Henry L. Gogerty; Architect Who Designed Gliding Classroom Walls

Henry L. Gogerty, a nationally recognized architect who designed more than 350 schools and scores of industrial projects in Southern California, has died. He was 96.

Gogerty, who died Sunday in Los Angeles, designed and developed gliding acoustical walls to provide for flexible classroom construction. The design helped him win a national achievement award in the science of construction from the American Institute of Architects.

He also designed major industrial projects, including the massive cargo plane assembly buildings for Hughes Aircraft where Howard Hughes’ famous “Spruce Goose” was constructed. The 274,000-square-foot structure was considered a singular engineering achievement in wood framing.

His business from 1923 to 1968, under H. L. Gogerty Associates, included shopping centers, office buildings, jails and structures for Hughes Aircraft, Bendix Aviation and Union Pacific Railroad.

Gogerty also designed and operated the Desert Air Hotel and Palm Desert Airpark in Rancho Mirage until 1968.

Born Jan. 30, 1894, in Zearing, Iowa, Gogerty earned his bachelor’s degree in architecture and engineering from the University of Illinois and a special certificate of architecture from USC.

He served in the Army field artillery in World War I.

Gogerty was a trustee of St. Anne’s Foundation and received its Angel Award in 1988.