Though now recognized as a hugely influential pioneer of the modernist architecture movement, during his lifetime, Irving J. Gill enjoyed an all-too-brief period of professional success before falling on hard times. By the time of his death in 1936 at the age of 66, the architect had been reduced to supporting himself by picking and selling avocados.

Gill remained largely forgotten until 1960, when his inclusion in architectural historian Esther McCoy’s seminal book, “Five California Architects,” sparked renewed interest in his work and a reevaluation of his legacy. Sadly, this much-deserved appreciation came too late to save the majority of the 350 or so buildings the ahead-of-his-time architect designed during his career, including what is considered his crowning achievement, West Hollywood’s Walter Dodge House, which was bulldozed in 1970.