Ernest Born
Ernest Born (1898−1992) was an architect, designer, and artist based in California. He and his wife Esther Baum Born (1902−1987) collaborated on diverse projects in the San Francisco Bay Area from 1936 on. She was also a notable architectural photographer. Ernest was born in San Francisco, Esther in Palo Alto, and they married in 1926 after meeting at UC Berkeley’s architecture school. Education Born studied architecture at the University of California, Berkeley, graduating from the school of Architecture in 1922. After graduation he traveled to Europe on a Guggenheim Fellowship, then returned to UC Berkeley earning a master's degree in 1923, with a thesis on the relation of painting to architecture. In 1928, he traveled to France to attend the American Beaux-Arts School at Fontainebleau. Career Between 1923 and 1928, Born worked for prominent San Francisco architects such as John W. Reid, Jr., John Galen Howard, and George W. Kelham . The couple relocated to New York’s Greenwich Village in 1929. Esther took a job with Wallace Harrison, the architect overseeing the creation of Rockefeller Center. Ernest spent time as a draftsman at Shreve, Lamb & Harmon, designers of the Empire State Building. In 1931, received his license to practice architecture in New York. and opened his own architectural practice, working on a wide variety of projects ranging from designing commercial spaces and exhibitions to architectural advertising. He served on the editorial staff of Architectural Record from 1933–34 and Architectural Forum from 1935-36. In 1937, he received his license to practice architecture in California. and the Borns returned to San Francisco. They went into business together, working residential, commercial and industrial projects, exhibitions, and photography. The Borns exhibited and promoted the then new Second Bay Tradition (1928−1942), and were part of the Third Bay Tradition (1945−1980s) of Modernist architecture and design. Born taught architecture at UC Berkeley for almost 2 decades. He was initially a Lecturer in 1951, then a Professor (1952-1958 and 1962-1974). In 1955, he became a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects (FAIA). The Borns closed their design studio in 1973, later moved to San Diego where they lived in their retirement. Notable Public Buildings Born designed several buildings for the Golden Gate International Exposition, a World’s Fair from 1939 to 1940 celebrating the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge. In 1937, Treasure Island, an artificial island in the San Francisco Bay, was constructed to host the fair. Born designed the "Main Portal", a monumental entrance consisting of five staggered volumes each at the left and right site of a central passage. Born designed several notable public building in San Francisco. 1951, in collaboration with architect Henry H. Gutterson, Born designed North Beach Place, a public housing project at the cable car turntable on Taylor Street. It was demolished in 2001. In 1961, Born redeveloped and modernized recreation areas and transportation structures along Fisherman's Wharf, an area of San Francisco's North Beach neighborhood. The project stretched along the coastline from Pier 33 on the east to