Who Was Keslings

Kesling’s Kitchen Building

On the cusp of the desert golf-and-leisure boom in 1950, Borrego Springs’ leaders envisioned becoming “another Palm Springs,” and the sleek modern building at Christmas Circle and 665 Palm Canyon Drive represented the era’s sense of optimistic possibility. Eventually, the building changed owners and became the Borrego Valley Foods Market. A slow decline in upkeep and care ended when the building closed in 2005. Sixty years after its grand opening, the Borrego Business Building was for sale, a sorry spectacle of neglect, an eyesore with a proud history

By August 2011 the dilapidated building belonged to the Borrego Art Institute with ambitious plans for a gallery, workshop space, and a restaurant with patio dining. Renovation began in the fall of 2011 with architectural and new construction following the original drawings as much as possible. The team succeeded, and brilliantly so. The Gallery moved in on January 2013 and Kesling’s Kitchen opened its doors in April 2016.

Ever wondered where that name came from?

William Kesling (18 October 1899 - 13 October 1983) was an American architect. Kesling’s career was divided into two periods: the Los Angeles period, spanning from 1934 to 1937 (designed primarily in the Streamline Moderne style) and the San Diego period, spanning from 1939 to 1962 (International Style) Kesling is recognized as one California’s most prolific practitioners of Streamline Moderne.

In the early part of 1934, Kesling founded his company Kesling Moderne Structures and began designing affordable modern houses. His first project was begun that summer and completed in 1935. For the next two years, Kesling remained extremely busy, designing and building an extensive body of houses for clients including Hollywood actor Wallace Beery. During this time Kesling designed and built one of the largest oeuvres of Streamline-Modern houses by a single architect. Arguably his most iconic houses from this period were the Vanderpool Residence and Skinner Residence, located side-by-side on Easterly Terrace in Los Angeles’s Silver Lake neighborhood. In November 1936 Kesling was arrested on fraud charges, and in March 1937 was sentenced to two years probation, during which time he was disallowed from working in the building business. In 1939, after his probation was finished, Kesling moved to La Jolla to start over. Throughout the Second World War he designed prefabricated houses and by the late 1940s was again designing privately commissioned houses. Perhaps his most iconic work from this period was a cliff-side house he designed for Walton McConnell. Photographs of the house taken by Julius Shulman were featured in the 3 November 1947 issue of Life. In the early 1960s Kesling had gotten into financial trouble and in 1962 was forced to sell his business and assets. For the rest of his career, he worked odd handy-man jobs. Kesling died on 13 October 1983, five days short of his 84th birthday

Legacy

Kesling’s work was largely unappreciated during his lifetime and forgotten after his retirement. In the 21st century, however, Kesling’s buildings have gained new-found popularity and widespread recognition. Kesling houses now command high sale prices and are desirable due to their historic and aesthetic importance. Among those who own Kesling, works is actor Jay Huguley, who lives in Kesling’s Wilson Residence

Borrego Springs has 2 of Kesling’s buildings. Borrego Springs Mercantile Building Borrego Springs 665 Palm Canyon Drive, designed in 1948. And a residence at Borrego Springs Desert Club, 401 Tilting T Drive, designed in 1948.