Richard Lareau

Born on October 17, 1927, in Bremerton, Washington, Richard "Dick" Lareau moved to Chula Vista with his family when he was 4. With his father serving in the US Navy, the family moved around -- including Virginia, New York, Coronado and Chula Vista. While at Chula Vista Junior High School Lareau designed a house as part of a class assignment. He graduated from Sweetwater High School in 1945. "At Sweetwater High School, he was the school photographer, played on the tennis team and delivered what was believed to be the hilly area’s longest bicycle paper route for The Union-Tribune," according to the paper.

While still in school, he would visit his older brother at Cal where he would witness his friend Jack Herman's architectural coursework. Seeing the renderings of a young Cal architecture student caused Richard to tell his brother how badly he wanted to draw that well. He graduated from Sweetwater High School as World War II ended in 1945. Dick's junior high teacher asked the class to design a home -- he took the assignment very seriously and began gathering a sense of what a house design meant to his fellow students (seeing them as clients early on).

Dick sold bottled water door-to-door for five months before following his father's footsteps into military service. In 1949, he finished the US Navy's V-5 Flight program and began studies at the University of New Mexico (in 1949) before transferring to San Diego State College. Under the tutelage of sculptor John Dirks (being particularly influenced in his perspective drawing class) and painter Jean Swiggett, Richard built his GPA and transferred to Cal. At Berkeley, Lareau would earn a BA (in 1954) and an MA (in 1955) in architecture and would act as president of the campus Architectural Association (as did architect J. Herbert Brownell years earlier). After graduation, Lareau worked in the San Francisco Bay Area for one year practicing architecture at the firm of Kitchen and Hunt, as one of the architects for the Winter Olympics at Squaw Valley (held later in 1960).

Dick returned to San Diego where he felt more opportunity would arise in a city with too few licensed architects. He started his professional career in the office of Kitchen & Hunt and later for Paderewski, Mitchell & Dean until he opened his own midtown office on 6th Avenue in 1957. Through the late 1950s and early '60s, Dick would practice from his small office, including a move northward to another office on 6th Avenue and then onto 5055 Harbor Drive. By 1968, the Lareau office drew up plans for the office at 2845 Nimitz, where he continued to practice for nearly four decades.

Before building a successful practice, including a concurrent position as Cal Western's (later Point Loma Nazarene) campus architect, the Lareau offices took on a number of residential commissions. Not taking his first Sunday off until two years into self-employment, Lareau worked constantly grabbing any house design he could (including his own home) to make a name for himself. Losing the Lareau Residence #1 design to divorce early on, the office began to grow past the early "lean" years. Past the early designs for (his first client he found while still in Paderewski's office) Howard Brubeck (Dave Brubeck's brother) and Jean McCommins (who was a student in Richard's UC Extension Home Design course), the firm specialized in religious structures, commercial buildings, public schools and university work.

With an early respect for Harwell Hamilton Harris, as witnessed in the Howard Brubeck Residence, Lareau's design philosophy was built around expressing the structure of a building. Seeing structure as a building's decorative program, Richard's fondness for circular buildings was profound. From circular churches, Cal Western's Little Theater (his first project for Campus President Rust) to Mission Bay Park Visitor Information Center and the Wycoff Residence (both helixes), he recalled "the circle is a beautiful thing."

Growing to a staff of 15 at its peak, the Lareau office acted as a training ground for a number of the region's architects such as Al Macy, Paul McKim, George Hartley, Bill Richards and Paul Thoryk. The offices on Nimitz would also house interior designers and landscape architects including Seifert and Wyckoff. In addition to working with local landscape architects, the Lareau office also engaged local artists James Hubbell, Ira Spector and Mike Madson to integrate their sculptural work into some of the firm's projects.

Partial Project List

Abbott, Mr. and Mrs. John Residence
Location and date not known
*Attribution from Richard John Lareau & Associates brochure

Bachelors Officers Quarters
NAS Imperial Beach

Bachelor Enlisted Quarters
Camp Pendleton

Benjamin Library (sculpture by Ira Spector)
5188 Zion Avenue, Allied Gardens

Berger, Eugene Residence Remodel (1964)
Garden Lane, Point Loma
*Here, Lareau installed his own design for a shower/bath spout which he failed to secure mass production)

Bignell, Mr. and Mrs. Tom Residence
Location and date not known
*Attribution from Richard John Lareau & Associates brochure

Boehm, Dwight Residence (1966)
2320 Via Subria, Vista
*Attribution from Richard John Lareau & Associates brochure; published in the September, 1960 by Masonry Industry

Bone, Jack Residence (1960)
1914 Guy Street, Mission Hills
*Attribution from Richard John Lareau & Associates brochure

Boney Hall (1967)
Point Loma Nazarene University, Point Loma
*Formerly on the campus of California Western University

Boucher, Mr. and Mrs. Frank Residence
Location and date not known
*Attribution from Richard John Lareau & Associates brochure

Briggs, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Residence
Location and date not known
*Attribution from Richard John Lareau & Associates brochure

Brown, Lee Residence (1968)
Location and date not known
*Attribution via Richard John Lareau & Associates brochure

Brown, Mike Residence (1968)
5645 Taft, La Jolla
*Attribution via Richard John Lareau & Associates brochure

Brubeck, Howard Residence (1959)
8141 Vista Drive, La Mesa

Cal Western Dining Hall (1962)
Point Loma Nazarene University, Point Loma
*Formerly on the campus of California Western University

Cal Western Fine Arts & Music Buildings (1969)
Point Loma Nazarene University, Point Loma
*Formerly on the campus of California Western University

Cal Western Gymnasium (1962)
Point Loma Nazarene University, Point Loma
*Formerly on the campus of California Western University

Cal Western Science Building (1967)
Point Loma Nazarene University, Point Loma
*Formerly on the campus of California Western University

California Western remodel of Old San Diego Club (1966)
6th & Ash Street, San Diego

Caperton, Mr. and Mrs. Woods Residence
Location and date not known
*Attribution from Richard John Lareau & Associates brochure

Casa Hardware & Lumber Co. (1968)
3706 S. Barcelona, Spring Valley

Centre West - Richard Lareau Office Building (1969)
2845 Nimitz Boulevard, Point Loma

Copp Hall
32nd Street Naval Station, San Diego

Cranston, John Residence (1972)
337 Pacific Avenue, Solana Beach

Cross, Mr. and Mrs. Frank Residence
Location and date not known
*Attribution from Richard John Lareau & Associates brochure

Davis Apartments
National City

Gallego, Mr. and Mrs. Fausto Residence
Location and date not known
*Attribution from Richard John Lareau & Associates brochure

Green Valley Oaks
Location and date not known
*What may be 8 homes; attribution from Richard John Lareau & Associates brochure

Gutierrez, Mr. and Mrs. Roberto Residence
Location and date not known
*Attribution from Richard John Lareau & Associates brochure

Henry, Fred Residence (1963)
1102 Sorrento Drive, Ocean Beach

Kees, Mr. and Mrs. Harold Residence
Location and date not known
*Attribution from Richard John Lareau & Associates brochure

Kensington Library Remodel (1961)
4121 Adams Avenue, Kensington

Lambert, Mr. and Mrs. Dave Residence
Location and date not known
*Attribution from Richard John Lareau & Associates brochure

Lareau, Richard Residence #1 (1964)
2922 McCall Street, Point Loma

Lareau, Richard Residence #2 (1970)
Location not known
*Attribution from Richard John Lareau & Associates brochure

Lyons, Mr. and Mrs. James Residence
Location and date not known
*Attribution from Richard John Lareau & Associates brochure

Mac Calla, Mr. and Mrs. Tom Residence
Location and date not known
*Attribution from Richard John Lareau & Associates brochure

McCommins, Jean and Robert Residence (1959)
4896 Taltec Drive, La Mesa

Men's Dormitory (1960)
Point Loma Nazarene University, Point Loma
*Formerly on the campus of California Western University

Mission Bay Visitors Information Center (1969)
2688 East Mission Bay Drive, San Diego

Navy Exchange Addition (1962)
Marine Corps Air Station Miramar
*Formerly Naval Air Station Miramar

Navy Exchange Cafeteria (1972)
Marine Corps Air Station Miramar
*Formerly Naval Air Station Miramar

Newman, Ruth Residence (1963)
1310 Alta Vista Drive, Vista

Ocean Beach Kindergarten (1964)
Ocean Beach

Pacific Beach Community Congregational Church (1966)
2088 Beryl Street, Pacific Beach

The Pan-Pacific House (1959)
6361 Elmhurst Drive, Del Cerro
*Designed on spec for contractor Tom Bignell and exhibited during the San Diego Parade of Homes. Recognized at the 1964 United Masonry Association of San Diego Awards

Resurrection Lutheran Church of Coronado
5th & Orange Avenue, Coronado

Roberts, Mr. and Mrs. Hilliam Residence
Location and date not known
*Attribution from Richard John Lareau & Associates brochure

Robinson, Mr. and Mrs. Richard Residence
Location and date not known
*Attribution from Richard John Lareau & Associates brochure

Ryan Library (1962)
Point Loma Nazarene University, Point Loma
*Formerly on the campus of California Western University; Originally featured interior light fixtures by James Hubbell

Saint John’s Evangelical Lutheran Classrooms (1964)
1430 Mlody Lane, El Cajon
*Robert Des Lauriers designed Phase 2

San Diego Public Library - East San Diego Branch Library (1961)
4089 Fairmount Avenue, San Diego

Shadow Knolls
Location and date not known
*What may be several homes for Roger Bignell; attribution from Richard John Lareau & Associates brochure

Sheldon, Gale W. Residence (1961)
972 Wakefield Court, El Cajon

Shumway, Mr. and Mrs. George Residence
Location and date not known
*Attribution from Richard John Lareau & Associates brochure

Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity (1967)
5076 College Place, San Diego

Siskin, Mr. and Mrs. Irwin Residence
Location and date not known
*Attribution from Richard John Lareau & Associates brochure

Struthers, Mr. and Mrs. John Residence
Location and date not known
*Attribution from Richard John Lareau & Associates brochure

United States International University (1970)
10455 Pomerado Road, San Diego
*Now Alliant University, Lareau designed the Master Plan, Administrative Buildings, Library and Learning Resource Center, Science Building and lecture hall and Academic Classroom Cluster.

University City United Church (1967-70)
2877 Governor Drive, University City

Vollmer, Rose Residence #1 (1965)
4515 Ladera Street, Sunset Cliffs

Vollmer, Rose Residence #2 (1966)
4101 Lomaland Drive, Point Loma

Vollmer, Rose Residence #3
Point Loma Nazarene University, Point Loma
*Formerly on the campus of California Western University

Vollmer, Rose Residence #4
Location and date not known
*Attribution from Richard John Lareau & Associates brochure

White, Jack Residence (1964)
690 Rimini Road, Del Mar
*This design earned Lareau his first AIA Award of Merit

Women's Dormitory (1962)
Point Loma Nazarene University, Point Loma
*Formerly on the campus of California Western University

Wycoff, Brian Residence (1968)
*Helix-shaped home in Del Mar (Off Del Mar Heights Road near Pine Needles). Designed by Wheeler employee Ronald Wiseman and built by Herb Turner.