Free for all, funded through readers
Berkeley, an independent news in California
COVID-19 in numbers – Get tested – Call the local . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Impact of wildfires MORE: The Oaklandside Is Live
He was born in England, but moved to the United States in 1954 to pursue painting as an architect. He is also known for his very good note cards and numerous comments on architecture in the local newspapers.
Known in the Bay Area for his excellent maps of correspondence as “Indian Rock Panorama” and his many architectural comments in local newspapers, John Kenyon died at his home, surrounded by his family, on July 11.
A painter, writer, architect, instructor and urban planner, John Kenyon was born in Bury, Lancashire, 10 miles north of Manchester, England.His family and friends in England called him ‘Jack’. His father owned a men’s clothing store and his mother was After serving in the Royal Navy, John graduated in architecture in 1952 from the University of Manchester and was appointed an associate member of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), which he maintained for the rest of his life.
Always in love with everything similar to sailing, John sailed to America on the Queen Mary in 1954, no less than to paintings in New York, he went north to Rochester, New York, where he discovered paintings in an architectural firm and he met his long-time wife, Jeanne Ludmann, a school teacher.
John and Jeanne arrived in the Bay Area in 1956, but soon moved to Moscow, Idaho, where John taught architectural design for two years at the University of Idaho.The University of Oregon was his next teaching post.In Eugene, they became lifelong friends and had their third child, Alan, joining young Katy and Sarah.
The bay area, however, remains attractive.The circle of relatives moved permanently to Berkeley in 1963 (John lived in Berkeley for a time in 1959).For the city of Oakland, John, as an urban planner, chose a specific shade of green for some downtown streetlights that can still be noticed dressed in this color.
John has become a planner with the Richmond Redevelopment Agency, where he had a lot to do with Marina Bay Park.Su ideal would have been to have a home commemorating a World War II Liberty Ship in the middle of the park to honor the historic shipbuilding site.
Outside of his official pro-life, John was busy capturing the Bay Area landscape with drawings, paintings, photographs and engravings and maps.Sometimes, his combined talents have given the impression in combination as in many of his architectural reviews on the East Bay Express (then under the direction of John Raeside).Always thinking of his next “color map” as he called them (although he also had black and white maps), John had an eccentric fascination with dinosaurs that gave the impression on some of his productions One of them is a view of Lake Merritt with Normandy flowing along a baby dinosaur.
In social life, John liked to communicate about each and every one of the elements imaginable: books, poetry, painters, architecture, trees and plants, and existing events.He was a defender of the street trees for almost every community and had deep wisdom.of the communities of East Bay.Walking down the street, he avoided and communicated with the other people he knew along the way to comment on his gardens or some of the plants he admired.He maintained friendships with several of his former classmates at Manchester School of Architecture and traveled regularly to England over the years.
John enjoyed the music. Some piano lessons have kept him well all his life as a child.He enjoyed having interaction in the song at any time (appropriately, of course), and he and Jeanne gave music lessons to their children.
He felt intense emotions for architecture, being a longtime LeCorbusier fan.He had visited Longchamp and several other sites of the Corbu buildings.John didn’t like the redesign of San Francisco’s new fashion art museum so much that he contacted Mario Botta, the museum’s original architect, and Botta responded with a wonderful appreciation.
John’s productive life was hampered by the slow onset of Alzheimer’s disease in his later years, however, his circle of family members and caregivers took good care of him.
Although John, then ex-wife Jeanne, died before him, he leaves his faithful children, Katy (John Abel), Sarah (Robert Naumann) and Alan (Annie Zhong), and his grandchildren Sarah Abel Orre (Kristofer), Carrie Abel Shaffer.(Alex), Scott Abel, Alan Kenyon Jr. and Eugene Kenyon; her great-granddies are Ella, Alana and Evelyn Orre; he also survives his nephew James Barden of Pembrokeshire, Wales, father of John’s granddaughter.Hollie Bonneville Barden and his great-nephew George Barden, any of whom now has his own family.
John has been his wife for 20 years, Susan Gordon.His daughters Ann Pierovich (Mike Monson) and Amy Pierovich Leone (Joe) adored him.Her new friend Patty Brown has taken a step forward in her later years.
The circle of relatives is especially grateful to the caregivers and staff of Easy Does It, whose attentive and loving care has kept John at home.
No commemorations are planned for John due to COVID-19. The circle of relatives hopes to celebrate their lives when they are safe.
Donate to Berkeleyside and independent local journalism.
© Side of the city. All rights are reserved.