpole House, situated on Ocean and El Camino in Carmel-by-the-Sea, that demonstrates this early traditional [[Vernacular architecture|Vernacular]]-style work before adopting the modernist design for which he is known.<ref name="Preliminary"/><ref name="Evans"/>
In 1937, Konigshofer moved to the [[art colony]] at [[Carmel-by-the-Sea, California]], working in the office of [[master builder]] [[Michael J. Murphy (builder)|Michael J. Murphy]] as a designer. He then left to start his own firm. During this time he built traditional architectural homes that were in demand in Carmel during the early 20th-century.<ref name="Preliminary">{{cite web|url=https://ci.carmel.ca.us/sites/main/files/he_22-190_lee_-_preliminary_determination.pdf |title=Carmel-by-the-Sea Preliminary Determination of Ineligibility For the Carmel Historic Resources Inventory|work=City Of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California|access-date=2024-06-08}}</ref> His first house design, created in 1938, was a ranch-style home for J.D. Greenan, overlooking Mission Fields. He did extensive work in Pebble Beach, including designing [[Bing Crosby]]'s house in 1941. In 1940, Konigshofer designed the Etta Stackpole House, situated on Ocean and El Camino in Carmel-by-the-Sea, using early traditional [[Vernacular architecture|Vernacular]]-style work before adopting the modernist design.<ref name="Preliminary"/><ref name="Evans"/>


He worked on the design of John Gardener's Tennis Ranch in [[Carmel Valley, California]]. In 1941, Konigshofer redesigned the [[Pine Inn]]'s restaurant dining room for Harrison Godwin, and the [[La Playa Hotel]] for Fred Godwin. He moved his office to the Pine Inn. Landscape architect [[Thomas Church (landscape architect)|Thomas Church]] and Konigshofer worked on Monterey Peninsula projects together from the 1940s to the 1950s, such as the Carmel's Mayfair Apartments (1941),<ref name="Evans"/> a Carmel Valley home,<ref name="Sunset">{{cite journal|url=https://archive.org/details/sunset103julsout/page/n129/mode/2up?q=+%22Jon+Konigshofer%22 |title=Sunset|journal=The Pacific Monthly|volume=103|issue=1|date=July 1949|place=San Francisco, California|page=130|access-date=2024-06-11}}</ref> and Robert Buckner's Pebble Beach house (1947).<ref name="Evans"/> The January 1947, ''Sunset Magazine'' featured one of Konigshofer's five Mayfair studio apartments with photographs of the floorplan, exterior covered walkway, and interior with corner fireplace.<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://archive.org/details/sunset88jansout/page/n37/mode/2up?q=|title=Sunset: One Room Wisdom|journal=Southern Pacific Company|volume=88|issue=1|date=January 1941|place=San Francisco, California|page=34|access-date=2024-06-11}}</ref>
In 1941, Konigshofer redesigned the [[Pine Inn]]'s restaurant dining room and the [[La Playa Hotel]]. Landscape architect [[Thomas Church (landscape architect)|Thomas Church]] and Konigshofer worked on Monterey Peninsula projects together from the 1940s to the 1950s, such as the Carmel's Mayfair Apartments (1941),<ref name="Evans"/> and Robert Buckner's Pebble Beach house (1947).<ref name="Evans"/> The January 1947, ''Sunset Magazine'' featured one of Konigshofer's five Mayfair studio apartments with photographs of the floorplan, exterior covered walkway, and interior with corner fireplace.<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://archive.org/details/sunset88jansout/page/n37/mode/2up?q=|title=Sunset: One Room Wisdom|journal=Southern Pacific Company|volume=88|issue=1|date=January 1941|place=San Francisco, California|page=34|access-date=2024-06-11}}</ref>


Konigshofer's understanding of [[Frank Lloyd Wright]]'s concept of the [[Usonian]] house is apparent in his own designs and in the residences he created in Carmel. Utilizing affordable materials and budgeting, Konigshofer gained recognition for the [[minimalism]] and cost-effectiveness of his plans, earning recognition as one of the forerunners of [[Modern architecture|Modern architecture]] movement in Carmel. The ''Monterey Peninsula Herald'' noted that Konigshofer, along with Murphy and [[Hugh W. Comstock]], "influenced house design more than any other." Like Wright and Comstock, Konigshofer was not licensed or formally educated in architecture, yet the ''Herald'' observed that his buildings "attracted as much comment and praise in the architectural world as those designed by many a high-ranking degreed architect."<ref name="Preliminary"/><ref name="Statement">{{cite web|last1=Grimes|first1=Teresa|last2=Heumann|first2=Leslie|url=https://ci.carmel.ca.us/sites/main/files/final_draft_carmel_historic_context_statement_update_9.6.2022_clean_1.pdf|title=Historic Context Statement Carmel-by-the-Sea|publisher=PAST Consultants, LLC|place=Carmel-by-the-Sea, California|date=2023|pages=30, 51, 55, 62-63, 119, 124, |access-date=2024-06-12}}</ref><ref name="City">{{cite web|url=https://ci.carmel.ca.us/sites/main/files/file-attachments/hrb_agenda_packet-_082018.pdf |title=City of Carmel-by-the-Sea Historic Resources Boar Meeting Agenda|work=City of Carmel-by-the-Sea|date=August 20, 2018|page=|access-date=2024-06-11}}</ref> Wright hired Konigshofer to oversee the construction of Hollywood producer [[John Nesbitt]]'s House at Cypress Point, [[Pebble Beach, California]]. The plans were completed in 1940 but not executed.<ref name="NRHP">{{cite web|url=https://demo2.parks.ca.gov/pages/1067/files/ca_monterey%20county_mrs.%20clinton%20walker%20house.pdf |title=National Register of Historic Places Registration Form|work=U.S. Department of the Interior National Park Service|pages=8|access-date=2024-06-08}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=David Gebhard |first=Romanza|url=https://archive.org/details/romanzacaliforni0000gebh/page/n7/mode/2up?q=|title=The California Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright|place=San Francisco, California|publisher=Chronicle Books|date=1988|pages=126, 130–131|isbn=978-0-87701-379-2 |access-date=2024-06-08}}</ref><ref name="Evans">{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/carmel_historic_survey_volume_i_blocks_a-69/page/n327/mode/2up?view=theater&q=|title=Department of Parks and Recreation Primary Record - Keith Evans House|work=State of California The Resources Agency|date=December 19, 2012 |pages=325–327|access-date=2024-06-10}}</ref>
Konigshofer was not licensed or formally educated in architecture, yet the ''Herald'' observed that his buildings "attracted as much comment and praise in the architectural world as those designed by many a high-ranking degreed architect."<ref name="Preliminary"/><ref name="Statement">{{cite web|last1=Grimes|first1=Teresa|last2=Heumann|first2=Leslie|url=https://ci.carmel.ca.us/sites/main/files/final_draft_carmel_historic_context_statement_update_9.6.2022_clean_1.pdf|title=Historic Context Statement Carmel-by-the-Sea|publisher=PAST Consultants, LLC|place=Carmel-by-the-Sea, California|date=2023|pages=30, 51, 55, 62–63, 119, 124 |access-date=2024-06-12}}</ref><ref name="City">{{cite web|url=https://ci.carmel.ca.us/sites/main/files/file-attachments/hrb_agenda_packet-_082018.pdf |title=City of Carmel-by-the-Sea Historic Resources Boar Meeting Agenda|work=City of Carmel-by-the-Sea|date=August 20, 2018|page=|access-date=2024-06-11}}</ref> [[Frank Lloyd Wright]] hired Konigshofer to oversee the construction of Hollywood producer [[John Nesbitt]]'s House at Cypress Point, [[Pebble Beach, California]]. The plans were completed in 1940 but not executed.<ref name="NRHP">{{cite web|url=https://demo2.parks.ca.gov/pages/1067/files/ca_monterey%20county_mrs.%20clinton%20walker%20house.pdf |title=National Register of Historic Places Registration Form|work=U.S. Department of the Interior National Park Service|pages=8|access-date=2024-06-08}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=David Gebhard |first=Romanza|url=https://archive.org/details/romanzacaliforni0000gebh/page/n7/mode/2up?q=|title=The California Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright|place=San Francisco, California|publisher=Chronicle Books|date=1988|pages=126, 130–131|isbn=978-0-87701-379-2 |access-date=2024-06-08}}</ref><ref name="Evans">{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/carmel_historic_survey_volume_i_blocks_a-69/page/n327/mode/2up?view=theater&q=|title=Department of Parks and Recreation Primary Record - Keith Evans House|work=State of California The Resources Agency|date=December 19, 2012 |pages=325–327|access-date=2024-06-10}}</ref>


In 1941, Konigshofer designed the Sand and Sea complex for Elizabeth White, consisting of five residences and a garage with an upstairs studio, located on San Antonio Avenue, near 4th Avenue in Carmel. This complex served as a good example of modernism, blending elements of [[Critical regionalism|West Coast regionalism]] and [[Second Bay Tradition|Bay Area Tradition]] modernistic styles.<ref name="Historic">{{cite web|url=https://demo2.parks.ca.gov/pages/1067/files/ca_monterey%20county_connell%20house_nomination.pdf |title=National Register of Historic Places Registration Form|work=U.S. Department of the Interior National Park Service|pages=8|access-date=2024-06-10}}</ref> The January 1947, ''Sunset Magazine'' featured one of the five houses with photographs of the floor design, exterior redwood siding, and interior with high ceilings.<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://archive.org/details/sunset98jansout/page/n31/mode/2up?q=|title=Sunset: Privacy in a group|journal=Southern Pacific Company|volume=98|issue=1|date=January 1947|place=San Francisco, California|pages=30–31|access-date=2024-06-11}}</ref>
In 1941, Konigshofer designed the Sand and Sea complex, consisting of five residences and a garage with an upstairs studio. This complex blends elements of [[Critical regionalism|West Coast regionalism]] and [[Second Bay Tradition|Bay Area Tradition]] modernistic styles.<ref name="Historic">{{cite web|url=https://demo2.parks.ca.gov/pages/1067/files/ca_monterey%20county_connell%20house_nomination.pdf |title=National Register of Historic Places Registration Form|work=U.S. Department of the Interior National Park Service|pages=8|access-date=2024-06-10}}</ref> The January 1947, ''Sunset Magazine'' featured one of the five houses with photographs of the floor design, exterior redwood siding, and interior with high ceilings.<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://archive.org/details/sunset98jansout/page/n31/mode/2up?q=|title=Sunset: Privacy in a group|journal=Southern Pacific Company|volume=98|issue=1|date=January 1947|place=San Francisco, California|pages=30–31|access-date=2024-06-11}}</ref>


Konigshofer built a modern circular one-story house for producer [[Robert Buckner]] around 1947 in Pebble Beach, California. Its design included eaves for shading and a concrete patio that wrapped around much of the structure. The house includes a studio away from the house on a hillside. It includes single-story redwood siding and plate glass windows.<ref name="Garden"/> This residence gained attention when it appeared in an advertisement for Kimsul Blanket Insulation, manufactured by the [[Kimberly-Clark]]. In a published letter within the advertisement, Konigshofer expressed his aim to not only meet the client's desires but also to demonstrate that cost-effective homes could be swiftly constructed while maintaining an appealing design.<ref name="Record">{{cite journal|url=https://archive.org/details/sim_architectural-record_1949-03_105_3/page/58/mode/2up?q=Konigshofer|title=Architectural Record|journal=McGraw Hill Publications Company|volume=105 |issue=3|date=March 1949|pages=131–132, 135|access-date=2024-06-08}}</ref><ref name="PCAD"/> The Robert Buckner residence was among fifty-three houses showcased in the 1949 [[San Francisco Museum of Modern Art]] exhibition, titled “Domestic Architecture of the San Francisco Bay Region."<ref name="NRHP"/> It was also featured in ''[[Architectural Forum]]'' with photographs of the semicircular layout, floorpan, and interiors.<ref name="Forum"/>
Konigshofer built a modern circular one-story house for film producer [[Robert Buckner]] in 1947 in Pebble Beach. Its design included eaves for shading and a concrete patio that wrapped around much of the structure.<ref name="Garden">{{cite journal|url=https://archive.org/details/sim_house-garden_1951-08_100_2/page/n97/mode/2up?q= |title=House & Garden|volume=100|issue=2|journal= Condé Nast Publications, Inc.|date=August 1951|page=91|access-date=2024-06-10}}</ref> This residence appeared in an advertisement for Kimsul Blanket Insulation, manufactured by the [[Kimberly-Clark]]. In a published letter within the advertisement, Konigshofer expressed his aim to demonstrate that cost-effective homes could be swiftly constructed while maintaining an appealing design.<ref name="Record">{{cite journal|url=https://archive.org/details/sim_architectural-record_1949-03_105_3/page/58/mode/2up?q=Konigshofer|title=Architectural Record|journal=McGraw Hill Publications Company|volume=105 |issue=3|date=March 1949|pages=131–132, 135|access-date=2024-06-08}}</ref><ref name="PCAD">{{cite web|url=https://pcad.lib.washington.edu/building/570/ |title=Robert Buckner House|work=PCAD|access-date=2024-06-08}}</ref> The Robert Buckner residence was among fifty-three houses showcased in the 1949 [[San Francisco Museum of Modern Art]] exhibition, titled "Domestic Architecture of the San Francisco Bay Region."<ref name="NRHP"/> It was also featured in ''[[Architectural Forum]]'' with photographs of the semicircular layout, floorpan, and interiors.<ref name="Forum">{{cite journal|url=https://www.scribd.com/document/544123937/AF-1948-06 |title=Architectural Forum|journal=Time Incorporated|volume=88|issue=6|date=June 1948|pages=114|access-date=2024-06-11}}</ref> In the January 1949 issue of ''House Beautiful,'' the house was described as "born of open-mindedness" and envisioned as a testing ground for new ideas on human shelter.<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://archive.org/details/housebeautiful91jannewy/page/n77/mode/2up?q=|title=House Beautiful|journal= Hearst Corp.|place=New York|volume=91 |issue=1|date=January 1949|pages=80–82|access-date=2024-06-13}}</ref>


In 1948, Konigshofer designed a two-story for Carmel mayor Keith Evans at 2969 Franciscan Way in Carmel. The "Hillside House" was featured in ''[[Life]]'' magazine on March 17, 1952,<ref name="Life"/> and in ''House Beautiful'' in January 1950. He used modern [[Prefabrication|prefabricate]] materials on a hillside lot and is as an example of affordable residential housing under $10,000 ({{Inflation|US|10000|1952|fmt=eq}}). The Keith Evans house is an example of the [[Third Bay Tradition|Bay Area Tradition]] architectural style.<ref name="Evans"/><ref name="Inventory"/>
In 1948, Konigshofer designed a two-story for Carmel mayor Keith Evans at 2969 Franciscan Way in Carmel. The "Hillside House" was featured in ''[[Life (magazine)|Life]]'' magazine on March 17, 1952,<ref name="Life">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=x1QEAAAAMBAJ|title=Modern Living: California Home Styles Invade Rest of U.S.|publisher=[[Life (magazine)|Life]]|date=March 17, 1952|pages=131–132, 135|access-date=2024-06-08}}</ref> and in ''House Beautiful'' in January 1950. He used modern [[Prefabrication|prefabricate]] materials on a hillside lot and is as an example of affordable residential housing under $10,000 ({{Inflation|US|10000|1952|fmt=eq}}). The Keith Evans house is an example of the [[Third Bay Tradition|Bay Area Tradition]] architectural style.<ref name="Evans"/><ref name="Inventory">{{cite web|url=https://ci.carmel.ca.us/sites/main/files/carmel_inventory_of_historic_resources_v2022.pdf |title=Camel Inventory Of Historic Resources Database|work=City of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California|access-date=2024-06-08}}</ref>

==Personal==

Konigshofer painted with watercolors in the early 1930s. He exhibited at the Bay Region Art Association at the [[Legion of Honor (museum)|Legion of Honor]] in 1935 in San Francisco,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/oakland-tribune/101080847/ |title=Bay Region Artists Hold Notable Show|work=Oakland Tribune|place=Oakland, California|date=April 28, 1935|page=46|access-date=2024-06-11}}</ref> and the Santa Cruz Art League in 1936.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/santa-cruz-sentinel-santa-cruz-art-leagu/148967424/ |title=Quaterly Exhibit Of The Santa Cruz Art League Shows Nature at Happies|work=Santa Cruz Sentinel|place= Santa Cruz, California|date=April 28, 1936|page=2|access-date=2024-06-11}}</ref>

An avid sailor since childhood, Konigshofer participated in many Tran-Pacific races and had his own 36-foot racing sailboat built in the late 1940s.<ref name="Death"/> He helped establish the Stillwater Yacht Club and was an early participant in the Monterey Peninsula Yacht Club. Konigshofer was a sailor who won competitions in the [[Star (keelboat)|Star]] and [[Mercury 18]] [[keelboat|keelboats]] competitions, as well as the [[International 110]] sailboat events. He actively sailed his L-36 "Wildwind" in the waters of [[Monterey Bay]] and [[San Francisco Bay]]. Even in his eighties, Jon helmed "Stillwater" to second-place finish in the regatta named after him. The Konigshofer Trophy was donated to the Stillwater Yacht Club.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.regattanetwork.com/event/21163|title=MPYC Konigshofer Trophy Regatta|website=www.regattanetwork.com|access-date=2024-06-08}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/santa-cruz-sentinel-jon-konigshofer/149133725/|title=Burkett Captues Role in Lipton Cup Meet|work=Santa Cruz Sentinel|place=Santa Cruz, California|date=June 26, 1975|page=18|access-date=2024-06-11}}</ref>


==Death==
==Death==
Konigshofer died of cancer on October 13, 1990, at the Hospice of the Central Coast in Monterey, California.<ref name="Obituary">{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/ccarm_004960/page/n29/mode/2up?q=%22Jon+Konigshofer%22|title=Jon Konigshofer|work=Carmel Pine Cone |place=Carmel-by-the-Sea, California|date=November 8, 1990|access-date=2024-05-09}}</ref><ref name="Death">{{cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/oakland-tribune-obituary-for-jon-konigsh/148560365/ |title=Konigshofer, Jon |work=Oakland Tribune |place=Oakland, California|date=October 17, 1990|access-date=2024-05-09}}</ref>
Konigshofer died of cancer on October 13, 1990, in Monterey, California.<ref name="Obituary">{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/ccarm_004960/page/n29/mode/2up?q=%22Jon+Konigshofer%22|title=Jon Konigshofer|work=Carmel Pine Cone |place=Carmel-by-the-Sea, California|date=November 8, 1990|access-date=2024-05-09}}</ref><ref name="Death">{{cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/oakland-tribune-obituary-for-jon-konigsh/148560365/ |title=Konigshofer, Jon |work=Oakland Tribune |place=Oakland, California|date=October 17, 1990|access-date=2024-05-09}}</ref>

==Works==
{{columns-list|colwidth=20em|
* J.D. Greenan (1938)<ref name="Evans"/>
* Monterey Peninsula Yacht Club<ref name="Obituary"/>
* Etta Stackpole House (1940)<ref name="Preliminary"/>
* Sand and Sea Development (1941)<ref name="Preliminary">{{cite web|url=https://ci.carmel.ca.us/sites/main/files/he_22-190_lee_-_preliminary_determination.pdf |title=Carmel-by-the-Sea Preliminary Determination of Ineligibility For the Carmel Historic Resources Inventory|work=City Of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California|access-date=2024-06-08}}</ref><ref name="NRHP"/>
* Fred C. Homes House (1941)<ref name="Inventory">{{cite web|url=https://ci.carmel.ca.us/sites/main/files/carmel_inventory_of_historic_resources_v2022.pdf |title=Camel Inventory Of Historic Resources Database|work=City of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California|access-date=2024-06-08}}</ref>
* Robert Buckner House (1947)<ref name="PCAD">{{cite web|url=https://pcad.lib.washington.edu/building/570/ |title=Robert Buckner House|work=PCAD|access-date=2024-06-08}}</ref><ref name="Garden">{{cite journal|url=https://archive.org/details/sim_house-garden_1951-08_100_2/page/n97/mode/2up?q= |title=House & Garden|volume=100|issue=2|journal= Condé Nast Publications, Inc.|date=August 1951|page=91|access-date=2024-06-10}}</ref>
* Keith Evans House 2969 Franciscan Way, Carmel (1948)<ref name="Inventory"/><ref name="City"/><ref name="Life"/>
* Carmel Bus Depot (1948)<ref name="Hale">
{{cite book|last= Hale|first=Sharron Lee
|url=https://archive.org/details/tributetoyesterd0000hale/mode/2up?q= |title=A Tribute to Yesterday: The History of Carmel, Carmel Valley, Big Sur, Point Lobos, Carmelite Monastery, and Los Burros |publisher=Valley Publishers |place=Santa Cruz, California |date=1980|pages=13, 185|isbn=9780913548738 |access-date=2022-03-18}}</ref>
* Pasatiempo House (1950)<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://archive.org/details/sim_interiors_1950-10_110_3/page/n83/mode/2up?q= |title=Interiors|journal=Emerald Expositions LLC|date=October 1950|volume=110|issue=3, Emerald Expositions LLC|pages=83–84|access-date=2024-06-11}}</ref>
* Macdonald and Margaret Booze House (1952)<ref name="NRHP"/>
* Kip Silvey House at 13th Ave and Scenic<ref name="Context">{{cite web|url=https://ci.carmel.ca.us/sites/main/files/working_draft_carmel_historic_context_statement_update.pdf |title=Historic Context Statement Carmel-by-the-Sea|work=City of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California|access-date=2024-06-08}}</ref>
* George W. Nickel's House (1952)<ref name="Beautiful"/>
* E.S. Hopkins House (1952)<ref name="Context"/><ref name="Beautiful">{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/housebeautiful94julnewy/page/n171/mode/2up?q= |title=House Beautiful|work=Hearst Corp.|date=1952|place=New York|pages=172, 205|access-date=2024-06-10}}</ref>
⚫
}}

==See also==
* [[International Style]]


==References==
==References==
Line 94: Line 72:
* [https://pcad.lib.washington.edu/person/337/ Jon Konigshofer (Builder, Designer)]
* [https://pcad.lib.washington.edu/person/337/ Jon Konigshofer (Builder, Designer)]
* [https://www.askart.com/artist/Julius_Jon_Konigshofer/10030440/Julius_Jon_Konigshofer.aspx Artist Biography & Facts: Julius Jon Konigshofer]
* [https://www.askart.com/artist/Julius_Jon_Konigshofer/10030440/Julius_Jon_Konigshofer.aspx Artist Biography & Facts: Julius Jon Konigshofer]
* [https://archive.org/details/bayareahouses00wood/page/n5/mode/2up?q= Bay Area Houses]


{{authority control}}
{{authority control}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Konigshofer, Jon }}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Konigshofer, Jon}}
[[Category:1906 births]]
{{draftcat|
[[:Category:1906 births]]
[[Category:1990 deaths]]
[[:Category:1990 deaths]]
[[Category:Architects from California]]
[[:Category:Architects from California]]
[[Category:20th-century American architects]]
[[:Category:20th-century American architects]]
[[Category:People from Alameda, California]]
[[:Category:People from Alameda, California]]
[[Category:People from Carmel-by-the-Sea, California]]
[[:Category:People from Carmel-by-the-Sea, California]]
}}

Latest revision as of 04:16, 28 November 2024

Jon Konigshofer
Konigshofer in 1926
Born
Julius Jon Konigshofer

January 13, 1906
Alameda, California, U.S.
Died13 October 1990(1990-10-13) (aged 84)
Monterey, California, U.S.
EducationUniversity of Oregon
Occupationunlicensed architect
StyleModern architecture
Spouses
Frances Wardner Mansfield
​
​
(m. 1938; died 1964)​
Beryl Scott
​
(m. 1966)​
Children1
Military career
Allegiance United States of America
Service / branch United States Navy
Years of service1940s
RankLieutenant

Jon Konigshofer (January 13, 1906 – October 13, 1990) was a house designer and builder who was never licensed as an architect, but known for his minimalist low cost homes, primarily built in the Monterey Peninsula. He also designed homes and commercial buildings in other areas of California and Mexico.

Early life and education

[edit]

Konigshofer was born on January 13, 1906, in Alameda, California to Leon and Etta Konigshofer.[1] A World War II veteran, he served as a U.S. Naval lieutenant commander during five major actions in the Pacific Theater. He was married to Beryl Konigshofer.[2][3]

Career

[edit]

Konigshofer was a house designer without an architect's license who designed minimalist and affordable buildings on the Monterey Peninsula which used cheap materials.[4][5]

In 1937, Konigshofer moved to the art colony at Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, working in the office of master builder Michael J. Murphy as a designer. He then left to start his own firm. During this time he built traditional architectural homes that were in demand in Carmel during the early 20th-century.[6] His first house design, created in 1938, was a ranch-style home for J.D. Greenan, overlooking Mission Fields. He did extensive work in Pebble Beach, including designing Bing Crosby's house in 1941. In 1940, Konigshofer designed the Etta Stackpole House, situated on Ocean and El Camino in Carmel-by-the-Sea, using early traditional Vernacular-style work before adopting the modernist design.[6][1]

In 1941, Konigshofer redesigned the Pine Inn's restaurant dining room and the La Playa Hotel. Landscape architect Thomas Church and Konigshofer worked on Monterey Peninsula projects together from the 1940s to the 1950s, such as the Carmel's Mayfair Apartments (1941),[1] and Robert Buckner's Pebble Beach house (1947).[1] The January 1947, Sunset Magazine featured one of Konigshofer's five Mayfair studio apartments with photographs of the floorplan, exterior covered walkway, and interior with corner fireplace.[7]

Konigshofer was not licensed or formally educated in architecture, yet the Herald observed that his buildings "attracted as much comment and praise in the architectural world as those designed by many a high-ranking degreed architect."[6][4][8] Frank Lloyd Wright hired Konigshofer to oversee the construction of Hollywood producer John Nesbitt's House at Cypress Point, Pebble Beach, California. The plans were completed in 1940 but not executed.[9][10][1]

In 1941, Konigshofer designed the Sand and Sea complex, consisting of five residences and a garage with an upstairs studio. This complex blends elements of West Coast regionalism and Bay Area Tradition modernistic styles.[11] The January 1947, Sunset Magazine featured one of the five houses with photographs of the floor design, exterior redwood siding, and interior with high ceilings.[12]

Konigshofer built a modern circular one-story house for film producer Robert Buckner in 1947 in Pebble Beach. Its design included eaves for shading and a concrete patio that wrapped around much of the structure.[13] This residence appeared in an advertisement for Kimsul Blanket Insulation, manufactured by the Kimberly-Clark. In a published letter within the advertisement, Konigshofer expressed his aim to demonstrate that cost-effective homes could be swiftly constructed while maintaining an appealing design.[14][15] The Robert Buckner residence was among fifty-three houses showcased in the 1949 San Francisco Museum of Modern Art exhibition, titled "Domestic Architecture of the San Francisco Bay Region."[9] It was also featured in Architectural Forum with photographs of the semicircular layout, floorpan, and interiors.[16] In the January 1949 issue of House Beautiful, the house was described as "born of open-mindedness" and envisioned as a testing ground for new ideas on human shelter.[17]

In 1948, Konigshofer designed a two-story for Carmel mayor Keith Evans at 2969 Franciscan Way in Carmel. The "Hillside House" was featured in Life magazine on March 17, 1952,[18] and in House Beautiful in January 1950. He used modern prefabricate materials on a hillside lot and is as an example of affordable residential housing under $10,000 (equivalent to $114,737 in 2023). The Keith Evans house is an example of the Bay Area Tradition architectural style.[1][5]

Death

[edit]

Konigshofer died of cancer on October 13, 1990, in Monterey, California.[3][2]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e f "Department of Parks and Recreation Primary Record - Keith Evans House". State of California The Resources Agency. December 19, 2012. pp. 325–327. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Konigshofer, Jon". Oakland Tribune. Oakland, California. October 17, 1990. Retrieved May 9, 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Jon Konigshofer". Carmel Pine Cone. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. November 8, 1990. Retrieved May 9, 2024.
  4. ^ a b Grimes, Teresa; Heumann, Leslie (2023). "Historic Context Statement Carmel-by-the-Sea" (PDF). Carmel-by-the-Sea, California: PAST Consultants, LLC. pp. 30, 51, 55, 62–63, 119, 124. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
  5. ^ a b "Camel Inventory Of Historic Resources Database" (PDF). City of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
  6. ^ a b c "Carmel-by-the-Sea Preliminary Determination of Ineligibility For the Carmel Historic Resources Inventory" (PDF). City Of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
  7. ^ "Sunset: One Room Wisdom". Southern Pacific Company. 88 (1). San Francisco, California: 34. January 1941. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
  8. ^ "City of Carmel-by-the-Sea Historic Resources Boar Meeting Agenda" (PDF). City of Carmel-by-the-Sea. August 20, 2018. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
  9. ^ a b "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form" (PDF). U.S. Department of the Interior National Park Service. p. 8. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
  10. ^ David Gebhard, Romanza (1988). The California Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright. San Francisco, California: Chronicle Books. pp. 126, 130–131. ISBN 978-0-87701-379-2. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
  11. ^ "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form" (PDF). U.S. Department of the Interior National Park Service. p. 8. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
  12. ^ "Sunset: Privacy in a group". Southern Pacific Company. 98 (1). San Francisco, California: 30–31. January 1947. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
  13. ^ "House & Garden". Condé Nast Publications, Inc. 100 (2): 91. August 1951. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
  14. ^ "Architectural Record". McGraw Hill Publications Company. 105 (3): 131–132, 135. March 1949. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
  15. ^ "Robert Buckner House". PCAD. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
  16. ^ "Architectural Forum". Time Incorporated. 88 (6): 114. June 1948. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
  17. ^ "House Beautiful". Hearst Corp. 91 (1). New York: 80–82. January 1949. Retrieved June 13, 2024.
  18. ^ Modern Living: California Home Styles Invade Rest of U.S. Life. March 17, 1952. pp. 131–132, 135. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
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