Rob Quigley, Mar. 21, 2015 @ 9:30 a.m.

Post-Modernism: Everyone Visits San Diego Eventually

We continue our series: The California-Panama Exposition Centennial Lectures – Part 4: Spanning the Oceans: A War Brings the World to Our Doors.

Rob Wellington Quigley, FAIA, is no stranger to Friends of San Diego Architecture. He has spoken to our group twice and was one of our judges in our “granny flat” competition in 2005.  His award-winning designs are visible throughout San Diego County and beyond. He is regularly featured in local, national, and international publications and has been a visiting professor at UCSD, Harvard, Berkeley, PENN, and the University of Texas.

Quigley is a trend-setter. In the seventies, after 2 years in the Peace Corps in Chile designing low cost housing, Rob opened an office in San Diego and began offering “green” and “sustainable houses” before the terms became popular.  His houses and condominium projects stood out in communities because of their “unconventional” features, use of industrial materials, and dry landscapes. They offered energy-efficiency and solar power.  Realtors considered them post-modern and sought buyers who liked  “original and contemporary” residences.

In the late eighties, looking for a solution to satisfy the needs of the working poor, Quigley began designing single room occupancy hotels in downtown San Diego. These SRO hotels were built with industrial strength materials, energy-efficient features and livable concepts in “pared-down quarters.”
J Street and the Baltic Inn were the first SRO’s and were a good solution to a housing problem. In 1993 Quigley received an Honor Award from the national AIA for design excellence on 202 Island Inn, a 197-unit SRO with hidden underground parking, a modish, chic corner café and a clever layout designed to respect the character of the neighborhood. The use of brilliant colors and a mix of architectural details defined the building.

Since the nineties Quigley has focused his practice on academic, civic and low income housing projects, including private residences. These include the Solana Beach Transit Station, Sherman Heights Community Center, Linda Vista Library, San Diego Children’s Museum, and UCSD Student Services Center. He starts most of his projects by inviting the public to community workshops, a smart move to get community input at the beginning. Response by the public has been very positive.

Finally, after many frustrating years plagued by site changes, design changes and funding problems,  Quigley accomplished a feat which many San Diegans thought impossible—a new San Diego Central Library downtown.  It is much more than a library, however.  It serves many purposes, many organizations, and many people. It is a welcoming gathering place and will be treasured for years going forward.

Quigley recently designed a live-work studio in downtown San Diego. It is a five-story building close to the new library. It includes a pair of penthouses on the fourth and fifth floors as well as his offices and a graphic design company on the lower levels.  He calls it Torr Kaelan, Gaelic for rock outcropping or boulder.

Good news! Quigley and wife Kathleen plan to stay in San Diego.

Note: You may want to read Dirk Sutro’s article about Torr Kaelan at the link below:

http://archpaper.com/news/articles.asp?id=7874#.VPU5ofnF9sU

Images from the Ned Paynter Collection/FSDA: