Charles Luckman formed a partnership with USC architecture professor William Pereira as Pereira & Luckman between 1950-59. During this time, the firm designed General Atomics (1957) and Convair Astronautics (1958) in San Diego. Charles Luckman & Associates’ design for Grossmont Hospital in 1960 was highlighted by the photography of Julius Shulman.
Charles Luckman was born on May 16, 1909. Luckman graduated with a degree in Architecture in 1931 from the University of Illinois but went into sales during the depths of the Great Depression. Gaining early fame as "the Boy Wonder of American Business" when he was named President of the Pepsodent Toothpaste Company in 1939 at the age of 30. Charles would go on to become President of Lever Brothers – during which he helped plan Lever Brothers’ New York skyscraper, Lever House, that was designed by Gordon Bunshaft of Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill.
Reminded of his architectural roots, Luckman resigned the presidency of Lever Brothers, moved to Los Angeles, around 1950, and began practicing architecture with fellow University of Illinois graduate, William Pereira. Their partnership Pereira and Luckman, led to works such as CBS Television City, but the two went their separate ways in 1958-59.
Luckman opened his own firm in Los Angeles and had satellite offices in New York and Phoenix. Some of his later projects were Madison Square Garden, the Los Angeles Zoo, and Macy's Plaza in Los Angeles. Luckman retired in 1977 though he still kept a hand in the office run by his son, who retired in 1991. Luckman passed away in Los Angeles on January 26, 1999)
General Atomics (1957)
3550 General Atomics Court
Pereira and Luckman
Convair Astronautics (1958)
Kearny Mesa
Demolished
Pereira and Luckman
General Dynamics (1964)
Kearny Mesa
Demolished
*Attributed to Pereira and Luckman
Grossmont Hospital (1958)
555 Grossmont Center Drive
*Attributed to Charles Luckman & Associates
Scripps Memorial (1960)
Torrey Pines Mesa
*Charles Luckman & Associates
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