Stuart Oliver Baesel

1923 - 2009

Stuart Oliver Baesel passed away on April 23, 2009, at his home in La Jolla. An architect, Stuart and his wife, Betsey London, fell in love with La Jolla during visits in the early seventies and relocated here in 1972. Stuart attended The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, served in the Army Air Corps in World War II, and completed his undergraduate degree in architecture and design at North Carolina State University. He completed his postgraduate work at Cranbrook in Michigan and Fontainebleau, France.
Stuart worked for large architectural firms in Charlotte, NC, New York City and Columbia, SC. He was the director for design for J.N. Pease and Associates in Charlotte before moving to La Jolla and establishing his own practice. His peers elected him as a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects.
While Stuart designed and participated in large architectural projects in the first 20 years of his career, his move to La Jolla allowed him to focus on another love, the design of houses and buildings reflecting the bright sun, cool colors and clean lines of the Mediterranean. He and Betsey London lived in their flat in Villefranche sur Mer on the Cote d'Azur off and on for ten years, always returning to the La Jolla coast.
With his longtime friend and colleague, La Jollan Dr. Harry A. Anthony, AIA, AICP, he was the co-designer of the Greek Orthodox Church of Saints Constantine and Helen in Encinitas, which received a 1997 Orchid Award, and the nearby village for the elderly.
Stuart appreciated good design in all aspects of life, from the simple lines of a Mediterranean villa, to the work of LeCorbusier, to the abstract figures of Picasso, to the lyrical harmonies of Cole Porter. His children picture him laughing with them in the summer under a thick tree in a café in the hills of southern France, sharing a liter of a simple vin du pays in the cool shade.
Stuart's lively personality was balanced by his creativity, his artistic vision and his love for animals, especially dogs. Perhaps the greatest expression of his liveliness could be heard in his piano playing; he played by ear, and it was impossible not to sing along to the old standards whenever he played. His love of life, his excitement and joy were contagious, and in quiet times his children can still hear him and Betsey London singing together.
Stuart is survived by his brother, Edward F. Baesel, in Charlotte, NC; and his children, Stuart (Atlanta, GA), Betsey (Pittsboro, NC), and Cordon (La Jolla). Please make any remembrances to the ASPCA.