Henry Hester is an intensely private man. He retired in Palm Springs and drew a veil of secrecy over his past. “It’s tough for anybody to be an expert on Hester,” says Keith York.
Hester graduated from USC School of Architecture around 1947. Now 81 years old and married twice, Hester has two children.
Hester was able to choose architectural commissions without worrying about finances. According to Jonathan Segal, he may have received an inheritance from his mother that financed his practice.
Hester formed a number of short-lived partnerships with architects, including Fred Liebhardt, Ronald K. Davis, and William Cody. He then formed a professional and social bond with architect Robert E. Jones that lasted through much of the ’60s.
For decades Hester lived in a home he designed on Torrey Pines Road in La Jolla. When he moved out, he left behind a number of personal effects that the new owners discovered—original photographs of his buildings, blueprints, and drawings.
In addition to the homes he built in San Diego, Hester was also involved in residential developments in Denver and Albuquerque.
Hester rebuffed any attempts to solicit his opinions on the Salomon Apartments restoration.
According to Jonathan Segal, Hester doesn’t even want his name associated with the redone 3200 Sixth Avenue. “Nobody wants their work touched,” sympathizes Segal. “It’s like someone is restoring your painting and thinks the color blue you used isn’t right so they want to use lavender.”
Colonel Salomon passed over John Lloyd Wright, the son of Frank Lloyd Wright, in choosing Hester as the architect for his home.
Homes designed by Hester are scattered throughout La Jolla. In 2004, a 1986 Hester home named Coast Walk was on the market for nearly $6 million.
