As part of National Hispanic Heritage Month, we continue our tribute to Hispanic Americans who have positively influenced our nation. Today, we honor Mr. Ernest Hernandez Elwood.
As many know, renowned architect Richard Neutra conceptualized our remarkable Central Library in the early 1970’s. Following his death, well before any action could be taken, his son Dion designed and brought the building to fruition. However, without the skill of Hispanic American architect Hernandez Elwood, our library may never have been built to the standards and ideals we celebrate today.
Born a native Angelino, Ernest was orphaned at the age of five. He grew up being shuttled from one relative’s household to the next until he was old enough to join the United States Navy. Discharged from war-time service in 1948, he entertained the notion of a career in journalism.
At the time, Mrs. Maren Elwood, who taught a UCLA course in creative writing, while also running her accredited writing school, hosted a party for prospective applicants. A popular school with “GI’s,” Ernest attended. The two became fast friends. He roomed in her home while attending UCLA, earning a degree in International Relations. He called her “aunty” and she called him her “nephew.” In one of the first recorded adult adoptions in California, he became her son on October 5, 1951, adding her last name to his own.
Ernest went on to earn his degree in architecture from USC. He was frequently chosen to represent the Architecture Department and School at various events. He graduated in 1957, and joined the firm of Robert Kennard, an important African-American architect in Los Angeles. He was only the second person hired by Kennard as he held Ernest in high regard.
After a few years, Ernest followed in Kennard’s footsteps by working for the renowned architectural firm headed by Robert Alexander. Alexander, a former partner of Richard Neutra from 1949 to 1958, welcomed Ernest and remembered him as a “very bright guy and he ran my office.” When Alexander retired, Ernest was the last employee he kept. Already a partner of the firm, he offered him a substantial portion of fees to complete some final commissions. Among other works, Ernest accepted the design of the Behavioral Biology Building at the California Institute of Technology which stands today.
In 1973, the construction of the Huntington Beach Central Library was well over-budget and six months behind schedule. Desperate to remedy the situation, which included increasingly contentious arguments between Dion Neutra and the contractor, the City Council reassigned the City’s project manager and hired Ernest, now in private practice, as the “Architectural Construction Coordinator” with broad powers to communicate but also to override decisions made by the various contractual parties. His former classmate, Dion Neutra, endorsed his appointment which he retained until the structure’s completion in 1975.
