• Source: Peter J. Weber

Peter Joseph Weber (1893–1983) was an American architect who worked in California from 1906 to 1958. Trained in the beaux arts style and technique, he is known primarily for his Mediterranean Revival work in Riverside, California. Ten of his designs for the firm of G. Stanley Wilson, Architect are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.




Early life and education


Weber was born in San Francisco, California on September 24, 1893 to Peter Weber and Katie Cronin, first-generation immigrants, from Luxembourg and Ireland, respectively. He was the oldest of four children. He and his family survived the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake and Fire, but lost almost everything they owned. In the following years, from ages 12 to 22, Weber worked as a junior draftsman for a series of notable architects in San Francisco including John Galen Howard, Albert Pissis, William B. Faville, Willis Polk, and Julia Morgan. He studied at the Wilmerding School of Industrial Arts from 1907 to 1911 and as a member of the San Francisco Architectural Club, took part in their atelier program from 1913 to 1915, where he learned the beaux-arts process and style from local architects who had studied at the École des Beaux-Arts. In 1914, Weber received a scholarship when his design placed first in a competition sponsored by the Architectural League of the Pacific Coast to travel to Paris and compete for acceptance to the École des Beaux-Arts. Due to the disruptions and uncertainty caused by the outbreak of World War I in Europe, Weber instead attended the University of Pennsylvania. There, he studied under professor William Powers Laird, was awarded two First Medals in extracurricular competitions sponsored by the Beaux-Arts Institute of Design in New York City, and completed his studies with a Certificate of Proficiency in Architecture in 1917.




Work with G. Stanley Wilson



In 1919, Weber settled in Riverside, California, where he became an associate and lead designer for the firm of G. Stanley Wilson. Wilson received his architect's license in 1922, and with the benefit of Weber's talents, his firm quickly became Riverside's most prolific architects of the period. As principal, Wilson attended to client relations, handled contracts, oversaw all projects, and personally designed projects that suited him while Weber managed the office and was lead designer on the majority of Wilson's public and civic projects over the course of their professional relationship, which lasted thirty-six years. Weber's work in Riverside melded the best of his beaux arts background with various Mediterranean Revival designs. As his career entered its final stages, he included work in the Mid-century modern style with designs such as the First Christian Church, Riverside, the Fremont School, Riverside, and the First Presbyterian Church, Anaheim. At the behest of Wilson, Weber received his architect's license in 1945.




= Notable works

=
Corona High School (now Civic Center), Corona, 1923, NRHP-listed
Riverside-Arlington Heights Fruit Exchange, Riverside, 1924, NRHP-listed
M.H. Simon's Undertaking Chapel, Riverside, 1925, NRHP-listed
Mission Inn (Author's Row Addition 1928, St. Francis Chapel & Atrio, International Rotunda, Garden of the Sky Courtyard, Amistad Dome, and Court of the Orient 1929 – 1931, New Chimes Tower 1944), Riverside, NRHP-listed
Arlington Branch Library (Renovations), Riverside, 1928, NRHP-listed
Soldier's Memorial Building (completed after the death of original architect Arthur B. Benton, now Riverside Municipal Auditorium), Riverside, 1929
Lake Norconian Club (Pavilion and Chauffeur's Quarters), Norco, 1929, NRHP-listed
Jefferson Elementary School (Library), Corona, 1931, NRHP-listed
U.S. Post Office, Redlands, 1934, NRHP-listed
San Bernardino Valley College (Auditorium), 1938
Palm Springs High School, Palm Springs, 1939
Fullerton City Hall (now Police Department), Fullerton, 1941, NRHP-listed
Community Settlement Association, Riverside, 1948, NRHP-listed
Anaheim First Presbyterian Church, Anaheim, 1950




Honeymoon and return to Riverside


In June of 1931, Weber took a leave of absence from the Wilson firm and married Clara Hartnett, a friend of his sister from Richmond, California. Together, they drove cross-country and then traveled to France, beginning a 14-month long honeymoon across Europe and North Africa. Weber took over 8,000 photos as they went, gathering direct inspiration and finally visiting many locations he had originally hoped to see prior to the outbreak of World War I. They returned to Riverside in August of 1932. Soon after, Weber began working on the design and construction of his eclectic home, which came to be known as the Peter J. Weber House, a process that took the next six years and remains unfinished. Weber returned to work for G. Stanley Wilson in February of 1933 and continued with the firm until his retirement. Peter and Clara had a son, born in November 1937.




Retirement and death


In 1956, G. Stanley Wilson’s firm closed and Weber retired as an architect. He and Clara relocated to the beachside town of Leucadia in 1973, where he extensively remodeled and added on to an existing beach cottage. Clara died in 1982 and Weber in the following year, aged 90. They are buried together at Oak Park Cemetery in Claremont, California.




References






Further reading


Borbath, Wendy (1983-02-22) "Architect Who Helped Design It Takes Kin On Tour Of Mission Inn", The Press-Enterprise
Cornwall, Michael (1982-08) "Welcome Is The Best Cheer", Sun Up
Fiske, Joanne (1986-07-01) "Saving this historic house is no easy job", The Press-Enterprise
O’Riordan, Edmund (2001–06) "The Road to Old Graigue", The World of Hibernia
Patterson, Tom (1981-04-05) "Grove’s Gone, Riverside Gawks At Architect’s Curious Handiwork", The Press-Enterprise
Poletti, Therese (2009-04) "Comrades in the Atelier", The Argonaut

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