Ernest C. Wilson Jr. (May 15, 1924 – August 18, 1992) was an American

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

and real estate developer based in

Newport Beach, California Newport Beach is a coastal city in South Orange County, California. Newport Beach is known for swimming and sandy beaches. Newport Harbor once supported maritime industries however today, it is used mostly for recreation. Balboa Island, Newport ...

. He designed many office buildings in

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...

and

Orange County Orange County most commonly refers to: *Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area Orange County may also refer to: U.S. counties *Orange County, Florida, containing Orlando *Orange County, Indiana *Orange County, New ...

, as well as the

Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum The Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum is the presidential library and burial site of Richard Milhous Nixon, the 37th president of the United States (1969–1974), and his wife Pat Nixon. Located in Yorba Linda, California, on land ...

Yorba Linda, California Yorba Linda is a suburban city in northeastern Orange County, California, United States, approximately southeast of Downtown Los Angeles. It is part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area, and had a population of 68,336 at the 2020 census. Yor ...

. With partners

Robert E. Langdon Jr. Robert Earl Langdon Jr. (May 31, 1918 – August 13, 2004) was an American architect based in Los Angeles, California. With Ernest C. Wilson Jr., he designed 27 office buildings along Wilshire Boulevard as well as the Getty Villa in the Pacific Pa ...

and Hans Mumper, he designed the

Getty Villa The Getty Villa is at the easterly end of the Malibu coast in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, United States. One of two campuses of the J. Paul Getty Museum, the Getty Villa is an educational center and museum dedi ...

in the Pacific Palisades as well as the Bank of America Building in

Beverly Hills Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. A notable and historic suburb of Greater Los Angeles, it is in a wealthy area immediately southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Bev ...

. As President of Koll International, he masterplanned and developed many hotels and golf clubs in

Baja California Baja California (; 'Lower California'), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California), is a state in Mexico. It is the northernmost and westernmost of the 32 federal entities of Mex ...

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

Early life

Ernest Clifford Wilson Jr. was born on May 15, 1924, in

Burbank, California Burbank is a city in the southeastern end of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located northwest of downtown Los Angeles, Burbank has a population of 107,337. The city was named after David Burbank, w ...

.Pacific Coast Architecture Database: Wilson, Ernest
/ref>E.C. Wilson Jr.; Architect of Getty Museum
the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

'', August 20, 1992Iris Yokoy
Famed Architect Ernest Clifford Wilson Jr. Dies : Death: He designed Nixon, Getty museums and is credited with changing the development face of Orange County.
''Los Angeles Times'', August 20, 1992 He graduated from the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, where he studied Architecture and played football with the

Trojans Trojan or Trojans may refer to: * Of or from the ancient city of Troy * Trojan language, the language of the historical Trojans Arts and entertainment Music * ''Les Troyens'' ('The Trojans'), an opera by Berlioz, premiered part 1863, part 1890 ...

.Myrna Oliver
Robert Langdon Jr., 86; Designed 1st Getty Museum
''Los Angeles Times'', August 25, 2004

Career

In 1949, he partnered with fellow USC graduate in Architecture

to form an architectural firm. Two years later, in 1951, they officially founded Langdon Wilson. The firm had offices in Los Angeles and Newport Beach. While Langdon oversaw design projects in the LA area, Wilson took care of projects in and around Newport Beach. However, Wilson is credited with co-designing at least two buildings in Los Angeles County with Langdon: the

in the Pacific Palisades and the Bank of America Building in

.Emporis: Bank of America Building
/ref> Nixon Library and Gardens

He designed high-rise buildings in

and

. He was also the master planner of the

Irvine Spectrum Irvine Spectrum is a district in southeastern Irvine, Orange County, California, centered on the Irvine Spectrum Center shopping and lifestyle center. It is also an edge city, a concentration of business, shopping, and entertainment outside a tr ...

Irvine Irvine may refer to: Places On Earth Antarctica *Irvine Glacier *Mount Irvine (Antarctica) Australia *Irvine Island *Mount Irvine, New South Wales Canada *Irvine, Alberta * Irvine Inlet, Nunavut United Kingdom *Irvine, North Ayrshire, Scotla ...

and the Koll Center Financial Plaza in Newport Beach. Moreover, he oversaw the designs of the

Yorba Linda Yorba Linda is a suburban city in northeastern Orange County, California, United States, approximately southeast of Downtown Los Angeles. It is part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area, and had a population of 68,336 at the 2020 census. Yo ...

, named for U.S. President

Richard M. Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was t ...

. Additionally, he served as the President of Koll International, a real estate development firm. He masterplanned and developed many hotels and golf resorts in

. He was a member of the

American Institute of Architects The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to su ...

.The American Institute of Architects: Ernest Clifford Wilson, Jr.
/ref> He served on the board of directors of the

Newport Harbor Art Museum The Orange County Museum of Art (OCMA) is a modern and contemporary art museum located on the campus of the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa, California. The museum's collection comprises more than 4,500 objects, with a concentration o ...

Personal life

He was married to Shirley Wilson. They had two sons, Peter Wilson and Ernest Wilson, III, and a daughter, Caroline (Wilson) Grazioli. They resided in Newport Beach, where he was a member of the Newport Harbor Yacht Club. He was also a pilot and yachtsman, competing in regattas aboard his yacht called Westerly.

Death

He died on August 18, 1992, at the Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach, California. He was sixty-eight years old.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Ernest C. Jr. Architects from California Historicist architects 1924 births 1992 deaths People associated with the J. Paul Getty Museum People from Burbank, California People from Newport Beach, California USC School of Architecture alumni USC Trojans football players 20th-century American architects