Balboa Park, SeaWorld architect Homer Delawie dead at 81

Homer Delawie's mid-century homes still stand throughout San Diego. (Photos courtesy of San Diego Magazine)

SAN DIEGO — Renowned local architect Homer Delawie, whose work can be seen in Balboa Park and at SeaWorld, died Friday from complications of Parkinson’s disease at San Diego Hospice. He was 81.

Delawie’s projects include the fountain plaza in Balboa Park, the penguin and shark exhibits at SeaWorld, the MTDB Trolley Building and Clock Tower in downtown, the School of Creative & Performing Arts in South Bay, the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center and Scripps Miramar Ranch High School.

Related: Glass Acts: San Diego Magazine archive story on Delawie | Modern San Diego’s Homer Delawie page

He also completed projects for the San Diego Hospice, UC San Diego, the San Diego Zoo, San Diego State University and Qualcomm.

Delawie earned nearly 100 design awards for projects he completed from 1961 until he retired in 1997.

Delawie was born in Santa Barbara in 1927.

He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II before going to work for the U.S. Forest Service. He later studied architecture at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, graduating in 1951.

In 1958, Delawie formed a partnership with modernist Lloyd Ruocco in 1958, before opening his own office in 1961, a firm now known as Delawie, Wilkes, Rodrigues, Barker. A leader in modernist architecture, Mr. Delawie earned his first design award for the first 17-foot wide Mission Hills house, built on a 25-foot lot in 1958.

Throughout his career, Mr. Delawie contributed countless hours to civic planning and development issues. He served as chapter president of the AIA, and on a number of state and national committees and design juries. In 1997, the AIA California Council presented Delawie with a lifetime contribution award. In 2002, he received a similar award from Save Our Heritage Organization, San Diego.

Delawie remained a force in planning and historic preservation. His postwar modern houses, uniquely featuring maximum expanses of glass walls and sliding-glass doors framed in cedar, embrace atrium gardens and private decks. Some of his most dramatic hillside houses appear to float over canyons.

He is survived by his wife, Ettie, six children and three grandchildren.

A memorial is scheduled at the Bea Evenson Fountain in Balboa Park on Monday, July 20 at 5 p.m.

City News Service contributed to this story.

Tags: Balboa Park, SDNN, SeaWorld

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