Esther McCoy, 85, Renowned Writer on Architecture, Dies

Esther McCoy, considered the dean of local architecture writers for a collection of books and articles that chronicled the rise of design and designers in California, died Saturday at her Santa Monica home after a long illness. She was 85.

The author of “Five California Architects,” which since its publication in 1960 has become a classic of the genre, McCoy described the people of vision who came to California and took advantage of the freedom and lack of tradition to create ingenious living spaces.

“By the force of her writing and personality,” said her publisher, David Travers, “Esther McCoy brought Southern California architecture to the attention of the world.”

“There’s this ‘plunger’ attitude here that gives architects their freedom,” she said in a 1985 interview in The Times. “No one’s watching, really, so you can write better. You can design better. You can try out something and no one will really know that you’re trying it out.”

Born Nov. 18, 1904, in Coffeyville, Kan., McCoy moved to California in the 1930s and eventually went to work for Southern California architect R. M. Schindler.

Among her duties in Schindler’s studio was answering requests for information about his buildings, and out of that grew her career as an architecture writer. Eventually, she completed six books and numerous newspaper and magazine articles, including one scheduled for publication in January, Travers said.

Through her efforts, the architects and architecture she wrote about became world-renowned.

“These men were not well-known, but now they’re by-words,” Travers said. She wrote about Schindler, Irving Gill, Bernard Maybeck and other ground-breaking designers. Because of her work, a London-based association of architects began scheduling trips to Los Angeles.

Her honors included the American Institute of Architects’ Award for Excellence in 1985, the Star of the Order of Solidarity from the Republic of Italy and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art award for Distinguished Achievement in 1982.

She is survived by a stepson, Forrest Tobie of Crescent City.

A memorial service is scheduled for Friday at 2:30 p.m., at the Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Mortuary Chapel in Los Angeles.