John Arthur Blanton

1928 - 2019

January 1, 1928 - December 15, 2018 Former Manhattan Beach architect John Arthur Blanton died on December 15, 2018, in Merced, California. John had a flourishing practice in Manhattan Beach for nearly 50 years designing and remodeling homes and offices throughout California. He taught classes at local universities including UCLA and published articles and book reviews in the local AIA Journal, L.A. Architect, the Los Angeles Times, and Progressive Architecture. He and his work have been featured in various publications including the Italian magazine L'architettura, Sunset, HOME, A Guide to Architecture of Los Angeles and Southern California, and American Architects. John earned a BA and BS in architecture from Rice University in Houston. He was a veteran who served 2 years in the U.S. Army, a member of the Manhattan Beach Planning Commission from 1997 to 2002 and an active member in Rotary. His architectural papers have been left to UCLA and archived in Special Collections. John began his career (1950 until 1964) working for world-acclaimed Modernist architect Richard Neutra in Los Angeles during the so-called "Golden Era" of Neutra's residential work when Neutra entrusted him with many key projects. Architectural historian Dr. Barbara Lamprecht, a close friend, described John as "one of Neutra's most talented and beloved lead project architects. With such a long tenure with the Neutra office, a gentle manner, and always generous with knowledge, he was a great resource for many craftsmen and architects whose mantra was 'we'd better call John'." In an interview with Richard Neutra's youngest son, Dr. Raymond Neutra, John recalled: Neutra "was a very generous teacher, he gave everyone the chance to go out on a limb on their own and see if you could get back in. I worked on all the preliminary designs. I also provided some comments on the manuscript of his book Survival Through Design." Neutra included a specific acknowledgement to John in the first edition of that book as well as in his autobiography Life and Shape. Perhaps John's greatest legacy was his devotion to his family. In 1954, John married Marietta Newton (died in 1976) and they had three daughters: Jill Milne (Mark), Lynette Rowe [died in 2001 (Robert remarried to Kathy)], and Elena Blanton who lovingly cared for John in Merced in his last years. He leaves 9 grandchildren, 8 great-grandchildren, a sister, a brother, and a niece in Texas. Family and friends are invited to a celebration of John's life on February 9, 2019, in Merced. A more extensive obituary and details on the celebration are available at www.dignitymemorial.com.